CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7 - 45

segment, one of the largest segments

Technology & Data Expertise.

teams sit side by side and travel this

We selected Exact Target (now

change journey together. If you joined

known as the Salesforce Marketing

one of the team meetings it would be

a 12-week chewable flea and tick

Cloud) because it's a cloud-based

hard to tell who was in an IT function

treatment for dogs. Understanding

platform with robust functionality

and who was in a Marketing function

the market, the flea and tick segment,

that connects with Veeva, our

- and that's how I like it.

and our target customers enabled us

CRM platform. We also focused

to support the launch of BRAVECTO

on ensuring we had high-quality

biggest problem is that I don't

with a new multichannel marketing

customer data to maximize e-mail

have enough capacity to meet the

solution. This solution, based on

deliverability, opens, and click-

incredible demand for multichannel

the Salesforce Marketing Cloud,

through rates.

marketing coming from our global

in the animal health market.
In 2014 we launched BRAVECTO,

Fast-forward to today and my

Business Knowledge. To be

markets. They've seen the impact it

pet owners via digital marketing

credible with our business partners

can have on our top line, and they're

campaigns. In the past, we would

and maximize our contribution to

anxious to move faster. This is a

have relied on our field sales force,

this initiative, it was important that

good problem to have and a direct

but this new capability extends our

we were familiar with the market,

reflection on the talent of the team.

reach and improves the frequency

product, and digital marketing

with which we're connecting with

best practices.

enabled us to connect with vets and

We remind ourselves daily that
business value is the only reason

customers. We also have an ability

Change Leadership.

to measure the effectiveness of our

Multichannel marketing is a

focused on developing our three main

campaigns in near real time.

new capability for many of our

competencies, I'm confident we'll

The success of this project ties

business partners, so it can be a bit

continue to deliver real value.

directly to the variables in our

intimidating. Our approach here was

success formula:

to have the technology and business

we in IT exist. As long as we remain

The Takeaways
* IT success used to depend just on technology expertise. But to deliver real business value, IT organizations
must now also have a deep understanding of the business and its processes and an ability to lead change in
technologies, processes, and even business models.
* Acquiring these three competencies-technology and data expertise, business knowledge, and the capacity to
drive change-requires a new mind-set. Whereas IT used to be a rigid hierarchy, it now must include networks of
relationships that span boundaries. Relationships with internal and external partners, and with customers, are
especially crucial for generating business value.

CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CIO Straight Talk - Issue 7