Big Data as a driver in print
Individualized print is the trump card
For Daniel Schnyder, Managing Director of Fotorotar in Egg, Zurich, personalizing advertising materials using digital printing is already commonplace. Due to the growing flood of information, it has become essential, according to Schnyder, to address customers individually with print products as well.In addition to personalized messages on flyers and brochures, Fotorotar also relies on the personalization of images and the individual, target group-specific production of print products. As a practical example, the Fotorotar boss cites a customer with a bicycle catalog. Instead of a standardized catalog with countless pages being published, the end customer receives a print brochure put together according to his interests - this makes printed matter more effective again.In this context, the question arises as to whether Fotorotar also offers solutions for marketing automation. Schnyder points to the rapid development of technologies towards automation, which makes it essential for every company to develop further in these areas.More and more campaigns can be automated using simple tools. In-house web analytics, email data analysis and retargeting solutions can collect information that can be used to produce individualized print products. The potential for individualized and thus targeted advertising will continue to grow - also in the print sector - according to the estimate of Fotorotar's Managing Director.
Automobile importer Amag relies on automation
Marketing automation raises fears, explains Remo Girard, who is responsible for it at Amag, referring to Zalando, which recently laid off 250 advertising specialists for this reason. But a closer look reveals that new tasks (functions) have been created for employees, Remo Girard noted.Those who consistently rely on marketing automation need more communications specialists, is his clear credo, which he had presented during a talk at SOM 2018. The move toward increased automation is necessary because it is the only way to keep an eye on the variety of content and media and to create an end-to-end customer experience. In addition, cost savings and thus an increase in efficiency become possible in this way. Based on the collected data, Girard continues, the right decisions can be made and the use of resources can be optimized.In the case of Amag, a central platform is being set up that controls the automated communication. In the conception and implementation, they were supported by the external partner Bluprint, who made it clear that it is not so much about new technology, but rather about the right motivation and training of the employees.In the implementation, the first step is to define the cases that need to be automated. Of these, the most important are selected; these are the ones with which the company concerned can achieve the most within the framework of its objectives. In addition, it must be discussed internally what the marketing department is likely to look like in two to three years' time, so that those concerned can form a precise picture of their future work, the Amag marketer explains further.
400 use cases defined
In the Amag case, around 400 use cases were initially defined, and the "low-hanging fruits" were then implemented in a first phase. For the consultants involved, who also had their say at the SOM presentation, "customer experience" is king; they therefore put the customer experience first. Secondly, for them it is important that employees affirm new things. Change management plays a central role in implementation, or at least is more important than technology, emphasizes Urs Blickenstorfer, a consultant involved in the project. Blickenstorfer speaks of an agile implementation and a practical roadmap. And what the consultant knows from various cases is that marketing should take the lead in implementation and not IT; in his opinion, this is the best way to empower the people involved in marketing automation.We then asked Remo Girard for which advertising materials he primarily uses detailed customer data. Amag uses this primarily for individualized e-mail communication and direct mailings. However, they strive to make offers tailored to the customer, regardless of the media channel. This requires a certain infrastructure.At Amag, such advertising materials are produced by external specialists for capacity reasons. Since the introduction of marketing automation is likely to increase the amount of advertising material required, internal competencies will probably be built up, according to Remo Girard. Today, individualized advertising materials still account for less than five percent of the communications budget. This share is likely to increase sharply in the coming years.
The recommendation of the FHNW
Professor Marc Peter also sees marketing automation against the backdrop of digital transformation; for him, content must not be neglected in the process. Without content, there is no marketing automation, he clearly repeats several times; because this is not new, but already began several decades ago.As with Amag, the lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) is also clearly in favor of a step-by-step approach. Start with a few cases. Two use cases can suffice at the beginning. They should result from the analysis of the customer journey, i.e., from the usage behavior of the most important customers. As a further step, Marc Peter recommends defining the marketing strategy, which, according to him, contains two components in particular: the definition of the content and the designation of those affected on the basis of the fundamental question: who does what, do we want to bring external parties on board? Only then should the channel management, the selection of suitable media channels and their monitoring be determined; and on the basis of this concept, the entire process is modeled and the appropriate technology is selected. At the end, the FHNW professor places the detailed planning of the necessary resources, the sensible timing and the corresponding budget.
To the good strategy the practicable solution
To conclude, let's once again hear from a practitioner who is both well versed in communication and has a say in its implementation. Data-based communication is central today, says Michael Hählen, CEO of the In-Flagranti Group and new president of Swiss Leading Agencies. A modern advertising agency must ensure that creation and technology work well together, which is why a separate company was founded within the In-Flagranti Group to deal with marketing automation. Maatoo.io is the name of this company. If you take a look around, you will first encounter the guiding principle that marketing automation should become tangible and feasible for medium-sized companies.In addition to the strategy from the consulting side, the In-Flagranti Group has a methodology that enables implementation together with the customer. According to Michael Hählen, this open source software originates from the USA; In Flagranti is part of the worldwide community and is responsible for the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Initial implementations have been realized with existing customers, and the response has been very good, according to the In Flagranti CEO. What to pursue further.
