| Special Ad Group launched |
 |
|
Last year, CCO Group joined forces with four North European partners to
set up the Special Ad Group (SAG). With the founding of SAG, knowledge
and expertise can be effectively shared, and a common approach can be
taken to the opportunities in the European market.
It was a logical step, says CCO Group director Oene Mees: “We had
already been working in close cooperation with our North European
colleagues to some extent. Now all of our knowledge and expertise be
brought together in a professional way in SAG, so even more solutions
are possible for our clients, and we’re able to deliver an even wider
range of made-to-measure total concepts. SAG also means that we can draw
up collective purchase contracts with suppliers”.
Debby Bergkamp, a designer at CCO Group, confirms the benefits of the
European initiative. In February, a two-day meeting of designers from
the five SAG stakeholders was held in Helsinki. Debby was one of the
seventeen delegates, and she’s full of enthusiasm for the new
collaboration: “It was inspiring to see how they deal with clients’
questions in other countries, what kind of technology they work with,
and what systems they use. We can all gain experience from this and,
where it’s relevant, we can use this knowledge at the local level to
provide even better client service”.
Of course the collaboration goes even further than this. A similar
meeting will take place in May, this time for all the account managers.
Like the Helsinki gathering, this meeting will also be aimed at
exchanging ideas, and raising expertise levels in workshops.
The other shareholders in SAG are: Wackes Sweden, Baxx Denmark, Strommes
Norway and Logonet Finland. Outside of Europe, SAG has offices in Asia
and America, and a partner office in Australia.
See
www.sag.eu.com for more details.
|
| Shanghai office opens |
|
|
|
One concrete result of the foundation of SAG is the opening of a sales
office in Shanghai, China. The office was set up towards the end of 2006
to meet the demands of major international clients who are active in
Asia, because in this distant market too there’s a demand for support in
the field of promotional products. The office also provides coordination
for purchasing arrangements in the region.
Oene Mees, just back from a working visit to China, underlines the added
value of the office: “One of our four partners in SAG had already had an
office in Shanghai for several years, but it was very much
purchasing-oriented. With the opening of the new SAG office, we want to
take a more service-oriented approach to our clients’ demands.
More and more of our clients are operating in the Asian market, which
also means an increasing demand for expansion and support in this
region”.
“The opening of the China office is an extension of our vision of
combining high quality products with effective service. We can operate
on the regional level from the new office, which will bring savings in
time and cost as well as uniformity in our corporate identity. We’re
mainly working here for existing clients with an office in this region”,
adds Oene.
|
| Showroom transformed |
|
|
|
The CCO showroom underwent a metamorphosis at the beginning of this
year, and from now on our new collections can also be seen in their new
surroundings. The restyled showroom gives an even clearer image of the
diversity of CCO products, with an especially high profile for our
corporate programmes.
Francesca Swen, a buyer at CCO Group, says of the showroom’s new design:
“Both our clients and we ourselves have experienced the metamorphosis as
a great success. When we show a client around the showroom we soon see
the surprise on their faces. Whereas in the past people thought of pens
and pencils when it came to business gifts and premiums, the CCO
showroom now shows at a glance that much more is possible in this area”.
The new showroom is also inspirational for our own employees. “The new
way the collections are displayed makes it easier to present the
wide-ranging assortment with enthusiasm and justified pride”, says
Francesca.
To pay a virtual visit to the showroom, click here. If you want to see
the new collections in Nieuw Vennep with your own eyes, simply contact
your account manager.
|
| Social compliances required by Masterfoods |
|
|
|
International guidelines for social compliance and acceptable working
conditions are also seen as important by CCO clients. As account manager
for Masterfoods, Monique Groot is responsible from CCO’s side for the
promotional products that Masterfoods uses. Here too, acceptable working
conditions in factories used are a primary concern.
CCO Group provides promotional products for Masterfoods, an
international family business that produces various well-known brands
including MARS®, M&M’S®, WHISKAS®,
PEDIGREE®, SHEBA® and UNCLE BENS®. The
American company has existed for over eighty years, and currently
operates in more than 65 countries, producing food, snackfood and
petcare products. CCO provides the marketing products that Masterfoods
uses in national campaigns and consumer promotions.
“Before the process begins I go through the planning and the available
budget with the marketing manager. For Masterfoods this mainly concerns
promotional products. We look at the aims of a particular campaign or
promotion, and then look for the products to match them. It’s important
that we can guarantee that these products have been manufactured
ethically. Masterfoods attaches great importance to acceptable working
conditions and environmental policy, just as we do”, says Monique.
“When it comes to products for Masterfoods, we’re often talking about
large volumes. For example, we sourced 450,000 arm lamps in the Far East
for a new campaign for MARS®. The factory that produced the
lamps is run under strict guidelines, and Masterfoods carries out audits
to ensure that the product is manufactured under acceptable working
conditions”. A positive development, says Monique: “It’s good to see
that socially responsible business is also high on the agenda at a big
international company like Masterfoods. Happily, this also fits in
perfectly with our own vision”.
An example of a recent promotion is the SHEBA® and CESAR®
Star Collection from the Dolce Luna jewellery brand, with unique
jewellery for cats and dogs respectively. “The jewellery line is
currently being promoted in print, packaging, direct mail and various PR
campaigns. It’s a great challenge to work for Masterfoods’ major
international brands. We’re now busy again with national promotions to
tie in with National Animal Day. Long-term planning is crucial. The
products to be used in this campaign also have to be able to produced
ethically, of course, and the planning needs to take account of this
too!”, says Monique.
|
| CCO Group joins Fair Wear Foundation |
|
|
|
Interest in fair trade products is growing all the time. Not only
governments and the business world, but also consumers are finding it
increasingly important that people who make textile products, especially
outside of Europe, can and may work under good working conditions. CCO
Group supports this idea, and this year we demonstrated our commitment
by becoming a member of the Fair Wear Foundation.
The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) promotes good working conditions in the
garment industry. European companies can become members by adopting the
FWF Code of Conduct. The foundation verifies that member companies work
to enhance labour conditions in the factories all around the world where
they source their garments.
The basic principle is that the responsibility for sourcing products
from certified factories lies with the member companies. FWF spokeswoman
Rosemarie Ruigrok explains: “FWF guides the member company in its
communications with its textile producers, among others. These producers
are informed of the employment conditions that are set by FWF, in line
with any existing local guidelines. We also carry out spot-check audits
at the factories we work with”.
It is not the intention that member companies start doing business with
different producers, who have already been certified, but that together
with their current producers they look for ways in which employees’
working conditions can be improved. This regularly leads to a more
intensive collaboration, so that the production process can run more
smoothly in the long term. This creates a win-win situation. By
discussing the additional possibilities in the production process
together, we see a fall in the number of factories that many of our
member companies work with”, confirms Rosemarie Ruigrok.
FWF currently has 24 member companies, who work together with over 1,000
producers in total. The workforce at each factory varies from 60 to
5,000. |
|
|
|
|
|
CCO is a full service importer and distributor of
premiums, business gifts and promotional textiles.
Through a 'One Stop Shopping' concept for
promotional products and related services, CCO
offers all facilities to service medium and large size
companies.
|
|
