One of the biggest challenges faced by SMEs is making connections with potential customers abroad. UPS used this as its angle for the campaign.
Its agency, Maxus, commissioned a partnership between UPS, UK Trade & Investment and The Guardian Small Business Network to guide SMEs through the export process, focusing on the US market.
The campaign centred on an SME Trade Mission to Atlanta, Georgia in March 2015, attended by 10 SMEs selected following a UPS competition on The Guardian Small Business Network.
The Trade Mission was amplified through a six-month sponsorship of the export zone on The Guardian Small Business Network. Throughout this period both The Guardian & UPS published content around the experiences and practicalities of exporting, as well as experiences from the mission itself.
The content was a balance between the practical knowledge required to export to the US with the real world-experiences of 10 businesses in market, forming new customer relationships designed to provide SMEs with real-world guidance to help them make the connection with their potential US customers.
"The partnership between the Guardian, UKTI, UPS and Maxus was truly unique and the project to date has exceeded expectations"
George Willis, UK MD, UPS
Category name: Best multichannel campaign
Programme name: The UPS small business trade mission
Client: UPS
Agency: Maxus
