The brightest minds in the martech descended on Sydney’s 12-Micron last week for the B&T Breakfast Club, Presented by Tealium for a delectable breakfast and some tantalising insights about customer data platforms (CDPs).
Joining Tealium’s regional vice president, solution consulting, APJ, Nick Dennis on stage was Josh Slighting from REA Group. Slighting, as the company’s head of product, was interviewed by Dennis on how REA Group had deployed Tealium’s CDP and how it helped the business grow faster and more efficiently, whilst also maintaining a tight grip on its customers’ data.
As the attendees tucked into scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and tomatoes on sourdough (with vegetarian and vegan options available, as well) before washing it down with barista coffee and freshly pressed juices, Slighting explained that while REA Group was a natively digital organisation, its owners were not.
This meant that Slighting had to think on his feet and get buy-in across the business to implement the changes he wanted to make with Tealium’s CDP.
“The real value comes in one-on-one interactions. Jump into meetings, explain how it will help other people,” said Slighting.
However, a CDP is a huge tech investment and communicating the benefits it can bring to an organisation can be complicated. Slighting explained to the audience that the best way to ensure you’re getting the most out of a CDP was to keep the focus on the business’ North Star.
Workshopping problems with your team can also help identify use cases. In Slighting’s experience, the different teams around the business know the problems that they face and what potential solutions could look like. With a CDP, he said that teams could effectively choose their own adventures, identifying and solving their own problems with a bit of guidance from tech experts.
Of course, when deploying a piece of tech like a CDP, it takes time. Many of the audience wanted to know exactly how long it would take to get one up and running. Slighting said that leaders needed to think 12-18 months ahead of time as the skills and teams within a business will change over time.
At REA, Slighting said that it was a federated business with tech skills and expertise distributed throughout its various departments. In effect, this means that a range of different people touch lots of different parts of the business and the CDP is no longer a purely tech concern — everyone from commercial to customer service needs to care.
With the upcoming review of the Privacy Act 1988, businesses need to be ready for any changes that might come along. Slighting explained that CDPs are perfect for ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, saying “You’re constantly breaking new ground,” but, given the power and depth of information they hold, not everyone within a business should be given the keys.
However, for businesses that are looking to implement a CDP, Slighting explained that being confident was the key.
“Be clear about what you’re looking for and want to bring to the business,” he said before explaining that not everyone will initially be onboard with such a big tech deployment.
“Be bold and ask for what you want.”
The B&T Breakfast Club, Presented by Tealium will be coming to Melbourne soon for another session talking about CDPs and how the tech can get your business ready for the future.
