Interview by Kate Finley, Founder, Belle Communication
Interviewee: Abby Hughes, Head of Growth + Strategy, Belle Communication
After six years of dedicated work across client accounts and business development, Abby Hughes has been promoted to Belle’s leadership team. Her promotion marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Belle’s strategic vision.
Abby has been instrumental in shaping Belle’s holistic approach to PR and influencer marketing. Her fingerprints are on some of our most impactful campaigns. She excels at identifying the moments that matter most to our clients and their audiences, then turning those insights into action. Her ability to fuse trendspotting with business acumen has made her a trusted advisor to clients and a driving force within our team.
As she steps into this new leadership role, we’re excited to continue learning from her—and to keep building bold, insight-led work for our clients with Abby at the helm. Belle’s founder, Kate Finley, sat down with Abby to discuss her new role. (Transcript truncated for clarity.)
Kate: What’s energizing you most right now—what are you excited to build, lead, or challenge in this new role?
Abby: One of the best, most rewarding parts of my role is helping potential and current clients problem-solve. Digging deep into their pain points, their aspirations and mapping a plan that will create undeniable value.
One common challenge in foodservice is standing out in a crowded, competitive industry. This is more true than ever in today’s attention economy, where people are bombarded with content all day long.
On top of that, our food clients often target operators who wear ten different hats, are guarded by distributors and have zero time for fluff. If what we’re sharing isn’t helpful, interesting or genuinely different, we’re just another commodity. But when we find a way to capture their attention, that’s energizing.
Kate: At Belle, we like to share wins at the beginning of each meeting. What is something you are personally proud of from the past year?
Abby: Joining the leadership team has been an amazing milestone—and a unique opportunity to influence how Belle grows and evolves.
I’m especially proud of how our team is leaning into innovation. One example is Brilli, our new insights tool powered by influencers and their audiences.
It was built to help brands better understand niche audiences and rapidly changing consumer sentiment to drive action. Clients have used it to inform marketing campaigns, brand messaging and promotions.
Nation’s Restaurant News is also using the tool. In January, they launched their Influencer Insider column, powered entirely by Brilli. The column digs into what matters most to foodservice pros—from building authentic connections with Gen Z to driving foot traffic.
Kate: Given your background working with some of our key foodservice clients, what trends or shifts are you watching closely in 2025?
Abby: Since the pandemic, foodservice professionals have been dealing with constant challenges—supply chain issues, labor shifts, economic pressure—and that’s continued into 2025. But out of that, we’re seeing the rise of more resilient, agile brands. And I think that trend is only going to grow.
The brands that win are the ones that adapt quickly and stay close to customers. They’re not afraid to take risks to stand out, pivot strategies when needed, or invest in marketing to stay top of mind.
Kate: How do you see PR and influencer strategy evolving for foodservice brands?
Abby: We’re seeing a major shift from traditional B2B marketing to something more layered—a B2B2C approach, as we like to call it. This approach acknowledges that foodservice brands aren’t just selling to operators or distributors; they also need to build affinity with the end consumer. That’s where PR and influencers become especially powerful.
I recently saw a Forrester study that measured 1,000 firms. It found that B2B companies that act more like B2C brands report 28 percent faster revenue growth and 33 percent higher profit growth than those that don’t.
Kate: What else are you seeing that influences your role?
Abby: Something I hear all the time from clients is that they’re overwhelmed by trends and data. They need a partner who can analyze it all and tell them what actually matters… what’s relevant, what’s risky, and what’s right for their brand.
We do this every day for clients. I like to say we bring both strategic clarity and execution power. We use tools, processes and experience to build campaigns that drive conversation and outcomes.
A big part of that is making sure campaigns don’t live in silos. You heard it here first… but we’re soon rolling out a program to address this challenge. It will connect the dots between sales and marketing, delivering more integrated efforts that spark interest, nurture leads and support the bottom line.
Kate: OK speed round, ready? What’s one thing on your desk right now that says a lot about you?
Abby: My coworker got me a pickle-shaped plushie that I love. It represents 2024 and the year of pickle-everything.
Kate: What’s a guilty pleasure you unapologetically love? TV show, snack… no judgment.
Abby: I love all reality TV – from Traitors, to Vanderpump Rules and Love Island. I like to say my TV habits help me stay up to date on culture and trends, which ultimately benefits our clients 😉
Kate: If you could create your own dream food collab campaign, what two brands would you pair together?
Abby: The 90s snack, Dunkaroos, + Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
Kate: Belle has its fair share of foodies—where did you recently enjoy a great meal?
Abby: Hank’s Seafood in Downtown Columbus. If you go, get the crab cakes.
Kate: What’s your “thing” on the team—what do people always come to you for?
Abby: My coworker sent me a screenshot of her recent conversation with ChatGPT – it told her to bring Abby into a creative jam session for idea elevation. So I’ll say that!
I just want to end by saying I am thrilled to be in this role. Every day, I get to work alongside curious, creative and smart marketing leaders. It’s equally fun and rewarding, and for that, I’m grateful. Thank you.