When it comes to finding the right marketing partner, the journey often begins with a spark of inspiration. For Agvance Nutrition, a leader in its industry, that spark came during a presentation given by Energise’s director, Rosina Webb. We sat down with Chris Balemi, founder of Agvance, to discuss the value of their long-term partnership with Energise and how it has shaped their marketing growth over the years.
What made you decide to work with Energise?
“I first encountered Rosina at a conference,” Chris recalls. “Her presentation really intrigued me. At the time, we felt our marketing lacked direction, and we had long since hit a ceiling. What struck me about Rosina’s approach was how she brought together a team of highly talented people, each with their own area of expertise. This kind of talent pool would be almost impossible to achieve in-house without employing a number of people. Rosina manages all of this for us for the cost of a single salary.”
What were your goals when setting out with Energise? Have you achieved them?
“Our main goal was to find more direction with our marketing efforts. Before partnering with Rosina, we were putting in a lot of effort but seeing little return,” says Chris. We used a graphics company to design our brochures and sales materials, but we directed this ourselves. While we know our products and understand our clients’ needs, we didn’t always know the best way to market to those clients. It soon became evident we were making a number of errors.”
How have you seen your marketing evolve since partnering with Energise?
“Our marketing has evolved significantly since we began working with Energise. Rosina and her team are very good at directing our efforts, prioritising our expenditure, and analysing the results. They understand human thought processes in a way that only professionals in this space can. I don’t think we would have seen the same results with an in-house marketer. The breadth of expertise that Energise brings to the table is something that would be difficult to replicate in-house.”
Has Energise delivered on its promises over the years?
“Energise has more than met our expectations in every area. We’ve seen real results in direct correlation to our expenditure and effort. They have helped us minimise wastage in both money and effort. Rosina and her team are very quick to identify where wastage is occurring and redirect our efforts and expenditure accordingly.”
What benefits do you think Agvance has seen as a retainer client?
“As a retainer client, we have access to expertise in all forms of media, particularly digital. This has been invaluable. In addition to this, we’ve enjoyed having a dedicated team that understands our business and can respond quickly to our needs. The continuity and ongoing support are integral to our marketing success.”
What are the strengths of the Agvance-Energise partnership?
“One of the strengths of our partnership is Rosina and her team always seem to be ahead of the curve. Every time I think things may be getting slightly stale, they are already planning changes. Our marketing campaigns are always fresh, on point, and naturally expanding in relation to our company’s growth. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed the skills of many highly capable people within Rosina’s team. When those people move on, Rosina manages to bring even more capable talent on board.”
As with any good partnership, it’s a two-way street. We asked Energise’s Rosina her thoughts on this long-term partnership.
It’s a matter of respect
“We respect each other roles,” says Rosina. “Chris and his sons have built an amazing business over the last 30 years, so they are the rural/dairy experts and we are the marketing experts. We can’t work without each other and we can’t operate in silos. At Energise, we know how important market information, future trends, and customer and segment changes are to producing marketing that connects and produces results. Agvance gives us that information and we are good at integrating it.”
Understanding what it means to be a business owner
“Chris and his family have spent many hours and years building their successful business. Respecting and admiring this (as I am a business owner, too!), I treat any marketing decisions and budget as if they were my own. I am not afraid of pulling out of marketing initiatives that may not work and saying no if I can’t see an ROI. There’s no ‘faking it till we make it’ – life is a balance sheet.”
Being proactive for growth
“Rust never sleeps, therefore we can never stay still. The dairy industry is one of the most progressive yet competitive industries in New Zealand, and our marketing needs to follow suit. We are constantly saying as a team, ‘how can we do better, how can we connect more with our market, what’s next?’ Then I phone Chris for a long conversation!”
Looking for a rewarding long-term marketing partnership? Get in touch with the Energise team today.
