Obabiyi Fagade (Heineken): 'The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation'

He is responsible for developing Heineken’s global marketing communication and campaigns, used across the 90+ markets where Heineken is sold and marketed around the world.

What kind of developments in digital transformation have you seen in the last years and how did this affect your work?

Pre-covid was more about direct targeting, e-commerce and individualized data-driven marketing. The covid pandemic alone has accelerated digital transformation around remote working, e-commerce, Artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive modelling, Internet of things and blockchain technology. The pandemic and its associated restrictions managed to open our eyes further to how we are all hugely dependent on the various digital ecosystems.

How does digital transformation benefit you in understanding your customers?

We can no longer box consumers into socio-demographics or even psychographics within powerpoint presentations or agency briefs. They are personalities, living their lives and leaving traces along the digital path for whoever seeks to understand them. Our role is to utilize these traces to show we care about what they care about and not just about what we are trying to ‘sell’ to them.

How does this help in changing consumer behaviour?

Marketers talk a lot about changing consumer behaviour, and it is logical – that is the job we are paid to do. But we should also ask ourselves, how often do we change in our own lives. We are all consumers. The law of inertia is always at work. We mostly prefer to stay in the same ‘stable’ state of comfort unless disrupted by an external ‘force’. This force is what we need to create as marketers to stand any chance of changing or influencing behaviour. This is what Seth Godin refers to in his book “This is Marketing” about creating ‘tension’.

We need to utilize the power of digital transformation and data to make our audience ‘stop in their tracks’ by creating that force through compelling stories and acts.

How can PR & Marketing teams accelerate their digital transformation?

PR & Marketing teams can accelerate their digital transformation by providing tools that help to simplify our consumers’ lives within the brand’s ecosystem. For example, there is the temptation to create a mobile app or webpage for a one-off campaign. Once the campaign is over, the app or webpage is no longer useful – that is not the way to accelerate digital transformation.

An integrated approach of;  compelling stories told across the most relevant channels, a tribe of believable influencers, a digital tool for consistent interaction as well as a social listening with feedback system will be important.

What does the future hold for PR & marketing teams in terms of digital transformation?

The future continues to be bright for PR & Marketing teams. The past criticism of marketing and PR is the difficulty in measuring the direct impact of our activities. With digital transformation, we are more able to track the actions taken by customers in response to our initiatives. It is great that Meltwater offers tools and solutions to support this.

Digital transformation also provides a platform for PR and marketing teams to build a clear personality around our brand or service. A personality that our audience can easily relate with – a personality that makes them smile, aspire for more, reminds them of their status. It will take consistency and clarity but will be truly worthwhile.

You can RSVP to the summit, completely for free, over here.

Dit artikel kwam in samenwerking met Meltwater tot stand.