Finiti Search is a global fintech company with two female co-founders at the helm and 15 years of experience under their belt. They carry a unique and innovative approach to recruitment, that’s built on trust, transparency, really understanding their sector and 100% communication – turning what can be a difficult and tedious process into something that’s linear and stress-free for both clients and candidates.

As Fintech firms continue to adapt and grow because of major world events, Finiti Search continues to adapt their approach to sales recruitment. But their website needed a shake-up to reflect their services, focus areas and the clients they truly work with.

Technical Difficulties

The brief for this project was simple; to launch a new website that made what Finiti does crystal clear and to really define how they want to be portrayed. It was a dream client brief. Being single-minded and confident in what you do and your swimlane, means you don’t need to be all things to all people. So this was something we embraced and leant into.

The Solution

We knew that a simple navigation and page structure was important, to make finding information quick and easy for both clients and candidates. We added a simple job board and application form as well as a client landing page and a candidate page, that were all mobile optimized – as we know people often are on mobile nowadays searching for jobs and filling talent.

We made it possible to set up a confidential discussion for those that aren’t quite in the market for a new role, but might want to see what’s happening in the market – enabling people to do some research before taking that next step. Finiti Search has a narrow swimlane, focused on sales and Fintech. They know who they are, where they play and they are happy to convey that. This comes as a huge help to their clients and candidates, because it keeps things clear and concise on exactly what to expect when you work with the team.

Happy Client

Rebranding Finiti Search, launching a well thought-through (but simple) site and re-establishing their social presence has been a fast-paced and enjoyable project. Having a client who knows what they want and how they want to position themselves, really makes for a great partnership. Finiti has a sincere desire to help those within the Fintech sales industry, and if there’s one belief we certainly share with Finiti Search, it’s that the key to a better tomorrow is in what we do to improve today.

If you have a brief or project you want us to tackle, please get in touch. We’d love to help your business grow through a new or improved website – dani@wearebodhiandco.com

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

There can be little doubt that interest in plant-based food is strong and growing in momentum. Nearly half (48%) of consumers look for foods and drinks labeled “plant-based,” per the Hartman Group’s 2021 Health & Wellness: Reimagining Well-being COVID-19 report. Seven in 10 U.S. adults have tried a plant-based alternatives. And one-quarter of adults say they are eating more plant protein than last year, according to the 2021 Health & Nutrition Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC).

Pizza Revival

The briefing for this campaign was to introduce two new plant-based vegan pizzas to their national menu (30+ stores and counting) and launch a campaign to appeal to all pizza lovers and even the meatiest of meat eaters. Plant-based pizza was highly requested, because it’s not something that many pizza places offer- and the ones that do tend to charge an arm and a leg. Rapid Fired saw the want and need for delicious vegan pizzas, and it was up to us to support the launch and successfully market a quality product with reasonable prices. How did we do it? Read on to get a slice of the action.

A Slice Of The Action

We took Rapid Fired’s two most popular meat pizzas and made them vegan. Enter PepperNoMe (the best vegan Pepperoni pizza with plant-based pepperoni) and ‘PBD’ (Plant-based deluxe – with plant-based pepperoni, sausage crumble, green peppers and red onion).  We developed a launch pack for all stores, which included new product photography, in-store graphics for point of sale and online and digital assets (ordering, social media, website). Good pizza deserves to be celebrated, and we wanted to make sure that everything we created was fun and playful to be on brand with the Rapid Fired atmosphere. “Move Over Meat-Guy” played with the idea of your stereotypical gym buff really enjoying plant-based pizzas.

We helped get the word out in the community by working with multiple influencers in the vegan space. This included Instagram, TikTok and some small in-person groups that hosted vegan potlucks each month.

The campaign also worked with MorningStar Farms® (a Kellogg’s brand) to celebrate and promote their sausage crumble – which really is delicious! After countless taste tests to perfect the pizzas, it truly doesn’t taste like you’re missing out on anything by going meatless.

History in the Baking

We thoroughly enjoyed working on (and tasting) these plant-based pizzas. And the new plant-based pizzas have now become a permanent fixture on the Rapid Fired Craft menu.

One thing became evidently clear during this campaign – Rapid Fired is second to none and loved by the community for their fast and quality pizza offer at affordable everyday prices. So, the next time you think about grabbing a quick but delicious bite, you may find yourself placing Rapid Fired on speed dial.

If you have a brief or project you want us to tackle – get in touch. We love a good challenge — dani@wearebodhiandco.com

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

Many of us remember (and always will) March 16, 2020 as the day the world started to shut down. For me and my family, it was particularly memorable – it was when we uprooted our family in the UK and moved to South Carolina the day before it all happened.

The context

My husband Spencer and I were asked to consider relocating to Greenville in December 2019 with his employer, shortly after they had acquired the company that Spencer was Chief Technology Officer for in the UK. We had never really heard of the Carolinas, but a quick internet search captured our interest which then led to Spencer visiting and scouting the area out. A dinner at Jianna’s and seeing the waterfalls downtown area and he new we’d like it. So that was it. Decision made. With our then 2.5 year old (Bodhi) and 6 month old (Sonny), we decided to go for the new adventure. This was all before even a whisper of the dreaded C word.

We originally planned to move March 30, 2020 but once the word about COVID-19 started to spread in February 2022 we quickly rescheduled flights (not once but twice) to an earlier date, left our home in the UK to be packed, and flew to Greenville landing on Sunday March 15, 2020. Walking through the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta was a surreal experience. An airport that was so often busy and bustling, was almost empty.

The journey

After quarantining in their new rental house in the Hartness neighborhood (near to the Pelham Road) and getting their feet settled in, I knew I had to get back to doing what I loved. I had spent many years learning my craft in PR, social media and digital marketing, from working at Dyson (the British vacuum cleaner company) and knew I wanted to continue helping businesses grow and scale in this space. But where to start, was the first question.

In July 2020, I started freelancing for Greenville based company Find Great People and implemented a brand refresh, along with launching a new website. From this, the ball started rolling and Bodhi and Co. came to life.

Settling on new soil

Like many families, I knew in order to settle and put down roots in Greenville, I needed to find a job she loved doing. After freelancing, I soon realized that there are a lot of organizations and growing brands that don’t always quite have the need or budget for a CMO / VP of marketing type role. However, they might need some strategic thinking for a specific project, or a clever way to communicate to their customers. And that’s where we step in.

The inspiration behind the name comes from my oldest son’s name Bodhi, which means enlightenment and free from ego and anger. I did also set up Sonny as a URL (my other son) so watch this space on this one!

My favorite thing about it? All of the companies and brands that we work with have a real sense of purpose. Whether that’s through sustainable practices, giving-back to the community, or improving other people’s quality of life, it makes our work that much more exciting and meaningful.

Why work with us?

Bodhi & Co. has a different approach to marketing, as we offer a few different ways of working with us. Clients can work on a retained basis, where we allocate time to set number of services and we can shift and pivot our focus if needed or we can work on a project basis, where we have a specific end goal, timeline and fixed one-time cost. By offering these options, we hope to make things more attainable for start-ups, scale-ups and nonprofit organizations who could really benefit from a strategic marketing boost. If you think we can help you, do get in touch dani@wearebodhiandco.com 

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

In 2020, many companies were forced to make the switch to digital marketing and quickly had to learn to navigate online platforms in order to stay relevant. What was once focused on persuasive copy and beautiful imagery has now shifted into storytelling and creating relatable content.

As you start thinking about your 2022 marketing strategy, here are 3 things to consider:

1. Sustainability

Overall environmental awareness is growing among today’s population, and more and more companies are focused on playing their part in sustainability. This naturally attracts more consumers, as people want to be actively involved and know they are giving back to the community and environment with their purchases.

Sister duo Amanda and Katie have revolutionized the way undergarments are made with their startup company Pantee. They offer full transparency about their products being upcycled from deadstock t-shirts, where they are made, and the production process. They have also taken it a step further with their 1% for the Planet membership. Consumers have raved about their sustainable initiatives, and ultimately start spreading the word about the brand simply because they have a great “why,” and a great product.

At this point, it’s not really a choice anymore. Companies need to take responsibility and use their power to make a real difference in the environmental crisis going on.

2. Health of Home & Self

One thing that going through a pandemic made many people realize, is the importance of having a healthy home environment and self-care. Finding a way to encourage consumers to become their healthiest and happiest selves through using your products and services provides a great opportunity for companies to build up brand loyalty. On the flip side, having an active stance for employee wellbeing will help retain top talent in the company.

Some companies that have had recent self-care initiatives we can get behind:

• Frankie & Benny’s incorporated a standalone vegan menu, so customers can eat and feel their best without compromising on quality and flavor.

• Peloton showcases the sense of community that their product has created, and the ability to connect with others around the world. After long periods of quarantine and social distancing, having a sense of belonging is important to many.

• With the launch of their new pour-over carafe, Nespresso encourages consumers to slow down, and appreciate the small moments in life.

• Salesforce does a wonderful job of showing client appreciation, by sending amazing care packages. In our house, we always love it when a Salesforce.com package arrives in the mail. We know it’s going to be something good!

3. Power of Content & Influence Marketing

The rise of platforms like TikTok and Instagram have quickly become one of the most effective ways for brands to expand reach and influence. Ultimately, it all comes down to creating experiences that the consumer can relate to and organically engage with. When the content is coming directly from the company, it just feels like another push for sales. When it’s coming from the locally-known home decor blogger in the area, it feels more genuine and authentic.

Partnering with local influencers and bloggers has been a proven success for companies who want to branch out and reach new audiences. Many of these influencers have already built up a large following of people who trust them and actively engage with their content – so, why not tap into that?

Perhaps the most obvious switch to influencer marketing has been McDonald’s. Their recent celebrity collaboration with K-Pop group BTS, helped the company reach sales levels far beyond their expectations, simply by attaching a well-known name to their brand and tapping into their fanbase. The best part about their new initiative is that they aren’t having to create new products to spark interest, they just create new experiences that come with their products.

It’s all about finding the sweet spot.

At the end of the day, you want everything you do to fit in with your brand. Trying to force yourself into a space you don’t necessarily fit into can be detrimental. At Bodhi & Co., we work with brands to find their voice and help create marketing strategies that align with their brand goals.

If you need a little marketing boost, contact us at wearebodhiandco.com. We would be more than happy to help!

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

On #EarthDay it felt right to reflect on some of the work we have done over the years on sustainability and measuring impact on the planet. From trying to find (good) solutions to single use plastic, to working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on measuring carbon footprint, with some very clever lifecycle analysis.

Can you really move away from single use plastic?

Single use plastic is something that is hotly debated. And something that we feel strongly about too. Many brands are trying to do the ‘right thing’ when it comes to carbon emissions, environmental impact and single use plastic, even as an on-cost to the business. And yet, for every right move, there is also a wrong move.

At Bodhi and Co. we’ve worked with some incredible experts in this area. From Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT, and Professor Randy Kirchain (Co-director and principal research scientist at the Concrete Sustainability Hub), to A Plastic Planet, Carbon Trust and City to Sea. All these organizations advise companies, brands and organizations on how to tackle sustainability and ways in which to do this.

The reality is that changing from one material to another takes a lot of research, testing and consideration. You have to consider so much more than just the materials and what is for example food safe. Things are changing fast in this area, but things aren’t all changing at the same speed. Which is adding to the complexity of what the right thing really means. Let us explain more using examples:

Pieminister, UK – reducing single use of plastic

At Pieminister (the fabulous and delicious pie brand), the brief was very simple. To remove all single use plastic from their packaging and to claim 100% plastic free. So this included a window to the product, a plastic tray to hold the product and even thinking about the glues used to stick down the sides of the box (carton).

New materials – NatureFlex, Clarifoil

There are lots of new materials on the market than can be used to replace plastic – especially things like a plastic window or clear sleeve for food packaging. Natureflex is a great material that’s made from wood pulp, but that looks like a very thin plastic. It’s flexible and can be used to replace any plastic sleeve or bag too. TeaPigs have used this now for a few years, as part of their card and translucent packaging. Clarifoil is also another substrate that’s becoming more popular that is wood based. However, with these new materials does come some challenges when it comes to end of life. More on this shortly….

MIT lifecycle analysis – Dyson US

When working on the Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer, the environment was a huge part of the value proposition, particularly when going head-to-head with paper towels and their huge dominance in the US. So, we set up a partnership with MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and their leading sustainability advisors and gave them access to the entire supply chain and data around the product, to really do the most in-depth lifecycle analysis possible. (I will never forget the feeling when MIT… yes MIT actually responded to my email to say there were interested in working with us. It was like Christmas and skipped around the office for days!)

As well as oodles of data, they also had access to the environment engineers, which gave them huge insight into the consumer goods manufacturing world. From this, they measured all areas of the product lifecycle and the associated carbon emissions, from cradle to grave and all the moving parts in between. Dyson used this to make a commitment and to reduce their carbon footprint (CO2 emissions) by 50% within 3 years on this product, which they did. It was a really pioneering and industry leading project and one that has since gone on to influence round-table discussions, lean engineering and more.

End of life requirements

One of the big challenges we faced as part of the brief for Pieminister, was insuring we understood exactly how to best dispose of the packaging at end of life, so we could communicate this to our consumers (as it’s something they care about, and rightly so). This was not an easy task. In the UK, most waste collection authorities and companies operate differently, so how something is done in Bristol could be completely different in Manchester. For brands with national distribution, this proves a real challenge. Second and disappointingly, whilst these ‘wander materials’ exist, the waste management companies aren’t as up to speed, and how they separate waste can’t always detect them. So what might seem like a really good and positive switch, actually could be greenwash and just as bad as plastic, if the waste collection companies think the material is plastic.

Less is more

The best thing you can do as a brand, is to just use less if at all possible. Pieminister did this in a great way. They removed the need for a plastic tray to hold the product and instead thickened up the pastry, so it was robust enough to stand strong in the box. Win-win. No plastic tray and more pastry pie for the consumer! (environmental product engineering at its best).

If you would like to read about the MIT research undertaken on hand dryers – you can read this here.

We still are as passionate about the environment and sustainability as we were back in 2010 when we first started working on this. Get in touch if you have a sustainability or environmental challenge that you think we can help with. We’d love to hear from you dani@wearebodhiandco.com

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

As a growing organization that sits across both sides of the pond in terms of clients and reach, we sometimes find ourselves feeling more a part of Ted Lasso’s Apple TV series (which for reference is the best uplifting TV show) as these two worlds meet squarely in the middle.

Often, we get asked, so what are the differences between the US and the UK, and depending on the subject matter or industry, we could normally write a book. But the answer to the question is EVERYTHING. While both nations speak an albeit similar language, even some words still make us pause and think, when writing copy and content for either market. (The name for a swede for instance still blows my mind in the US).

I often find myself thinking (very Britishly) – that I don’t have time for this – as the person in the room launches into a great story about how they once met a bear camping. The truth is you do have time and you do have time to eat Ted’s handmade biscuits. It’s about making time and understanding the cultural differences and embracing them.

These principles transcend across many communication channels as well. The way grocery (FMCG) packaging copy and messaging is crafted is vastly different. Editorial, both in terms of structure and language used is incredibly different. And (probably) most importantly, consumer messaging hierarchy is massively different. All of these things are important to take into consideration, when trying to position your brand or organization in an alien market, to an alien audience.

At Bodhi and Co. we understand the nuisances of the US and UK. If your brand or organization is looking to expand from either the UK or US into the other markets – we are poised ready to help. And we are always happy to provide any pro bono advice, in exchange for a cuppa and a biscuit (English that is… not with gravy).

Author: Dani W – Founder
dani@wearebodhiandco.com

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.

Humans spend years looking for the spark; in life, in a partner, in a career. Brands do the same.

Organizations spend endless hours (and budget) digging into what the most inspiring and captivating thing is that they can convey to their audience. And yet more often than not, it just doesn’t cut through. Why? Because people are just busy and why should they care?

The key is making people care. Or giving them reasons to care.

Internally – You spark is:

·         Your sense of purpose.

·         Intangible, but infused.

·         Baked in.

·         Sustainable.

Externally – You spark is:

·         Why people believe.

·         The perceived intangible.

·         A single attribute you’re known for.

Here are our tips on defining and using that spark:

1) The SMIT*

*The Single Most Important Thing.

The best advice we can give brands is to focus in on the SMIT*. Define it, own it and do it really well. Coca-Cola ooze this.

2) Be Real.

Nobody is perfect. No brand is perfect. But you can be real, truthful and authentic. Acknowledge your imperfections and show how you are working on them.

3) Give-Back.

No one likes greed. And all consumers love to feel better about their existence. Giving-back should be part and parcel of everything a brand does. However big, however small. It should be real and start with your people and processes internally.

4) Less is More.

It’s such an important one that’s so overlooked. Often CEO’s want more and more and yet, the best thing you can do is do one thing REALLY well and be known for it. Focus resources, energy and some tail wind and do one thing.

5) Shadow Values.

Organizations often shout about their values and what they stand for. But it’s what is lurking in the background that is something that needs to be uncovered and tackled. It’s the unwritten rules, or the things you’ve always done since time began and it might be holding back your true values and overshadowing them.

6) Compassion.

More than ever, brands and organizations need to show compassion. To their staff. To their loyal customers and to people they touch. 2020 has been a year to really reflect and think a bit differently. For us at Bodhi and Co. we are embracing thinking differently and enjoying the challenge to create even more meaningful connections with the organizations and audiences we work with.

Author: dani@wearebodhiandco.com

www.wearebodhiandco.com

Dani Wilkinson

Dani has a passion for making brands sparkle. From Dyson vacuum cleaners to Pies, she built brands from the ground up and has a strong perspective from both high-level, to actual practicalities and how to get something done.