Leading B2B agencies become leading B2B agency

Rupelmonde – Mechelen, 15 October 2019 - BBC of Mechelen and ARK BBN of Rupelmonde have joined forces. Both agencies are well known for their national and international B2B expertise. Their partnership is being sealed with a brand-new office in Ghent.

Logical partnership

The partnership, or partner merger as it were, was almost written in the stars. The two communication agencies have a complementary client portfolio and aim to make their clients stronger through more distinctive and creative B2B communication. The demand for specialists in B2B brand strategy and the latest marketing techniques is growing rapidly. In this respect, the new whole is also greater than the sum of its parts, as the agencies link up perfectly and reinforce the existing expertise. 

Mechelen and Ghent

BBC and ARK are opening a brand-new BBC office in Ghent. The Rupelmonde team will be moving in early January to Koningin Astridlaan in Ghent, close to the Gent-Sint-Pieters station. 

“Ghent has the talent we need,” says Ben Verleysen, founder and manager of ARK, who will be in charge of the Ghent office. “Many up-and-coming specialists graduate from the university here. Ghent is also the city of start-ups in our areas of expertise. Working with these young companies and leading platforms such as Showpad, will be even easier now.”

The office is located at a mere 150 metres from the railway station, making it easier for the staff to commute without having to drive. The distance between the two offices is also easy to navigate. It takes only 49 minutes by train to get from Mechelen to Ghent.

 50% international

Thanks to the partnership, BBC will be ringing in the new year with 55 colleagues, who will be developing both national and international campaigns. Nowadays, new communication techniques and tools like Hubspot and Showpad make B2B communication even more efficient and personal. The E3 network, with 28 B2B agencies worldwide and in which BBC has been representing Belgium since 1999, will be utilised to the utmost for international campaigns. These types of campaigns comprise around 50% of the work carried out by BBC. 

Exclusive focus on B2B

Jordan Audenaert and Ben Verleysen are the managing partners of BBC Mechelen and BBC Ghent, respectively. Anton Loos has been appointed managing director. The focus will continue to be on B2B. For some time now, B2B communication has been a complex intertwining of offline and online channels in which the target groups are informed and enthused in as personal and relevant a manner as possible. Teamwork among creative minds, planners, developers and analysts is essential to create strong communication. This is only possible if these specialists work together closely. The old adage ‘strength in numbers’ clearly applies here as well. The goal is not to become bigger, but to create the most efficient and inspiring B2B communication for clients. “That has always been our ultimate goal and will continue to be so!,” they claim in unison.