It is the third year in a row that Charterhouse has been recognised at the coveted E.ON supplier awards, having won the “Sustainable Business” category in 2010 and “Planet & Society” in 2009.

The latest award is testament to our long-standing partnership with E.ON and the introduction of new technology and more efficient processes that have saved E.ON a huge amount of time and money when communicating price changes to their customers.

Jennie Andrews, Charterhouse Account Director for E.ON, explains: “E.ON challenged us to review their current processes and find a solution that would not only ensure they were compliant with new regulation, but also allow them to communicate with customers in a more targeted and timely way. We are thrilled that our collaborative approach has been recognised with this award.”

The awards are open to all E.ON UK suppliers (over 200) and recognise truly inspirational initiatives from E.ON suppliers.  The successful companies demonstrated support for E.ON in the transition to cleaner and better energy strategy in the UK.

Graham Line, Director of Supply Chain and Asset Management, was delighted with the response to the competition: “Our Supplier Awards are much more than just a relationship-building exercise – they give us the chance to recognise success and give credit where it’s due.  E.ON is working towards its vision of cleaner and better energy.  Success can only be achieved with the continued support and collaboration with key suppliers.  The impacts will be far reaching and benefit both our customer and the environment.”

Pictured from left to right: Jennie Andrews (Charterhouse Account Director), Gary Mahoney (Charterhouse CEO), Daren Carter (Head of Marketing Communications, E.ON UK), Chris Askew (Category Manager, E.ON UK) and Paul Andrew (Procurement Manager, E.ON UK).

In the article (page 6) Anthony refers to Charterhouse research about the integration of print and digital media, as the industry continues to evolve in a multi-channel world.

Two thirds of procurement professionals claim maverick marketing spend is widespread.

Europe’s top 500 businesses are struggling with ‘maverick’ buying of marketing products and services, with suppliers being selected ad hoc across organisations. Over two thirds (67%) of procurement professionals in Europe’s largest companies say maverick buying is rife, leading to significant overspend and missed savings.

David Fincham, Business Development Director at Charterhouse, comments: “Maverick marketing procurement is a costly problem for Europe’s largest businesses, but can be very difficult to identify. 

“Yet it represents the tip of the iceberg in ‘hidden’ savings. Firms need to take a fresh approach to marketing procurement to tackle uncontrolled and inefficient buying practices.”

The findings are outlined in ‘The Marketing Maturity Matrix’ a new report released today by marketing production specialist, Charterhouse. The report is based on research among 200 procurement professionals from across Europe’s 500 largest companies*.

A legacy of inefficiency

The report finds that 80% of the companies surveyed struggle with immature marketing procurement practices, and could be wasting a combined €716m each year as a result.

Organisations identified legacy marketing procurement processes as a major reason for this inefficiency, with over a third (34%) saying their processes have been developed ad hoc over time with no overarching strategy.

As a result, almost a third (30%) fail to evaluate long-term value and savings from external marketing providers. More than a third (36%) have no mechanism for measuring return on marketing investment.   

David Fincham comments: “Without a proactive marketing procurement strategy, it’s easy for marketing budget to be committed without procurement involved. In large businesses, this can equate to huge amounts of investment not procured in the right way. The potential lost savings here could be ploughed back into additional effective marketing activities.

“Those inheriting legacy processes should start building relationships with marketing immediately, and work together to develop a strategy that identifies potential improvements.” 

Stuck in a vice

While procurement professionals are under pressure to resolve this situation, many are not yet in a position to do so. Almost half (42%) have experienced pressure to improve their organisation’s procurement of marketing products and services. 

Despite this, the majority (58%) have no remit within the marketing department, while just one fifth (21%) hold ultimate responsibility for marketing spend in their organisation. As a result, over a third (37%) of procurement professionals state that driving savings in marketing purchasing is a struggle. 

David Fincham comments: “Tension still exists between marketing and procurement and common misconceptions about their respective objectives remain. But this is no longer about seeking savings in spite of consequences; both parties demand best value and there are joint benefits to be had. 

“Both functions must find a way to work together to drive efficiency and maintain, if not improve, effectiveness as a result.”

A battle for savings

Procurement professionals are adamant that marketers will find it hard to improve the situation without their expertise. Despite this, resistance to procurement involvement in marketing persists. 

Over two thirds (67%) say marketing will struggle to improve cost efficiency without procurement’s help. The same proportion (69%) say marketers will also struggle to cope with dwindling budgets without their involvement. 

However, almost a third (30%) have experienced conflict with the marketing department over procurement matters, while more still (35%) characterise their marketing department as resistant to procurement oversight of its purchasing activities. 

Despite this resistance, procurement professionals are well-qualified for the challenge. Over half (59%) say they have good or expert knowledge of the marketing discipline. 

David Fincham comments: “Procurement professionals are under pressure from above to tackle marketing spend, but lack influence over this expenditure, which is subject to very little central control.”

Ends.

In the news:
+ M&M Global
+ Supply Management
+ The Drum
+ Decision Marketing

In the article Colin explains the opportunities for marketers to ensure the integrity of their brand identity across multiple media channels, and offers top tips to improve the colour management process.

The qualification is the only accredited Diploma in Promotional Marketing and covers all the media and channels in which, on which or through which, promotions are communicated.

One of the key channels covered is printed media, which is why the IPM contacted Andy (who previously founded Charterhouse’s in-house training academy) for some industry expertise and insight for this section of the 2012 course.

For the fourth year running, Andy provided study content for the “Print process” module and helped set exam questions. During this time he has also lectured course students on the complexities of the print production process.

Chris Bestley, IPM Director of Education comments: “It’s vital for the relevance of the course that we utilise expertise from people like Andy – he knows the latest trends and technologies in print and his consultancy has been priceless.”

Note: The course is designed for agency and promoter personnel involved in devising, developing and running promotional campaigns to provide a solid platform on which to build experience and future learning. Click here for details.

We now have operations in 19 countries to support ‘cross border’ clients such as Unilever and Electrolux, and further openings are planned during the rest of 2012.

Contact details.

In the article Scott explains the importance of accurate data in direct marketing and addresses the complex challenges of managing customer data to ensure you reach the right person with your communications every time.

Click here to read the full article.

To kick-start the New Year, we’re announcing the results of our first survey on print and digital integration: who’s doing it, how are they using it, and how can you generate more results from your integration methods in 2012?

The Results

We discovered that the majority (70%) of marketers are using print to drive interest to their digital content. The most common objective, stated by 61% of respondents, is to increase traffic to their website. None use print to drive people to mobile content – including mobile websites – and only 2% employ it to attract audiences to social media.

But while the emergence of QR codes and other tools have created new opportunities to integrate print and digital marketing, marketers are still using relatively simple tactics. The most common is a standard URL (83%), while more sophisticated tools such as QR codes (26%) and augmented reality (5%) are used less frequently.

Emerging Technologies

These tools may have been disregarded as mere fads in the past, but as brands get smarter, they are discovering how these can be used to add genuine value to the customer experience. Some innovations, like augmented reality visualisations of what products will look like in our homes, could fundamentally change the way we interact with brands for good.

According to the Panel, the reason behind this relatively basic approach to integration is a lack of clarity about the potential benefits of emerging technologies. Though marketers are yet to be convinced by these emerging tools, around half (46%) agree print is vital to driving interest in digital content and campaigns.

Plans for 2012

We asked the Panel about their plans for print and digital integration in the future, and there was enormous appetite to experiment more this year. Half (51%) are planning to use QR codes in the next twelve months – double the number that are using them now – and almost two thirds (59%) plan to link to social media content rather than their own websites. A small proportion (7%) even plan to integrate print and augmented reality in 2012.

So where do we go from here? Clearly, experimentation with new techniques is key to fuelling innovation. But it’s also important to study examples of best practice to ensure your print and digital integration delivers the best possible results.

Another salient piece of advice is, simply placing a QR code on print marketing to drive clicks to your homepage is not going to achieve significant results. The objective of linking print and digital should be to engage audiences with additional worthwhile content as part of a broader experience.

Ivan Skoric, Head of Digital Services at Charterhouse

In the news:
+ Mobile Marketing
+ Institute of Direct Marketing

A case study about how Charterhouse helped Which? to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of sending welcome packs to new subscribers has recently been published by UTalk Marketing.

Click here to see the full article.