Insights

Transforming Content Operations at bp

A central location for global and local marketing assets

Every digital and physical touchpoint offers the opportunity to create relevance and added value for the customer. To effectively leverage this opportunity — personalizing every content-based interaction with customers at the relevant time and on the desired channel — requires a new kind of content operating model.

With the team at bp, we are revolutionizing the content management process — from ideation to creation and distribution on different channels.

For bp, gateB implemented Aprimo's digital asset management and workflow solution. This established a centralized location for global and local marketing assets. With this in place, sharing and reusing content is made easier and playout is accelerated. Operational activities become more efficient and collaboration is encouraged.

Following clearly defined guidelines and using standardized templates within Aprimo ensures that the content is consistent with the image and values of the company's brand. This is key because without consistency, content cannot be scaled. Without scaling, the potential of personalization cannot be fully tapped.

Only with a large amount of personalizable content is it possible to respond better to different customer groups on different channels including websites, social media, email marketing, blogs, etc.

Scalable content allows bp to enable personalized experiences, ensure a consistent brand presence, automate the use of different channels, increase visibility, and boost adaptability.

Deploying this strategy, companies can successfully and engagingly communicate with their target audience, drive business growth, and achieve their marketing goals.

A global DAM and workflow tool to increase efficiency and reduce time-to-market

Centralization and organization: The new central DAM manages and categorizes (partially automatically) all of bp's digital assets, ensuring easy access as well as easy searching. This prevents duplicates and enables efficient reuse of assets.
Workflow and collaboration: The new DAM supports content creation, collaboration, defining tasks, tracking progress, and improving coordination between teams. Brand and campaign managers can start an ideation process or a new campaign directly in the system, then locate assets or reuse them by starting an adaptation process. This standardized workflow streamlines the content creation process and greatly reduces time-to-market.
Version controls and approvals: The DAM has version control and optimized approval processes. These approvals are extremely important at bp, as a lot of content covers product specifications and sustainability issues that need to be checked by the branding, legal, and compliance teams. The standardized approval processes ensure that the content is always approved by all relevant parties and is always up to date.
Asset analytics and insights: The new modern DAM provides analytics on asset usage and workflow effectiveness, enabling maximum impact based on informed content decisions and optimized strategies. Custom reports can also be used to track system adjustments.
Scalability and automation: A modern DAM solution (like Aprimo, in this case) builds in content scalability and automation features that simplify tasks and increase efficiency. AI functions are also used to both improve existing content and generate new content.
Integration with other marketing technologies: The DAM is integrated with other marketing tools, enabling seamless content distribution and synchronization as well as holistic content performance reporting. By combining DAM and workflow features in one system, bp gains a robust management process for scalable content delivery, maximizing productivity and impact.

Key pillars of a sustainable content operating model

Agility and flexibility: An adaptable content operating model allows different brands within bp to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the market, customer needs, or technological advances.
Digital transformation: Using digital technologies and integrating them into the heart of content operations is fundamental to successfully positioning the content operating model for the future. This means using automation, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and other technologies as levers to optimize processes, improve customer experiences, and increase operational efficiency.
Customer centricity: For long-term success, it is essential to place customers at the center of bp's content operating model. This includes understanding customers' needs, preferences, and expectations and designing processes and experiences that generate real value and meet these requirements. Customer feedback and data-driven insights on content performance play an important role in shaping the content operating model to ensure ongoing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Collaboration and partnerships: A sustainable content operating model emphasizes the importance of internal and external collaboration, with agencies playing a key role in content production. Breaking down silos and fostering a team culture improves cross-team collaboration within the organization. Also worth considering is entering into strategic partnerships with external entities such as agencies and distributors, technology providers, and customer insights/analytics resources to drive innovation with collective strength.
Continuous learning and (further) development: Creating a learning culture is critical for a sustainable content operating model. To do this, companies should invest in the development of their teams' skills and promote a growth mindset. Provide opportunities for training and development and encourage your employees to share knowledge and learn from mistakes to create a culture of continuous improvement. New solutions and processes can be challenging. Therefore, it's important to observe how new users deal with them and identify potential challenges together. Quick wins and basic updates need to be shared to reinforce the message of business innovation and efficiency improvement.
Making data-driven decisions: Data, and more specifically its analysis, is fundamental when it comes to making informed and effective decisions. Establish robust data governance, collect and analyze relevant content performance data, and draw actionable insights from it. Making data-driven decisions allows you to identify trends faster, anticipate market changes, and proactively make adjustments to your content strategy and operations.

René Affolter

Managing Director & Deputy CEO, Member of the Executive Board

René has been working in the field of enterprise software for more than 15 years, eight of them as Head of European Business Development for a provider of license accounting software in London. Since 2014, René has been responsible for marketing operations, brand experience and content management as Managing Director at gateB, as well as Deputy CEO for Business Development of the gateB enterprise. He also has extensive experience in the evaluation and implementation of digital asset management (DAM), marketing resources management (MRM), enterprise content management systems (CMS), brand portals and marketing planning systems.

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Transforming Content Operations at bp

A central location for global and local marketing assets

A global DAM and workflow tool to increase efficiency and reduce time-to-market

Key pillars of a sustainable content operating model

René Affolter

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