Transparency in The Supply Chain

In 2010, Harvard Business Review published this article on “The Transparent Supply Chain”, which discussed the evolution of consumer interest in product origins. It provided several key and instructive take-aways for companies seeking to start down the sustainability path. One in particular – transforming marketing – revealed the importance of integrating both marketing and supply chain strategies.

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Sustainable Brands Should Not Use Cost to Set Pricing

Companies deciding to venture towards a more eco-friendly model need to view the added cost of doing so not as an expense, but as added value — then communicate that to their customers. The marketing team makes that happen. By first incorporating the customer’s sustainability requirements into the product offerings, marketing then translates that added value into a monetary value the customer assigns to it, conveying it to them with a price they are willing to pay. Ultimately, their goal is to ensure that the price is neither too high nor too low.

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Brands Don’t Need to Use the U.S. Flag to Promote “Made in the USA”

When I was Vice President of Marketing at Farm to Feet, one of our sales representatives asked on behalf of a retailer the question, “why we did not include an American flag on any of our marketing or our packaging.” …. I responded by telling the sales representative that the United States flag code prohibits the use of the American flag for marketing and advertising purposes. Quite simply, I said, “using the U.S. Flag for marketing is disrespectful.”

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Manufacturers Need Marketing to Become a Brand

Today, contract manufacturers are starting to create consumer brands of their own. This idea is attractive, especially when you consider the potential profit margins. Many manufacturers, however, are not structured for creating a brand. The biggest challenge these companies face is a lack of a marketing-centric outlook due to adhering to a superannuated sales-centric mentality.

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Why native content marketing can help tell your story

The current marketing landscape has produced many challenges and opportunities. Within brand and product promotion, the one main problem is the diminishing effectiveness of traditional advertising. One tool that many brands are successfully using in today's content-rich marketing environment is authentic storytelling…

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