Chief Procurement Officer at
Omnicom Media Group
The topic of marketing procurement consistently elicits strong emotions on the part of marketers and agencies alike. Balancing concerns about investment spending and cost reduction will always draw heated debate. So what happens when a media agency group hires a marketing procurement professional?
“The Procurement function is critical to Omnicom Media Group,” says DJ Martin. “We are the first in the industry to provide this level of accountability to meet the demanding needs of marketers as their organizations continue to become more procurement-focused. I am responsible for tightly integrating procurement discipline into our underlying DNA. I have applied a procurement approach which has traditionally only been associated with client operations to our own operations. And I’ve helped OMG achieve 100% delivery of savings targets to clients and without the sacrifice of media investment quality!”
As Chief Procurement Officer for OMG, DJ Martin works to ensure that Omnicom investment teams most effectively and efficiently execute best-in-class procurement strategies in and across all media channels. In addition, his organization champions the critical technology and research initiatives that further enhance the client-supplier relationship and quantifies any resulting performance improvements.
Interestingly, DJ’s background includes over a decade in marketing procurement at Colgate-Palmolive, Pitney Bowes and Motorola, so he clearly understands that clients need to see the return in their marketing investments at the local, regional and global levels. At Colgate-Palmolive, he was responsible for the advancement of performance-based marketing and media agency relationships. At Pitney Bowes, DJ transformed its fragmented regional buying functions into a centralized, digitally enabled procurement organization. DJ was also a founding leader in Motorola’s global indirect procurement organization, overseeing its evolution from infancy to a truly global sourcing operation.
Most notably, DJ has recently been asked to lead Omnicom Media Group’s Digital Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Program to establish preferred partners with media vendors that will work the hardest for clients and the agencies. In addition, he spearheads all client savings programs to ensure that smart commitments are delivered flawlessly. This combination of responsibilities has resulted in a strong movement away from traditional buying, establishing differentiation for OMG and its clients.
DJ Martin asserts: “Innovation is the driving force behind success in my role, and it acts as the necessary catalyst for change in client and agency media strategies.”