Meeting the target group

Last week I and my colleague were at Vårruset. Vårruset is a crosscountry race of 5 kilometres for women that is held during spring in several cities every year. Since the race is the biggest in Stockholm of all cities, the race was divided into two days and we attended on both of them. In the races women in all ages ran and it was a perfect match for many of our products. This time we gave samples and information about a joint care product called Litomove. This product has a target group of women 50+. Similar events are great to attend since you reach so many in your target group at the same time, a perfect match and funny at the same time ;).

At the picture you can see my colleague giving information about Litomove.

International workshop

Last week I was in Oslo for a workshop within omega-3 for two days. I work with omega-3 products and two times each year all brand managers within Axellus that works with omega-3 gather up for a workshop. Then we go through the past year, plan the upcoming three years and discuss potential innovations. We also share successful and not so successful cases to eachother so other countries can learn and not do the same mistakes. These days are very useful and the overall meaning with the meeting is to take advantage that we are big concern with many organizations that work with the same thing. Then it should be enough that one country explores one thing and then shares it, so we not need to do the same things in many countries. Of course, there will be local differences between the countries but then the countries have to take responsible and decide what kind of actions that will suit them best.

These workshops lasted for two days this time (usually it is only one day) and besides that these days are very useful and interesting; it is also fun to meet colleagues from other countries. You actually feel that Orkla is a global player. I meet colleagues from Norway, Finland, Polen, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 

New segments - new products

In my new job I learn something new every day, I really do! When leaving the office it is so great to feel that you have seen, heard or/and learned new things every day. I have worked with candy and cookies before within Orkla Group and now I am working with food supplement, which is brand new for me. It is so much more complicated to work with these kinds of products since we cannot say what we want due to regulations. Food supplement is not a drug and therefore something you eat when you are not sick, you eat it more to prevent illnesses. This means that when we communicate these type of products when cannot use any words that connect to illnesses, being sick, sickness, hospital, ache, and so on. If we do, Läkemedelsverket will stop us and give us a fine. These regulations can be very frustrating but also a challenge that you want to fight and win over

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International colleagues

For almost four years I have worked only in Swedish and Norwegian (spoken and written) during my time at Nidar and Göteborgs Kex. I must say that I have missed to practice my English and I have been a little afraid to lose my vocabulary (which I have, you can see it here in my blog not to mention ;)), but now when I started at Axellus this is changed. Today I write many documents in English and  have a lot of contact with international colleagues. This week I have participated in two workshops and colleagues from Norway, Denmark, Poland, Finland and Lithuania were there. That is really fun and interesting to work with other cultures and not at least, instructive and very good for me. So hopefully, you will see how much better my English language will be from now on ;). 

Hectic week

Even if I enjoyed last week I was longing for the past weekend. It felt so nice just too be home after an intense week. The three latest weeks I have been traveling a lot. It is fun but it takes a lot of energy when you are new at a job. You need to be focused 100 % all the time, new people and new information. It feels like overload in my head sometimes and then I even do not need to deliver right now since I am in a learning-period. It feels good ;).

During last week I was at a conference here in Stockholm and two days in Copenhagen for a work shop about vitamin and minerals and intro with danish colleagues, very interesting! Copenhagen showed its best side with great weather so I took a long jog and cleared my mind before a dinner with my colleague, lovely.

For me, even if it takes a lot of energy to be new at a job it is very fun! Right now when I writing this it is in the evening and I am already looking forward to tomorrow morning ;).

A new job!

One upside (among many) of being part of a big cooperation as Orkla is the opportunity to move between companies. Today I am 31 years old and I started to work in Orkla in 2009. Back then I worked as a Trade Marketing Manager at Nidar (candy) in Oslo, Norway. After 1, 5 years at Nidar within the Category department, I moved to Göteborgs Kex (cookies) in Stockholm where I have worked as a Brand Manager for three years. I have really enjoyed my time at both Nidar and Göteborgs Kex but now it is time for me to move on again. On the 2nd of September I will start as a Senior Brand Manager at Axellus, another company in Orkla. So after 4, 5 years within the cooperate group I will now jump on my third job and I am really excited.


Axellus works with health food/vitamins and has a broad portfolio. Last week I joined them on their conference in Berlin which was tons of fun. At the picture below you can see some of my new colleagues. They are really nice ;)

   

A new product will be launched

Before a new product is launched on the market it needs to go through several steps. First of all you need to find out what the market wants. Is there a need for a special product or a special taste in the specific category? Are there any trends that figures or has a certain topic been buzzed in the news? When you have done this research you need to find out if we are able to produce this certain cookie in our factory in Gothenburg or what kind of investments that are needed.

After this, you need to convince that it is a great business case and something that we should spend money on. You create a project group and start to develop this new cookie. During this phase you need to show the case continuously for the top management so that they know how the process runs and can plan for in the budget.

Until the new cookie will be launched these steps take approximately one year. This is one year of work and usually filled with difficult problems. It is a challenge to be a project leader and to develop a new launch in this category. But that is my job and I see the challenge as something fun and that I learn from it.

Last week I was in the factory in Gothenburg to overview the first production of a new cookie that will be launched after the summer. The production fell out well and that is a really great feeling. Finally, it will soon be on the market…