Whether or not you are a fan, many of you will have heard the phrase ‘…it’s only wafer thin…’ Spoken in a French accent by John Cleese just prior to Mr Creosote exploding, it remains one of Monty Python’s instantly recognisable phrases.
It got me thinking about other ‘it’s only’ phrases – a paper moon, a matter of time and, to my chagrin, it’s only Tottenham Hotspur. However, I wonder how often the phrase ‘it’s only print’ is uttered in the great halls of marketing procurement?
Often seen as the less glamorous cousin of media or agency procurement, print has, historically, had a rough press when it comes to its services being bought.
Commercial print carries a European value of nearly £200 billion.*
This is a number worth paying attention to, particularly when there is considerable value in the efficiencies that can be garnered in this medium, especially when we see marketers turning back to print as an important channel in their campaign choices.
The recent JicMail Super Touch Point report and the Debating Group hosting the IPIA’s motion ‘Campaigns that include print are more effective’ at the House of Commons are two examples of this momentum.
In our business, theSPC, we have just had the pleasure of supporting a large international brewer with a pan-European tender for their 2D and 3D POS print.
I say ‘pleasure’ not to blow smoke, but because it was enjoyable to engage and develop a strategic approach which looked at the successful operational outcome with equal importance as the financials.
It is an approach we are seeing more regularly with our clients, and it is to be encouraged.
Some of the key questions we ask, and challenge everyone to ask, before starting out on a tender are:
- What exactly is the outcome required over and above just financial efficiency?
- Who are the best-placed suppliers in the market that can service the business (and our team) needs?
- How do these suppliers best engage with client stakeholders?
- How do we identify and regulate the value exchange in the contract?
These key areas, and more, can often be forgotten when the print tender is rolled out.
The procurement standard bearer Tina Fegent (FCIPS), has forever banged the drum that Marketing Procurement’s role is not just to reduce cost but to enable strategic solutions.
I join her by banging my big bass drum for the print sector of Marketing Procurement.
Is it only print? That is for you to judge.
We spend our time ensuring our clients have access to the latest industry insights, are strategically enabled and supported by the best supply chains in order to maximise their return on investment.
* https://www.imarcgroup.com/europe-commercial-printing-market
