Judi-mae Alderton, the passionate marketer behind Mae Day Marketing, has clinched the prestigious Global Business Marketing Consultancy of the Year Award from Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards. This esteemed recognition underscores her outstanding contributions to various industries, which has had a particular focus on the brewing, beer and orchard sectors.
The Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards are a pinnacle of recognition within the global corporate community, celebrating individuals and firms that introduce new methods and ideas. Alderton’s achievement not only signifies her individual dedication but also highlights the prowess of Norfolk’s marketing consultancy landscape on a global stage, with Mae Day Marketing picked from 27,515 nominations across 34 countries worldwide.
Corporate LiveWire Awards Judge, Osmaan Mahmood, praised Mae Day Marketing’s impact, stating, “Each winner of these awards has made a substantial contribution to their sector with an innovative view to pushing business success and ideas. We were particularly impressed with MaeDay Marketing’s community feel, personal touch and emphasis on service.”
Mae Day Marketing, owned by Judi-mae Alderton, is a leading marketing and communications business with a diverse portfolio. Specialising in innovative and personalised marketing solutions, Alderton collaborates with businesses spanning various industries, most recently including breweries, beer-related enterprises and orchards.
Alderton, with over two decades of experience, served as the Head of Marketing for Woodforde’s and Lacons Breweries before launching MaeDay Marketing in 2019. Her journey within the brewing industry reflects a trailblazing spirit, consistently introducing groundbreaking strategies that turned businesses around.
During her tenure at Woodforde’s Brewery, Alderton more than doubled their social media following, achieved a 300% increase in content reach and secured over 20 pieces of press coverage. Notably, her strategies contributed to the successful launch of new beer products and brands, as well as the successful sponsorship of the Barclay Stand at Norwich City Football Club.
At Lacons Brewery, Alderton led a marketing strategy to re-launch the decades-old heritage brewing brand. Her initiatives resulted in a 40% year-on-year increase in Lacons ale sales, a 254% surge in social media following, coupled with a remarkable 846% increase in social content reach. She also supported the brewery with a new website and online shop, which delivered a substantial £27,000 in web sales in its first year and a noteworthy 230% increase in overall web traffic.
Alderton’s journey is a testament to her resilience, overcoming setbacks, and achieving remarkable successes in the brewing industry. Her dedication to forward-thinking in communications and business, coupled with innovative strategies and out-of-the-box thinking, has earned her recognition as a global leader.
Her involvement in beer festivals, brewery tours and current role as a judge at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Regional Awards events showcases a personal and professional investment in the industry. Alderton routinely engages with organisations like CAMRA, SIBA, and the British Guild of Beer Writers, further solidifying her commitment to the brewing community.
“I take great pride in receiving this esteemed award. It signifies not only my personal journey but also the collaborative efforts of the entire industry, underscoring the remarkable ambition within the British brewing community,” remarked Alderton. “Beyond being a recognition, this award stands as a testament to the spirit of innovation, commitment to service excellence and in truth, to me that also defines the dynamic landscape of brewing.”
Alderton’s journey with Mae Day Marketing began in the brewing world with a groundbreaking collaboration with Brook House Hops, her very first client when the consultancy launched in June 2019. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Brook House Hops utilised their marketing budget wisely, thanks to Alderton’s strategic guidance.
Sebastian Nielsen, Marketing Director at Brook House Hops, highlighted the impact of working with Alderton: “Judi-mae initially ran a small consulting exercise and helped with our marketing plan. She was extremely thorough and had some great suggestions on how to structure and promote our business. After a few weeks, it became obvious that Judi-mae would be a brilliant asset to the Brook House team, so she started managing ALL of our PR and social media activity. As our business and needs grew, she helped us in many other areas too. In all we worked together for over 18 months.”
The collaboration yielded remarkable results. Within 6 weeks, social media content views tripled, and engagement across all platforms nearly quintupled. Brook House Hops experienced commercial success, introducing new fans to their UK and international hops portfolio.
Mae Day Marketing’s involvement extended beyond social media. Alderton assisted with creative briefs, copywriting for brochures, website optimisation, sales process reviews and designed sales collaterals, including the innovative ‘Hop Trumps’ deck.
The partnership faced the challenges of the pandemic head-on, coordinating live social media posts at the Society of Independent Brewer’s BeerX event in Liverpool in March 2020. Despite budget pressures during the pandemic, marketing efforts continued, introducing unique initiatives and maintaining a commitment to industry support.
By the beginning of 2021, Brook House Hops had expanded their customer base by an impressive 50%, a testament to the dedication to sales and marketing activity.
In the 18-month period from July 2019 to March 2021, Mae Day Marketing achieved a 71% growth in online following, a 438% increase in the reach of online content, and a 478% improvement in engagement levels of social media content. The collaboration garnered over a dozen pieces of national and local press coverage from PR activity.
Sebastian Nielsen of Brook House Hops commended Judi-mae, stating, “Mae Day Marketing’s services were invaluable to us. Working with her was easy and fun and I’d recommend her services to anyone, particularly those starting a new business or moving into a new market or launching new products.”
Alderton reflects on this significant collaboration: “Brook House Hops were my first client and will always have a special place in my heart. Working with them was always exciting, and we tried out so many new things with their brand, constantly achieving great results.”
Additionally, Alderton’s expertise extends to the orchard industry, where she collaborated with Cavell Orchards, based in Swardeston, Norfolk. The orchard boasts 60 apple trees planted in 2000 and 2003, featuring a mix of traditional heritage varieties and Norfolk-specific types.
Robin Parker of Cavell Orchards praised Alderton’s work following a review of their business in 2023, stating, “We needed to upgrade our website. To facilitate this, we contacted Judi-mae Alderton at Mae Day Marketing. She was able to get this underway in a professional way and has enabled us to keep the best parts of the previous website and bring it up to date. This has also meant that we can now simply and effectively update the website in a much more user-friendly way, enabling us to concentrate on the business itself without having to take hours out of the day to deal with it.”
Alderton summarises: “The skills I have learned from a lifetime of interest in digital technology and nearly 20 years working in marketing departments really shined for me as I became an independent business owner, and I look forward to many more years doing the same for other ambitious businesses. I am so proud of this award and hope it helps people see my dedication to my cause: revolutionising businesses and helping them thrive, not just survive.”
