epitype®
Ten sentences:
Brand values
and the
supply chain
The benefits of communicating
values throughout the supply chain
Martin Roach
Published by epitype® March 2013
epitype.co.uk
epitype® is a registered trademark
The author asserts the moral right to be
identified as the author of this work.
Series editor: Martin Roach
Copyright © epitype March 2013
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-907871-04-7
Printed in Great Britain
Illustrated by Haroun Al-Shaater based
on a style developed by Nick Ritchie.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the publishers.
Why?
The Ten Sentences series started life as in-house
documents. We found that each time we shared
them with our clients they loved them, so we
thought: why not share these with everyone?
Rather than serving as step by step guides,
Ten Sentences offer short and sweet food for
thought on topics ranging from brand values
to supply chains.
What do we
mean by brand
values and the
supply chain?
Brand values are important, they allow organisations
to be the best they can be. They are the glue that hold
corporate communities together. But we can’t do it
all alone. We need good partners to help us realise
our potential.
Communicating brand values within a supply
chain is crucial to the success of every partnership.
The deeper the supply chain, the more relevant
this form of communication becomes. It’s about
knowing who you are and understanding who you
are working with.
Sentence 1
Your values
show you’re
compatible.
When organisations share the same values
great things can happen.
Partners can help each other when they’re
singing from the same hymn sheet. You can’t
impose your culture onto anyone else so it’s
important to communicate your thoughts and
ideals clearly which will allow you to attract the
right partners at the right time.
Sentence 2
Good partnerships allow the
customer to win.
A shared value system allows supply chains to
collectively work towards the same gains. It means
you can share information with the knowledge that
you are working together.
Working together, in turn, creates a superior customer
experience and presents a united front when it comes
to the issues that matter.
Sentence 3
When you share
values, you can
grow together.
Growing together means that a partnership
can be open and responsive.
Growing together also means learning from each
other to develop a better way of doing things
– a more sustainable way. When two or more
organisations have similar values, all involved can
grow. The truth is, you’re only as strong as the
weakest link in the chain so don’t be afraid of stating
what your values are to attract the best partners.
Sentence 4
Understanding
values increases
trust.
Nurturing a great relationship starts with
a commitment to develop trust.
Imagine two organisations, one is all about the
big ideas and the other is all about the details.
Both organisations need to understand each
other and the culture behind these values. If they
don’t, working together may seem like hard work.
This doesn’t mean that everyone should agree
on everything, but it does mean that if a dispute
arises you’ll be able to deal with it in the spirit of
the partnership.
Sentence 5
Good values
are contagious.
It’s easy to communicate to your top tier suppliers –
they are very visible. But how do you communicate
your values beyond this?
If you develop and communicate strong, unique
values that are true to your organisation’s culture
and beliefs, they will catch on – far beyond the
confines of your supply chain.
Sentence 6
Values keep
you in the know.
An intimate relationship with your customers
keeps you on your toes and allows you to develop
a better service. An intimate relationship with your
supply chain allows you to innovate. Working at the
values level of communications allows this kind of
relationship to exist.
Learning from your supply chain is a two way
communications strategy that starts with your
values. It’s about communicating your values whilst,
at the same time, listening and learning about what’s
important to your partners.
Sentence 7
Simplicity
is worth it.
It’s true that not everything in life is simple, but
creating the right trail through a complex issue or
concept can make difficult ideas really easy to grasp.
It’s a bit like our Ten Sentences series, they serve
up big ideas in bite-size chunks.
When you’re communicating within your supply
chain the same applies. It may take more work
to make complex ideas easy to understand but
collectively you can save time – where your suppliers
can save, your customers can benefit.
Sentence 8
Share the
good stuff
There’s no point in being great if no one knows about it.
Your stakeholders need to know what good looks
like so that they too will have the confidence to
achieve the same goals and targets – they need to
see that it’s possible.
By sharing success you inspire everyone to raise
and maintain standards – you inspire those around
you to go beyond the legal requirements.
Sentence 9
Share the
challenges.
It’s healthy to remember that we are all
continually improving.
If you want to share the good, you’ve got to
be ready to share the challenges – it’s inevitable.
But like most things, it’s an opportunity.
An opportunity to demonstrate the human side
of your brand, your culture and your aspirations.
Most importantly, it’s a chance to connect with
your supply chain in a way that they will understand
and appreciate.
Sentence 10
It doesn’t stop
after delivery.
Even if a project is over – your relationship isn’t.
The best brands understand that ongoing
relationships happen when there is a shared
ideology. It’s much more than delivering one
project – it’s about crafting a common point
where two cultures can exist for mutual benefit.
Notes
epitype®
Ten sentences:
Brand values and the supply chain
epitype is an ethical future company.
We build communities, create better businesses
and enable social change through the power of
design thinking. We help our clients understand
their values and purpose and use this as a catalyst
for positive change.
Printed on 100% recycled paper
£5.00 UK
ISBN 978-1-907871-04-7
9 781907 871047
epitype.co.uk/ten