Best Quality, Price and Service - Get All Three: Built for the Job

Unfortunately, none of what is required for an organization to manage pre- and post-pricing details and break the Iron Triangle is handled by the methods and tools commonly used in procurement. They simply are not built for managing and sourcing custom print projects.

That is why eLynxx exists…to do what common procurement solutions can’t.

Only eLynxx cloud software, powered by the multi-patented eLynxx sourcing method, is purpose-built for sourcing and managing direct mail, marketing materials and all things print. No other solution empowers organizations to go beyond the price acquisition and bid-and-buy sourcing needed for off-the-shelf items to properly manage all of the pre- and post-pricing details custom print projects require. It is only with this level of functionality that creation of an environment friendly to contribution pricing and breaking the Iron Triangle become easy.

eLynxx relieves the burdens of vendor management and eliminates the fear, uncertainty and doubt that come with building a vendor pool that truly meets your needs. Your print vendors are invited to participate and are informed they are always free to bid as they wish based on production capacity. They are asked to submit information and samples used to objectively assign product categories and quality levels in the software. This information, from vendors you know and trust, serves as a baseline enabling easy, worry-free evaluation and inclusion of resources as needed.

Templates and a familiar, guided process enable the establishment of objective, consistent and highly detailed specifications that are as easy to create and manage as completing an online form. These precision specifications set the parameters for determining which vendors are capable of producing the job. That is where the real eLynxx magic begins.

The eLynxx sourcing method automatically matches specification criteria with vendor attributes to select vendors to be solicited for the project. With all vendors on equal ground, the quality side of the Iron Triangle is removed. The selected vendors are then automatically sent identical solicitations with complete and detailed information. A reply with a price means that the vendor can meet delivery criteria, removing the service side of the Iron Triangle. With quality and timeliness out of the equation, price remains the final determinant. Choosing the lowest price breaks the Iron Triangle with nothing more than eLynxx software and the people, processes and vendors you already have in place.

eLynxx provides communication that brings everyone involved in the project, from creative through delivery and invoicing, including vendors and outside partners, together. Assignment, direction and tracking of approvals, both before and after the buy, are automated. Tasks, production milestones, assets, file distribution and change orders are all easily managed and tracked through automated workflow assistance. Robust reporting capabilities allow for retrieval and analysis of virtually any detail of any project managed with eLynxx software.

Users of eLynxx regularly achieve per-unit cost reductions of up to 40 percent, and often more, that offset subscription costs. Add in the 50 percent average increase in efficiency enjoyed by clients and it is clear that eLynxx is the smart choice for managing and sourcing your print projects.

There is a lot more to tell you about eLynxx but instead of rambling on and on, We’d rather get to know about you, your organization and your goals and show you exactly how you can benefit from eLynxx. Give us a call, send us an email or fill out the form here, we can’t wait to meet you!

Best Quality, Price and Service - Get All Three: Built for the Job

Change We Can Embrace

Once we feel we have a process in place that accommodates the unique complexities of one of our marketing operations, the next step is to figure out how to make it work. It’s one thing to know what roles, steps, assets and decisions an operation requires. It’s another to make all of the connections, enable the collaboration and retain some level of control over making it happen. Much of the time we are forced to turn to what we have at hand – spreadsheets, email, phone calls and general-use project and resource planning platforms – to try to make the process work. Suddenly the process that seemed so masterfully tailored becomes a pain to put into action.

Understandably, we don’t want to change a process that has been created around the specifics of our operation. Unfortunately, when we go looking for ways to make carrying out our process less of a pain, we are faced with options that would alter, if not scrap, the process or even hand complete control over to a third party. That’s the point at which acceptance of pain that’s familiar wins out over the pain of starting from scratch. It’s also when marketers become reluctant to change the way we do what we do.

That’s not to say that such resistance to change is right, wrong or indifferent. It does, however, answer the question, posed two days ago, of why marketers are reluctant to change when it comes to the way we do what we do. It also brings to mind the rationale that we should not universally avoid changing the way we make our processes work.

While it may not seem as such, there are solutions for marketers, purpose-built for specific jobs, that adapt to the processes we already have in place. Change does not have to mean starting over. Change can simply be an exchange of one tool for another that is more efficient; for one that enhances the process and makes it work like we know it can and should. Change in the way we do what we do as marketers is not always something to resist, fear or avoid. When it’s right, when it works with us and for us in the way we want it to, internal change is something for marketers to embrace as much as we hope we can effect change in the marketplace!

Change We Can Embrace

Do We Fear Change...Or Something Else?

Some may say the reason that we as marketers and marketing operations professionals are reluctant to change in the way we do what we do is fear of the unknown. That’s a cop-out. Marketers aren’t afraid of the unknown. We regularly charge forward, damned near blindly, into the unknown. If we fall flat on our face we’ll try something different and call it A/B testing! Well, okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but still there is almost always some element of the unknown in marketing and it doesn’t hold us back.

It’s not fear of the unknown that gives us the cold sweats when we think about making some internal change to the way we do what we do. I’ll tell you what it is, because after many years, I can finally and freely admit it.

It’s fear of the ‘pain in the ass.’ Or, perhaps more accurately, fear of a different ‘pain in the ass.’

Let’s face it, marketing is a complex machine and operations within it are bound to be equally intricate. There are many different people, in nearly as many different roles, all with different concerns. There is a seemingly endless stream of details, deadlines and moving parts; all requiring decisions. Even when an organization recognizes the unique parts, connections and flow it needs, making the process actually happen is a pain. But it becomes a familiar pain. Unfortunately, as long as it results in some level of organization and effectiveness, the pain becomes not only familiar but also accepted.

When change promises to alleviate the familiar and accepted pain, we see it as merely swapping one pain that we already live with for another, the pain of starting over. Why would we want to do that? In cases where change impacts the actual process – the parts, the connections and the flow – fear of trading one pain for another might have some validity. But what about change that impacts the tools used to make the process happen and not the process itself? What about change that actually makes the process work better and easier, like it’s intended to work? Perhaps there is a worthy trade-off?

We’ll explore that more, stay tuned.

Do We Fear Change...Or Something Else?

Do We Fear Change...Or Something Else?

Some may say the reason that we as marketers and marketing operations professionals are reluctant to change in the way we do what we do is fear of the unknown. That’s a cop-out. Marketers aren’t afraid of the unknown. We regularly charge forward, damned near blindly, into the unknown. If we fall flat on our face we’ll try something different and call it A/B testing! Well, okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but still there is almost always some element of the unknown in marketing and it doesn’t hold us back.

It’s not fear of the unknown that gives us the cold sweats when we think about making some internal change to the way we do what we do. I’ll tell you what it is, because after many years, I can finally and freely admit it.

It’s fear of the ‘pain in the ass.’ Or, perhaps more accurately, fear of a different ‘pain in the ass.’

Let’s face it, marketing is a complex machine and operations within it are bound to be equally intricate. There are many different people, in nearly as many different roles, all with different concerns. There is a seemingly endless stream of details, deadlines and moving parts; all requiring decisions. Even when an organization recognizes the unique parts, connections and flow it needs, making the process actually happen is a pain. But it becomes a familiar pain. Unfortunately, as long as it results in some level of organization and effectiveness, the pain becomes not only familiar but also accepted.

When change promises to alleviate the familiar and accepted pain, we see it as merely swapping one pain that we already live with for another, the pain of starting over. Why would we want to do that? In cases where change impacts the actual process – the parts, the connections and the flow – fear of trading one pain for another might have some validity. But what about change that impacts the tools used to make the process happen and not the process itself? What about change that actually makes the process work better and easier, like it’s intended to work? Perhaps there is a worthy trade-off?

We’ll explore that more, stay tuned.

Do We Fear Change...Or Something Else?

Change is Good, Except...

Some might say that marketing is all about change. After all, as marketers and marketing operations professionals, we’re always faced with change. A new product to bring to market? That’s change. New target audience for that product? That’s change too. New messaging and channels to communicate with that audience? Yep, that’s also change. Change is so commonplace that it not only becomes part of our routine; it becomes something that we expect and welcome. Because without a steady flow of new products, targets and campaigns, there wouldn’t be a demand for what we do!

And speaking of doing what we do, when you boil it down, one of the primary goals of marketing is to effect change in the marketplace. We want to change the way our audience looks at its needs and wants. We want to change the way they think about that new product they’ve never seen before. We want to change their buying and consumption habits. We want them to change their minds and decide that what they already have isn’t enough so that they’ll keep buying more.

Change drives why we do what we do. Getting others to change is the goal of doing what we do. So why are we so reluctant to change the way we do what we do? Why is the thought of replacing the inefficient, ad-hoc drudgery that we’ve been forced to rely upon with new software so cringe-worthy? Why do we resist adapting to new things that make doing what we do faster, easier and even better that before?

Think about that and stay tuned…

Change is Good, Except...

Change is Good, Except...

Some might say that marketing is all about change. After all, as marketers and marketing operations professionals, we’re always faced with change. A new product to bring to market? That’s change. New target audience for that product? That’s change too. New messaging and channels to communicate with that audience? Yep, that’s also change. Change is so commonplace that it not only becomes part of our routine; it becomes something that we expect and welcome. Because without a steady flow of new products, targets and campaigns, there wouldn’t be a demand for what we do!

And speaking of doing what we do, when you boil it down, one of the primary goals of marketing is to effect change in the marketplace. We want to change the way our audience looks at its needs and wants. We want to change the way they think about that new product they’ve never seen before. We want to change their buying and consumption habits. We want them to change their minds and decide that what they already have isn’t enough so that they’ll keep buying more.

Change drives why we do what we do. Getting others to change is the goal of doing what we do. So why are we so reluctant to change the way we do what we do? Why is the thought of replacing the inefficient, ad-hoc drudgery that we’ve been forced to rely upon with new software so cringe-worthy? Why do we resist adapting to new things that make doing what we do faster, easier and even better that before?

Think about that and stay tuned…

Change is Good, Except...

Direct Mail Marketers Get Gifts from USPS

The United States Postal Service just experienced what it projected as its busiest day of 2015. Of course in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the post office is on the minds of many as they await the delivery of gifts purchased online and from catalogs. This year, in addition to an ever-growing quantity of mail-order purchases, the USPS is also delivering some interesting gifts to direct mail marketers.

Although it is only available as a pilot in certain New York City ZIP Codes, the USPS has rolled out what it is calling the Informed Delivery app. App users will be able to see images of their mail each day before it arrives in their mailboxes. For now, the app uses the basic black-and-white photos the USPS captures of the front of every letter it handles.

However, according to a recent article in Direct Marketing News, services could be expanded. One of the possibilities mentioned is a value-added service where direct mail marketers can have links placed in the photos of their mail that the recipient can click. In the near term, the article cites the ability for recipients to see the mail that is intended to reach them before someone else in the household disregards it as unimportant. During an earlier, smaller test of the service, response rates to direct mail were said to be nearly twelve times higher among app users compared to non-users.

On broader scale, the USPS has also planned promotions for direct mail marketers in the coming calendar year. Building upon the promotions it offered in 2015, the 2016 plan includes incentives for the use of advanced printing technologies as well as crossovers between print and digital.

In the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement promotion, the USPS will offer a postage discount for registered marketers employing innovative use of advanced printing techniques. Techniques including specialty inks, sensory elements, textured papers, folds, die cuts and other elements can be interacted with and manipulated by the recipient.

As part of the Emerging and Advanced Technology/Video in Print promotion, mailers incorporating Near Field Communication (NFC), Augmented Reality (AR), or integrated video in their mailpiece can earn an upfront postage discount of 2%. In addition, mailers will be able to receive the same discount for A-B testing of response rates between versions with and without the advanced technologies.

Aside from a nice discount, what does this mean for organizations that rely on direct mail for marketing communication? For one it provides a strong sense of encouragement for marketers, designers and print buyers to think outside of the box. Additionally, it further proves that print is not only adaptable to today’s digital society, but that it actually helps drive it. As the demands and expectations placed on printed marketing communications become more complex, so do the specifications, schedules, files and production needs that bring them to fruition. Managing all of this is no simple task. It requires the flexibility, power and know-how that only specialty training and purpose-built tools can provide. It’s another page in a long history of print leading the way in graphic communication innovation and one that those of us dedicated to it are excited to turn.

Direct Mail Marketers Get Gifts from USPS

Survey Says...Procurement Execs Unhappy with Insight from Data

Here at eLynxx Solutions we’re pretty big on data. After all, eLynxx software captures, records and reports on every task, step, action and transaction that is part of the management and procurement of the client’s print projects. Of course the ability to gain all of the insight that the data provides is one of the many things clients tell us they love about eLynxx.

That sentiment, apparently, is not common outside of the realm of organizations using eLynxx for print procurement.

An article published by our friends over at Supply and Demand Chain Executive Magazine cites a Consero Group survey of chief procurement officers performed in July. According to that survey 84 percent of the respondents claim to be unsatisfied with the level of insight they get from their organizations’ data. Spend visibility was reported as the metric most effective by a majority of the respondents. A larger majority, however, reported that they believe metrics used to evaluate procurement functions drive the wrong behavior.

At least we know that our focus on transparency, data and reporting have paid off!

Check out the article at sdcexec.com.

Survey Says...Procurement Execs Unhappy with Insight from Data

How to Increase Marketing Coverage With the Same or Less Marketing Spend

It’s hard to imagine anyone who would not want to increase marketing coverage. Today, with tightening budgets, it’s even harder to imagine anyone who would not want to increase marketing coverage with the same or less marketing spend. The key is not found in the latest trends in creative, online marketing or social media. It is found in something most people don’t often think about – marketing procurement.

An optimal marketing program requires online marketing, social media, phone solicitation, radio, cable, publication and tertiary advertising, along with all of the other communication techniques which bombard our senses. It also requires the sourcing and managing of direct mail, marketing materials, publications, in-store signage, point of purchase, displays, campaigns, labels and advanced packaging – all of which we shall call “print”.

Print presents a perfect opportunity to increase marketing coverage with the same or less marketing spend. And, it does not require cutting back on anything or sacrificing quality and service. It simply involves paying more attention, making a few adjustments and taking better control of how your organization procures its marketing print.

Believe it or not, you can increase marketing coverage with the same or less marketing spend in eight easy steps.

1. Eliminate Obstacles Between You and Your Vendors

If you are outsourcing any of the management or execution of your print marketing projects to a middleman like a business process outsourcer, you are placing an obstacle in your path. Eliminate the obstacle, and deal directly with the vendors providing the print you procure. This way you eliminate the third party cost, improve coordination between you and your vendors, eliminate mis-communication, speed-up the process and get the exact quality and service you require. Every obstacle you eliminate between you and your vendors equates to savings in cost, increases in efficiency and better results.

2. Be Specific

The procurement of print is no place for being vague or unprepared. You must be very clear and detailed about what you want. Specifications must be precise. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined. Quality expectations, project milestones and delivery schedules must be established and followed. When changes need to happen midstream in a project, which they will, all of the details must be in order, approved and documented to keep everything on-time, on-spec and on-budget.

3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

While it may not be readily apparent, there are many individuals who play a role in your organization’s print marketing projects. Often these roles span multiple departments. Bring agencies, freelancers and your vendor’s people into the mix and things begin to get very complicated. Consistent, clear communication between all of these people is crucial. Without it, steps get missed, approvals don’t happen promptly, information gets lost, time is wasted, deadlines pass, costs go up and chaos reigns.

4. Understand There is a Difference Between an Estimate and Final Pricing

A print marketing estimate is not a quote. It is a “rough” or “ballpark” budget price based on still fluid specs to give an idea of cost. Because of all of the variables, vendors can not provide a competitive price until all of the detailed specs, schedules, requirements and dependencies are provided. Thus, a budget price accepted as the final price for a project yields higher than necessary costs, as the difference between a budget price and a competitive price can be shocking. Planning can be achieved when estimates are made on what is known at the time. Cost savings can be achieved when the final competitive price is made on detailed and complete specs and requirements.

5. Insist on Transparency and Full Reporting

There are many details, dependencies and moving parts in a print marketing project. Without full visibility and instant reporting, small issues become big problems, minor changes become expensive change orders, a missed approval becomes days of expensive reruns, and on and on and on. In any print marketing project there are more than a thousand places where something can go wrong. Multiply that by numerous print marketing projects, each with dependent parts, and the possibility of tragedy is exponential. It is imperative to establish and monitor tasks, approvals, schedules, production milestones as well as real-time progress and access reporting to gain process control. Only then can efficiency improve, potential problems be minimized and print marketing costs reduced.

6. Minimize Expensive Change Orders

There are times when you have to make changes to your print marketing project. To minimize expensive change orders it is a good practice to engineer clear specs with everyone involved on the same page, so to speak. Transparency, based on each individual’s needs, requirements, rights and roles, further eliminates potential problems that add to the final price of a project. Make no mistake, when a print vendor does not charge for making changes, or for your errors, that vendor has the cost of potential changes already in the price – if for no other reason than to protect itself.

7. Stop Using Spreadsheets, eMail, ERP and General Procurement Systems to Manage Print Marketing Projects

Using utility software that is already in your office is a fast way to print buying frustration. In fact many organizations already supplement utility software the only way they can – with spreadsheets, email, phone calls and time-consuming meetings. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and general procurement systems are not built to handle the requirements of custom-made print marketing projects. Turning to spreadsheets, emails, phone calls and long meetings results in a quagmire of files, busywork and post-it notes. At best, this leads to headaches and muddling through projects, while at worst, to confusion, missed deadlines, sacrificed quality, low efficiency, higher costs and possibly failed projects.

8. Use the Right Software Tools

Direct mail, marketing materials, publications, in-store signage, point of purchase, displays, campaigns, labels and advanced packaging – print – operates in a very unique environment with highly specialized processes and requirements. Software tools can be very helpful in managing and executing print. The trick is to use the right tools. Ask yourself if the software you are going to use helps you accomplish all of the steps above. Remember the most powerful software tools help foster an environment of fair competition among vendors, support compliance with diversity and environmental initiatives and ensure that quality and service are not sacrificed all while achieving lower costs.

By following these eight steps you will be able to increase your marketing reach for the same or less marketing spend, allowing you to redirect your budget into more market coverage, other initiatives or in whatever direction best meets your goals.

How to Increase Marketing Coverage With the Same or Less Marketing Spend

How to Increase Marketing Coverage Without Spending More

It’s hard to imagine finding any marketer who would deny wanting to be able to increase coverage of their target market. Given today’s environment of ever-tightening budgets and a growing number of channels, it’s also hard to imagine finding any marketer who wouldn’t love being able to do it without spending more. The key to increasing market coverage isn’t found in the latest trends in creative, online marketing or social media. It’s found in something most people don’t often think about – marketing procurement.

Any marketing that requires custom goods or services such as direct mail, printed materials, point of sale, signage, displays, packaging, publications and more presents a perfect opportunity to increase coverage or reach without spending more. And, it doesn’t require cutting back on anything or sacrificing quality and service. It simply involves paying more attention, making a few adjustments and taking better control of how your organization procures the goods and services it uses for marketing. Believe it or not, it can be accomplished in three steps.

Step 1: Eliminate Obstacles Between You and Your Vendors

If you are outsourcing any of the management or execution of your marketing material projects to a middleman like a business process outsourcer you are placing an obstacle in your path. Eliminate the obstacle and deal direct with the vendors providing the marketing goods and services you procure. Every extra step you eliminate from the path between you and your vendors will equate to savings in cost, increases in efficiency and better results.

Step 2: Be Specific

The procurement of goods and services your organization relies on for marketing is no place for being vague or unprepared. You must be very clear and detailed about what you want. Specifications must be precise. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined. Quality expectations, project milestones and delivery schedules must be established and followed. When changes need to happen midstream in a project, which they will, all of the details must be in order, approved and documented to keep everything on-time, on-spec and on-budget.

Step 3: Use the Right Software Tools

Custom printing, which plays a role in most of the goods marketers procure, operates in a very unique environment with highly specialized processes and requirements. While it might be tempting to try to procure it using enterprise resource planning or general procurement tools, they simply are not built to handle the details and requirements of the strictly custom nature marketing goods and services. That often leaves organizations turning to spreadsheets, emails, phone calls, meetings that result in a quagmire of files, notes and paperwork. At the best this leads to muddling through projects with frustration and headaches. At the worst it leads to confusion, missed deadlines, sacrificed quality, low efficiency, higher costs and possibly failed projects.

Software tools are helpful in properly managing and executing the custom printing you use for marketing. The trick is finding and using the right tools for the job. Before you begin using any software tools for marketing procurement, ask yourself the following questions. Does it automate communication between everyone who plays a role in the project – both internal and external? Does it enable transparency into all aspects of marketing procurement? Does it facilitate establishment and monitoring of project milestones with instant reporting? Does it support compliance with diversity and environmental initiatives? Does it foster an environment of fair competition among your trusted vendors? Does it ensure that quality and service will not be sacrificed for price, while assuring the best possible price? Unless the answer to all of these questions is yes, it is not a powerful enough tool built for marketing procurement’s unique requirements.

Following these three steps you will be able to increase your marketing reach for the same amount, or even less, by simply reassigning the money you would normally spend on outside services, middlemen and inefficiencies to actual marketing projects. You can keep doing it the same old way as before and settle for less. Or you can make a few adjustments, take better control and settle for more. Here at eLynxx Solutions we know which option we’d pick.

How to Increase Marketing Coverage Without Spending More

6 Reasons Why Business Process Outsourcing is Dead

A decade and a half ago business pundits in the marketing procurement area hailed it as a savior. Business process outsourcing – or contracting the operations and responsibilities of marketing procurement to third-party service providers – promised cost savings that would increase a company’s flexibility. According to these pundits, business process outsourcing provides some advantages that can increase flexibility. It helps transform fixed costs into variable costs. It allows more focus on core competencies. It increases speed in certain processes by removing them from within the organization’s bureaucracy.

Business process outsourcing is not, however, without its downside. As the business environment has changed over the past fifteen years so have many organizations’ views and values of flexibility. This has brought to light issues that work against the advantages of business process outsourcing. Even Wikipedia notes that service issues, unclear contracts, changing requirements and unforeseen charges, coupled with dependance on the business process outsourcer (BPO), actually reduces flexibility.

With that in mind, the only conclusion is BPO is dead and here are six reasons why.

1. It’s Too Expensive

BPOs charge fees for their services and markup what they procure to make a profit. As organizations demand more from their BPOs, those fees and markups increase negating the promise of flexibility-enabling cost savings. As an example, a review of InnerWorkings’ 2014 financials indicate revenue of $1,000,133,000 and gross profit of $229,459,000. This surplus accounts for a 22.9% excess companies paid beyond the actual cost of the printed marketing materials.

Businesses seeking more than the ability to off-load work to someone else can save more without the BPO interfering as a middleman.

2. It Takes Control Away

At first the idea of making supporting operations someone else’s problem sounds inviting. Then something goes wrong that makes an impact on core functions and the control that was given away is sorely missed.

When an organization has control over all of its operations potential issues can be caught before they impact core functions. Just ask any marketing department.

3. It Blocks Transparency

Giving up control also means giving up transparency into details that are critical to planning and budgeting for resources, projects and strategies. Without transparency, efficiency stagnates, reliance on outsiders is compounded and flexibility suffers.

With the help of software built for the operation at hand, organizations ensure transparency, achieve efficiency and become more flexible on their own.

4. It Impacts Quality and Service

While a BPO may not set out to reduce quality, its idea of what constitutes the best quality and level of service probably differs from yours. Giving up control also means giving up your definition of quality and service levels.

Operations responsible for the production of marketing materials critical to an organization’s image are better served when control remains within the organization. Creative cannot communicate clearly its ideas to the marketing manufacturer through a middleman. Its like the children’s game of whisper in my ear and I’ll whisper into someone else’s ear, and guess what was originally said.

5. It Stands Between the Organization and Its Vendors

When an organization uses a middleman like a BPO there is no direct relationship with vendors, resulting in goods and services produced with little interest or knowledge in who will use them or how they will be used.

While vendor relationships require careful monitoring and management, the synergy between organization and vendor is often valuable to the outcome of a project.

6. It Puts the Organization at the Mercy of Another

By using tools built for automated communication, process optimization, establishing accountability, gaining full transparency and instant reporting, an organization can gain flexibility while not being beholden to a third party for results.

Business Process Outsourcing is Dead – Software Tools are Alive

Some think that business process outsourcing is a way to minimize marketing procurement operations in order to focus more resources on core operations. Unfortunately, experience can prove otherwise.

Marketing initiatives can only be optimized when marketing procurement remains in charge, gains full transparency into projects, works with trusted and proven vendors, and has control over the dollars that would better be spent on improved marketing initiatives. By obtaining powerful software tools to support marketing procurement, efficiency improves, costs go down and more market reach can be obtained for the same or less market spend.

Marketing procurement has one goal and that is to produce the best marketing possible within budget. BPOs also have a goal which is to maximize their brokerage fees.

6 Reasons Why Business Process Outsourcing is Dead

eLynxx Solutions Named to Supply and Demand Chain Executive’s 100 Great Supply Chain Projects List for 2015

eLynxx Solutions has been named to the 2015 SDCE 100, Supply and Demand Chain Executive’s annual listing of top supply chain solution and service provider projects. eLynxx Solutions was recognized for its on-going relationship with a leading manufacturer of alternative decking products, producing gains in ROI, efficiency and savings in the client’s marketing supply chain.

eLynxx Solutions, provider of cloud software for end-to-end management and sourcing of direct mail, marketing materials, publications and all things print has once again been named to the SDCE 100. Recognized throughout the supply chain management community, the SDCE 100 is Supply and Demand Chain Executive magazine’s annual listing of 100 great supply chain projects. The SDCE 100 is comprised of supply chain solution and service providers focused on helping their customers and clients achieve supply chain excellence.

Criteria for nomination and award to the 2015 SDCE 100 included the production of measurable gains in ROI through cost-cutting and increased efficiency in any category in the end-to-end supply chain. eLynxx Solutions was recognized for its on-going partnership with a leading manufacturer of alternative decking products providing the software, methods, guidance and support for streamlining the end-to-end planning, sourcing and production management of a specialized, international marketing supply chain. To date, the client has realized average per-unit cost savings in excess of 24% and an ROI of 300%.

“When eLynxx Solutions began its relationship with this client in 2009 their primary goal was to expand competition and diversity among suppliers of sales and marketing communication materials” states Mike Jackson, CEO of eLynxx Solutions. “Through rigorous objective qualification of vendors based on the client’s needs and standards, their vendor pool was increased from 21 to 48, meeting their initial goal” Jackson added. In addition, improvement of specification development, management and control, coupled with the eLynxx sourcing method and purpose-built cloud software allowed the client to automate the vendor selection, award, production management and better track each project from start to finish.

“By connecting all of their people, processes and vendors, eLynxx Solutions helped the client achieve better results without the need to either outsource operations or increase headcount,” Jackson said. “Speed to market of key promotional and sales communications across several channels and countries was improved while quality and consistency across a variety of projects was assured.” Additionally, the client also gained unprecedented accountability and transparency in their marketing supply chain thanks to the robust data capture and reporting features of eLynxx cloud software.

Submissions to the SDCE 100 were evaluated by the magazine’s editorial staff, weighted on: ambitiousness and scope of the project (30%); creative application of technologies, solutions or services used (20%); extent of business results and impact (40%), and clarity of submission (10%).

More information regarding the SDCE 100 may be found in the current issue of Supply and Demand Chain Executive magazine or on the web at SDCExec.com.

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eLynxx Solutions Named to Supply and Demand Chain Executive’s 100 Great Supply Chain Projects List for 2015

Five Reasons Why Printed Marketing Materials are Still Important

Despite the fact that we seem to live so much of our lives online, we are still physical beings living in a physical world. Regardless of how attached are to social media we still crave physical communication. For that reason alone, printed marketing materials are still important in today’s digitally saturated environment. Let’s take a look at some of the many reasons that even the simplest of printed marketing communications like direct mail are highly effective in an organization’s outreach strategy.

Exposure

Printed marketing communications offer a great magnitude of exposure and create lasting impact. Their physical form has staying power that allows the audience to interact with them anytime. A publication or even a brochure left on a table has reach well beyond the individual to whom it was sent. This kind of pass-along can be very effective as it occurs in a natural and casual manner driven by genuine interest on the part of the individual.

Targeting

Because of its maturity as a strategy and the vast amount of data that is collected on people and organizations in their physical environments, printed marketing communications can be directed to highly targeted audiences. Variable printing, personalization and mail automation technologies enable even massive direct mail campaigns to be customized and targeted with pinpoint accuracy. This allows outreach and engagement with an audience at a highly effective, personal level without the often creepy feeling that highly personal social media outreach can have.

Branding

Printed marketing communications strengthen a brand by bringing a unified image used across other channels into direct physical contact with the audience. Because print is physical and able to be placed into the hands of prospects and customers it allows for outside of the box creativity such as the inclusion of samples and even multimedia. Printed marketing communication’s physical nature lend it a premium characteristic that can be used to convey quality and luxury. This physical nature can be used to appeal to the senses, like touch, smell, and with some creativity, taste that can not be accessed via other channels. For brands that exist strictly online, print is the perfect way to gain local presence without the need for brick and mortar facilities.

Measurability

Everyone knows that, thanks to tracking codes, online marketing communication is easy to measure. Print communication is the granddaddy of measurability. Coupons, redemption vouchers and other forms of tracking have proven the effectiveness of printed marketing for generations. Tracking and measurability of print campaigns can be done with automated technology or it can be as simple and low-tech as counting coupons or the number of enquiries made.The effectiveness of a print marketing campaign can be easily measured using simple techniques.

Flexibility

The best thing about print marketing is that it can easily be used in a combination with online tools. Not only is it perfect for reaching audiences not engaged with social media, it can be used to connect the physical and online worlds. Scanning technologies and augmented reality make a direct connection between print and digital. Even simple codes can be used to drive customers and prospects to a website. Print can actually be one of the most effective ways to convert offline customers to online and drive repeat or increased online engagement. Believe it or not, printed marketing communication is used frequently and very effectively by online giants like Google, eBay and Amazon.

While advances in media and marketing technology get all of the glory, classic approaches like print are still going strong. It gives access to audience segments, creates impact and builds awareness that will bring new life into any marketing strategy.

Five Reasons Why Printed Marketing Materials are Still Important

Healthcare Insurance Sector Averages Savings of Over 32% in the Past Two Quarters Using eLynxx Software

eLynxx Solutions, provider of software for sourcing and managing print has released data showing marketing and communication material savings of over 32% among its clients in the healthcare insurance sector over the past two quarters. This savings continues a trend for this sector.

Staying connected with both customers and service providers is critical to organizations in the healthcare insurance sector. Because of the highly regulated, personal and official nature of information in the healthcare insurance space, print remains a primary channel of communication. At the same time, especially in such a dynamic and competitive industry, there is always pressure to control cost and achieve better results that often leads to decisions that impact critical operations and materials. For 40 years, companies have turned to eLynxx Solutions to maximize efficiency, reduce costs and achieve better results from their marketing and communication materials.

“Healthcare insurance companies rely heavily on printed communication such as direct mail,” said Mike Jackson, chief executive officer of eLynxx Solutions. “These communications are often quite complex, involving not only personalization but requiring a high measure of security because of sensitive personally identifiable information. Such needs can add substantially to the cost of a campaign. Reducing the per-unit cost of printed communication materials and increasing the efficiency with which they are managed makes a positive impact on a healthcare insurer’s bottom line.” That is why leaders in the healthcare insurance sector turn to eLynxx Solutions. Purpose-built for the sourcing and management of direct mail, marketing and print communication materials, eLynxx software provides the highest possible level of efficiency and coordination. Combined with an exclusive patented sourcing method, eLynxx users from across all business sectors regularly achieve per-unit cost savings of up to 40% on all kinds of custom printed materials while increasing efficiency by an average of 53%.

“eLynxx Solutions is pleased to have been able to save its healthcare insurance clients an average of 32.15% in the past two quarters. This level of savings continues a trend of eLynxx Solutions clients in this sector achieving average annual savings of over 31%.” Jackson noted. Naturally, the efficiency and savings achieved through eLynxx is not limited to those in the healthcare insurance industry.

eLynxx Solutions helps organizations in the education, financial, manufacturing, heavy equipment, building products, technology, non-profit association and shipping and logistics sectors as well. eLynxx Solutions takes an approach of helping organizations extend their capabilities to get better results from a traditionally hard-to-control area of operational spending. With other approaches there is always some level of sacrifice. With the eLynxx approach organizations achieve the best possible price, quality and service on custom-printed materials while retaining control through their own people, processes and vendors.

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eLynxx Solutions has been providing innovative products and services for helping organizations manage projects and connect with vendors of custom-produced graphic communication, direct mail, marketing materials, publications, labeling, packaging and all things print since 1975. Born, raised and still located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania along the east coast’s graphic communications corridor connecting Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City, today’s eLynxx Solutions is a leading innovator and provider of cloud software for the marketing supply chain. As a software boutique, eLynxx Solutions tailors its cloud software to fit the needs and requirements of its customers, providing the functionality of custom software with the economy of out-of-the-box solutions. eLynxx print procurement software empowers an organization’s people to work with their own vendors and strengthen their own processes to achieve better results. For more information regarding eLynxx software, please visit eLynxx.com.

Healthcare Insurance Sector Averages Savings of Over 32% in the Past Two Quarters Using eLynxx Software

Higher Education Institutions Consistently Save More Than 35% Through eLynxx

The pressure being faced by many colleges and universities to get their messages out while staying within ever decreasing budgets is enormous. To survive many institutions have had to search for ways to increase efficiency without sacrifice of quality and on-time delivery, gain more marketing coverage for the same marketing spend, bring full transparency and instant reporting, substantiate compliance with minority, woman owned, small disadvantaged and other important initiatives, and improve control over their own people, processes and vendors.

This is not easily accomplished in an environment consisting of semi-autonomous operating units – like administrative, educational departments, athletics, alumnae affairs, student and staff recruitment, placement, marketing and communications, foundation, entertainment, student affairs, etc. Each operating unit has its own constituency, processes and trusted vendors. Yet there is also a need for centralized policy making, reporting and shared experiences.

Yet, during the first half of 2014, the higher education sector experienced a 36.11% savings on their print related spend through the deployment and adoption of eLynxx software. And these same institutions were also able to reach their parallel operational goals.

According to Mike Jackson, chief executive officer of eLynxx Solutions, “The eLynxx purpose-built software works well in a decentralized semi-autonomous environment where centralized policy making, reporting and transparency are highly regarded. The eLynxx software readily adapts to the specific needs, requirements and processes of its users.” Jackson continued, “only eLynxx provides centralized reporting, financial insight and sharing of resources at the institutional level without disrupting autonomy, people, processes and vendors at the departmental level.” Combined with an exclusive patented competitive sourcing method, eLynxx users across all business sectors regularly achieve per-unit cost savings of 20% to 40% on all kinds of custom printed materials.

Besides higher education, eLynxx Solutions also helps organizations in the non-profit, financial, manufacturing, heavy equipment, building products, logistics and shipping, grocery, insurance, medical, retail and technology sectors. Helping organizations extend their capabilities to get better results from a traditionally hard-to-control area of operational spending has been the primary focus of eLynxx Solutions since 1975. Other approaches always require some level of sacrifice. With the eLynxx approach organizations achieve the best possible price, quality and service on custom-printed materials while retaining control through their own people, processes and vendors.

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eLynxx Solutions has been providing innovative products and services for helping organizations manage projects and connect with vendors of custom-produced graphic communication, direct mail, marketing materials, publications, labeling, packaging and all things print since 1975. Born, raised and still located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania along the east coast’s graphic communications corridor connecting Washington, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City, today’s eLynxx Solutions is a leading innovator and provider of project management software for the marketing supply chain. As a software boutique, eLynxx Solutions tailors its cloud software and services to fit the needs and requirements of its customers, providing the functionality of custom software with the economy of out-of-the-box solutions. eLynxx project management software empowers an organization’s people to work with their own vendors and strengthen their own processes to achieve better results. For more information regarding eLynxx Solutions, please visit eLynxx.com.

Higher Education Institutions Consistently Save More Than 35% Through eLynxx

Maintaining Control vs. Brokers and BPOs: What’s Right for You?

Printed materials in some form or another are integral to the branding and marketing of most organizations. When it comes to the organization, acquisition, production management, implementation and distribution of these materials; there is a decision to make. Organizations usually choose to either manage the entire process on their own, keeping control of the process in their own hands, or they can hand control over to a third party. The third party is often a print broker, who is a middleman between the organization and one or more print vendors, or a BPO (Business Process Outsourcer), who takes over management of all aspects of the process.

When making this decision an organization needs to consider what is best for its particular needs. Here are some key considerations of maintaining and relinquishing control.

The Pros of Maintaining Control over Your Own Print Marketing Materials

Some of the pros that people consider when managing production of their own marketing materials include:

Control over the Process

As mentioned above, handling the process on their own provides organizations with the freedom to make sure everything fits according to their requirements. They use their own trusted employees and vendors to manage and produce a finished product in a way that is completely integrated with the way the organization does business.

Integrated Management

When any part of your company is being outsourced, you lose a certain amount of visibility into what is going on. Most third party outsourcers don’t provide you with continuous updates of the project. You may not have any information until it is complete. Critical decisions on unforeseen issues that could impact operations beyond marketing will be made by an outsider. You cannot be certain if your specifications and requirements are being followed to the letter, or if corners are being cut, when someone else is in control.

Hence, retaining control within your organization not only ensures that responsibility lies with trusted individuals, but also that every piece of every process is handled in an approved manner. When it comes to coordinating marketing with other operational areas like finance and legal, there’s no better means for success than retaining control.

Vendor Choice

Managing printed marketing material production in-house also allows you full control over vendor selection. Choosing a vendor is not a one-step decision. Capabilities, equipment, quality level, service history and speed are among the variables to be considered. Each variable can mean success or failure in a marketing material project. While it’s near impossible to have total control over the success or failure of a project; you can get much closer if you retail control over vendor selection.

The Pros of Hiring a Third Party to Produce Your Print Marketing Materials

To most organizations there is an undeniable benefit in maintaining control over their marketing material projects. There are some who make the choice, as scary as it may sound, to outsource control of their marketing materials to a third party. The number one reason organizations opt to give control of their marketing material projects to a print broker or BPO is because they don’t feel they have, or want to take on, the capacity to do it themselves. They are looking to simplify and possibly reduce head count. Admittedly, managing printed material projects is complex; it requires a lot of collaboration and communication. To organizations that choose to outsource operations to a third party, sacrificing control is seen as a trade-off for avoiding complexities. It may even be perceived to be a way to save money through cuts in resources.

Isn’t There Another Choice?

Perhaps by now you find yourself asking “but what happens when I really don’t want to give up control, but I need something to stretch my resources and make these complicated operations more manageable?” If so, you are not alone. Many organizations have faced the same question. In fact, just about every organization that manages its own marketing material projects seems to have tried some method of making the job easier. Spreadsheets, files, adapting generalized project management and procurement systems, or combinations thereof are common attempts. While these may seem like viable solutions, complexity and the need for collaboration and communication eventually rear their ugly heads again.

The real solution isn’t to try to avoid the complexities and challenges of managing one’s own marketing supply chain and the projects within it. Rather it’s to embrace with purpose-built tools that extend an organization’s capabilities, enable collaboration, foster communication and help it achieve better results in managing its marketing material projects. Providing organizations with those tools is the force that drives us here at eLynxx Solutions.

Ultimately an organization has to be comfortable with the choices it makes. Those that choose to trade control for the promise of simplicity have their reasons just as those who choose to retain control have theirs. It’s your choice and we understand either way, but if you choose to retain control over your marketing supply chain and the projects it produces, we at eLynxx Solutions are always here to help you do it even better.

Maintaining Control vs. Brokers and BPOs: What’s Right for You?

Happy 180th Birthday - and Thank You - to John Venn!

If you’ve been out to Google today you might have noticed an interesting, if not slightly obscure, interactive commemorative Google Doodle gracing the page. It is commemorating the 180th birthday of John Venn. Unless you are the kind of person who gets at least somewhat nerdy over philosophy, math or statistics; you might be asking yourself who in the world John Venn is and why you should care that, if he had not passed away in 1923, he would be 180 years old today. Well, besides the fact that a man born in 1834 managed to live 89 years – a feat unto itself, John Venn is the man whom you may thank for the wonderfully visual way of representing complex concepts like set theory and relationships in areas such as probability, logic and statistics known as the Venn Diagram.

Great, so other than the fact that there are obviously some nerds on staff, why does eLynxx Solutions care about John Venn, his diagrams and his birthday? Glad you asked! Simply put, without John Venn and his Venn Diagram it would be a lot harder for us to explain our concept of bringing your people, your processes and your vendors together with eLynxx project management software to achieve better results in your marketing supply chain. You see, at its simplest – and trust me there are much more complex ways of using one than we have, a Venn Diagram shows a relational overlap between two or more distinct sets, areas or concepts. With each area represented as a ring or circle, the intersecting portions of each illustrate the point where everything comes together so to speak. It’s a truly elegant way to present data.

From our standpoint, an organization already has a set of people doing various jobs, a set of processes that are integral to the way it operates and a set of vendors with whom it has already built a level of trust and understanding in place. When it comes to managing its marketing material projects from concept to reality, an organization already has has a lot of what it needs to get the job done in these three areas. All that are really needed are some tools and additional knowledge to bring everything together and achieve better results. Sometimes, rather than bringing these areas together, organizations try highly disruptive methods that instead drive the people, processes and vendors already in place further apart. We have found that the more disruptive the method is the less likely it is to actually achieve marketing supply chain efficiency and savings for an organization. That’s why the tools and knowledge eLynxx Solutions provides are purpose-built and tailored specifically to an organization’s needs and resources. By being as non disruptive as possible, eLynxx simply fills in what’s missing so your organization can manage, source and organize its marketing material projects better than ever. Organizations that use eLynxx think it is an elegant solution. Since we can show how eLynxx works in one of his diagrams, we like to think that John Venn would agree.

Happy 180th Birthday - and Thank You - to John Venn!

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 11 - Vendors in the Chain

Over the course of the past two installments, we have identified the various marketing, communication, direct mail, packaging and display material categories that organizations may manage and source through their marketing supply chains. While we can easily say that some form of printing is a critical element in the production of each marketing material category; we can’t simply lump all printing together. Just as there are a variety of marketing material categories, there are a variety of vendors – print and otherwise – with distinct capabilities on whom we rely on to produce and assist in the execution of the projects in our marketing supply chains. Today we will explore some of those primary producers.

When You Think “Printer” You Think About These Guys

Commercial printers are your good old all-purpose printers. Or are they? Variety, demand, expectations and ever-changing processes and technologies mean that specialization is becoming the norm. Sure, there are commercial printers who can and will print anything and everything they can squeeze out of their equipment and resources. There are also many commercial printers that despite technically having the capability to produce on a broader scope choose to specialize.

A vendor may do a fine job of producing a certain material for a good price because it fits their specialty. But given a material they are capable of printing, but that is outside of their area of specialization, quality and price may not be up to par. This is just one of the reasons why knowing the true, objective capabilities, capacities and levels of quality of all of your vendors is crucial to an efficient and effective marketing supply chain.

Consider the Whole Package

Aside from simple boxes, bags and other containers and labels of stock sizes and shapes that are custom printed; the production of most packaging is very specialized. Effective packaging in today’s marketplace often pushes the limits of production methods and materials. Substrates run the gamut from paper and card stocks to corrugated materials, metals, plastics, glass, wood and other organic materials. Every form of printing from digital and offset to silk screening, embossing, stamping, painting and even non-ink methods are used. Die cutting, folding, converting and other forms of physical manipulation are common and multi-part packages made of dissimilar materials are as ubiquitous today as a simple box was in the past.

Packaging is an attractive and lucrative market for printers as well as processors of plastics, metals, glass and other materials. It’s not uncommon to find printers who are able to print on surfaces they never would have considered in the past. It’s also not uncommon to find producers and suppliers of cans, bottles, jars, plastics and other packaging materials with in-house printing capabilities. Regardless of whether the packaging vendor is a printer or otherwise, packaging is the face of the product, and knowing that the vendor’s capability, capacity and quality are a precision match to project specs is of the utmost importance.

Creating Something with P.O.P.

If marketing materials were a family, point of purchase, or POP, displays and packaging would be first cousins. In fact much of the same that was already said for packaging above can be said for displays, signage and other materials intended to attract attention where a product is being sold. POP materials can essentially anything from uniquely-printed and constructed boxes, to permanent or semi-permanent merchandising fixtures, electronic displays, simple printed signs, banners, shelf-talkers and the like or anything in between. That means vendors of point of purchase materials can range from printers, to box and packaging specialists, to fabricators, cabinet makers and more. Elaborate POP displays may even require working with several vendors such as a commercial printer, a fabricator and a sign manufacturer.

Seeing the Big Picture

With the advent and subsequent growth of digital design and printing, one specialty area of the graphic communications industry that has grown by leaps and bounds is large or wide format printing. The capabilities of printers who specialize in the large and wide format area open a whole new world that goes beyond billboards and signage. This specialty is one that makes covering vehicles, walls, floors and other large objects with beautiful, detailed graphic images easier and more cost-effective than ever. Large and wide format printing is, however, definitely a specialty and something where capability and quality should be well-vetted. It is also an area of production where close, consistent communication and mutual attention to detail in project specifications is a must.

Join us next week when we wrap up our exploration of vendors you may encounter in the marketing supply chain with a look at some of the important yet often overlooked supporting vendors and partners.

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 11 - Vendors in the Chain

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 8 – Legal Roles

When you think of roles and functions that go hand in hand with each other; marketing and legal probably aren’t too high on your list. The fact is they work closer than you think, especially in marketing project management. We’re not saying that it’s common to have lawyers write copy, create designs, source materials or oversee distribution. However they will often be involved in those functions and more as compliance and contracts surround just about everything in today’s business environment.

Legal Compliance in the Marketing Supply Chain

We might as well start with the big gun that’s not always so obvious: intellectual property. Marketing material that does not contain some kind of intellectual property would certainly be an exception rather than a rule. Some organizations place stewardship of certain intellectual property like logos, slogans and other trademarked information in the hands of marketing professionals. They create and use some forms of IP, so they are expected to know the rules. Even in such cases it is not uncommon to for people in legal roles to be involved from time to time. In other cases legal is a standard part of the review and approval process regarding marketing materials. On the other side of the coin, especially in situations where comparisons are made or competition is very close, there may be legal concerns over the use or infringement on the IP of others.

We’ve all seen ads and marketing collateral that portray something outrageous to get our attention followed by a disclaimer. That often denotes the involvement of people in legal roles. If there is any risk of liability over real or perceived safety issues, product claims, or anything else that could lead to end-user endangerment or dissatisfaction, it’s a safe bet that legal staff involvement will be required. The same may hold true for any communication related to usage and assembly of products.

Giveaways, contests and sweepstakes are another area where legal involvement is common. Depending on the organization, its location and its target audience the laws surrounding promotions where “winning” is an objective can be deep and confusing. Ever see a promotion on a cereal package that refers you to a bunch of fine print that seems like a lot for sending in a box top? That’s not the work of some maniacal copywriter or just something lawyers do to irritate package designers; it’s the law and if it’s not done correctly it can be a costly mistake. Before it’s released to the public, or after something goes awry, legal will be involved at some point.

Targeting and execution can even be areas where legal becomes involved in marketing projects. For example there are various laws regarding promotion and packaging of products intended for children. Products that are considered to be “controlled” have restrictions and warning requirements for promotional and packaging materials. Non-profit and charitable organizations often come under different rules. Publicly-held organizations may have to follow requirements and restrictions of the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Interstate Commerce Commission in their marketing. All of these situations will often trigger involvement of legal staff in marketing projects.

Just Sign on the Dotted Line…After Legal Approves It

Contracts are not something considered to be crucial to marketing – until the time comes that a contract is required to bring a marketing material project to fruition. Unless your organization’s marketing supply chain is completely internal, which is highly unlikely, you will rely on outside resources to get the job done. When you rely on outside resources contracts are a fact of life. When contracts are a fact of life legal staff will be involved.

Traditional contracts outlining all of the particulars of a business deal between two entities can exist at nearly any level and for any purpose. Common places where contracts will appear along the marketing supply chain include freelance creatives and analysts, agencies, vendors, printers, manufacturers, service bureaus, mail shops, transportation carriers, warehouses, distributors and media outlets. But the list doesn’t stop there.

Other forms of contracts, less common in other areas of business, are more common in the world of marketing materials. If models, spokespeople, voice-over artists or even testimonials and quotes are part of the project, releases may be required before the work can be made public. The same can hold true for photos, cinematography, written copy and designs even when created by an individual who is under contract, depending on the terms of their contract. Other times, especially when dealing with stock media such as photos, footage or music that was not originally created for the organization or its marketing, royalties or licenses may be involved. While releases, royalties and licenses might not seem as daunting as a thick contract; they can be just as complicated and the ramifications of non-compliance as severe.

Spotting the Legal Types in Your Organization

Legal departments vary in size and composition as much as any other department. There could be one person or a whole team. Some may even be outside resources on contract or retainer. Their titles will also vary as much as in any other department but their general areas of responsibility and interaction will be similar.

Generally at the top end of a large legal operation, or as a one person show in a smaller one, will be a chief legal officer, solicitor or other top level corporate attorney. If the organization is large, involvement should be similar to other C-level executives: top-level policy and major decisions. In smaller organizations this person may be involved with anything and everything.

Some organizations employ the services or specialty attorneys, either on staff or through retainers. When an intellectual property lawyer is present they will likely be involved with marketing material projects and the marketing supply chain at some point as their concern is focused on trademarks, logos, slogans, copyrights and patents owned by the organization. More concern over these areas may be noticed when agencies or other outside marketing resources are working with an organization’s IP as they may not be as familiar with it. Contract attorneys will be focused on the creation, review and execution of contracts between the organization and other parties. If specialty attorneys are not part of the legal team, those duties would revert to others on the team.

Lawyers are not the only roles to be found in an organization’s legal structure. Some organizations rely on paralegals along with attorneys. Depending upon the jurisdiction and situation of the organization a paralegal can often do a lot of what an attorney would do in a business environment. If paralegals are part of the team, they would conceivably be more likely to interact with the marketing supply chain on a regular basis than an attorney. Legal clerks or administrators are often seen in situations where the legal activities of an organization are frequent and consistent but there are not many lawyers or paralegals. As administrative level staff versed in legal matters and processes, legal clerks are often tasked with everyday legal matters and may serve as an initial point of contact.

As in all marketing supply chain roles, the legal ones in your organization may – and probably will – vary. You may even have roles or entire categories of roles that we have not discussed. Since it would be impossible to cover every unique circumstance, we focused on the roles that are likely to occur across a broad variety of organizations. As we close yet another chapter in the Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide, the seemingly unending combinations of roles further reinforces the importance of managing projects with tools and software not only built for the task, but tailored to your organization.

Join us next week as we open a new chapter investigating the kinds of marketing materials managed within the marketing supply chain.

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 8 – Legal Roles

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 7 – Procurement Roles

Any organization that produces materials used in marketing is going to have marketers. There is also always some level of executive and financial management. There are some roles that, depending upon the organization, may not be so simply defined.

So Who Does the Procurement in the Marketing Supply Chain?

In many organizations the function of procurement within the marketing supply chain is considered so specialized that it is placed in the hands of the marketing department. The department may either have units for print and media buying or it may place the responsibilities with broader units such as creative or advertising. At the other end of the spectrum, all of the specifications and details for marketing material projects are given to the procurement or purchasing department. They identify vendors, request pricing and award the project. In between is any number of combinations where marketing and procurement work together; often with marketing identifying vendors and procurement handling RFPs, awards and follow through. These last two scenarios are the focus of this exploration.

A Wrench in the Purchasing Machine

Because of the nature of the work, procurement or purchasing departments tend to be very hands-on and process oriented. Requisitions come in, prices are sought and the award is made. It’s a tried and true system for procuring inventoried supplies, raw materials and commodities. Marketing materials are nothing like those items. Supplies, raw materials and commodities are not 100% custom produced. Some, like vehicles and computers, may be custom configured from an available range of options. Few items in those categories are manufactured entirely on specification from the ground up as marketing materials are. Every marketing material project is unique.

At a quick glance, two random four-color tri-fold brochures may appear to be made the same way, aside from their content. Looking at their specs is likely to tell you something different in terms of the combination of materials and processes used. Even quantity can have a drastic impact on how a project needs to be produced for optimum quality and efficiency. Not every printer is capable of producing every combination of material and process at every quantity at the same level of quality. That can throw a monkey wrench into the smooth-running machinery of a purchasing operation.

How – and Where – Do Procurement Roles Fit?

Some organizations, especially larger ones with robust marketing and procurement operations, have specialist buyers for each purchasing category. An effective specialist buyer understands the purpose of the items they source, knows the terminology of its specifications, and understands the methods of its production. Traditionally, marketing materials were sourced by print buyers since printing has always been the primary means of production.

In today’s marketing supply chain, the dependency on print processes is still huge, but emphasis has shifted from the means of production to the product being produced. While print buyers still exist, if a type of marketing material is of high importance to an organization, it may have buyers with expertise in more refined specialties such as packaging, point of purchase displays or direct marketing.

It’s also not uncommon to find a centralized, general purchasing department with managers and buyers who source everything across the board. In such a case the buyers or purchasing agents may work very closely with the project’s subject matter experts to understand the specifications, needs and purposes of the project being sourced. In such an instance a purchasing agent or even a manager would be wise to involve project subject matter experts in certain critical decisions such as vendor selection.

Taking a step further, there are instances where a purchasing or procurement department’s role in the marketing supply chain is more about administration and compliance. An example of this would be where the project’s subject matter experts provide not only the specifications and needs for the project, but also perform the research to identify vendors who can meet all of its requirements. From that point forward, purchasing agents, buyers and their managers would obtain pricing, award the project to a vendor and follow up with any additional administration.

Making the Right Connections

Regardless of where an organization falls within this continuum, a strong and free-flowing connection between procurement roles and the rest of the marketing supply chain is critical. Even in cases where marketing is responsible for sourcing its own materials; bulletproof specifications are imperative to getting the project done as planned. Tracking of tasks, actions, decisions and results ensures compliance with budgets and deadlines, as well as with procurement and marketing procedures. It’s a lot to try to make happen in an organization of any size but it’s not impossible especially with the help of project management software built especially for the marketing supply chain.

The next installment in the Marketing Supply Field Guide will wrap up our look at common roles in the marketing supply chain. See you next week.

The Marketing Supply Chain Field Guide: Part 7 – Procurement Roles