Fake it ’til you make it…as a logistics expert for the marketing industry
In a piece that first appeared in Encore, 
Andrew Wade from Chill tells us how to do his job.
What do you actually do?
Chill handles promotional logistics: custom vehicle and trailer builds; cold and dry storage; stock management; cold, dry, sensitive and fragile transport; and mobile refrigeration sales and rental – all very niche and tailored around the advertising and marketing industry. Putting it simply, we make cool ideas happen and we get shit done.
What skills do you need to be good at the job?
A love for deadlines, meticulous detail, an eye for quality and a passion for great service. You also need a killer plan A, a great plan B, an acceptable plan C, and the skill to know when to move from one to the other. The Chill team has skills in transport, storage, project management, building, risk management, OH&S, design, advertising and promotion, along with other important ones like chess, karate and ping pong. Our skills and experience mean we not only nail the nitty gritty ‘boring’ bits of campaigns but can also add cool elements to ideas that deliver impact, savings and efficiencies.
Who are the people you work closest with?
I sit next to Alex Herkenhoff, my account director and client satisfaction machine. My vehicle, kit and trailer builder, Ian Nicholson, who runs our QLD operation, my incredibly talented VIC state manager, Grant Peters, and my sister and business partner, Lauren Wade, are all key to Chill’s success. We also work very closely with our clients – marketing, PR, advertising, promotional and experiential agencies.
Is there any lingo we need to know to do the job?
Yeah plenty. You need to know the difference between a Medium Rigid (MR) and Heavy Rigid (HR), what it means to be carrying empty wood and a Full or Part Container Load (FCL/PCL). Shipping containers are Cans that can be full or empty, plus a bunch of other stuff relating to pallets, freezer temperatures and that sort of thing.
I’m still a little baffled by what you do. Can you give us some examples of recent projects you have worked on?
We custom built a Vitasoy Food Service Van for ActivNation, handled sampling logistics for Origin Energy Tales on behalf of Clemenger/Traffik, plus Chobani Yoghurt on behalf of The Round Table. We sourced, supplied and activated a branded Porsche for the Hot Wheels Target Toy Sale, and a VW Kombi for Street Food on behalf of Chatter Brand Experience.
What does a typical day on the job entail?
Anything from bumping in/out a national roadshow, activating sampling for world- leading brands at train stations or sporting grounds, building custom vehicles and trailers, supplying a fleet of mobile refrigeration for prestigious festivals and events, or what we’re doing right now which is developing a new IT system to remove some of the paper from our hands and hopefully the industry’s.
What’s the best part of the job?
The diversity, challenges and the unknown. As long as clients keep coming up with crazy ideas, we find ways to make them happen. No two days are ever the same and that’s what we thrive on.
What’s the biggest challenge?
A lot of what we do is harder than it looks. In order for campaigns to be successful you can’t just have a great idea, you need to actually deliver on it with meticulous precision, which is why agencies use us. We help develop their ideas and then make them happen. If done well, though, logistics happen like clockwork. It’s like an iceberg – people only see the 20 per cent that’s visible (like product in consumer’s hands), but it’s the 80 per cent behind the scenes that forms the foundation. Logistics is the important stuff that needs to happen once the sexy strategy work is done, but it’s always the execution afterthought. Our challenge is making sure the campaign functions seamlessly so it doesn’t fall apart.
How do you become a logistics expert?
Ask questions, foresee problems before they happen, make mistakes then quickly learn how to fix them, and don’t let your phone battery go dead.
This story first appeared in the weekly edition of Encore available for iPad and Android tablets. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download.
