The move follows an extensive review of SAP’s global media account (thought to be worth $50M) implemented by award-winning global management consultancy, ID Comms, which specializes in media and advertising. Omnicom Media Group’s PHD was the incumbent agency that has held the global media strategy, planning, and buying business since 2015. According to a report, PHD will continue servicing the SAP account for an interim period as the transition takes place—expected to be completed by the end of 2020. Furthermore, a few talents from PHD will continue to work with SAP as part of the North Star unit. 

Omincom Media Group CEO Florian Adamski said North Star is set to expand the foundation built by PHD over the past five years to create a totally connected, cross-agency operational network that enables a global vision for media while maintaining local specificity and execution.

Omnicom Media’s Customized Approach

Initiated by SAP Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Tillman, the transition marks a transformative moment for the business software solutions company in its vision of becoming a 300 billion euro (roughly US$352 billion) company within a few years and become one of the 10 most valuable companies in the world. Tillman explains,

“We thought it was important for us to have a well-rounded mix [of agencies], especially when it came to what they prioritized as their greatest capabilities. It was an interesting process because it also enabled us to crystallize what made the most sense for us. The timing felt right for me to take a closer look at our agency model. A huge objective of ours is continuing to evolve our story and show up differently as a brand.”

She also said the decision to create a reenvisioned solution with Omnicom Media Group’s North Star unit is a critical element in accelerating the SAP brand through a revitalized operational model:

“We are confident that Omnicom Media Group’s strategic capabilities, best-in-class tools and diverse, data-led approach will help SAP continue to grow our brand value, modernize our marketing capabilities to deliver innovative experiences most meaningful to our customers and the broader markets we serve.”

Moreover, Tillman explains Omnicom Media Group was selected because of the strength of its data and analytics platform, its global scale and reach, and more importantly, its ability to implement a customized approach that focuses on SAP’s current projects and initiatives in helping people navigate their lives during the global COVID-19 pandemic—including the SAP Spotlight Black Businesses, SAP’s response to the ongoing social justice movement in the United States. According to her, the company will be dedicating a portion of its ad spending to highlighting these businesses in August and September.

The post Omnicom Media Group to Support the SAP Brand appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

Barger addressed and encouraged South East Asian business leaders to start acting now and adopt a digital and intelligent enterprise transformation. She furthers adds that the key to surviving post-COVID-19 is to become an intelligent enterprise by leveraging innovative technologies and solutions,

“In a new reality, intelligent enterprises can ‘do more with less’, deliver best-in-class customer experience, build resilient supply chains, while inventing new business models and revenue streams.”

SAP Reveals the Extent of COVID-19’s Impact on SEA

SAP reports the results of the poll of 4,500 Southeast Asian business leaders:

• 63{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the businesses polled have already seen changes in customers’ purchasing behavior and motivations since the start of 2020, but 21{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} are still unsure or lack insight on changes in their customer’s needs.
• 20{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of businesses foresee a need to adapt their customer experience strategies to meet evolving customer expectations and needs across various platforms.
• 22{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of businesses expect significant changes in supply chain processes and operations.
• Over 80{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of regional business leaders expect massive impact to change their business model or operations, with just 1{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} expecting “business-as-usual” in the long run.

Despite this awareness though, Barger shared during the SAP Forward Together virtual event that a significant number of the businesses surveyed (40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}) are still currently adopting a “wait and see” approach, hoping for a resumption of ‘previous normalcy.’

Accelerating Business Transformation

By leveraging SAP’s innovative and advanced technologies (such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation) and acting now instead of “waiting and seeing,” leaders can better build a more resilient and agile business in a post-COVID-19 economy, according to Barger.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the world economy going through a period of ‘reset’ for the ‘rebound’. The race for competitiveness has already started again, and countries that sprint forward now would leave others trailing behind. For countries and companies that are complacent with a ‘wait and see’ attitude, they would be left behind – and may even become irrelevant. Winning companies are those that transform through innovation, more so in today’s digitally disruptive world.”

A study from McKinsey further drives down the importance of implementing a proactive approach and moving early to successfully ride the waves of uncertainty instead of being overpowered by them. The research shows that high-performing businesses were able to weather the storms and create an earnings advantage over others by focusing on growth (even if it meant incurring costs) through an accelerated digitalization strategy. The study further points,

“Digitization has widened the gap in capabilities and performance between digital leaders and laggards—a gap that is likely to grow during any downturn.”

The Resilients in Asia

At the onset of the pandemic, companies like Grab and Gojek successfully stepped up their operations by adopting advanced technological solutions from SAP Concur and Qualtrics to transform their employee experience management. By acting proactively, the two top ride-hailing and mobile service providers ensured business continuity despite the crisis and turmoil.

Indian conglomerate company Amara Raja Group also deployed their digital transformation with SAP S/4HANA during the COVID-19-related nationwide-lockdown imposed in the country. The move revolutionized Amara Raja’s business processes with intelligent automation—allowing the company to make better decisions more effectively in a highly volatile economy.

Clearly, to stay relevant in these uncertain times, digitalization is the way to go.

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