Our News & Views 2019

27 Dec 2019

There’s no stopping the New Year’s wishes

As 2019 draws to a close, the whole EMG team would like to wish you a happy & prosperous new year.

20 Dec 2019

Q&A-style press conference scores at K 2019

Milliken and PureCycle wanted to do things a little differently at K 2019. They chose a Q&A-style news show format for a press conference that was organized and moderated by EMG.

12 Dec 2019

The blog cocktail: layering information one blog at a time

You’ve done a press release, sent it out to everyone who would be interested and shared it on LinkedIn. Your job of getting the message out is now done and it’s time to relax. Right? Wrong!

5 Dec 2019

How to stand out and thrive in a downturn

What’s the best approach to communicating in uncertain economic times? EMG considers a few platforms to help industrial technology innovators stand out. 

28 Nov 2019

Create winning content for C-suite high flyers

Winning big in industrial technology communications means reaching the upper echelons with clear and actionable insights. Try to summarize the fundamental positioning of your news in three to four keywords. It’s not easy is it? But it is important. 

21 Nov 2019

A “circular economy” as the K 2019 mantra

Almost all K 2019 exhibitors highlighted their sustainability claims and goals. We spoke to several key industry journalists about the prevalence of this trend and how achievable the targets are.

14 Nov 2019

EMG helps customers score big on Düsseldorf show floor

K 2019 turned out to be a great event for our customers – but don’t take our word for it – listen to the positive feedback from our customers 

7 Nov 2019

Understanding the Industrial Technology Influencer Niche

Influencers and thought leaders are a topic that sparks the interest of many B2B companies, but the question marketing communication professionals have is: how does it work? The answer is all about finding the right connection.

1 Nov 2019

Content and structure insights that grabs the industrial technology journalist’s attention

Even in today’s multi-media world a well-written press release is still central to a successful industrial technology marketing communications campaign. Done properly, it will help you gain multiple channel coverage and draw widespread attention to your new product or business venture.  Traditional press release writing follows a fairly simple but critical formula that is very similar to journalistic writing. Having been a journalist for almost 20 years before taking up my current role at EMG, I want to share some key tips on how to write your release and how to get it noticed among the crowd. Both the content and the structure are essential to success. 

14 Oct 2019

The Media G&T: adding new twists to a timeless classic

Press releases and trade magazine articles are what we like to call the Gin & Tonic of the PR B2B world.  Even though the media landscape has changed, these classic ways to reach your customer are still important and not going away. They work best when you have a product launch, a big announcement or a unique news hook that media within your sector are looking for. This might be an industry trend report, case study, survey results or any other content piece that they haven’t seen before and will appeal to their reader.

1 Oct 2019

When it comes to content marketing it’s the thought that counts

The changing face of marketing in the internet age has forced a rethink at both B2B and B2C marketing communications teams. There is a growing role for content marketing that educates rather than proactively sells a brand. In order to truly take advantage, you need to claim a thought leadership position within your field of industrial technology. 

25 Sep 2019

Using AI to add life to your next marketing communications campaign

Automated help chats, voice-activated devices and augmented reality are just some of the platforms where artificial intelligence (AI) can be applied in industrial technology marketing communications.

19 Sep 2019

Strategic Social Media: A B2B Guide

We’ve been living in the age of social media for many years now. For some of us, we don’t even remember a time without it. It dominates so much of our lives. For my husband, he can’t go through the day without catching up on the news on Twitter. For me, I’m a bit of an Instagram addict. I consume photos and videos from my friends, cute animal sites and have been convinced by influencers or adverts to try out new products (because everyone needs a shampoo with their name printed on it). When I need ideas for work, I often turn to LinkedIn because I can get high quality content that’s suited to my needs.

11 Sep 2019

Balancing short and long form content to drive leads along the customer journey

For years, the general consensus in the social media age has been to opt for “snackable” content that can be quickly understood and leaves little to the imagination. With short attention spans and a wealth of other content feeds vying for their attention, the aim is to hit the reader over the head with something that shocks, surprises or amuses in the form of short videos, memes or controversial tweets. This is effectively scroll-stopping content that forces us to look. 

28 Aug 2019

How the trade media landscape is evolving, with a growing role for social media

B2B may have not been the first to the social media game, but there are few doubters nowadays of the role for platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter when it comes to an integrated communications strategy. 

22 Aug 2019

A strong integrated communications strategy brings results

EMG was requested to help Norican Group Asia Pacific develop a comprehensive multi-channel communications support package for China DIECASTING 2019 held in Shanghai, comprising media engagement, video and social media content. The goal was to promote their new product lines and get across their messaging to the media. 

20 Aug 2019

Using your LinkedIn to build trust and credibility in a B2B world

Did you know 61 million LinkedIn users are senior level influencers and 40 million are in a decision-making position? From a B2B perspective, this means the decision-makers you are trying to reach are using LinkedIn.

13 Aug 2019

How to win at K 2019

The K Trade Fair in Düsseldorf (October 16-23, 2019) is just around the corner, with excitement having been building within the plastics and rubbers industry for months. One of the key reasons for this pre-event buzz is the show’s rarity. Only taking place tri-annually, a huge shift has happened within the space since the last event, with the notion of sustainability and a circular economy now dominating the discussion amid increased public calls for change. But communication as a tool to generate pre-, during and post-show buzz has also shifted dramatically since K 2016, with the role for social media never having been more prevalent. 

5 Aug 2019

Why a customer and content centric focus will help you win

For most of us, it has been a long time since we were in school learning our 3 Rs of reading, writing and arithmetic. But in a successful B2B marketing strategy, the Cs are just as important as the Rs. To succeed and be truly noticed in today’s dynamic marketplace you need to be able to create, connect and communicate strongly. But there are many other angles to consider when building your next successful campaign.

1 Aug 2019

Remaining relevant in a circular economy

The plastics segment is being challenged to change the dialog around waste and provide true solutions. At the recent EMG Pre K Press Event, there was a strong consensus that the focus on virgin materials should become ever smaller and the role for a mono material strategy, which allows for simpler recycling was also noted

11 Jul 2019

Challenge your PR measurement and evaluation practices

Here it is. The silver bullet for measuring and evaluating public relations is to be honest and be insightful. There is no holy grail that will solve your measurement challenges. You will need to think for yourself. And that is the good news.

27 Jun 2019

The Inside Track to the Latest K 2019 News

What’s the next big thing in plastics sustainability? Which product launch has the potential to transform the rubber and plastics industry?  Top international trade editors got an early preview of what seven industry leaders are planning for the big K Show in October during EMG’s 6th Pre K Press Event.  The exclusive invitation-only event was held June 25-27 in Antwerp. Its goal is to enable editors to get a head start on their media planning for K 2019 by providing leading companies in the plastics industry the opportunity to deliver their biggest and most impactful K 2019 show news months before the official show.

12 Jun 2019

Interview Petra Cullmann, Global Portfolio Director Plastics & Rubber at Messe Düsseldorf

The K Show maybe a few months away, but already the plastics industry is talking about what they’ll be launching and the best way to communicate their innovations. Petra Cullmann is the Messe Dusseldorf’s Global Portfolio Director of Plastics and Rubber.  We reached out to her to find out her thoughts and insights on K2019, the biggest (Plastics) Show on Earth. 

4 Jun 2019

Should a robot generate your content?

An increasing use of robots and automation is changing how many industries do business. Some firms are even using automated artificial-intelligence software to generate written marketing-related content. What might this mean for you, and for the copywriters currently generating your content?  

22 May 2019

EMG's 4th Customer Summit focuses on Account Based Marketing

Understanding your customers is at the heart of an Account Based Marketing (ABM) strategy and is especially applicable in a B2B business environment where customers require (and sometimes even demand) your understanding of their business, and provide them with tailored solutions.

17 May 2019

Chinaplas 2019

The downstream application industry of rubber and plastic is active in technological innovation, which drives more urgent demand for new materials, new equipment and new technology. Chinaplas, Asia’s largest and the world’s number 2 plastics and rubber trade show is expected to bring together more than 3,500 leading exhibitors from all over the world.

16 May 2019

Quick SEO and keyword tips for B2B marketers

If done correctly, SEO is an organic way of having your B2B website or blog rise to the top of search engines without having to pay for it to be there.  But before you can make your content SEO ready, you need to ask a few questions. 

8 May 2019

Being there to save the day

This year it has been full steam ahead for the EMG Team. Just between January and April, there have been over 10 trade shows with IDS, JEC Europe, European Coating Show and in-cosmetics being just a few of the big ones where we were on site to help our clients with the media interviews, press conferences, video support, social media and anything else they needed to ensure they got maximum coverage. 

24 Apr 2019

Transition from PR to Marcom

Today, communicating to the audience is not solely about sending out a targeted press release – although that still is an element of a campaign.  Instead, PR has become “Marcom”, which includes understanding the business strategy, developing the message, creating the right content to communicate the message and dispersing the message.

24 Apr 2019

Keeping agile and innovative in marcom

Being agile in marketing communications is about taking calculated risks to keep innovative, and sometimes the risks aren’t always what you expect from a communications agency. Sometimes risks include implementing an idea that you know will effectively reach the audience.

24 Apr 2019

Challenging the status quo

While we know that press releases and trade interviews are here to stay, we also know how buyers gather information to make their buying decisions has evolved, and it extends beyond traditional media outlets.  Social media, video, webinars, podcasts and even a simple google search can influence their decision. 

12 Apr 2019

Navigating Asia's Public Relations Landscape

Malaysia is often positioned as the gateway to Asia. With a  constitutional monarchy of some 31.6 million people, the country is a melting pot with primarily Malay, Chinese and Indian demographics. And with this unique mix come certain implications in regards to its media and public relations landscape.

9 Apr 2019

Make the booth team part of your communications team

It is conference & trade show season, which means many of you have been planning for months every detail that goes into making sure the event is successful. You’ve developed the theme, worked on your messaging, posted on company social media platforms, sent out the press releases and invited the media.

2 Apr 2019

Engaging now with tomorrow's decision makers can help companies develop solutions for 21st century challenges

The problems that designers, business owners, and engineers face today are at a whole new level of scale compared to the challenges we’ve faced in the past few decades. In a largely globalised world, where changes in economic and natural resources can be felt halfway around the globe, our challenges are becoming more intertwined with the systems that connect us all. 

13 Mar 2019

Grab the media's attention at the run up to K 2019

This summer, in advance of the massive, triennial K 2019 trade show in Dusseldorf, EMG is once again organising its Pre-K Multi-Client Press Conference. The event will take place on June 26-27 at the Ter Elst hotel in Edegem (Antwerp).  

28 Feb 2019

WeChat challenging traditional translation and approval processes

Corporate and business content creation and localisation is founded on a long established principle of having a rigorous internal approval system in place.  For our work in China, this means much of the content we work with is pre-approved by corporate in English. The content is then localised and translated, and goes through a local language approval chain.  

19 Feb 2019

Are you ready for Account Based Marketing?

Account Based Marketing (ABM) is growing with 76% of B2B companies in UK and Europe looking to increase their efforts in ABM in the next year, but while ABM might be right for your organization, it might not be right for all of your customers.

14 Feb 2019

Why automation won’t render humans obsolete

Some worry that automation and robots are taking over. Already they are a part of our lives. We pay our bills through our phones, our cars tell us when we are going to hit something and our social media accounts suggest friends, products and events for us to attend. You can’t even escape it when watching TV. 

6 Feb 2019

EMG welcomes in the Year of the Pig

EMG moved our office from across the river two years ago, and we have watched the district blossom into a hub for innovators and entrepreneurs in the areas of science, artificial intelligence, technology and culture. 

29 Jan 2019

Mindfulness in Marketing Communications

More video, more social media, more integration, more influencer marketing are some of the big B2B marketing and communications trends for 2019. If you are like us, you’ve already come across numerous blogs all telling you the same thing: you’ve got to do more, more, more! 

22 Jan 2019

Working with Industry to Address 3D Additive Manufacturing Challenges

In recent years, Additive Manufacturing (known as “3D printing”) has made impressive progress in the areas of equipment, material, technology and application. China is at the heart of this development and IDG says it’s “the force” behind 3D printing growth in Asia.

17 Jan 2019

New Content Strategy Director Joins EMG

Disruption is something not everyone looks forward to, but Michelle Ponto loves the challenge of staying ahead of change. Michelle is an Emmy-nominated journalist with over 25 years of news and media experience. And we're excited that she'll be orchestrating some disruption at EMG.

9 Jan 2019

4 steps to develop a strong B2B digital communication strategy

Faced with today’s ever-evolving digital B2B marketplace, where 94% of buyers research online when checking out service providers, it can be tricky to identify your optimum targets – especially when you don’t want to just reach them, but convert them. The question many of you are asking is how do I become the proactive solutions provider necessary to increase my numbers?