Challenges and solutions for the print supply chain
Part 3: Brand owners
Consistent brand communication is crucial for brand owners who want to position their company strongly in the market, whether with print or other communications. In practice, this often proves to be a complex challenge, especially when communications are spread across multiple teams and locations. This raises one central question: how do you ensure that your (print) communications always reach the right target audience consistently, efficiently and on time?
In this blog series, we examine the obstacles as well as the solutions within the various links of the print chain. In this section, we focus specifically on the print communication process that brand owners, and especially marketers and communication professionals at major brands, have to deal with on a daily basis.
The challenge of consistent brand communication
Brand owners often deal with an extensive ecosystem of teams, locations and different marketing expressions. Ensuring consistency across all communications, whether brochures, business cards or other promotional materials, can be a major challenge.
In many companies, employees design without attention to corporate identity guidelines, or lack knowledge about ordering printed materials. It will probably be familiar to many companies: employees who cobble together promotional materials themselves using tools such as Canva, diluting the corporate identity. In addition, they encounter obstacles when ordering printed materials. What specifications are needed? What is the right paper size or appropriate paper type? Is the design formatted in the right resolution and with the right number of pages?
In addition, a lot of companies have fragmented systems within the communication process. Multiple webshops, a separate accounting system, a stand-alone editor or a non-integrated ERP system make it difficult to maintain an overview and work efficiently.
How can a brand owner bring more efficiency to the entire print communication process? Getting the message across to the target groups using the right communication medium and the right corporate identity? And in such a way that it also saves time and costs?
Features brand owner:
- Organizations with a lot of brand communication.
- Companies with multiple teams or brands.
- Communications spread across multiple departments or locations.
- Communication involves print (in addition to online media).
Challenges for the brand owner:
- Maintaining brand consistency: Keeping a uniform brand identity across different teams, locations and communication materials.
- Lack of print knowledge: Employees often do not know what print specifications are needed, such as the correct paper size, paper type or resolution of the design.
- Inefficient ordering process: Print communications are often ordered without a central overview, which can lead to errors and additional costs.
- Decentralized creation of materials: Employees design as they see fit, leading to loss of brand identity.
- Fragmentation of systems: Many separate tools for designing, ordering and managing communication materials, resulting in a lack of overview and the process often taking more time than necessary.
The solution: one central communication platform
The Prindustry platform provides the perfect solution for brand owners looking to centralize and optimize their print communications process.
This platform acts as the central place to manage the entire brand communication process, from design to order. It is the “single source of truth” for all communication assets, accessible 24/7 to every user.
The platform offers a smart combination of an on-premise webshop and a management system. Every employee gets a personal account with their own settings, with which they can easily format, order or download communication materials themselves. The ordering process for printed materials, such as business cards or flyers, is fully automated: orders are immediately forwarded to the correct producer.
Management lies with a main administrator, usually the head office or marketing team, who has complete control over the system. This includes user management, order management, product assortment creation, budget management and supplier connections.
Benefits Prindustry Platform for brand owners:
- UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS PORTAL:
One platform for managing, formatting and ordering all print communications, regardless of the number of locations or brands. - EXTENSIVE USER MANAGEMENT:
Give specific teams and employees access to relevant materials and functions, ensuring everyone has the right resources . - BRAND CONSISTENCY:
Templates with locked-in elements ensure branding is consistent no matter who designs it. - WEBSHOP WITH PRINT COMBINATIONS:
Let employees easily order print materials and preset combinations themselves with a few clicks. - EFFICIENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS:
Easily manage, track and invoice all orders from an integrated system. - PRODUCT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT:
Manage all your files, visuals, videos and product information from one central source.
Curious to learn more?
Want to discover how the Prindustry Platform can help your business manage print communications efficiently? Our experts are ready to show you all the possibilities in a one-hour live online demo.
