BrandAid Consulting, originally founded in Auckland in 1998 by Penny Bicknell to offer a much-needed marketing resource to small and medium sized businesses.
Over the last 25 years, Penny has worked with a range of businesses, both corporate and entrepreneurial, in various industry sectors. She is passionate about making a difference for her clients and finding the path to growth.
Penny attained a BA Business Studies specialising in marketing from Greenwich University, London, followed by a Diploma in Marketing from the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing. She started her marketing career in the UK with Bayer, worked as a Product Manager on Radox and then as Marketing Manager for Max Factor cosmetics (UK & Europe) before moving to NZ at the end of 1993. Her first role in NZ was with Lion Nathan as Marketing Manager for New Zealand Wines and Spirits. Moved to Saatchi & Saatchi to work on the Lion Breweries business and then contracted to Lion Breweries for a maternity leave contract as Category Director for Premium Beers.
On leaving Lion, Penny commenced her Consulting career with clients that included Mercury Energy, Ergo Financial Services, Turners & Growers, Cerebos Greggs, Hewlett Packard and Port of Tauranga. After she started consulting to New Zealand Business Supplies Group she was persuaded to join the Group as GM Group Marketing Manager.
From 2001 to 2006 Penny co-owned and managed a five-star Lodge with her husband. Maruia River Lodge – in the Maruia River Valley, on the West Coast of the South Island. The Bicknell’s successfully rebuilt this ailing tourism business, transforming it from a run-down trout fishing lodge to a stylish wilderness lodge. After the sale of the Lodge they spent 18 months ‘on the road and in the air’ touring NZ in a motor home with their Wilga 35a aircraft. This culminated in a comprehensive NZ pictorial guide book available on the apple iBook store: New Zealand’s Greatest Pictorial Guide (two volumes: North Island and South Island).
Penny returned to a consulting career on completion of the tour. Clients included advising McCashin’s Wines, Datastor, Hydroflow and Truck Stops. She spent a year in Sydney from 2011 to 2012 as Strategic Director of Splash Consulting, a Communications Agency specialising in marketing to women. A year of Oz was enough and Penny returned to Auckland.
Back in Auckland in 2013, Penny consulted to Brand Developers Ltd on New Product Development and process and was persuaded to stay on in a Category Management role managing their portfolio of Household Brands, with household names such as NutriBullet, Shark, iRobot, and NutriNinja.
Finally, at the end of 2016, it was time to quit Auckland!
Penny has moved to the West Coast of the South Island to Camerons Beach, just south of Greymouth, with her professional photographer husband Steve Bicknell, and fur babies Nutmeg and Taika, to enjoy the wonderful lifestyle that the Coast has to offer.
Whilst in the process of moving, in January 2017, she assisted Tourism West Coast with creating their Marketing Plan to 2025 and now…………
BrandAid Consulting is being relaunched as an affordable West Coast Business Consulting Resource offering solutions that are customised for local business.
Whether you need to outsource your marketing, need some objective advice on business planning, improvement in your customer service, or need assistance with Social Media, BrandAid Consulting is here to help. Penny is passionate about working with clients to develop creative, effective plans to make the budget go further and achieve increased sales and profitable growth. She’s also happy to ‘roll up her sleeves’ and execute the plans as part of your team!
This website is designed to showcase areas of expertise where BrandAid Consulting can assist you in your business – please do call or email Penny for a no obligation discussion.
Penny has now taken on full time employment and is not available for Consulting Assignments.