Marketing dashboard for a solutions marketing program in a flexible packaging solutions enterprise

1. Creating a marketing dashboard for a flexible packaging solutions company
About the Flexible packaging industry
The flexible packaging industry has been at the forefront of providing solutions to clients in the consumer packaged goods vertical, in electronics, defense,
chemicals etc.
This industry can be categorized clearly into 2 segments
 The leaders
 The followers
The leaders occupy enviable positions as innovators, path breakers and though leaders in the business. The followers pick up on the original ideas and solutions
offered by the leaders, and are left to fight for market share with deep discounts and price under cutting.
Solutions marketing initiatives in leaders in the flexible packaging industry
In flexible packaging companies that occupy leadership positions, the approach to a solutions business is ingrained in the DNA of the enterprise. Top class
marketing professionals are trained to be analytical in their assessment of a client’s needs and then offer a solution that best meets that specific need.
A simple case will highlight the process:
CMO from the packaging company (Leader in the industry) will visit PEPSICO and take a brief for the launch of a new LAYS product.
His questions to the buyer would be
 Is there a budget for the packaging?
 If yes, what is the budget?
 What would be the expected off take for the packaging – per month, per annum?
His questions to brand/product manager would be
 What would be the expected off take of the new brand from the retail shelves?

2.  For how many days is the brand/product expended to remain fresh on the retail shelf-15 day, 30 days, 45 days, 3 months?
 Do you have a design ready for the packaging or are you outsourcing it?
 Has your agency created a visual that you would want to use on the packaging?
 Is visual appeal of the packaging important for the brand to stand out on the retail shelf?
 What sort of packaging finishing does your target consumer prefer- matt, glossy, holographic?
 Who is your consumer- kids, young adults, mature adults, women, men?
Hi questions to the production manager would be
 What type of packaging machine do you have? Is it a VFFS (Vertical form fill seal) machine, or a flow wrap machine?
 What is the COF (Coefficient of friction) requirement of packaging line? What is the packaging speed of the machine?
 What is the heating temperature of the machine at maximum speed, at medium speed and at low speed?
After analyzing the answers to the above, the CMO will go back to his team and share his report with team members , representing the costing and finance, the
R&D and the production planning departments to take them all in confidence and to jointly develop options that best meet the client’s requirements. The
costing department will prepare a proforma costing sheet, the R&D team will propose the best combination of materials that will meet the performance
parameters of the client, and the production planning will prepare a work flow plan to accommodate the new job when the formal order is placed.
The R&D department prepares a technical document that suggests 5 possible structures that could work for the client, these are passed on to costing
department, that prepares the cost sheet for each option, and these options are presented to PEPSICO by the CMO as a formal quotation.
As part of the solution, the CMO minimized the client’s financial burden by amortizing the development cost, and offers to develop the packaging design for the
client in house, free of cost. The CMO walks away with the contract for supply of 100 Metric Tons of packaging for a prestigious account like PEPSICO.
The Solutions council in the flexible packaging solutions company
The Solutions development council consists of the marketing and sales team, the costing and finance team, the R&D team and the production planning team.
The Marketing and Sales teams are central to the solutions council and it is through them that the critical information flows to the other members of the
organization, which enables them to collaborate and to propose a solution that best meets their client’s requirements for a successful launch.
In most flexible packaging solutions companies, which have leadership positions in the business, the roles of marketing and sales are not differentiated.
Therefore it is rare to find a marketing function in these companies; the role of marketing resides in the sales or business development functions.

3. The organization of the SOLUTIONS DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL in flexible packaging industry
CEO
COO
Costing and
finance
Marketing R&D
Production
planning and and Sales
sourcing

4. The Marketing dashboard for the flexible packaging industry leader
CORPORATE
MARKETING GOALS WEIGHT OBJECTIVES WEIGHT ACTIVITIES MEASUREMENT TOOLS
GOALS
Conduct joint workshops with
R&D, costing teams to explore
To retain the flexibility to offer opportunities in innovative
Increase number of a customized solution to your technologies and new
flexible packaging clients, based on their specific materials in the packaging Workshops conducted per
solution offerings needs, at the best value 5% industry. year
FINANCIAL-
Number of training
Increase
Generate qualified Increase current customer programs conducted for
revenue by 10%
leads for sale buying rate by 20% 10% Sales force training program sales team per annum
and net profit
Increase sales within Increase number of closed Reinforce relationships with Contribution to revenue by
margin by 5% of
new account by 5% leads by 5% 10% customer doing follow-up new accounts
our overall 40%
Improve the quality of
business
sales leads to enable Increase awareness among Internal research to study
through
the sales new customers to generate 20 opportunity in every business
solution
management team to qualified leads within 12 vertical and analysis of Achievement of sales
marketing
meet their objectives. months 5% secondary research report target by the sales team
initiatives.
Conduct joint workshops with
Increase number of unique R&D, costing teams to explore
solutions offered to the opportunities in innovative
existing and new clients for technologies and new
Strategic Competitive sustained long term business materials in the packaging
advantage relationship. 10% industry. Workshops per year
CUSTOMER Increase the number
SATISFACTION- of qualified leads by
Increase the 5% and convert those Conduct incisive , client and
30%
overall leads into viable Create a positive buy in for consumer focused research to
satisfaction of sustainable solutions internal customers for the enable your client to become RFPs received by the client
the internal and based businesses. solutions marketing initiative 5% a qualified lead. after presentation

5. the external Build a closer
customers. relationship with the Rigorous follow up by the Number of calls and visits
customer Decrease complaints by 10% 2% marketing and the sales teams to customers/ month
Compelling presentation to
reference clients based on
analysis of their customers’
needs, and the best value
proposition for your client
Increase the number Convert 5 references into with the choice of solutions on Portfolio analysis (more or
of reference accounts business 10% offer. less options used)
Train sales force to improve
Maintain customer their solutions selling
satisfaction level over capabilities and provide them
85% with effective tools 5% After sales service Third-party research
Develop workshops for
various departments to
integrate them in the
Align the organization Create a positive buy in for solutions culture (Finance,
into a solutions internal customers for the Production Quality control, Number of workshops
culture solutions marketing initiative 8% R&D, C-Level and Sales team) conducted per annum
Grow brand Achieve a 80% brand recall in Hold Speaker series with key Minimum of 4 events per
awareness target client segment 10% client decision makers annum, one per quarter
Utilize the strengths of the
R&D team to publish white
BRAND- Create a sustained Establish the company as the papers, technical spec sheets
Increase the thought leadership 1st choice for clients looking and participate in industry
program within the 30% for comprehensive, flexible events as sponsors or Number of papers
core corporate
brand value organization. packaging solutions provider. 10% speakers published
Increase number of Google
searchers by 20% 5% Google Ad words Analytics/web analytics
Increase site hits 3% Improve design of web page Analytics/web analytics
Inbound marketing Increase time on page 2% Advertising Analytics/web analytics