Finn Partners Inc.

01/28/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/28/2025 17:28

Why Digital-First Strategies are Key in Supply Chain Marketing and Communications

News and Insights

Why Digital-First Strategies are Key in Supply Chain Marketing and Communications

January 28, 2025

The global supply chain is being re-architected on a scale not seen in 40 years.

Approximately 40 years ago, businesses in the US and other nations began outsourcing manufacturing to China, which today is the undisputed global manufacturing superpower. However, manufacturing has recently begun to pull out of China for several reasons, including pandemic scars and geopolitical concerns, in deference to re-, near-, or other-shoring. This re-architecture is producing myriad new challenges for businesses-affecting global supply network design, logistics, transportation, risk, cost and more. Layer on the threat of new U.S. tariffs, potential retaliatory actions, increasing natural disasters, the availability of AI, the global skills gap, and other macro dynamics-and corporate supply chain leaders and their enabler partners (tech and services providers) alike are facing an era of dynamic change.

As marketers and communicators in the supply chain industry, we also are facing dynamic change-not just because of the trends. The way audiences consume our messages, as well as the things they care about, are evolving quickly. The way we think, market and communicate must evolve just as fast.

The Overall Landscape

Whether you're on the brand or enabler side, in communications or marketing, your goal is to reach target audiences with your messages as effectively and efficiently as possible. Digital avenues are increasingly where it's at.

Marketing-According to eMarketer's Industry Ad Spending Benchmarks for Q4 2024, in 2025 and 2026, an additional $9.56 billion will migrate to digital from traditional ad spending. Much of that growth will happen in B2C, but digital's share of B2B ad spend will reach 48 percent in 2026, compared to 45.6 percent in 2024. For B2B, a surprising 54.6 percent of 2024 ad spend was still on the traditional side (trade publication print ads and the like), but the money always follows the consumption patterns of the audience, and so should our strategies.

The good news is that some supply chain and logistics trade publications have grown more sophisticated in the digital avenues available to reach their audiences. That said, and like B2C, B2B audiences are living online and must be targeted well beyond trade publication audiences with a strategic, multi-channel approach.

Communications & PR-Plenty of opportunities remain for earned media (more on this below), and some may even be surprised at the robustness of the supply chain trade publication landscape. And tier one business press are covering the industry a ton. Call it the pandemic effect.

However, the bottom line is that the PR industry is transforming with the broader trend toward expanding audience information sources (THINK: search, social, influencers, etc.). Rather than a threat, the opportunity for communications practitioners is growing as long as brands are open to new channels. It's imperative that communications pros think more like marketers, because the lines between the two are blurring and can blur further if we're ready to make that happen.

There's more to this trend than can be covered here, but when presented with a challenge or communications goal, be open to seeing where there could be PR/communications blinders and taking an integrated marketing communications approach. Collaborate with others to action against it in that manner-and even develop the strategic and tactical skills of others yourself.

By the way, marketers and communications people alike, if you're not using AI to assist with data analysis, strategizing and writing you should start experimenting right away. Research shows the majority of your competitors and peers are already there.

Brand-Side Corporate/Supply Chain Marketing & Communications Professionals

First, if you work for a multi-billion-dollar company and don't yet have supply chain-specific marketing and communications resources, consider it. Your company's customers and investors need to see your supply chain organization and have confidence that it's changing to meet their evolving needs and new market dynamics. For example, how are you automating to become more efficient? What are your risk management strategies? Are you digitizing demand planning? How are you planning for tariffs? They may be sold on your brand and/or products, but they must also be confident your company can deliver on-time and on-budget, especially in today's new era of disruption.

Core Narrative-Start with developing a core narrative explaining your supply chain organization's mission, vision, pillars, digital transformation and the positive impacts the organization has on the business and its customers. Include plenty of proof points and impact stories and approach them as if they were industry award submissions (they very well could be). This will be your foundation for all external (and internal) communications and should be proactively activated in many forms-PR, marketing, sales, internal decks, training, town halls, etc.

Approach-Think multi-medium and multi-channel. Some may think brands don't need supply chain marketing, rather just PR, to project supply chain innovation and success. Leave marketing to the vendors, right? However, we're all selling something, and your supply chain organization is selling reputation that builds customer and investor confidence-and innovation that can help build customer business. You're also selling your value to your own business (THINK: funding and internal value perception). Market your supply chain organization and its stories with similar vigor as marketing your products. Stay on trend and target your audience where it now lives-on digital/social channels.

Pivoting-Stay abreast of changing market dynamics and pivot strategy. For example, under the Trump Administration, many things affecting the supply chain organization will change. How do you communicate global trade policy to help influence outcomes positive to the business? If you're moving any manufacturing onshore, how do you attract skilled talent? AI will move from regulated to far more open, so how do you shift the message from compliance to competitiveness driver? How do you reframe sustainability from compliance to an economic and efficiency advantage and ensure that it resonates with customers?

Public Affairs-Supply chain has become more complex and intertwined with brand perception, competitiveness and pressing global issues, such as fair global working practices and environmental responsibility. Emphasize your brand's positive stories in these areas.

Enabler-Side Marketing & Communications Professionals

Whether you're an established or emerging brand, your PR approach and marketing mix must evolve to what's working now and how buyers are consuming information.

Messaging & Positioning-Two things that are "in."

  • Sticky messaging vs. "industry speak": Avoid the sea of sameness and find the white space through research and insights. The goal is clear, consistent, credible messaging. Avoid industry jargon and use plain language. Ensure messaging aligns across marketing, sales, and even partner channels. And back claims with real proof. Do the hard work to generate customer case studies even if they need to be anonymous.
  • Use-cases and spaces: You need to be in a "space" (or buying bucket) to receive RFPs but focus on use-cases that bring your offering to life in context of real-world buyer needs.

Credibility of PR-The business may be pushing for most/all funds to be directed toward direct lead generation, which PR is not. But the awareness, thought leadership and credibility-building PR provides is critical to lead generation and sales. Earned media (PR) will always be more credible than paid, and paid media can and should be used to amplify earned media outcomes to help feed direct lead generation.

Tactical PR Focus-"What's working" to drive coverage has changed substantially. There is certainly still room for meaningful company news, but you should focus on thought leadership around topical trends and issues (buyers want actionable advice) and especially case studies. Whether in the earned or paid environment, case studies get the most clicks. Prospects want to see your offering in action and learn from what their peers are doing. And published case studies are where PR is at its best as a strategic lead generator.

Influencers-Only for consumer audiences? Not anymore. Build a list of supply chain influencers relevant to your business and build relationships organically. Consider paid relationships for more in-depth relationships and high-value endorsement that can also drive lead generation. Or explore experiences that might include paid travel. Either way, influencers must be in the mix.

Paid Media-PR works well for awareness, branding and some strategic lead generation, but you must create a surround sound effect, fill the funnel and help buyers move through it with paid. Many simply jump in or stand up a series of one-off efforts. Step back, do the research and create a strategic, multi-channel strategy with clear measurement and proper funding. It takes time and effort but pays massive dividends.

Cyborgs-My colleague Greg Swan recently wrote this article for PR Week. He likens the buyer audience to cyborgs because they're now always connected and consuming so much information digitally on so many channels. This creates complexity to reach them most effectively but there's lots of new opportunity in leaning into digital-first strategies to reach increasingly digital-first audiences.

The supply chain communications and marketing landscape is changing as fast as the supply chain industry itself. The communications approach and marketing mix must change to meet buyers where they are now consuming information-both at work and as general consumers-and dynamically address the things they care about as their priorities change alongside a fast-evolving global supply chain.

Originally posted on O'Dwyer's on January 28, 2025.

POSTED BY: Casy Jones