e do not know who we are unless we can see
Wwhat we can do.” This quote resembles more in our life when we head out to achieve something great. We try different things to become the best version of ourselves, and that's how we grow into a leader.
Every leader has a story, and among those leaders, the one who can tell effective stories is a marketing leader. They are always passionate about their work, understanding their responsibilities while gaining knowledge about the market.
Marketing is growing its impact all over the world. Though this field may be tough, it is equally rewarding. Marketing leaders intend to tell stories that connect with people through various mediums, using their technical knowledge to go the extra mile.
Marketing leaders continuously provide a competitive edge for the companies with their creative mindset to develop organizational solutions. These leaders are making a difference in the world by going that extra mile for the people. They are always on the journey to continuously improve for a better tomorrow. They bring together the world with new opportunities, developments, and different cultures. Markets are filled with multiple challenges, and marketing officers are here to solve them with their knowledge and innovation. These marketing brilliants are needed to celebrate, acknowledge, and be rewarded for the efforts to the marketing niche.
This is why we at Insights Success have come up with its upcoming edition - “The 10 Most Influential CMOs to Watch 2022.” We feature the business journeys of such marketing leaders who create an impact worldwide.
On the Cover of the edition is the story of Marianne Späne, Chief Business Officer at Siegfried, who has been and is responsible for Business Development, Sales, and Marketing for Siegfried Group for 18 years. She has taken the company to new heights through her expertise, profound knowledge, and marketing acumen.
Along with her, you will find the stories of other business leaders who have become the leading light in the marketing niche.
Lastly, read the informative articles drafted by the inhouse editorial team, helping you understand the market trends and meaningful outputs.
Angela Earl Vice President of Global Marketing
April Critchfield
CMO
Angelique Fourie Marketing Manager
Abdullah M. Alfahad
Vice President Marketing Communications
Barry Rabkin CMO
Daniele Joubert Growth & Operations Lead
RFPIO rfpio.com
Zurixx, LLCc zurixx.com
ALTI Unmanned Aircraft Systems altiuas.com
Mobily mobily.com.sa
Identified Technologies identifiedtech.com
Itzik Yarkoni CMO
Marianne Späne CMO
Mike Doyle Head of Marketing
Radmila Blazheska CMO
RFPIO is the market leader in response management software.
Zurixx develops financial education programs and has received several accolades and awards from Inc Magazine, Fortune, Salt Lake Tribune, and many more.
ALTI offers a single point of contact for anything and everything VTOL, along with a comprehensive selection of multi-rotor, fixed-wing, and hybrid solutions, payloads, and communication.
Mobily is known for its innovative services and has built a niche by distinguishing itself within the telecommunication sector.
Industrial leaders use Identified Technologies managed commercial drone solution to improve project tracking and team productivity.
At Uber, the pursuit of reimagination is never finished, never stops, and is always just beginning. Uber uber.com
Trullion trullion.com
Siegfried Group siegfried.ch
VERVE Fitness vervefitness.com.au
Securityhq securityhq.com
Trullion creates business transparency by using software to power real-time visibility into company financials and form a single source of truth.
Siegfried is a preferred manufacturing and service partner in the global pharmaceutical industry.
VERVE is operated by athletes, designing premium equipment tested by athletes to help athletes perform at their best.
SecurityHQ is a Global MSSP, that detects, and responds to threats, instantly.
We combine a long tradition of pharmaceuticals and chemistry with the innovative approach of an "integrated supplier”. As a result, you benefit from synergies, specialist knowledge, and added value.
Marianne Späne Chief Business Officer Siegfried Group
From knocking people's doors and making a sale to sneaking into their social media handles, the way of marketing has transformed drastically. Today, organizations are questing for marketers who demonstrate marketing excellence, can change the game every day with innovation and creativity, rise above challenges, and help their businesses stay ahead of the curve.
Meet Marianne Späne , Chief Business Officer at Siegfried, who has been and is responsible for Business Development, Sales and Marketing for Siegfried Group for 18 years. Since her joining, Marianne has been instrumental in driving Siegfried's growth in the pharmaceutical industry. She has taken the company to new heights through her expertise, profound knowledge, and marketing acumen.
We at Insights Success caught up with Marianne to learn more about her journey and how she is helping Siegfried Group achieve its business goals.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Siegfried. What challenges you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
I have been in leading positions of the industry for more than 25 years, with a global network in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry as well as a profound understanding and extensive knowledge of the chemical and pharmaceutical market along the whole value chain, including P&L and financial experience.
I joined the Siegfried Group in 2004 with the responsibility for the Classical Generics Business Unit, in 2008 headed the Siegfried Generics Division till 2010 and became Global Head of Business Development and Sales, Marketing and Regulatory Affairs – today called Chief Business Officer - as well as Member of the Global Strategy and Executive Committee in March 2010. Prior to my joining Siegfried, I worked as Logistics, Business Development, and Site Manager in Boucheron's Cosmetics Division. Then I moved into the pharmaceutical industry as Head of Sales and Marketing of the Pharma Division at Schweizerhall and at the American Aceto to develop expansion strategies for Europe. Concerning my academic background: I hold diplomas in finance, economics, and marketing from the Kaufmännische Führungsschule KFS in Basel and the Marketing & Business School MBSZ, Zurich.
As you see, my journey to the pharmaceutical industry has not been a direct one, and I changed lanes more often than maybe others did. But I built on the experiences, knowledge, and network that I developed. I faced a lot of challenges as a leader, as a woman in leadership positions, and in a very regulated industry. Here my positive approach helped me: I always see challenges and difficult situations as a way to grow or train my problem-solving muscle and develop perseverance. Today, we talk a lot more than twenty years ago about work-life-blending, mental health, and what a leader can do to help teams to perform, and I think this exchange and bringing in new ideas is very helpful. Because some challenges have always been there but were not on anyone's agenda respectively were taboo to discuss, like being the only woman at the bar at night on a business trip with a group of colleagues and customers or networking events as the only woman. I like to think that we are finding solutions more easily than in the past as this is now discussed more openly, also thanks to social media platforms and the communities there.
I once read that a good mission and vision incorporate what makes you get out of bed every morning. Taking this as guidance, our mission, and vision show exactly this: Based on our current portfolio, Siegfried serves more than 300 million patients annually, so we at Siegfried know that what we do matters. We aim for industry leadership and want to be the most trusted partner of the pharmaceutical industry and the global leader in the CDMO space because we are the strongest team running the most competitive network. With mastery of science and technology, we take the precious innovations of our pharmaceutical customers to an industrial scale and manufacture safe drugs for patients worldwide. I feel very much compelled to do this, and even more so in the current times in which the coronavirus has shown us so clearly how important the pharmaceutical industry is for the wellbeing of all of us.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the pharmaceutical niche through your expertise in the market.
As I said: I joined Siegfried coming from a very different background, and I brought these experiences and routines
into my daily work in the pharmaceutical industry. My perspective on the industry was very different from that of someone who has always done marketing and sales for pharmaceutical companies. I think my approach was and still is very much hands-on, open, and direct. Thus, I often manage to find ways to make something work – projects, negotiations – when things get difficult and don't give up easily. It is so important to be open for change and new developments and be a creative solution provider and team builder. This applies especially to us as we work in the CDMO business as a service provider in a B2B industry without directly linking to our customers' brands. One project where we as a team could really make an impact was the implementation of a new filling line for the vaccine in our site in Hameln. Here we experienced first-hand what it means to contribute actively to the fight against the pandemic.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
When we talk about our values, the feedback I always get is how tangible and how deeply imbedded in our daily work the five core values are: From excellence «We excel in everything we do», passion «We deeply care about what we do and how we do it», Integrity «We act responsibly,
With scientific and technological mastery, we bring the valuable innovations of our pharmaceutical customers to industrial maturity and manufacture safe medicines for patients worldwide.
reliably, respectfully and live up to our own standards» and Quality «We do it right the first time» to Sustainability «We do not only think about tomorrow but far beyond».
We know that to stay successful, we need the best team and the most competitive network in the industry. So, based on our values and Siegfrieds leadership principles, we have clear guidance and common understanding about how we want to work together. This is something that our employees value and that we constantly re-evaluate to keep it up-to-date.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
For us as a global manufacturing supplier, technology and technological innovation are key to be able to deliver the best solution possible for our customers.
And I would like to point out that our teams work so closely together that we can offer an integrated service and establish a liaison from active ingredients to pharmaceutical formulations, whether oral or sterile or inhalative dosage forms. We bring all expert knowledge together to find the ideal offer for our customers.
In the marketing and sales department and also in the business development, we are pretty hands-on: In order to reach our customers and make sure our offer is known in the market, we are using online and offline channels depending on the defined target group. With regards to new
channels like TikTok, we are working together with an agency and thus get new impetuses. When it comes to our internal communication, the pandemic accelerated the development, and the use of teams, skype, and zoom are now self-evidently like in a lot of companies.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals?
I am glad that I had the opportunity to get to know not only different cultures but also many different roles from development to supply chain, operations, and finally, Business development. I have the advantage of being able to look back on a long and successful career already today. So my vision for myself now is to contribute with my longstanding experience and openness for change to the growth of Siegfried, prepare the organization for the future, enhance cross-selling cross-thinking with further creative business models, make the difference, and be fit for the future and further growth.
For the long run, I could imagine bringing in my experience from a multitude of roles and different industries and now as a member of the Executive Committee at Siegfried in an advisory role to help make other businesses successful. I am and have always been very passionate about my job and continued to learn and open up new fields, so I would very much enjoy this in addition to what I do every day. Companies are faced with multiple challenges these days, and I would love to contribute to their successful further development by bringing in my financial background, business development know-how, and global network.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the marketing sector?
If you are passionate about your job, ready to work hard, and like to make an impact, you are in for a very rewarding experience. The field allows a lot of different paths and offers a lot of possibilities to combine technology with people, build relationships, learn about different cultures and use your financial knowledge. You need to care about people and be always ready to go the extra mile then you can make a difference for a company.
Siegfried is a trendsetter in the CDMO industry.
Word of mouth, brand loyalty, advertising, and in a multitude of other ways, effective marketing heavily influences our purchase decisions.
Remember that jingle that you couldn’t get out of your head? Or the funny commercial you couldn’t forget. And of course there’s that one time your best friend kept raving about that new something and you had to have it.
Memorable moments may seem like magic, but it’s just good marketing — and unquestionably the most efficient way for organizations to succeed in getting their products or services into the hands of their buyers. And while jingles and billboards work as well today as they did in the Mad Men era of advertising, digital channels have opened up a nearly unlimited number of ways marketers can capture attention and drive sales.
With experience spanning many facets of business, Angela Earl, Vice President of Global Marketing at RFPIO has seen her share of challenges and innovative solutions. She credits her success to the relationships and amazing people she has met throughout her career and to the lessons she learned in some of the hardest times.
"From tactical lessons in time management to lifeimpacting ones like putting people first, my journey has challenged me and made me a better person.”
These life lessons have led Angela to where she is today. We asked her to share what she’s up to today and some advice from these experiences.
Angela embraces a mantra of empowering others in all
areas of her life and her work at RFPIO is no exception. “Find a company with values and you believe in,” she advises, “and the work won't feel like work most of the time.
RFPIO’s mission to create software users loved and their goal to empower organizations to unlock their potential fits right in line with Angela’s focus. “RFPIO is reinventing how customer-facing teams create content, respond to opportunities, and meet prospects' needs to drive true results,” says Angela. The company is the leading provider of response management software, and is trusted by successful and growing organizations of all sizes to streamline their response processes. One client, Microsoft reported saving an estimated $2.4 million and credits RFPIO for the success.
RFPIO is also striving to be one of the best places to work. Angela is one of 10 leaders at RFPIO who focus on prioritizing work-life balance, promoting diversity and inclusiveness, and instilling a true sense of ownership and belonging for all employees. "We believe that automation needs a human touch and that teams, including our own, can unlock their full potential when they are empowered to invest time in impactful and meaningful ways." shared Angela.
Technology helps businesses worldwide do more, work smarter, and achieve better results. RFPIO believes that instead of spending time looking for information and tracking down colleagues, organizations should democratize their knowledge, resulting in faster response times and improved customer (and employee) experiences.
Angela has worked in B2B software since 2007 and believes RFPIO is a shining example of technology done right. “Our customers love us, and not just because we have an awesome team, but because the software is easy to use and makes achieving their goals significantly easier.”
RFPIO has consistently been rated #1 by customers on G2.com and was recently ranked the fastest growing company in Oregon on Inc. Magazine’s Inc5000. The company proudly took home 8 Comparably awards in 2020 including Best Company for Diversity 2020, Best Company Work-Life Balance, Best Company Perks & Benefits, Best Company Happiness, Best Professional Development 2020, Best Leadership Teams 2020, Best CEOs for Women 2020 and Best CEOs for Diversity 2020.
Technology stacks are getting more complicated, and data is becoming more and more siloed; since starting her career in marketing, Angela has focused on leveraging and aligning technology to improve outcomes. She believes that alignment to business processes and goals is critical and is excited about the roadmap and RFPIO's ability to continue to meet the needs of customer-facing teams inside growing organizations.
Angela has seen a notable shift in how businesses are buying and selling software. “Ten years ago, software was shifting from large providers who did “everything” to point solutions focused on solving specific problems.” Angela notes, “Today we see the pendulum swinging back toward the middle. Buyers want to simplify their tech stacks and are looking for functional solutions that can solve more than one problem, and more importantly integrate easily with other solutions.”
RFPIO is a relatively young organization despite its size and growth. Founded in 2015, the company has sustained incredible growth every year even through the economic uncertainty that started in 2020. From its humble beginnings, the focus amidst this growth was always on building a culture and company that people would want to be a part of. Looking ahead, Angela and the other leaders are focused on supporting the growing team while protecting and prioritizing customer and employee satisfaction.
Words to live by Angela recalls advice she received from a mentor years ago, "You can't give what you don't have," and encourages others to prioritize self-care, especially those in leadership roles. Time, energy, confidence, and peace all fall under this mantra, according to Angela, ”Take care of yourself, and you'll be better able to take care of your team.”
Digital Marketing is marketing done on digital platforms such as search engines, websites, emails and mobile apps. It is an efficiently targeted, conversion oriented and interactive marketing of products and services by optimally utilizing digital platforms to acquire customers. The scope of digital marketing is not limited to advertising. It also includes Acquiring new customers and sustaining the current customers. The reason why digital marketing is a topic of discussion is the statistics behind the same:
81% of shoppers conduct online research before making big purchases. (Retailing Today, 2014)
65% of smartphone users agree that when conducting a search on their smartphones, they look for the most relevant information regardless of the company providing the information. (Google, 2015)
51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone. (Google, 2015)
61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. (HubSpot, 2017)
Digital Marketing is known to be an umbrella under which all the aspects of online marketing activities are covered. Following are the most common types of marketing activities under digital marketing:
Search engine optimization is a process of utilizing all the available resources in order to optimize the overall performance of a website. Through SEO, a company can improve the quality of the content on its website, increase the reachability, attain higher user engagement, etc. For example, Amazon generating content to be on top of the search engines is a type of SEO. According to statistics, 67% of the clicks come from the first five listings of a search page. This clearly states how important it is for companies to use SEO.
Pay per Click is when a company bids for a certain keywords and optimizes its website accordingly to be on the top of the search results page. The companies pay the search engines every time someone clicks on the
websites link. In the process, the search engines look at three aspects before putting them on the top of the list in their search results page:
The amount of money the company is bidding
How relevant the keyword is with the website and its products
How optimized is the landing page of the website
Content Marketing is a process of creating relevant content to acquire new customers. The content must be
valuable to the customers and consistent in quality. It is a key tool for SEO and helps the website to get noticed on social platforms. Good Content should not be promotional but educational and inspirational so that the user can see the website as a source of information.
Mobile marketing refers to advertising/selling the products and services to potential or existing customers through text messages on their mobile phones. This is one of the most direct ways of marketing as the response time from customers via
smart phone is highest. 97% of all the text messages are read within 4 minutes of being sent. The companies acquire new customers every day by offering them discounts on its products through text messages.
Social media marketing refers to the process of interacting with customers
rom starting as an intern at a digital marketing
Fagency to earning the position of marketing manager at ALTI, Angelique Fourie has come a long way. She never shied away from working hard. It is her never stop looking up mindset that led her to where she is today.
Angelique is a passionate and driven marketer who always ensures to achieve the highest results in everything she does. In her role at ALTI, she is heading the marketing department to ensure that the brand is carried across in a consistent, professional, and identifiable way.
Inspired by her passion for helping companies grow, we at Insights Success caught up with Angelique to learn more about her journey.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at ALTI. What challenges you have to overcome to reach where you are today?
After completing my BA Degree in Corporate Communications, I applied for an internship at a digital marketing agency in Knysna. I got the call on a Thursday afternoon informing me that I got the position, packed everything I could into a suitcase, and jumped on a plane that same Sunday to start the following Monday. This was one of the first, major challenges I had to face, moving to a
new town I had never been to before and having to start completely fresh.
At the agency, I started training to become an SEO Analyst because my background is in Corporate Communication; this meant I had to learn a lot of what I know on the spot. Although I very much enjoyed all the challenges and learning that came with being an SEO analysis, I pushed extremely hard to become an account manager. After 4 months in my role as SEO Analyst, I got promoted to an Account Executive position, where I was exposed to working directly with clients.
I held a portfolio of some big brands, such as VW, Audi, Ford, and of course, ALTI. After working alongside ALTI as their account manager for a few months, I was headhunted by the Director to work in-house for them. At ALTI, I once again faced the challenge of having to learn how to do marketing in such a specific niche, which meant a lot of research and thinking on my feet. After about 8 months of working as a marketing assistant under the Director, I got promoted to Marketing Manager, where I would head up all marketing operations for ALTI.
I think one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome while working at ALTI was to trust my own judgement and have confidence that I am able to achieve both my personal and business goals in the market. Although being in such a specific market is hard, I kept working at it and finally learned how to hack this market to deliver excellent results on campaigns.
TheCMOs
Tell us something more about ALTI, its mission and vision.
ALTI is an industry-leading unmanned aircraft manufacturing company based in Knysna, South Africa, with a focus on long-range & endurance vertical take-off and landing unmanned aircraft.
We offer the most advanced VTOL (vertical take-off and land) unmanned aircraft systems available, with nearly a decade of manufacturing, 3D printing, rapid prototyping and sales experience, in-house engineering as well as software development. We are currently the largest commercial drone manufacturer in Africa.
However, that is not all, ALTI’s mission is to serve as a single point of contact for anything and everything VTOL, from designing and manufacturing to sourcing and
Angelique Fourie | Marketing Manager ALTI – Unmanned Aircraft Systems
supplying a comprehensive selection of multi-rotor, fixed wing and hybrid solutions, payloads, and communication.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the unmanned aircraft niche through your expertise in the market.
First, I would like to say that I do not consider myself an expert just yet, however it is something I am working towards. The unmanned aircraft market is male-dominated, and stepping into that as a young woman can be intimidating, to say the least.
However, becoming part of this industry as a marketing professional, I have been able to leverage my knowledge and skills to create effective strategies that deliver actual measurable results in brand awareness and sales. I can identify what will work by looking at the data and using
previously gained experience to grow and help establish such a niche brand as an industry leader. I am also becoming part of the shift towards having more women in unmanned space, which is extremely exciting.
If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the marketing industry?
I would like to bring a more collaborative community to the marketing industry, where marketers from the same industry are able and willing to share their knowledge and
findings with each other without there being adversity. As much as I understand that each marketer is working to achieve the best results for their organization, I believe through collaboration, we would all be able to achieve the best results through shared learning and experience.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for ALTI?
I see myself being part of the ALTI team for a long time. Although I have only been here 2 years, I have learned a lot about not only the industry but also about my own capabilities. ALTI has given me the opportunity to build my own brand as a top-tier and soon-to-be marketing expert in the unmanned niche.
My future goal for ALTI is to establish the brand as a recognised leader in manufacturing, sourcing, supply, and consultancy in the UAV industry. I would like to see ALTI be the first stop for all VTOL & unmanned-related questions and needs.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the marketing sector?
You must be confident in your ability and trust your gut when making a strategic decision. You have all the tools you need at your disposal to be able to be successful; you just need to grab the opportunity with both hands and roll with the punches. Be flexible enough to be able to adjust and open-minded enough to understand and use constructive criticism from peers to your advantage to grow.
Because marketing is an ever-changing industry, it is important to make sure you keep up with the latest trends and never stop learning because as much as you know, there will always be someone else who knows more. You just need to learn how to do it better and more efficiently; despite all the challenges you may face, always give your best!
arketing has been the real essence in the
Muplifting of any Organization in the long run.
While there are a number of other parameters that foster a business, marketing certifies to be the base of it, upholding the awareness and reach it requires, printing its mark worldwide.
For all firms, whether any poor start-up or an MNC giant, an effective marketing strategy can serve as a pivotal roadmap for the entire business. By developing a coherent and well considered marketing strategy, organizations can promote their business, target the right types of client and allocate their resources correctly, all while safeguarding the reputation of the firm.
Because one parameter of a marketing plan affects all of the others, synchronizing activities is critical to eliminate obstacles and maximize profits. A marketing strategy looks at all the areas of the sales activities and helps each one support the next.
One of the most important aspects of any marketing strategy relates to recognizing growth opportunities. This can be efficiently done by using the SWOT analysis. Once an organization identifies its strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of any marketing scheme, it becomes easier to en-cash those opportunities and reconsider what course or action should be taken to eliminate prevalent threats.
The underlying focus of the organization’s marketing strategy should be based on the concept of developing and increasing awareness of the company’s brand, and also on developing trust assurance in that brand. A company’s credibility or service is its most important asset. Hence, attempts should be made to enhance and protect it during the course of the marketing process
.
Understanding how to create an integrated marketing strategy is the key help to make better individual decisions with respect to specific marketing tactics. In order to achieve this, organizations must implement robust and efficient marketing strategies as quickly as possible. All the key components of a marketing strategy, if catered and applied in the best manner, helps to design and manufacture successful business.
Here are some of the crucial parameters that play a pivotal role in successfully implementing and nourishing effective marketing strategies.
As with all the plans, goals and objectives are the origin of any target-oriented organization. Without a proper mix of these objectives according to the prevalent resources, a company proves to be inefficient in the long run.
It can begin by thinking through goal-specific accomplishments, identifying basic marketing objectives,
which may include some of the following aspects:
Increased brand recognition
Growth in the market share
Market to New Customer Segments
Digitization
Once the objectives for the business are fully determined, the concept of On-margin investments, Budget and End revenue come into play. However, there is never enough budget to cover all the marketing ‘wish-lists’ adequately. The process of Investment is iterative and operates continually. It may be a function of:
Coming up with budget to shelter all the marketing needs
Identifying the objectives that are more critical and inclined towards the success factor and reallocating budget meet top-priority objectives on a ‘first-serve’ preference.
Searching for innovating ways to stretch the marketing budget. For example, content development, low-cost crowd outsourcing etc.
Ÿ
Constructing a big picture view and reviewing the key marketing thrust areas. Others parameters such as spend comparison, consumption of utilization channels, website optimization etc. should be fetched under consideration.
As far as revenue is considered, a marketing strategy is used to determine the revenue that the campaign will deliver. All of the parts that go into determining revenue, including the budget allotted to the campaign, product cost, selling price and the life span of the product, should all be considered while developing the marketing strategy. The estimated End-Revenue can be measured against the actual revenue, and that information can be used to create future marketing strategies that are more successful.
Tracking and analyzing the dynamic and changing needs of the audience under radar is pivotal in effective marketing. Identifying the demographic and psychographic characteristics of the target audience aids to re localize the radius under consideration. Based on the available data,
segmentation should be done to provide qualified and needbased resources.
A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on statistical market research and the prevalent data about your existing customers. After developing buyer personas, developing the Buyer Journey for each single persona and its interaction with the brand is considered to be the key to implement trust and satisfaction among the target audiences.
Messaging is a process which signifies the firm’s intentions, and informs the actual purpose of your business to the external world.
Based on a detailed evaluation of how target is reacting with the various components of the brand, establish an apt messaging media, tone, selling propositions and key terms that are likely to resonate the most.
Analyze and decide where the business would get the most Return on Investment (ROI). This can be done by echoing the channels around three road categories:
Traditional marketing channels (TV, Radio, Newspaper, Direct Mail etc.)
Digital Marketing Channels (Website, Mobile applications, Social platforms, online advertisements etc.)
Content Marketing (Blogs, Newsletters, e-books, Infographics etc.)
Though the role of competition in devising an optimal marketing strategy is limited, it helps to draw comparisons among identical products and groups, providing scope for ‘ brand-improvements’. In order to symbolize a powerful campaign, marketing strategy needs to offer a detailed description of the competition, according to the small business experts at the Center for Business planning.
The objective of the marketing strategy is to provide historical information on how the competition has advertised products in the past, the target market the competition goes after and the product features that the competition offers. Some other factors include competition pricing, the competition’s distribution network and the sales strategies, which are also a part of the comprehensive marketing strategy.
Digitalization has bridged the gap between consumers and companies, presenting neverbefore-seen challenges. The client experience drastically changed, increasing expectations from consumers at every step. Understanding these changes by gaining insights to focus on all digital touchpoints, enhancing and improving overall client experience is Daniele Joubert. As the Growth and Operations Lead at Uber Eats SSA , Daniele oversees the company's growth by generating demand for the marketplace.
Insights Success caught up with Daniele to know how her determined efforts enable valuable experience for the clients and Uber Eats.
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Uber. What challenges have you overcome to reach where you are today?
My journey has been an unconventional one. I have worked in diverse industries wearing multiple hats, which by its nature presents various challenges. Having acquired an Industrial Engineering degree, I started in consulting and later moved to one of SA's big banks. I was responsible for designing concepts that helped clients manage their money. That's when my love for behavioral economics started, the roots of which were based on the desire to improve people's lives. I am proud to have been part of a team that conceptualized and built a mobile game that teaches people financial concepts in a fun and engaging way.
I then joined Uber Eats in 2020 as the Eater Growth Lead. I am responsible for helping grow the brand by generating demand for the platform. One enduring and certainly exciting challenge has been getting into the hearts and minds of 'eaters' of the platform while also navigating the uniqueness of working in a technology company.
I am extremely excited and passionate about the Uber Eats business and our journey in South Africa, which dates back to 2016. By combining great technology with great people, we are transforming how people eat and acquire goods - at the push of a button for all occasions, in many locations.
Tell us something more about Uber, its mission and vision.
Our mission is to turn Uber Eats into the biggest and best delivery network. We've already built an efficient platform globally, and now we're focused on transforming it into a vibrant delivery ecosystem to connect people to more than just-food. We connect people to a range of convenience goods, including pharmaceuticals, beauty, alcohol, and gift essentials.
I am exceptionally proud of how far we have come as a business, having increased our footprint by 33 cities in South Africa in 2021, despite the continued uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. We understand that each country and their subsequent economy work differently, and thus certain practices are tailored to suit the uniquely South African flavor better. We pride ourselves in thinking locally, building globally.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the logistics niche through your expertise in the market.
One way we have done this is ensuring selection is king. We believe in the power of choice, and we are always hard at work to widen the spectrum so that people find products to suit their immediate needs. This improves demand on the app, giving way to growing the more than 7000 merchant base on the app.
Another way is personalization. A big part of my role is to understand the behaviors of 'eaters' on the app and an individualistic basis, so we can personalize their experience. Listening and understanding are also vital to improving the platform for 'eaters' and merchants and couriers alike.
Daniele Joubert Growth and Operations Lead Uber Eats SSA
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
Data science and machine learning are built into our DNA. It helps us become better at moving millions of people around the world with a push a button as well as transforming the way they get goods.
For example, in South Africa, we use data to perfect everything we do scientifically. Whether using traffic and weather patterns to update the ETA's to customers or working with restaurants to optimize food preparation time to ensure an order arrives hot and fresh.
We believe the key to success lies in our ability to utilize our technology to continuously improve the experience of both eaters and partners on the app. This is why we emphasize effective search functionality.
Another great example is how we're using data to help restaurants and merchants identify new business opportunities and receive real-time feedback from their customers. Our partners have access to a Restaurant Manager portal which provides them with access to information about the performance of their business, their customer satisfaction, and key operational metrics. Moreover, we use data to partner with merchants for new locations based on our understanding of behavioral patterns we see on the app.
What, according to you, could be the next big change in the marketing industry? How is Uber preparing to be a part of that change?
One big change is that the talent pool within the creative disciplines will evolve, given that technological advances
and data are driving decision-making in today's world. I believe that we will see a shift in companies eyeing analysts, data scientists, and engineers to integrate into the marketing ecosystem.
This is prevalent in how Uber is organized, with Consumer Growth teams owning traditional marketing tools such as CRM, offline marketing, promotions etc., to drive growth while plugging in data analysts into these teams.
Secondly, I would say there is a big shift from acquisition being king to retention being king. The transition can be challenging to adapt to; however, the most important part is the 'HOW' for your business to thrive.
One way is creating experiences with heart. Bridging the gap between the brand promise and the brand experience is imperative, one that can be filled by simply being a human brand. At Uber, we pride ourselves on being a listening and engaging brand; and this has set the path for us to think of future-fit models that adapt to the ever-changing needs of all users on the app. We are a brand about people, after all.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Uber?
Our overall vision continues to be to build locally using global experience and technology to become a one-stop shop for delivery needs.
Looking ahead, we are committed to leading the category by investing in product and access while leveraging the power of the Uber platform.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the marketing sector?
Focus on your solution first, build something people want or solve a problem for them, and your marketing will become a lot easier.
Use data in a smart way to understand your clients better and then experiment as much as you can. Don't just make assumptions; test them. Test different strategies as quickly as possible and remember it's important to put measures in place to assess impact. The faster you learn and the more accurately you can measure the results, the faster you will get to build better marketing strategies that have a significant impact on your business.
“
“
Looking ahead, we are committed to leading the category by investing in product and access while leveraging the power of the Uber platform.
