Refreshing and expanding the supplier base
What we do
There is a natural process by which organisations, over time, rely on a smaller and smaller pool of suppliers to service their creative needs. These suppliers enjoy all the benefits of a long-term relationship as well as in-depth knowledge of the client’s products and practices.
We live in such rapidly changing times that this is not always a healthy situation. New minds, new ideas are often required at short notice, which leaves clients little opportunity to try new and untested suppliers.
Setting up a sensible commissioning process that allows new suppliers to be gradually introduced to the client’s products and working procedures has the positive effect of increasing the supplier base.
To ensure that the client is not relying too heavily on a small number of creative suppliers, Town & Town work together with them to make sure that they have an increasing rather than diminishing pool of talented creative resources to draw on.
Here’s a situation you may find familiar…
“Next time, when we have more time and more budget, we’ll definitely give them a go.” How many times had Ben heard his boss say that? When Ben had joined the company there were at least six agencies working for them, but now they were down to just two, neither of which he rated. He was really keen to try this new agency, but he could see their excellent pitch being left to gather dust.
Finding a solution
Ben finally persuaded his boss to ask for external help. By outsourcing the selection process, Ben’s company was able to add another two agencies to its roster in just three months. They were also given a guide to trying out new people, and soon started experimenting with new suppliers and building working relationships for their ad-hoc requirements.
Resulting benefits
Faced with the time-consuming task of screening potential new creative suppliers and finding suitable projects to test their abilities, most companies find they have neither the resources nor the will to tackle the task, so it is much better outsourced. A programme can then be tailor-made to suit the organisation’s needs, taking into account the various stakeholders’ requirements.