Merkle
Merkle
Topic

Merkle: Get in contact

Whether it's for a coffee talk to get to know each other, a project or press enquiry: here you will find the right contact for all your concerns. Contact us now!

Case Study

Discover how a robotics pioneer became a digital innovator

Curious? Contact us!

Get in Touch
Get in Touch

Smart Business Day 2020: Data-driven Transformation

Three mornings, three topics, one virtual event

  • The topics: From Data-driven Marketing to Leadership and Business Innovation
  • Danone, Siemens, AMAG and many more provided insights into success stories as well as implementation challenges 
  • The well-known science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar and Prof. Dr. Heike Bruch from the University of St. Gallen took a look into the future
  • About 160 participants in three days

Zurich / Frankfurt, October 30, 2020

Yesterday, the eleventh Smart Business Day of the full-service digital agency Namics - A Merkle Company ended – this year purely digital and spread over three days. Under the motto "Data-driven Transformation", the focus was on data-driven marketing, leadership and business innovation from October 27 - 29. Speakers from international companies and the scientific community (Danone, Siemens, AMAG Group, dentsu, University of St. Gallen) spoke about the profitable use of data, modern leadership in an agile environment and new digital business models. The final presentation was held by science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, who took a look into the digital future.

In this extraordinary year the symposium took place purely virtually for the first time. The speakers were connected via live stream. The broadcast with moderator Tim Dührkoop was live from a studio in Thurgau and reached about 160 participants from Switzerland and Germany. During the lectures, they could interact in the chat, ask questions to the speakers or use the virtual networking for direct exchange. The Smart Business Day is one of the most important information platforms on the digital change in Switzerland and has been held annually since 2009.

Tim Dührkoop, host of the Smart Business Day and Client Service Director, Namics – A Merkle Company:
"This year we have digitally transformed ourselves – instead of Apero in GDI Networking via chat. I am all the more pleased to look back on a successful virtual Smart Business Day. The enthusiasm and expertise of the speakers, the exciting insights into the digital transformation and the lively exchange with the guests also worked very well digitally".
Tim Duehrkoop

Smart Business Day 2020: From the customer journey of today's customers to Emil's world in 2100

Day 1: Data-driven Marketing

Smart Business Day 2020 - Azlan Raj

Anastasia Roumelioti (Head of Digital Centre of Excellence, Danone Specialised Nutrition UKIR) started the first day with the focus on "Data-driven Marketing". She gave an insight into how Danone deals with increased customer expectations, the role of data and technology in this, and the results the company has achieved in two years since the digital transformation. Azlan Raj (Chief Marketing Officer, EMEA - CXM LOB, dentsu) then explained how marketers create a complete and meaningful customer experience – taking into account both the visible and invisible customer experience. His credo: "The little things count".

Day 2: Leadership

Smart Business Day 2020 - Clarissa Haller, Siemens

The second day was dedicated to the motto "Leadership". Clarissa Haller (Head of Group Communications, Siemens) opened the presentation streams and showed what modern leadership looks like. Success factors for leaders have long since ceased to be the period of employment and the greatest expertise. What is needed instead is a fresh breeze, courage and trust in one's own employees. Michael Rottmann (Account Director, Namics – A Merkle Company) then explained how data has become a success factor in a leader's internal and external communication and how managers can reach every employee – from the hesitant laggards to the young innovators. "Give data a chance, but judge critically," he appealed. In conclusion, Prof. Dr. Heike Bruch (Director of the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource Management, University of St. Gallen) explained why a genuine new work and leadership transformation is urgently needed. "New Work needs Unbossing", she emphasized, clarified myths of New Work Transformation and showed important steps towards real transformation.

Day 3: Business Innovation

Smart Business Day 2020 - Ranga Yogeshwar

The third and final day focused on the topic of "Business Innovation". In his presentation, Philipp Wetzel (Managing Director AMAG Innovation & Venture LAB, AMAG Group) spoke about the transformation of mobility and how AMAG gains new insights and develops innovative business models with the help of the Innovation & Venture LAB. At the end of the Smart Business Day, science journalist and physicist Ranga Yogeshwar took a look at global innovations and the future of his grandson: What will Emil's world look like? "Everything that is annoying will be made digitalizable," he showed using supermarket checkouts as an example. With all the groundbreaking technical developments, which are supported by data, the discussion about ethics and limits should not be forgotten, according to Yogeshwar.

Download picture material and press release

The recordings of all lectures will be available in the course of the coming week under the following link: https://namics.com/smart-business-day-2020.

Do you have any questions? I look forward to hearing from you.

Send press inquiry.
Sabrina Schöttler Communication Manager at Merkle
Sabrina Schöttler, Communication Manager