LinkedIn was originally conceived as a network for managing business connections ; over time, it has evolved to become the reference platform for professionals who want to be informed and to know the opinions of leaders in their sector.
Many CMOs are using the many possibilities LinkedIn offers to reach a specialized audience, share personalized content, and interact with professionals from different sectors. This represents a great opportunity for all marketers , because it allows them to learn from the best, through their examples and experiences, and to stay at the forefront of the latest trends and developments in the industry.
LinkedIn is pleased to present a series of conversations with some of the most relevant CMOs in the Spanish landscape. The first guest is Catalina Roa, CMO of HP for Spain and Portugal.
A graduate in Marketing and Communications, with a specialization in Social Media Marketing and S-Commerce at IE Business School, Catalina Roa has been working in the Information Technology sector for more than sixteen years. In 2018, she took up her current position and faced the biggest transition challenge of her career : leaving B2B to focus on B2C. From this perspective, we spoke with her about the current challenges of a CMO.
Post-pandemic: facing the new rules of the game
The pandemic has brought about a drastic change in our lives. Overnight, everything changed. Of course, marketing was no exception; in fact, it has been one of the industries most affected by the dystopian situation we have had to live through. For Catalina Roa “ there has been a total change in three fundamental aspects: first, in the way of communicating, which must be much more specific and respond to specific and local geographical and social situations ; second, in what consumers want, the pandemic has increased the need for an emotional connection; and, thirdly, the acceleration of the digital transformation that was already underway, but which grew overwhelmingly during the months of confinement.”
Consequently, one of the effects of the pandemic was the need to adapt: “ We have done a huge reskilling to give our clients tangible value ,” adds Catalina, “this professional retraining would have been unthinkable without the change brought about by all the information generated by Artificial Intelligence, which gives us a greater perspective to analyze our work.”
The traits that have been most accentuated in consumers are impatience and the desire for immediacy; everything indicates that they will continue to be so in the post-pandemic era. Therefore, agility has become a basic concept to take into account in any marketing strategy. It must occur in both directions: in customer service and in the company's internal processes. On the one hand, when responding to the customer, " what is important now is not so much how but when; customers expect a connection in real time and it cannot be delayed in time ," says Catalina Roa. On the other hand, in internal processes, "at HP, agility is a management philosophy in which we are immersed. For about a year now, we have entered into a profound change in the optimization of tools, processes and people that seeks to achieve greater agility."
In addition to the economic ROI, which remains an essential indicator, emotional and social ROI have gained strength since the pandemic. “ We have connected with people in a different way, in a more emotional way, and we need to measure that emotionality . As a brand, we must understand how we are connected with our customers, what we are missing, etc. We also have to know how we are impacting our society. The customer looks at what we offer them on an individual level, but also on a social level. They want to know what our company values, our social, environmental and future commitments are ,” explains the CMO.
HP’s vision is to create technology that improves life for everyone, everywhere. That’s why it has been reporting on sustainability and the impact caused by the company annually since 2001. Catalina points out that “ there are three pillars within sustainability for HP that are fundamental: the planet, the person and the community .”
Marketing and Sales, unity is strength
The changes brought about by the pandemic have led to an increase in the importance of the Marketing department within companies. For Catalina, “ the objective is to generate business and innovation with responsibility and strategy; we are a transforming agent within the company .” In order to achieve this ideal, interdepartmental collaboration is essential and this is achieved, in part, thanks to the presence of the CMOs in the Management Teams. “ Having a voice and a vote is key; not only to explain what we do; but also to facilitate connections and move in the same direction . In addition, it allows us to know the global situation of the company. It is a very enriching collaborative work,” Catalina confirms with satisfaction.
For her, “it is necessary to convey the importance of our role to the rest of the company through internal qatar number data marketing. It must be very clear what we measure, what we are doing and why we do it.” Aligning sales and marketing around a clear route is imperative. “ Both departments have common objectives and we must always work together. From the Marketing department, we share with the Sales department all the knowledge and tools that we know our clients demand. And vice versa,” explains Catalina.
“The most important thing is always, without exception, the customer experience,” says Catalina, “and it is also the responsibility of the Marketing department. We have to anticipate what the consumer wants, be relevant to them and generate what they are expecting. Our relationship does not end with a single transaction. We have to offer them a journey, a total experience that allows our users to stay connected to our brand.”
Within the customer journey, Catalina does not forget the physical experience “ we live in a hybrid world. Of course, digital marketing is very relevant ; but we must not forget that the physical store is, for many, still the reference point and the small business salesperson, their trusted person”.
HP seeks to combine the scenarios of the hybrid world with the diversity of today's society. “ We have always worked for the consumer and with the consumer . We work this way internally and we take it outside.” For her, this is born within the company: “In our company there are stories of inclusion that show that there are no impediments when it comes to working. These stories define us and we consider them important. From Marketing we try to make external what we experience internally .”
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