Today on Memorable Marketing, Bart speaks to Liz Fendt, a marketeer, currently Global CMO at TÜV SÜD, who works to bring German products and services to a global audience, in a career spanning Asia and Europe. The state of the global marketing industry, regional and national differences, and the convergence of B2B and B2C marketing are just some of the topics covered in this episode. 

International marketing often works on a hub structure, and Liz shares her opinions on how to balance the improved efficiency of a centralized, powerful hub, and the risk of this becoming an ‘ivory tower’ with little understanding of on-the-ground realities in target markets. Liz links this to the marketing funnel, with lower stages led ideally by local teams, and higher-level decisions made out of a central hub. Liz stresses the importance of centrally aligning marketing software and tech platforms, while allowing local teams to approach potential clients in the most effective way possible. 

A consistent theme in the conversation is cultural differences. Liz’s career has seen her working for German companies in Asia, and one insight is how Asia is quicker on the uptake with new technologies and has a generally more saturated marketing environment. In Europe, white papers and other time-intensive materials still play a key role, whereas in Asia short video content is the norm, a trend which may spread to Europe in the coming years. 

Next, Bart and Liz discuss the most effective strategies for key account targeting, including the ongoing importance of face-to-face marketing opportunities such as trade shows. Liz raises the idea of recycling content, using panel appearances to produce LinkedIn, email communications and video content for other social media. 

Finally, Liz highlights some brands she finds inspiring, and the differences between ‘greenwashed’ and real sustainability campaigns, before Bart and Valeriia wrap up the conversation with a discussion of cultural differences in marketing and the importance of brand control. 

Memorable Marketing by MediaGroup interviews leading CMO’s, business innovators, entrepreneurs, experts on all things marketing, brands, campaigns, and awareness. Please join the conversation by leaving your comments, thoughts and questions and we will be happy to chat with you. If you want to discuss your business marketing strategies in more detail, feel free to reach out to us at: [email protected].