Talking Point: A European adventure
Entering a new market can be an uncertain time for any organisation, but entering a market within an entirely different country can be even more intimidating. However, with the right resources and research at hand the move can be relatively seamless.
2010 has been a milestone year for Big Cat Group; not only are we celebrating our tenth birthday but we have also just launched overseas operations in the form of Big Cat Europe, a new marketing experience consultancy. This new entity has operations in Barcelona, London, Paris and a head office in Birmingham. The venture will allow us to deliver exciting events and exhibitions throughout Europe, utilising the resources of all the offices.
Big Cat Europe is the result of a merger with AMP Entertainment, a smaller live entertainment consultancy who we have worked with to deliver a number of exhilarating events including Bodies Revealed and CSI: The Experience and most recently Star Trek: The Exploration which opened last month in Valencia, Spain.
The standing relationship with AMP Entertainment provided the perfect opportunity to entering the European market. Following months of extensive research and meetings we noticed a gap in the market for a consultancy that could provide a full range of services; event, marketing, PR and creative design, across Europe. The obvious problems such as language barriers were not an issue as we have worked with agents for a number of years who are fully versed in the differences between markets.
Culture can play a key role in the success of European expansion. This goes much further than whether you shake hands or kiss someone on both cheeks. Cultures will react differently to products and marketing techniques. For example France and Spain are more susceptible to experiential marketing whilst the UK is more involved in the world of social media. Being aware of these factors is instrumental to the success of a business.
The future looks even brighter for Big Cat Group as we are now looking at other countries to expand our operations into. We’ve seen a real demand in the European market for the services we provide and our ability to deliver pan-European campaigns through centrally located offices provides that much needed edge that we need over competitors.
Nick Morgan is CEO of Birmingham marketing and PR firm Big Cat Group
