Procurement & Brand Management: Can It Involve Playing Offense As Well As Defense?

Over on Twitter, Purchasing Magazine's long-time editor extraordinaire Dave Hannon linked me to an article that he had written on Purchasing's social network, Purchasing BIZconnect. The article was entitled "The company you keep: Purchasing’s role in managing the brand."

Even if you've read my related articles/posts such as "Trend Alert: The Supplier Code of Conduct" and "Dell, and then Apple, Recall Supplier's Batteries," I don't think a procurement professional can ever have too many reminders about the importance of supporting your company's brand through your supplier relationships. Therefore, I recommend reading Dave's article.

The one thing that I only partially agree with is Dave's quote that "Your goal here is to be invisible. No (negative) news is good news and means you've done your job in helping to manage the brand." While, in most cases, if a supplier doesn't destroy the brand you can feel relief, I believe that, managed correctly, certain supplier relationships can enhance the brand. Brand management from a procurement perspective doesn't have to be all defense and no offense.

Would you care to share any examples of how using a supplier helped your company's brand instead of simply not hurting it?

To Your Career,
Charles Dominick, SPSM
President & Chief Procurement Officer
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
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