Blog Line

The posting that generated the most response was in regard to the GCI Canada book club. We finished “The Long Tail” earlier in the year and we are now striding through “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman. Friedman’s book has been out for a few years now and in fact maybe on its second or third update. It is very well written but what is most interesting is the conversation that it incites in our boardroom. During the most recent book club session there was rabid debate amongst GCIers as to whether brands were becoming less or more important as outsourcing grew and the types of activities being outsourced continued to expand. Some in the room that brands were irrelevant. Others insisted brands ruled and were more important than ever. It was interesting to bring the discussion into the realm of current events using the recent Menu Pet fFood example. Menu Foods is the outsourced manufacturer for several prominant pet food companies. Very few could have anticipated what befell Menu Foods and then thereby their own company brands. For all companies in the outsourcing chain whether at the beginning or the end, individual reputations are dependent on each member of the chain.