Here is a transcript generated by otter.ai of The Content Mix podcast interview with Moana Moo-Caille, EMEA brand marketing lead:

Carlota Pico 0:13
Hi everyone, I’m Carlota Pico from The Content Mix, and I’m excited to be here today with Moana Moo Caille who is brand marketing manager at BRP and has over six years of experience in marketing and communications. Welcome on and thank you so much for joining us on The Content Mix.

Moana Moo Caille 0:32
Hi Carlota, I’m very happy being here with you today for this interview and thank you very much for the the proposal.

Carlota Pico 0:39
The pleasures ours want to get this interview started off, I’d like to ask you a little bit about your background, a bit about BRP and how you got into your current role.

Moana Moo Caille 0:49
Okay, well, so my, my background is it’s quite easy–six years of experience in marketing and communication. I used to be, as I mentioned to you earlier, I used to be a professional BMX athlete, then the Olympic Games, etc, etc. It was quite difficult for me to to finalize my, my scholarship and my studies but then, it went well. I had the first opportunity to get BRP back in 2016. BRP, for the… for some of you who might not know, the company so, it’s a Canadian company which is dedicated to the manufacturing of different product lines. So our statements as a company is to create ways to move people on water, snow, dirt and asphalt. So we have a portfolio of different brands. You might know the snow mobiles–snowmobiles, sorry–Ski-Doo and Lynx, Sea-Doo watercraft, also the Can-Am on-road and off-road vehicles. We also have some boats company like Alumacraft, Manitou and Evinrude boat engines as well and the Rotax engines. So it’s an amazing company. It’s very, very interesting as well and appealing because we’ve got so many, so many product lines, so many brands and all of them have their own identities, complexities as well. So yeah, it’s crazy. So working for BRP as mentioned, my current role is brand marketing leader taking care of our watercraft brand, so Sea-Doo, for EMEA.

Carlota Pico 2:33
Okay, so Moana how did you go from BMX to BRP? Could you talk to me about that transition?

Moana Moo Caille 2:42
Well, how did I go? I think as most of those former athletes who decided at some point to to quit or to to finish their career, because for me, it was time. I had the chance and also the commitment to follow my studies at the same time so it was it was not very easy because depending on the, on our, on my sport objectives sometimes I had to add to to do a quick break in my in my studies. So that’s why it took a little bit longer compared to the normal people. But yeah, at the end I had the chance to, to find my first let’s say my first job as a as a junior… as a junior go-to-market advisor for France within BRP. And well, I feel very lucky about that because it’s a… it’s an amazing company. And I mean, it’s very, you can feel the passion because our product lines are so fun. And it’s not only about the product, it’s about the experience, the experience, really.

Carlota Pico 4:01
So what did your–How did your experience as a professional athlete help you develop a career at BRP?

Moana Moo Caille 4:12
Tough question. I think as, as a former athlete, you have some values, you have some competencies as well. For instance, the motivation, your commitment. You also have to be–as a professional athlete, you have to put yourself into question pretty much all day every day. And I think that in my current job, that’s something paramount, because we are working… I mean, we are taking care of so many markets around Europe, but also Scandinavia, Middle East, etc. So you, you, you have to be committed and you have to, not to think differently, but yeah, to put yourself into question to make sure that you will be relevant for this specific market. So yeah, I was…yeah

Carlota Pico 5:08
Okay. Well, you are the first professional athlete that I’ve interviewed during my time at The Content Mix so it is very exciting.

Moana Moo Caille 5:17
Former!

Carlota Pico 5:19
Still, former or present! You are the only professional athlete that I have interviewed during and it is extremely exciting to see…

Moana Moo Caille 5:30
Thank you you very much.

Carlota Pico 5:31
…It is very exciting to see how you use some of the skills that you acquired during your professional athletic experience and are using those skills in your current role as brand manager leader, at BRP. I do want to talk about your former role as marketing advisor for France and the United Kingdom. What are the few key questions that every go-to-market model needs to address?

Moana Moo Caille 6:05
Again, I mentioned relevant earlier and I think what I mean, within BRP it’s not an easy job because we are taking care of so many brands, our portfolio is very rich. So we have six different brands. And when you are a go-to-market advisor, for France or for UK or Germany, etc., etc. You have to…you have to…its work and to think about the go to market strategies for each of those brands. Each of those for the clients, they all have their own brand identities, they all have their own marketing objectives. You have to deal or so with different teams, different agencies, for instance. So you really have to be versatile and you have also to switch your brain quite quickly. So it was very, it was very interesting. So I would say as the go-to-market advice of depending on, depending on your company, but for BRP as you’re, as you’re managing different brands, I will say that the key… the key question is to… yeah, to ensure that you are relevant for your, I mean, your specific market, your specific audiences and to be able to, to be very agile as well.

Carlota Pico 7:30
Okay. Could you talk to me about any market nuances, challenges insights…So for example, let’s say that tomorrow, I want to expand my product into the UK market or into the French market. What are some cultural nuances that I should be aware of before going into that expansion phase?

Moana Moo Caille 7:52
Well, it’s funny because last year, it was not only last year, but the last two years of the UK market, we’re working on the Can-Am off-road vehicles. So basically I’m talking about ATVs and buggies. And over there, it’s not about like recreational products. So people, when they do some of them, when they do buy a ATV, it’s more about their job because most of our customers were or are farmers. So this kind of, you know, agricultural market is very specific. And also I mean in terms of business, very interesting for us as well because, you know, for instance, as a sheep farmer, your main farming tool is an ATV. Without an ATV, you can’t achieve your, your job or your day-to-day activities. So we’re very focused on that specific market–agricultural, targeting farmers in order to expand our brand and to create this kind of, you know, awareness, because in the UK it was very new for for us to, let’s say, to tackle those, these markets specifically. It was not easy because when you have to build, you know, in just a couple of years the awareness, but also the brand recognition. It’s many, many different objectives but also business objectives. Because we had to expand our network, we had to create some very positive business momentum, increase the sales, the figures…it was a mix, a mix of everything with a very small team. So we also have, we also had to face some cultural issues. Most of these guys, those sheep farmers, not only sheep farmers, with most of these farmers, they are so loyal to the current brands in the UK. You know, it’s funny because Can-Am is very well known globally. But in the UK, it was a I mean, it was in terms of awareness it was the less well known company. Most of the…60% of the of the market is in between the ends of Honda, which is quite surprising because in Europe, the market share on Hondas are very low, but in the UK, I mean, it’s amazing. So, this is something that we had to think and to anticipate–loyalty. Those guys, they are loyal and as a go-to-market advice, obviously we are we increase our media spending, but not only because those guys they have to test, you have to you have to increase your number of demo rides, etc. So, we’ve put into, let’s say we’ve treated and we worked around some grassroots activations and initiatives in order to make sure that we will be visible. But then when you are visible, you also have to be credible. So we had to build this, this credibility. And yeah, it was a tough job, honestly. But at the end of the the end of the journey, so after two or three years, we increased our awareness by 12%, which was, I mean, honestly a good result–we expanded the networks. And just, I mean, in terms of brand recognition, we put the brand at the highest.

Carlota Pico 11:41
Moana, I think you’ve tapped into a really important aspect of market expansion, which is on the ground relationships and the importance of building strong fundamental relationships with local people, local dealers, local suppliers, who will really act as brand ambassadors as well can help you expand your market or your product or your service into other regional locations within a certain market.

Moana Moo Caille 12:11
Exactly. And I mean, going back on the… on the UK market and the stuff I explained earlier, it was very, very interesting because first you have to create the the fundamentals, okay? So, you have to, to create visibility around around your brand. So, basically, you know, and this market is very traditional. So, you have to go to as many trade shows as possible. You have to be visible within the media, you have to be… you also have to, to engage with your network because your dealerships are the people who are selling your products. So you have to teach them, teach them how to how to promote your brand, how to promote your products, how to promote the experience, because again, this is why we’ve put in place such you know, very local, and let’s say specific initiatives like roadshows in order to give the opportunity to our end consumers to test ride on vehicles, which was again, paramount because they have to be convinced and to be convinced you have I mean, they have to try it in their day to day activities in their day to day job. Then you I mean, you’re, you’re creating the credibility, but also on the on the flip side, so I was working on those very traditional ways of, you know, doing marketing, communication, etc. But on the flip side, even though it’s a very experiential market, we worked and we created the Can-Am, the Can-Am family with some ambassadors. It was funny as well, because when I’ve been to the first trade shows, I was amazed to see how many agricultural ecologies went they’re with all the students, because you know, agriculture is massive in the UK–60% of the country, of the country lands are agricultural fields as well. So we decided: Okay, let’s let’s convince those young farmers as well because even those students, those who are like doing their… their current studies into those colleges, at some point, they will be a customer–they will be a potential customer for us. So I was surprised to see some YouTubers instagramers, basically, farmers, you know, who we’re like creating content around their day to day activities. And so we’ve created the Can-Am family. So we worked around contents. They’ve got their own vehicles, so they’ve got their own Can-Am to use, their own Can-Am they use, their vehicles into their day to day lives to fit their to feed their sheep or their goats, to go from one thing to another. I mean, it’s very, it’s very core, you know, but, but so genuine as well. And it was very interesting because we tend to–it was a digital initiative, but we linked it, we linked to the activation, this initiative, with some, let’s say, I don’t know exactly if it’s if it’s the right terms, but we’ve some physical activations you know, to create content as a brand because those guys that were creating, creating their own content, but as a brainstorm, it was also important to to create ours, so we’ve organized some, some demo days with them. With our own… You know, with our all own team to create, to create, let’s say web series, etc. But also we created events where they were able to engage with their communities and where they were asking their communities, the communities to join us. And we’ve been to one of the main trade shows in the UK, last last January. And we’ve got more than 400 young farmers on our stand. It was like just 200 square meters then completely overloaded with more than 400 young farmers and those guys that were so happy to be there to connect with their, with their, let’s say for instance, with fellow farmers. I know that just the term of farmers, could make you laugh. But at the beginning, I was like, okay, because I’m this kind of trendy guy, to be in all fairness with you. So when I was… when I had to jump in this role, I was not, let’s say disappointed, but I was like, okay, it would be interesting, interesting, but honestly, it was, it was amazing. Because they are, yeah, at some point are so traditional, but also so connected to those kind of, you know, digital side of things. It was very, very interesting. They were so…this kind of specific audience, they are so difficult to to convince as well. So, we’ve learned a lot.

Carlota Pico 17:46
Okay, Moana. I do want to focus on what your day-to-day looks like and also on how you control the messaging of your brand across so many different markets. So from what I understand, BRP has many different brands under its portfolio and you’re responsible for one. So let’s talk about one: what your day-to-day looks like, and two: how you’re able to control the messages that you send across to your potential clients, but that are located in so many different regions and also markets. So I’m guessing a lot of this has to do with localizing your media campaigns. So if you could talk to me more about that, that would be fantastic.

Moana Moo Caille 18:26
Yeah. Well, it’s a very interesting question, Carlota. It’s also a tricky one, because, I mean, as the Sea-Doo brand leader, right now, my job is to, let’s say, try to use the global strategy for the region. That’s I would say that’s the first step. Obviously, it’s… my role is quite versatile, versatile as well, because I’m taking care of the media campaigns of the PR strategy. But also on the initiatives that would be made in order to engage on its work. It’s very interesting, honestly, we’re working on some different retail operations. So, for instance, with the COVID crisis, we had to, to react quite, quite quickly. And then you have to liaise with the with the business team in order to define the right, let’s say, the right approach the right strategy in order to support our network. So it’s very, it’s very, let’s say exciting, versatile. And I will say going back to the, to the region and to the countries because obviously, as mentioned earlier, each–most of the countries–they’ve got their own, go-to-market advisor. So my role, first, we’ve got the global strategy, I need to try to use this, this strategy for the whole region. And then also I need to engage our go-to-market advisors around my vision, and then based on the vision based on the…I don’t want to talk about guidelines because, it’s not the word…because…but based on the, on the look and feel and the flavors that we want to, want to bring on the table, they are defining their own go-to market strategies. So, it’s it’s a team effort, honestly, it’s so, it’s so appealing because I mean, you, you’re dealing with so many people as well. And for instance, working, working with with the French team will be completely different– I mean, things will be completely different with the Scandinavian teams and they are facing different issues. They are facing different, let’s say complexities. So you have to be the voice of the brand, but you also have to take to take care of each of them, each of the countries. So, I’m learning a lot, still.

Carlota Pico 21:10
Well, I think everyone in the world is learning a lot, especially during Corona times–all of us have had to literally change our marketing strategy from night to day and adapt to a global health pandemic. Which leads me to my next question: How has the health pandemic affected your marketing strategy and the manner in which you communicate with your audience? So your clients, your dealers, your suppliers?

Moana Moo Caille 21:39
Yeah. Well, it was, for all us, obviously, it was a tough, a tough barrier. First of all, as a company and as we are a b2b, b2b company, you have to reassure your network that you, I mean, that you are taking all the decisions order to protect the business, and when I mean to protect the business, it’s to protect their businesses. So, you have to make sure that you will still be able to communicate. That you will be able as well to develop some tools–develop some quick and go, plans to support their own business which is which is not, which is not easy. You also you also have to be very flexible and agile, because, I mean, with this craziness that we all went through in Europe, it started, I would say early March in Italy, and then in pretty much everywhere but everything I mean, everything went wrong in two weeks. Afterwards, when I mean in North America, and faced the same issue that we’re facing two, three or four weeks prior to this, so it was not–it wasn’t very easy, because we didn’t have we didn’t have any visibility on what will happen next and how long it’s going to take. So yeah, really being flexible, being agile, being very supportive in terms of business, but also in terms of communication for our network. We worked on different strategies, different plans. We had to, to pivot from one day to another, just in one second, because we realized, for instance, you know, and I think some companies like like Volkswagen, all of a sudden they had to shut down their own factories. We faced the same in North America. So, yeah, it was it was very complex. But again, I think that we did, we did an amazing job because at the end of the day, we didn’t really suffer in terms of in terms of, let’s say, in terms of business, because the sales, the sales momentum is still very high. And we already, were already out of stock on the Sea-Doos, we don’t have any more Sea-Doos, whether in the network inventories, or, you know, or in our own stock. So it was a very good year. And I think that we, we did create, but it’s also true that with this crisis, you know, people they don’t want to think about it, think about it again, in our product lines, the products we are selling, I mean, we are not selling a produc–we are selling an….we’re selling an amazing experience. And I think that’s the reason why we’re doing well at the moment.

Carlota Pico 24:56
Okay, well with every challenge comes an opportunity. I do want to talk a little bit about brand marketing but dive further into it. So when it comes to content…

Moana Moo Caille 25:07
Just, just one thing.

Carlota Pico 25:11
Well, with every challenge comes an opportunity. Let’s talk a little bit more about brand marketing. When it comes to content HubSpot’s CEO said the following: “What separates good content from great content is a willingness to take risks and push the envelope” From your experience, taking it to a brand marketing level–what separates good brand marketing from great brand marketing?

Moana Moo Caille 25:37
So what is making…I mean what’s the main difference in between a good strategy and a great strategy? I will say a great strategy will connect with different audiences different communities. Again at Sea-Doo we are not selling a product, we are selling an experience because… an experience on the water. And this is the the kind of flavors that we want to, you know, to put in the forefront. We are not focusing on the key features of the, of our, of our products, of our units. You know, it’s not about the power, it’s not about the, the capacities of the gust capacities, etc. It’s about the experience itself. And this is why we we’ve got, I mean, some–an amazing team of ambassadors–and those guys know better than us how to promote the brand because they just have fun. They’re just using our products. They are just experiencing our products, in their–not in their day to day activities–but just during the weekend, on the water. So, yeah, I would say being focused only on the experience, on the usage, instead of being focused on the product. And also working with the great, the great ambassadors because it’s not only about having the, let’s say, being focused on their on their reach, but being focused on engagement, as well is something very important.

Carlota Pico 27:20
Definitely. And I think it goes hand in hand with what you’re selling–you’re selling an experience, you’re not selling a machine. So from a marketing point of view, you’re really focused on engagement, because experience will normally transfer into engagement as well. And that’s a really great way of measuring success of your campaigns. Okay, we are getting to the end of our interview, but before we finish up, I want to ask you about a practical example. Which marketing campaigns have you admired lately and why? And also, feel free to zoom into any of your own projects if you like.

Moana Moo Caille 27:56
Again, tough question, but very interesting. I don’t have some specific campaigns in mind, but you know if I can, if I can refer to my former life as, as a professional athlete had to have to work with different different, let’s say BMX companies, different brands, when I was sponsored, and I will say something I will keep as a key takeaway: that’s so much, so much passion to work with, with passionate people first but you know, those kind of brands, some of them were like very focused on sending as many bikes as possible selling, selling, selling. And some others were focused on the on the people. The riders first that they took care of myself, they took care of their team, they just, just wanted to make sure that we’ll have the obviously the best bike ever to compete and to be… and to perform, but also just to be like in a very good mindset in a good environment. And they also they were focused on…so they are customers, you know. They did care of their customers and they put, you know, the, the experience and also the customer satisfaction, satisfaction sorry, at the forefront. And, you know, as a company, I think it’s something paramount You have to be–you have to take care of your, of your employees of your ambassadors, you have to take care of your customers and you have to be authentic, I will say, So, I hope that nowadays in my in my day to day job, I am doing my best, you know, to to make sure that you know, I’m good enough that I obviously do care of my team, I took care of my, of the people I work with, whether they’re working internally or whether they’re working for some agencies, for instance, but also, when we think about brand strategy and when we are brainstorming with our internal people, it’s always like, okay, don’t think about the brand. Think about the people–think about the end consumers first. Think about those guys–their behaviors. Let’s try to to put ourselves in their mind. So it’s not easy, obviously. But I think the most of the good companies are doing the same type of exercise. And this is why so it’s also very important for us to keep that tight connection with our network because our dealerships, our dealers they are, they are on the field. Same way for sales guys–they are on the field. They are in constant touch with our audience, consumers and customers, so….you have to you have to, to care about, about those those aspects instead of just: “Okay I need to think about the strategy. And I’ll do it on my own.” No, you have to mingle and you have to connect with, with, everyone

Carlota Pico 31:24
I love that response, Moana, because it’s very much about people first — a people first response, where what matters the most for you is to be able to walk in the shoes of your customers and end users. And I think being able to walk in the shoes of your customers and end users is really what makes the difference between just a good brand and a great brand. Great brands really connect and care about who uses their products and why they use their products. So they do everything with the purpose.

Moana Moo Caille 31:57
The why and the how is very important.

Carlota Pico 32:00
Moving into the last section of our interview which will be a set of rapid fire questions, I’d like to get the section started off with your source of inspiration. So who do you admire an influencer or professional role model perhaps?

Moana Moo Caille 32:15
Well, a professional role model. I think, you know, so many times during, during some workshop that we can do people asking this question, you have at least 50% of the audience who’s like, Oh, yeah, Steve Jobs. I’m not this kind of guy. I don’t have don’t have some professional model, that’s really awesome or well-known. Honestly, my managers. Those guys, the current one, and also the previous one. I was very, very happy to work with with them, just because they were so passionate. I’ve learned so much. I can’t give you their names obviously, you know, and then… But no, I don’t have some very well known guy to, to mention or to pick out. Same with with publications of books. I’m not I’m not a big fan of, you know, those kind of marketing guru who are like writing books, etc. I’ve got a couple of I’m following a couple of websites and but also a couple of universities with their own marketing share, and then they’re writing articles, surveys, and I’m a big fan of those kind of publications, those kind of contents. Yeah, it’s, to me articles are very… First, you don’t need to spend too many times to go through. You have like the, let’s say, the most important information compiled into one article. So I’m more like an article guy versus marketing guru books reader.

Carlota Pico 34:19
So what articles would you recommend? Is there any one particular article or perhaps a newsletter that you’d like to recommend your audience?

Moana Moo Caille 34:28
Hmm. Well, I’ve been to… last year, I was lucky enough to follow a three day course in Cambridge University. And I mean, their marketing program–they’ve got I mean, amazing professors and amazing doctors as well and I mean they are used to publish articles pretty much every week on their own blog. So I will, I will give you the advice to go on on the marketing website I mean the Cambridge University, the marketing chair, and then you can have access to very good content, very good articles with up-to-date information, based on surveys that has been done by by professors, doctors, and to me it’s it’s very interesting.

Carlota Pico 35:32
Okay, I fun and to finish the section up I’d like to ask you about your favorite app at the moment. What are you spending your time on?

Moana Moo Caille 35:43
Well as a person, but also as a marketer. I will I will say Instagram because as a person, I mean, I spend so many times on Instagram every day, every day… and images mean so much to me. I’m following my own, let’s say “influencers.” I’m following some surfing, riders, athletes etc. but also brands. Just you know like being stuck in the, in the subway, you are frozen, in November with a very bad weather just being able to see some guys in Hawaii having fun on the amazing waves, it I mean it means everything for me honestly but also as a marketer because obviously we have our ambassadors. They are very proactive on Instagram so, but you also can be inspired by other brands and by the content they are doing the content, they are leveraging, the content they are sharing on their own pages. So, yeah, Instagram for sure.

Carlota Pico 36:52
Okay, excellent. I definitely use Instagram often several times a day in fact, and again, I use it as a source of inspiration. And I also use it to just keep in touch with my friends to know what they’re up to, and just to follow their lives, especially those friends who are on the other side of the world that I don’t get to see as much as I would love to see them. Okay, Moana, those were great insights and tips. Thank you so much for joining us on The Content Mix. It was a pleasure to meet you and to have you on the show.

Moana Moo Caille 37:21
It was a pleasure for me to Carlota. Thank you very much. Looking forward to seeing the interview and to see my poor accent on the on the record. But yeah, thanks again. And, yeah, it was a it was a pleasure.

Carlota Pico 37:39
Well, the pleasure has been ours. And to everyone listening in today, thank you for joining us on The Content Mix. For more perspectives on the content marketing industry in Europe, check out The Content Mix. We’ll be releasing interviews just like this one every week, so keep on tuning in. Thanks again. Have a fabulous day and see you next time. Bye!

Transcribed by https://otter.ai