Brand management is very important for companies that are looking to maintain a positive identity in the eyes of all kinds of people, from prospective customers to potential employees. What some brand management and supply chain professionals do not realize is how closely intertwined the two fields of brand management and supply chain management actually are. There are several reasons why your approach to supply chain management needs to be considered when your organization is creating its strategy for brand management.
1. The Message to Your Customers
Companies that sell their customers any kind of service or product always have a message about why their offerings are the right option to meet their clients’ needs and help them solve the problems that they are suffering from. This message is an important part of brand management, because it is delivered by all areas of the company that interact with customers in any capacity, from your sales team to your customer service reps to your transportation professionals.
If your brand management message does not match the actions taken by your supply chain department, it can deal a significant blow to your brand management policy, since observers will consider your company unable to deliver on what it says it will do. For this reason, it is important that your supply chain management professionals are aware of your outward policies relating to brand management and how their actions need to abide by these messages so that your company has a positive perception.
2. Fostering Supply Partner Relationships
Although most people commonly think about customer perception when it comes to brand management, a large part of a company’s brand is based around the relationships that they have with their supply partners. A company that is committed to strong relationships with effective supply partners will be much more successful in their efforts to improve the perception of their brand, which is an important element of brand management. This success is possible because of the positive correlation between productive supply partner relationships and an ability to fulfill the main goals of a company’s mission. Companies who are able to improve their supplier partnerships will also receive the added benefit of gaining a boost in creating a positive brand management strategy, since all areas of their supply chain will perform better as a result of this improvement.
3. Showcasing a Progressive Supply Chain
The green movement is in full effect. According to a Nielsen study from 2012, almost half of the world’s consumers would pay more money to buy products and services from companies who have programs in place to protect the environment or give back to their world in other ways.
If your company’s supply chain policy was designed to incorporate many of these socially responsible techniques and operating methods, considering these policies in your brand management strategy will prove very valuable. Even if your company does not base its entire supply chain policy around environmentally-friendly or progressive supply chain techniques, it is still important to highlight the areas where you do focus on these elements. This will help strengthen your brand management by allowing you to appeal to a larger number of consumers in your target demographic.
Whether or not your company has a history of integrating its supply chain management policies into its brand management policies, it is still important that you take this integration into account for successful brand management. Effective supply chain professionals will always take into account their company’s brand management, just like the best brand managers will correspond with their supply chain team to see how they can better express their company’s goals and focus.
