Expanding into the US and the West Coast: Insights with Ted Kohnen of Park & Battery

Speaker A: So for companies out there that, uh, have a product that's innovative and they're investing in innovation, it's definitely market to, uh, to. I.

Speaker B: Absolutely. And, you know, it's. The US Is a large market. You could always start with a pilot program and test your way into growing into the market so you risk mitigate. Another popular theme of our conversation here, um, you know, in order to kind of test, test the market. So, you know, choose a market, choose a target audience, and you can, um, do a pilot campaign and learn from that.

Speaker A: Welcome back to the Value Driven Marketing Podcast. I am your host, Elena M. And in this episode, we are continuing the series of what it takes to break into one of the most competitive and opportunity rich markets in the world. The United States. Uh, with a specific focus on the West Coast. And to guide us through it, we're joined by Ted Conan, Cell CEO and co founder of park and Battery, an Adweek's Agency of the Year winner. Redefining how creativity, data and resilience drive growth, Ted helps brands turn intelligence into impact and build teams that thrive with purpose and performance. Park and Battery is AdWeek's 2024 B2B agency of the Year, as well as the association of National Advertisers Agency of the Year for three years running. In our conversation, we unpack what European companies need to know before expanding into the US and here are, uh, three ideas you'll hear us explore. First, why meaningful connections matter and how emotional intelligence shapes business interactions in the States. Second, why research can be one of the best competitive advantages. And third, how to adapt your message and positioning for the American market. Because what works in Europe very rarely lands the same way in America. I think this episode is full of practical insights, real examples and perspectives. So let's get into it. Hey, Ted, good morning. Welcome to the Value Driven Marketing Podcast. Very excited to have you today on the show.

Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to get into the conversation.

Speaker A: Excited as well, and very, very interesting to learn that you are familiar with Romania and Bucharest. So can you. A small world. I guess we can say that.

Speaker B: Absolutely. I've lived and traveled all around the world. Uh, but I've gotten to spend wonderful time in Romania, both in Bucharest and Brasov, and absolutely love the people.

Speaker A: Good to hear. Um, Ted, I would love to know more about park and Battery and as well, for maybe people in our audience that are not familiar with your agency. Can you tell me more what you guys do? Who do you help?

Speaker B: Absolutely. Um, so park and Battery is a full Service agency. So we work with brands, uh, on brand strategy, their positioning, their messaging, um, and then manifesting that in terms of creative and how it activates in the market. So all through media, uh, media strategy, go to market, creative content, etc. Um, we work with brands all over the world. Um, we work with, uh, large Fortune 500 companies. And we, you know, being in the California Bay area, we work with a lot of startup brands as well. Uh, Series A, B, C funded brands, um, so hyperscale brands. Uh, we work with Meta, so formerly Facebook, um, particularly the virtual reality labs. Uh, we work with Universal, uh, music, we work with Avis, uh, Avis budget rental cars, um, all in B2B, B2C capacity. We work with one of the largest health plans, health insurance plans in the country, Kaiser, uh, Permanente. So you know, you can see we work across a lot of different industries, um, and we love that variety. Um, and, uh, we also work with, uh, one of the world's, uh, largest biotech companies, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and we work with their group in Europe, in Asia, in the US as well as South America.

Speaker A: M. So you really have a global footprint?

Speaker B: A global footprint, absolutely.

Speaker A: Okay. Okay. So that weighs very well into our conversation of expanding to the U.S. maybe more specifically, uh, trying to expand in the west coast because of course it's a huge market and one would imagine companies would try to segment. Um, and so I would start with the more, uh, let's say softer aspects of what it takes to um, make it into the US into the, um, West Coast. And I would try and start with communication styles. So how is that different, Especially since you have the experience of working, of course, with many countries and Romania being one of them. So what is the preferred communication styles and how does that translate into a business setting?

Speaker B: Absolutely. Um, I think. Well, first it's important to remember the vast diversity of the US and in fact, people in Los Angeles and people in San Francisco will say they're very different. Right. So even within a state like California, um, which is large, California has the fourth largest economy in the world just by itself. Um, so there's a lot of diversity even within this state. Um, I would say, you know, the best practices in terms of communication styles is, um, more universally is that people want to be heard, they want to feel heard. So when you're in conversations with them, um, I'll give you an example. If you're going to meet with a prospective client, um, and you're going to give a presentation, don't jump right into the presentation. Have a conversation, get to know people, get to know their, their needs, their wants, their sensibilities, what motivates them, m. What fears they have. If you can connect on the emotional level and not just the rational level, then all the future conversations are going to be a lot more fruitful. Um, so definitely that kind of conversation style. Don't rush it, especially on the West Coast. Um, you know, there's the perception that we're more laid back and maybe we are a little bit, no less serious at all. Um, but you know, not rushing into the conversation, not rushing into the presentation, um, will really set the foundation for a strong relationship.

Speaker A: Okay, so good to know that. I was actually, uh, living with the impression that it's the other way around, that people are just very business focused and let's get the deal done, uh, move quickly. So I was on the opposite spectrum, I think.

Speaker B: Yeah, sorry. But that's a good, that's a good observation because I do believe so. I come from New York City, so I have the perspective of growing up, living and working in New York City and now living and working in the San Francisco Bay area. And uh, it's, it's definitely different in New York. It's a little more, um, it's a little more quicker, a little more intense in terms of that. Let's have the conversation, you know, let's get, let's get the deal done. Um, but there's still that connection, that personal connection that needs to happen in order to make the relationship strong. Future conversations, um, you know, just much more impactful. But yes, different areas of the country have a different level of intensity, I will say.

Speaker A: Mhm. Okay. Okay. So do spend time, uh, in, you know, getting to know the other person and in terms of business etiquette, outside of, you know, uh, show interest in the person standing in front of you. What would you add? What's important to know?

Speaker B: Um, I think a couple of things. I think one universal thing to know is always go in knowing who you're meeting with, what their company is. Do as much research as you can. Clients, prospective clients, love it when you have a knowledge of their business. You know, they're not expecting you to be expert in their business. But coming with a knowledge of their business, their market, the competitors, um, also is just great from establishing a strong business foundation perspective. Um, I think personally there are some conversations to avoid. Anywhere in the US I would avoid political conversations.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: Um, I think politics in the US has become very emotional. Um, I think people get judged simply, uh, by their political affiliation. So you really kind of want to stay away from those divisive topics, um, that could just, you know, set you off on the wrong foot. So I would definitely avoid politics. Um, sports are always good topics to connect on for sure. Um, I have found also uh, in my conversations with individuals, uh, our clients here in the US Particularly on the west coast, individuals love to talk about their families. Right. They love to share about their kids activities and uh, what their holiday plans are. And so it's a great way again to connect with that person. Um, but yeah, there still are definitely things that I would stay away from. Um, like politics. Um, yeah, that's typically the hot button right now.

Speaker A: I was wondering, in terms of making decision and what is the preferred decision, uh, making style? Uh, what would you say is typical for the US and typical, um, more specifically for the West Coast? Is it more of a, ah, collaborative style? Is it more leader driven?

Speaker B: From our experience, it's more collaboratively driven. So any time that we're going through a pitch process, there's um, you know, 5, 10, 15 stakeholders in the room. Right. Um, and oftentimes they're communicating to stakeholders not in the room. So there's a lot of communal decision making going on. Which means, um, you have to be very patient because one of the things I've noticed is decision making takes longer now than it ever has been. Um, I've been at this 25 plus years. Um, and the decisions on you know, to choose an agency partner or to even sign off on a project, um, are the slowest that I've ever seen in my entire career. So patience is an incredibly important thing. Being prepared to go many rounds on questions and answers. M. Um is going to be important and then, you know, from an agency's perspective, understanding, okay, we have a lot of support here, but where are the blockers? Right? And how can we help alleviate those questions or those challenges that individuals might have to something that we want to do or something that we're proposing or even going with park and batteries. So, um, it's definitely decision um, by committee. Um, there might be, you know, there's definitely seniority within um, that committee, but it's decision by committee and uh, patience will serve you well, very well and

Speaker A: I guess communicating well and probably over communicating since there are so many people in that decision making unit that you have to align, understand, uh, each perspective and their priorities and then communicating with each of them and trying to get everyone on board, I guess. And I'm just wondering, what do you think is the cause for uh, you know, the decisions taking longer now than they have 10 years ago, for example.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's a good question. We've thought about that a lot. Um, I think it's a few things. I think one, it's um, just the uh, uncertainty in markets, um, global uncertainty, political uncertainty, um, and that's been going on for many, many years. Right. Um, you know, we had the 2001 bubble, we had the 2008, um, global economic crash, financial markets crash, housing crash. Um, you know, we've had these major events happening more frequently. Right. I think there's a lot of uncertainty. Um, you know, do we, do we go for it? Right. And so there's uncertainty. Um, I also think there's, um, uh, there's a lower risk tolerance nowadays. You know, people, decision makers, groups are afraid to make the final decision and say, let's go now. Not, not everyone, not every company, um, but kind of at a macro level, I think there's more risk mitigation that's going on than there ever, than there ever has been. And you know, I also think it's because the, the decision making committees have gotten larger. It's just now inherently a slower process. And I think, you know, the title of your podcast is Perfect Value Driven Marketing, because with each one of those individuals that's part of the decision making committee, they got to see what value is for them. Right? So for us, that's a lot of people to talk to. Right. And sometimes it's harder to convince individuals of the value to them of doing something, making a certain decision, etc. So that's, you know, a few of the major factors I think, and why it's been going slower over the years. Mm mhm, mm mhm.

Speaker A: And when you mention uncertainty, you also mentioned risk. My question is when it comes to risk, um, and being risk adverse, I guess, uh, where do you think you stand and where do businesses stand in, um, are there, you know, more, uh, risk adverse these days? Is it something that's specific to your region that also impacts making business with outside and external partners?

Speaker B: I think for park and Battery as an agency, we love risk, we'll take it. Um, we don't do anything foolishly. I like to believe that, but we go for it. Um, whether it's, we're recommending how a brand goes to market or a certain campaign, um, because you need to take risks, um, there's so much commoditization in the US and in the world that um, you've got to break through. Um, so we're all about Risk taking. I, um, think uh, larger publicly traded companies that have stockholders, um, are more risk adverse than the Series B, Series C funded startup companies that we see a lot of in the Bay Area. Um, and they're like, we'll try this. Oh, it didn't work. Okay, we learned from it. We'll try this. And there's a lot of kind of test and roll methodology for how they go to market. Um, so I, yeah, I, I think it depends on the industry. I think tech is um, a little less risk adverse just because of the culture of tech. I think financial services is incredibly risk adverse. Um, I think should in a way, uh, the healthcare industry, um, despite a lot of innovation that's happening from a technology perspective in healthcare, I think they're risk adverse um, as well. Um, and certainly you know, the legal system drives that. Um, like in Europe you have gdpr, similar um, laws here in the us um, both on the health care side, on the data technology side. So you know, nobody, nobody wants to get in trouble with the law. So yeah, that's for sure. And the industries that are more high compliance industries like financial services, health care, government, you know, they're always going to be a little bit more risk adverse. Mhm.

Speaker A: And I guess in terms of mitigating that risk, uh, how would you advise a business owner to think of potentially approaching a potential client, potential partner in an industry that's risk adverse, that's highly regulated? Would you have some experience to share?

Speaker B: Absolutely. Um, we're absolutely always pushing our clients, um, regardless of the industry. I think one of the ways that we help risk mitigate is from early on in the process we'll bring legal into it. Right. So whether it's our clients, legal department or outside legal experts, so that our client has confidence that yes, what we're doing is compliant with what the laws are, what the regulations are. Um, also because we have a very strong strategic planning process and a very strong research group, um, we'll do a lot of research to kind of help risk mitigate in terms of if we launch this, what do we predict the response is going to be in market? Right. So there's a lot of data that we're gathering, a lot of research that we're doing before, even sometimes before we recommend anything, um, again to help risk, to help risk mitigate, um, any potential concerns that the client might, client might have. So bringing legal into the process early, um, you know, greater upfront discovery, um, really risk mitigate the process and I

Speaker A: guess from the perspective of a business owner, they should have that in mind that maybe they need to engage, uh, legal help that's based in the US of course, and uh, engage someone to help them with the research and spend time doing that research. So not jump straight into. Let's go.

Speaker B: Right, exactly. So you know, you're a European company, um, and let's say you've got a great technology product in the healthcare space, um, and you want to break into the US market, which is a big healthcare market, um, a lot of patients, a lot of healthcare companies, a lot of hospitals, um, you know, identifying a legal resource, um, is probably step number one.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: And then you know, there's a lot of research out there that's being done every day. So starting to read up on the research to understand product market fit, I think that's an important aspect. So you may say we have a great product and you have a big market, you still need to look at the product market fit. And doing your own research will help get you that as well as looking at any of the research that's been done recently will also help, um, will also help a brand from Europe coming to the U.S. make sure that they start off on the right foot in the market.

Speaker A: Mhm. Mhm. Yeah, it makes, makes total sense. So when it comes to doing your research, how would you advise a company to go about that? Should they do it on their own, should they enlist help? And then what are the different sources where they could go and find, ah, research data, uh, company data, uh, different things like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, excellent question. So I think one of the best places to go for research that's already been done is uh, the publishers. Um, so have a lot of industry trade publications in the US across a lot of different sectors, um, they're great resources for research. They're typically always doing their own research and you can partner with them to do research specific for what you're looking for about your product, et cetera. So they're already tapped into the market, they have a pulse of the market. Um, they understand all the nuances because they have the readership, um, and those are the people that the company would be targeting. So going to the publishers, the trade publications is a great place to go. Um, also doing um, qualitative interviews. So doing one on one interviews with different segments of the population to get a sense of again product market fit, risk to be aware of and also get a sense of uh, emotion and tonality. So sometimes it's not what someone says but how they say it. And in doing the qualitative interviews, you can really get a sense of um, oh, there's a lot of excitement around my product, or there's not. Or this feature is great for the US market or this part of the US market, but this feature on the product may not be. So you get it, you get a lot of good feedback that way from um, doing uh, one on one interviews or focus groups.

Speaker A: Mhm, mhm. And would you say that Americans are open to being um, let's say approach with just a cold message like I approach you, hey, let's have a chat. Would that be a good idea?

Speaker B: Good, good question. Um, I think it depends on the industry. In some industries, um, and specifically in healthcare, biotech, it's customary to offer an honorarium, a $200 fee for their time. Right. Which is called an honor, which we call an honorarium. Um, and there are some markets where people just like to give their opinion and they're happy to give their opinion. Um, it's a product they're familiar with, um, or a service they're familiar with. Typically they're happy just to speak and you know, tell you what they like or don't like about a product or a service. Um, but again in some sectors, if it's a new product, uh, offering an honorarium will typically get um, individuals to have the conversation with you.

Speaker A: Mhm. Okay, that's super good to know. So uh, that's new info to me and I think to the, to the audience as well. Um, and I'm thinking, okay, so you've done your research. Let's say you know what you have to do. Um, then actually going to market, would you say are specific channels that you will recommend? I know this is a very contextual answer and I know it does depend, but would you say there are some channels that do work better? So for, for example, cold, uh, calling someone on the telephone. Uh, yeah. What other is that a good idea or not? And what are, what better channels would there be?

Speaker B: Sure. Um, when we're looking at the optimal go to market mix or media mix, um, for our clients, um, we'll do ah, audience media consumption analysis to look at what are the best channels because oftentimes brands have a limited budget and they need to know what channels are going to be the most effective and that's where they should put, um, their budget. Um, so we do this across all our sectors. The clients that we work with and I would say, you know, there are some channels that absolutely are always present. Um, social media particularly LinkedIn is always present. And for B2B brands, what we see actually um, rising more in terms of interest and usage even in a B2B context. Um, Instagram, TikTok, um, so it's not just Facebook, it's not just LinkedIn which is you know at its core B2B but also Facebook, Linked, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, they are becoming incredibly effective B2B channels. Um, so always see social media, um, certain uh, search hasn't gone anywhere, paid search, uh, that hasn't gone anywhere. Um but what I would say is um, AI um so chatgpt we find that actually prospects uh, customers are looking, are going to chat GPT more and using that as their search engine than Google. Um, being found um, being uh, found either on a search Engine or through ChatGPT is still credible is incredibly important. And um, I think what's old is new again. Um, so TV is incredibly powerful whether it's B2B or B2C but streaming TV, so what you would see on, you know the ads you would see on YouTube TV or in the States, Hulu or Roku or those type of streaming platforms, incredibly effective because you can be hyper targeted to your audience. We do a lot of streaming TV with our clients. Um, audio is also incredibly effective but not radio. Drive time radio like used to be but Spotify for example, great channel um, for our audiences. And in some areas um, out of home has been incredibly effective but we like to use digital out of home so we can change messages. Um, there's not a large upfront cost with digital out of home. So what's, what's old is new again, right? Radio, outdoor have been around for decades and decades and decades, maybe even centuries. Well yeah, in some regards. Outdoor for sure. Um, but it's the new formats, it's the new way of targeting, it's the new way of serving up your campaign that makes it incredibly powerful.

Speaker A: Mhm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And TV is not going away. And when it comes to chat GPT, I can say the same for Romania that people do search on chat GPT more often and they reach us. So uh, definitely a channel that you don't want to overlook and say yeah yeah, absolutely.

Speaker B: It's a global phenomenon, I was going to say in the Bay Area. So one of the famous highways in California is the 101. Um, and if you go from the city of San Francisco to San Francisco airport, so it's probably about 10, 15 miles and you look at the billboards and there's lots of billboards as you go down, I would say 98% of them, maybe 99% of them are all B2B billboards.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: There's no consumer. It's all B2B because there's a big biotech corridor, there's a big tech corridor corridor. Right. So um, it's fascinating. It's probably the only place in the world where I've seen that level, that cluster of advertising that is only B2B. It's, it's fascinating. If you drive it, it's a fascinating drive because you know, I'll be driving with my wife and you know, she's a, she's a book publisher so she's not in the B2B space. So she doesn't, you know, she's asking me what all these billboards mean.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: If you know, you know, um, and in this area it's very much about B2B and if you know, you know.

Speaker A: And I think it's so interesting to learn that uh, B2B companies are realizing the importance of branding. Because some years ago it was, or at least in my perception in my region it was a lot about uh, digital and digital campaigns which were super measurable. But I think it was a lot about short term tactics and, and digital and uh, attracting quick results. Branding was something very fancy. But you know, it's for the bougie, it's not for B2B or things like that. So yeah, quite an interesting turn of events. I was wondering in terms of making a decision, um, choosing suppliers, which would be the, let's say two, three aspects or things that could make or break um, a deal. Because I think that's something a lot of companies or you know, business owners have in mind. Like what should I pay attention to?

Speaker B: Um, chemistry, uh, is very important in making a deal. So the relationship, um, I see more brands putting an emphasis on that. So it doesn't matter where in the world you are. People, um, are. Now US companies definitely are focused on chemistry with their vendor, with their partner, with their partner. Um, and this might sound obvious but um, transparency is incredibly important. Um, particularly if you're a company that's providing a data service. Um, transparency around data is incredibly important. Um, also visibility uh, into who the company would be working with. So who are my account people? Who's on my team? Right. And making sure those people stay involved in the process. Right. And they just don't disappear. Um, that's very, that's very important. Um,

Speaker A: uh,

Speaker B: you know, I think us um, companies, us uh, companies are absolutely very willing to work with um, companies outside the US for sure. Um, we have a Client in the financial services space, a bank, um, and they use an agency out of the Ukraine and they love them. Great relationship. Um, they're on the technology side. Great, um, relationship. Uh, super communicative. They uh, do great work. Um, so yeah, there are um, uh, lots of services coming out of India and you know, other European, uh, and obviously India is not in Europe, but um, out of India, Australia, the European Union as well. So um, yeah, come, you know, we've started to build up our presence in the UK actually so. And throughout Europe. Um, but yeah, I think, you know, transparency is a big thing. Who you're working with, um, if you're taking somebody's data, how are you using that data, how data stored? That's going to be incredibly important. Um, uh, yeah, those, um, those are critical. Yeah.

Speaker A: Mhm, mhm.

Speaker B: And also I think one of the other things, and this could make or break a deal is companies want to know about your culture. So if you're offering a product or service, they want to know about your culture, um, what are your values, um, how do you support sustainability, the um, environment, um, how are you using ethical practices in your business? That's very important. That's very important these days. Um, and that aligns with our values. And one of the reasons, uh, that we became a certified B corporation as well, um, which was very important to us and has actually become very important to clients, um, that work with us. They like that we're a B corp now.

Speaker A: Mhm. And for the European audience that's maybe not uh, familiar with corp, if you can expand.

Speaker B: Yeah. So B Corporate, uh, the B corporation is a, uh, a global certification which is basically you. And it's a, it's very long process to get B Corp certified. I think it took us a year and a half. Um, but you have certain commitments to uh, running a sustainable business, an environmentally friendly business, um, to supporting underserved populations. Um, so it's really, um, it's becoming a what we call a public good corporation. Right. We're, we're helping society.

Speaker A: Okay. Okay. Very, very interesting. Uh, so yeah, I've noticed the accreditation, but I should, yeah. Just to know more. Um, so we've talked about channels, we talked about doing research. I'm also interested in learning if you think, or how should the company think about adapting their positioning and their messaging, coming to the States. So what would you advise a company trying to expand into the States? Uh, how should they treat their positioning and messaging?

Speaker B: Yeah, it's a good question. Um, and I have an example around this. So When I was working on tcs. So that's Tata Consultancy Services. So we all know Tata, the big out of India. And they had a product, a service, uh, for finance and accounting that they wanted to make a big push on in the US they had to adapt their positioning because of the sensitivity around publicly traded companies taking their data and moving it outside the organization. Right. So when we're talking about publicly traded companies, multibillion dollar companies, um, from a finance and accounting perspective, that's typically all internal, so that there's security around that data. Right. There are controls around that data. There was a large concern around, oh, you're telling me now you can do this service, but I have to move my data outside my organization. So that was a fear that they had to overcome. Now, certainly the service, the value that didn't change in terms of what they offered. Um, so, uh, in order to do that, there was, um, a lot of communications that took place, a lot of content that got creative, that talked about the safety and security, even moving it outside your organization, how data is handled. The current companies that are actually using this service, you know, large multinational organizations that are already using the service of tcs. Um, so there was a lot more education that had to go in in order to overcome the concern, the inertia about using a specific finance and accounting service through tcs. Um, so it's not necessarily changing your positioning, but like you said, it's adapting or what we say, dimensionalizing your positioning. Um, and it might be, yeah, um, I think the research will tell you, oh, do I need to adapt my positioning? Do I need to evolve it? Do I need to highlight some features more than others? Um, does my positioning, uh, that I use in Europe or elsewhere outside the U.S. i'm coming to the U.S. does it sound like a U.S. competitor? Right. And I need to adapt it from there. So the research is really going to help direct any company, um, in terms of what they need to do from the positioning. And I think what I just said is an important point. You always want to look at do. Is your positioning similar or just the same as maybe some other company in the US and you want to, you want to avoid, you want to avoid that. You want to break through the noise, you want to break through the sea of sameness that sometimes can very much exist in the US Market. There are some sectors, some markets where it's flooded, it is saturated with companies, and if you want to break into it, you have to break in and break through for sure.

Speaker A: And you've, uh, I guess You've also answered another question that I had in mind, which was of a company that has successfully, uh, expanded into the U.S. so you've already mentioned, um, TCS. Is there any.

Speaker B: Yeah, I'll give you another example because I think it, it talks to the diversity of the US ikea, not a US company, definitely, but has been enormously successful in the US market. If you see an IKEA in New York City versus an IKEA out in the suburbs, you're going to notice they're very different. Um, so in New York City, the IKEA in New York City, um, they're selling, um, smaller versions of furniture. They're not selling big sets. Right. Because New York City apartments. Right. New York City has certain laws around, um, you know, what you can install in your apartments for, you know, fire safety reasons. Right. So IKEA had to adapt their store to the local market, to the needs of the local market, to the laws of the local market. So there are things you'll find in a New York City store that you won't find in a store that's more in the suburban area. Um, you know, you go to a suburban store and it's gigantic, it's massive. You, um, walk through it, it could take you hours. Right. Uh, New York City store built for efficiency and speed. So they knew when they came to the different markets that the store experience had to be different. Not only did the products had to have to be, but the experience had to be different. And I think that's what's so important for uh, any company outside the US trying to break into the US market. There's the product market fit, and then there's the overall experience that they have with your brand. Right. How do they experience you from a content perspective, from a communications perspective? That experience, it's what's going to connect you to, um, the audience in a more meaningful way. Mhm.

Speaker A: Mhm. Yeah. Yeah. So good learnings from, uh, from ikea for sure. And I think, uh, customer experience, I think that's something we can learn from, uh, the U.S. i feel like no one does it better than you. I mean, that's my, of course, subjective perspective, but that's how I feel about it. So. Okay, thank you for sharing those examples. I'm wondering if you were to wrap up and give one final piece of advice to a business owner, a company, European, let's say, that's looking to make it into the U.S. uh, what should they pay attention to?

Speaker B: They should pay attention to shifting, uh, dynamics. And I think this is where the research is so important. Don't, um, look at old research. Um, Covid had a major impact on, uh, geographical dynamics here. So the work from home, um, uh, you know, kind of philosophy that companies have. Now there are some companies, but not a lot that have a return to office. But you know, while the company may be in a city, right. The people that you're communicating with, maybe outside the city. So, um, because they're going to work, they're going to work from home, really understand those dynamics and understand where your audience is, not just who they are, not just this title or this function within the company, but where are they geographically, um, are they, are they sitting with people that they talk with every day? Or are they more out in their own, in their home or working from a remote space? I think that's going to be really, that's going to be really important. So you know, if you send a dimensional mailer, um, you know, big box to the office, to somebody, but they work from home, well, then you miss, then you miss that person. So understanding that dynamic is going to help choose the channels, choose the tactics, um, in order to effectively enter the market or get to those audiences you're trying to communicate with.

Speaker A: Mhm. Yeah, yeah, noted. And I've heard the research so many times. That is definitely, I guess, one of the keywords, um, of our conversation today. Uh, Ted, this has been super insightful. Thank you for putting things in context. Do you feel there's something you would want to add and I haven't asked you?

Speaker B: Uh, no, the questions have been quite, uh, comprehensive. Thank you very much. Um, I think one thing I would say for anyone outside the US looking to break in, there's still tremendous opportunity. Um, the US market in general, um, whether it's B2B or B2C, the audiences, the companies, they're looking for new, they're looking for breakthrough innovation. So while there are a lot of companies here, a lot of us grown companies here, um, we, the collective we in the us we're seeking inspiration and innovation from anywhere. And I don't think there's ever been a better time to break into the US Market.

Speaker A: Mhm. So for companies out there that uh, have a product that's innovative and they're investing in innovation, it's definitely a market to, uh, eye.

Speaker B: Absolutely. And you know, the US is a large market. You could always start with a pilot program and test your way into growing into the market so you risk mitigate. Another popular theme of our conversation here, um, you know, in order to kind of test, test the market. So, you know, choose a market, choose a target audience, and you can, um, do a pilot campaign and learn from that.

Speaker A: Thank you so much, Ted. This has been a pleasure.