by Fronetics | Jan 20, 2015 | Blog, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media
Content and social media are integral to business growth
Editor’s Note: This is a guest blog written by Kecia Gray, Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Communications, Transplace. Transplace is a premier provider of transportation management services, intermodal, truck brokerage, and SaaS TMS solutions. Transplace successfully leverages social media and content to expand the company’s brand awareness and thought leadership. The company’s LinkedIn page, Facebook page, and blog were named as “favorites” in a survey conducted by Fronetics.
At Transplace, social media has become an integral part of our marketing and communications strategy and key to expanding our brand awareness and thought leadership in the logistics and transportation space. Our marketing and communication team has had the opportunity to utilize multiple social channels, including:
While we consistently post content to all of these channels, what has been and continues to be important to our social strategy is creating our own original content and utilizing it within a more aggressive approach on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Sharing content on these channels has allowed our newest blog to achieve fast success in under a year’s time.
Content Is King…
Within any industry, there is always significant opportunity to create original thought leadership content that is informative and insightful. When developing a social media strategy, our foremost goal was to establish a thought leadership blog resource for the market, in addition to providing engaging and personalized content across social channels that was easily sharable. Our main objectives focus on connecting with customers, and creating content that resonates with the members of our industry and provides value to their businesses. By distributing this content across our social channels to foster sharing, conversation and engagement, we’ve continued to gain influence with our targeted audiences.
…And Metrics Are Key
Because of the rapid pace of developing content, it’s important to track and report on levels of engagement to optimize and repurpose information. We created a social plan that included a comprehensive calendar to capture the topics and content items we’d be working on throughout the year. For maximum integration, we purposely aligned new pieces to marketing campaigns and corporate objectives such as events, transportation services and current industry issues. In addition, we established benchmarks and metrics that were important for us to track, such as followers and level of engagement. Analyzing the data allowed us to regularly monitor and evaluate our program, maximize what worked and adjust areas that did not meet expectations.
Incorporating Talent for Quality Thought Leadership
We have also taken advantage of the significant opportunity for Transplace employees at all levels to contribute quality thought-leadership posts across a number of channels. We’ve learned that the best place to utilize this content is on the company’s logisticallyspeakingblog.com. Some of the posts we’re most proud of turned out to be the most popular of 2014, including:
- A motivating guest blog post highlighting our dedication to our customers – from George Abernathy, our president and CCO.
- An insightful commentary on the growth of Transplace in light of a recent acquisition – from Frank McGuigan, president of transportation management at Transplace.
- An informative infographic recap of our signature event, the annual Transplace Shipper Symposium, highlighting some amazing speakers.
To ensure we always stay up-to-date and focused, our team holds quarterly meetings in which we share key highlights, metrics and snapshots of the program quarter by quarter. The time is used to plan for what’s coming up in the future, brainstorm new ideas and make changes as needed. We always make the utmost effort to continually update our program and assess our short and long term goals – an important aspect to any social program!
How is your organization utilizing social media and thought leadership content?
by Fronetics | Jan 19, 2015 | Blog, Supply Chain
The call for more transparent and more ethical supply chains
Events such as hurricane Sandy, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Bangladesh factory collapse, and the Ikea horse meat scandal, have positioned the spotlight on the supply chain and have consumers, regulators, and businesses calling for an increase in supply chain transparency.
The increased scrutiny of the supply chain is not a result of an increase in the number of events; rather it is a result of technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) is reducing the number of “black holes” within the supply chain and offering the capability of end-to end visibility – making the supply chain more transparent. The internet and social media is also increasing visibility and transparency. Tom Seal, head of research at Procurement Professionals, astutely points out that:
“The internet and social media leave almost no dark rocks for corporations to hide under.”
It is here that it is important to make the distinction between transparency and visibility. David Linich, Principal, Deloitte Consulting, does this well:
“Transparency goes beyond gaining visibility into the extended supply chain. It is the process by which a company takes action on the insights gained through greater visibility in order to manage risks more effectively.”
Environmental and ethical practices within the supply are areas where there is often a “disconnect between intentions and actions.” Seal:
“It’s far simpler to change branding and marketing – and present a company as environmentally and ethically aware – than it is to reconfigure or rebuild an entire global supply chain.”
That being said, companies who do use the insights gained through greater visibility and do take action can reap positive results. PepsiCo, for example, was able to identify energy-savings opportunities as a result of a carbon management and energy assessment program it undertook with its suppliers. The savings was not small – it totaled $60 million. However, savings are not always realized. It has been estimated, for example, that the cost of an iPhone could effectively double if it were manufactured in the United States, under stricter labor standards.
The question is, as companies strive to meet the demands for increased transparency, will a more ethical supply chain ultimately pay off for companies in the form of improved reputation as well as customer and employee loyalty?
Software Advice, a company that reviews supply chain management software, recently conducted a series of surveys with the objective of helping business owners and supply chain managers better understand consumer attitudes towards improving the ethics and environmental impact of the supply chain. The surveys found that, on average, consumers would pay for more for a product made by a company whose supply chain is ethical and has a reduced environmental footprint. For example, survey respondents indicated that they would pay as much as $27.60 more for a $100 product that was made by workers working in good conditions.
Does attitude equal behavior?
Ian Robinson of the University of Michigan and his team conducted an experiment at a suburban Detroit department store. The researchers placed identical socks side by side on display. Some socks were labeled as coming from factories with good working conditions. When priced the same, half of the customers chose the ethical socks. When the researchers increased the price of the ethical socks, the number of customers who chose ethical socks dropped to 33%. When the price of ethical socks increased to 20% or more than the regular socks the number of customers who chose the ethical socks dropped further – to 15%.
And why do consumers care?
Ahir Gopaldas of Fordham University’s business school conducted a study called “Marketplace Sentiments.” The objective of the study was to gain insight into why certain consumers are willing to spend more on “ethical products.”
The study defines marketplace sentiments as “collectively shared emotional dispositions toward marketplace elements.”
The study’s abstract explains that:
“From outrage at corporations to excitement about innovations, marketplace sentiments are powerful forces in consumer culture that transform markets. This article develops a preliminary theory of marketplace sentiments. Defined as collectively shared emotional dispositions, sentiments can be grouped into three function-based categories: contempt for villains, concern for victims, and celebration of heroes.”
Gopaldas notes that these sentiments are “critical to understanding how consumer culture works.” Specifically that:
“Contempt happens when ethical consumers feel anger and disgust toward the corporations and governments they consider responsible for environmental pollution and labor exploitation. Concern stems from a concern for the victims of rampant consumerism, including workers, animals, ecosystems, and future generations. Celebration occurs when ethical consumers experience joy from making responsible choices and hope from thinking about the collective impact of their individual choices.”
What does this mean for the supply chain?
The internet, social, media, and the IoT is making it less possible for companies to not only have skeletons in their closet, but also less possible for companies to have skeletons in general.
Consumers, regulators, and businesses are all calling for more transparent supply chains. Companies that listen, and who identify ways by which they can improve the ethics and environmental impact of their supply chain will be rewarded.
by Fronetics | Jan 19, 2015 | Blog, Supply Chain
The call for more transparent and more ethical supply chains
Events such as hurricane Sandy, the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Bangladesh factory collapse, and the Ikea horse meat scandal, have positioned the spotlight on the supply chain and have consumers, regulators, and businesses calling for an increase in supply chain transparency.
The increased scrutiny of the supply chain is not a result of an increase in the number of events; rather it is a result of technology. The Internet of Things (IoT) is reducing the number of “black holes” within the supply chain and offering the capability of end-to end visibility – making the supply chain more transparent. The internet and social media is also increasing visibility and transparency. Tom Seal, head of research at Procurement Professionals, astutely points out that:
“The internet and social media leave almost no dark rocks for corporations to hide under.”
It is here that it is important to make the distinction between transparency and visibility. David Linich, Principal, Deloitte Consulting, does this well:
“Transparency goes beyond gaining visibility into the extended supply chain. It is the process by which a company takes action on the insights gained through greater visibility in order to manage risks more effectively.”
Environmental and ethical practices within the supply are areas where there is often a “disconnect between intentions and actions.” Seal:
“It’s far simpler to change branding and marketing – and present a company as environmentally and ethically aware – than it is to reconfigure or rebuild an entire global supply chain.”
That being said, companies who do use the insights gained through greater visibility and do take action can reap positive results. PepsiCo, for example, was able to identify energy-savings opportunities as a result of a carbon management and energy assessment program it undertook with its suppliers. The savings was not small – it totaled $60 million. However, savings are not always realized. It has been estimated, for example, that the cost of an iPhone could effectively double if it were manufactured in the United States, under stricter labor standards.
The question is, as companies strive to meet the demands for increased transparency, will a more ethical supply chain ultimately pay off for companies in the form of improved reputation as well as customer and employee loyalty?
Software Advice, a company that reviews supply chain management software, recently conducted a series of surveys with the objective of helping business owners and supply chain managers better understand consumer attitudes towards improving the ethics and environmental impact of the supply chain. The surveys found that, on average, consumers would pay for more for a product made by a company whose supply chain is ethical and has a reduced environmental footprint. For example, survey respondents indicated that they would pay as much as $27.60 more for a $100 product that was made by workers working in good conditions.
Does attitude equal behavior?
Ian Robinson of the University of Michigan and his team conducted an experiment at a suburban Detroit department store. The researchers placed identical socks side by side on display. Some socks were labeled as coming from factories with good working conditions. When priced the same, half of the customers chose the ethical socks. When the researchers increased the price of the ethical socks, the number of customers who chose ethical socks dropped to 33%. When the price of ethical socks increased to 20% or more than the regular socks the number of customers who chose the ethical socks dropped further – to 15%.
And why do consumers care?
Ahir Gopaldas of Fordham University’s business school conducted a study called “Marketplace Sentiments.” The objective of the study was to gain insight into why certain consumers are willing to spend more on “ethical products.”
The study defines marketplace sentiments as “collectively shared emotional dispositions toward marketplace elements.”
The study’s abstract explains that:
“From outrage at corporations to excitement about innovations, marketplace sentiments are powerful forces in consumer culture that transform markets. This article develops a preliminary theory of marketplace sentiments. Defined as collectively shared emotional dispositions, sentiments can be grouped into three function-based categories: contempt for villains, concern for victims, and celebration of heroes.”
Gopaldas notes that these sentiments are “critical to understanding how consumer culture works.” Specifically that:
“Contempt happens when ethical consumers feel anger and disgust toward the corporations and governments they consider responsible for environmental pollution and labor exploitation. Concern stems from a concern for the victims of rampant consumerism, including workers, animals, ecosystems, and future generations. Celebration occurs when ethical consumers experience joy from making responsible choices and hope from thinking about the collective impact of their individual choices.”
What does this mean for the supply chain?
The internet, social, media, and the IoT is making it less possible for companies to not only have skeletons in their closet, but also less possible for companies to have skeletons in general.
Consumers, regulators, and businesses are all calling for more transparent supply chains. Companies that listen, and who identify ways by which they can improve the ethics and environmental impact of their supply chain will be rewarded.
![The Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain [Infographic]](https://www.fronetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Girl-Scout-Cookie-Supply-Chain-810x675.jpg)
by Fronetics | Jan 15, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Supply Chain
In 2015 The Girl Scouts launched the “Digital Cookie.” How will this impact the Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain?
When the Girl Scouts of America began selling their now ubiquitous cookies way back in 1917, their operations were simple: cookies were baked in the ovens of troop members and sold in a high school cafeteria. On a mission to raise enough funds to cover the activities of their Muskogee, Oklahoma-based troop, these first cookie salesgirls unknowingly set the stage for a century-long operation that now includes over 2.8 million Girl Scouts and tops $700 million annually.
Throughout the program’s history, the Girl Scouts have made significant changes to the way they do business. To understand the evolution of their supply chain you have to look not only at the physical growth of the program, but the societal factors that have shaped their manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales functions throughout the years.
From the cookie program’s modest beginnings in the late 1910s through the 1920s, operations were kept small and simple. Cars weren’t yet pervasive in American cities and towns, and door-to-door sales and delivery of goods were the norm. As such, each local troop of Girl Scouts baked, packaged, and priced their own cookies and then combined marketing and sales functions by going door to door. The 1930s saw the Girl Scouts professionalize their manufacturing operations by partnering with and licensing their first commercial bakery – a move concurrent with the rise of automated and commercial bakeries across the United States.
During World War II, flour, sugar, and butter shortages caused a brief stoppage of Girl Scout cookie production. In the post-war boom though, the Girl Scouts were back in the cookie business, setting up shop outside the shopping malls that had sprung up in the suburbs.
As membership rapidly grew, cookie flavors were narrowed to four types in order to standardize their product for greater manufacturing efficiency. Meanwhile, advancements within the packaging industry proved to be a boon for the marketing and sales of Girl Scout cookies as it brought extension to the shelf-life of their products. The most dramatic shift in operations came in 1978. By that time, the number of commercial bakeries involved in the manufacture of GirlScout cookies had swelled to an unmanageable amount. That year officials made the decision to limit operations to only four bakeries, showing a commitment from the organization to uniform quality, packaging, and distribution (a practice even further evidenced today by their licensing of only two bakeries).
From the 1950s through 2014 the sales and marketing strategy of Girl Scout cookies has remained almost unchanged. Each year, between January and April, thousands of girls and their parents have sold cookies by going door-to-door or by hawking their wares outside local supermarkets.
In 2015, in a move that has significant implications for their supply chain, the Girl Scouts have unveiled a new strategy that is directly influenced by yet another societal shift. “Digital Cookie” enables Girl Scouts to market and sell cookies online.
With Digital Cookie, girls are able to create personalized cookie websites and invite customers to visit their website via an email invitation. Digital Cookie also allows girls to take in-person cookie orders (at a local cookie booth for example) via mobile app.
Additional features of Digital Cookie include: campaign advertising, inventory tracking, and shipping management.
Kelly Parisi, Girl Scouts of the USA chief communications executive, points out that these changes are essential in terms of building leadership skills: “It is all about the girls and building future business leaders. They are learning about e-marketing, managing money and additionally creating their first websites.”
The Digital Cookie will have a significant impact on the organization’s supply chain. Not the least of which is that this year, for the first time, the majority of customers will have cookies delivered directly to them – the option of having a Girl Scout deliver the cookies is only available in select markets.
Hungry? Connect with your local Girl Scout or Girl Scout Troop, or try the free mobile Cookie Finder app for your iPhone or Android phone.
by Fronetics | Jan 15, 2015 | Blog, Marketing, Supply Chain
In 2015 The Girl Scouts launched the “Digital Cookie.” How will this impact the Girl Scout Cookie Supply Chain?
When the Girl Scouts of America began selling their now ubiquitous cookies way back in 1917, their operations were simple: cookies were baked in the ovens of troop members and sold in a high school cafeteria. On a mission to raise enough funds to cover the activities of their Muskogee, Oklahoma-based troop, these first cookie salesgirls unknowingly set the stage for a century-long operation that now includes over 2.8 million Girl Scouts and tops $700 million annually.
Throughout the program’s history, the Girl Scouts have made significant changes to the way they do business. To understand the evolution of their supply chain you have to look not only at the physical growth of the program, but the societal factors that have shaped their manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales functions throughout the years.
From the cookie program’s modest beginnings in the late 1910s through the 1920s, operations were kept small and simple. Cars weren’t yet pervasive in American cities and towns, and door-to-door sales and delivery of goods were the norm. As such, each local troop of Girl Scouts baked, packaged, and priced their own cookies and then combined marketing and sales functions by going door to door. The 1930s saw the Girl Scouts professionalize their manufacturing operations by partnering with and licensing their first commercial bakery – a move concurrent with the rise of automated and commercial bakeries across the United States.
During World War II, flour, sugar, and butter shortages caused a brief stoppage of Girl Scout cookie production. In the post-war boom though, the Girl Scouts were back in the cookie business, setting up shop outside the shopping malls that had sprung up in the suburbs.
As membership rapidly grew, cookie flavors were narrowed to four types in order to standardize their product for greater manufacturing efficiency. Meanwhile, advancements within the packaging industry proved to be a boon for the marketing and sales of Girl Scout cookies as it brought extension to the shelf-life of their products. The most dramatic shift in operations came in 1978. By that time, the number of commercial bakeries involved in the manufacture of GirlScout cookies had swelled to an unmanageable amount. That year officials made the decision to limit operations to only four bakeries, showing a commitment from the organization to uniform quality, packaging, and distribution (a practice even further evidenced today by their licensing of only two bakeries).
From the 1950s through 2014 the sales and marketing strategy of Girl Scout cookies has remained almost unchanged. Each year, between January and April, thousands of girls and their parents have sold cookies by going door-to-door or by hawking their wares outside local supermarkets.
In 2015, in a move that has significant implications for their supply chain, the Girl Scouts have unveiled a new strategy that is directly influenced by yet another societal shift. “Digital Cookie” enables Girl Scouts to market and sell cookies online.
With Digital Cookie, girls are able to create personalized cookie websites and invite customers to visit their website via an email invitation. Digital Cookie also allows girls to take in-person cookie orders (at a local cookie booth for example) via mobile app.
Additional features of Digital Cookie include: campaign advertising, inventory tracking, and shipping management.
Kelly Parisi, Girl Scouts of the USA chief communications executive, points out that these changes are essential in terms of building leadership skills: “It is all about the girls and building future business leaders. They are learning about e-marketing, managing money and additionally creating their first websites.”
The Digital Cookie will have a significant impact on the organization’s supply chain. Not the least of which is that this year, for the first time, the majority of customers will have cookies delivered directly to them – the option of having a Girl Scout deliver the cookies is only available in select markets.
Hungry? Connect with your local Girl Scout or Girl Scout Troop, or try the free mobile Cookie Finder app for your iPhone or Android phone.
