Building Blocks

By 2030, the global chemicals industry is predicted to be worth approximately US$5.9 trillion.

Three main forces will drive the competitive market:• changes in competition• value networks moving east• increasing economic volatility

Competition to retain market share across the entire chemicals sector is intensifying as a result of:

• The rise of players in emerging markets producing competitive products.

• Demand to find innovative new products to meet market drivers.

Digital marketing presents a large opportunity for the chemical sectors, but the complexity of these businesses creates a number of unique challenges…

Communicating expertise & practical application of products

• Industry jargon and scientificlanguage - challenge to create an engaging online experience.

• In-house subject matter experts (SMEs) have unrivalled wisdom about how to tackle your customers’ problems.

• Use digital channels to explain how and why products should be used.

• Share real-life examples of how to apply your products to achieve specific goals.

1 We recommend

• Product applicationsBuild website structure around the applications of your products.

• PersonalisationConsider your customers’ challenges and present relevant content.

• Lead with outcomesBuild navigation via the outcomes of implementing your products/services.

• Use interactive toolse.g. product/solution finders and cost efficiency calculators.

• Use your Subject Matter ExpertsThey hold the source of the most valuable content for your website visitors.

Balancing global consistency with local needs

• The same products are not always available in every market.

• Products may use different brand names for different markets.

• The same chemical may be available in multiple markets, but be used for different applications.

• A single product may have to display different descriptions and warnings, depending on the regulations in each region.

• Marketing messages can vary depending on localised issues, such as climate.

2• Global operating model

This can affect the design & technical decisions, so must be considered early-on.

• Appoint digital championsPair digitally mature markets with those less so, to mentor and share knowledge.

• Create an exemplar websiteA good practice CMS site which local web managers can copy from

• Pre-build website elementsHave clear and usable front end design systems and pattern libraries.

• Consider economies of scaleInvestigate how internal budgets can be made to go further by applying economies of scale.

We recommend

Regulatory compliance

• Incorrect MSDS and label information on a website can cause a number of compliance issues.

• MSDS and labels are normally created at the point of manufacture, by colleagues unaware of how it will be marketed.

• Often created in different languages, leading to translation issues.

• Components may be created in different plants and counties – these need to be made consistent.

3

Core principles of digital content management and technology tools would facilitate the management of this complex content.

When planning a new (or upgraded) CMS, pay specific attention to the requirements of the ‘nuts and bolts’ functions:

• Componentization• Usage Analysis Reports• Version Control• Content Workflow• Notifications• Audit Trails• Translation and Localisation

Your CMS platform will not befit for purpose unless it has strong, customisable abilities in these key areas

We recommend

Showcasing innovation and sustainability

Include information about:

• interesting applications of products• innovative processes or methods• environmental initiatives that the

business is driving

• Clarify the purpose and mission of the company in its entirety, and from a global perspective.

• Highlight the company’s unique selling points, and reflect the areas that set it apart from the competition.

• Highlighting your sustainability and environmental policies can help with employee retention and recruitment.

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• A section on your website dedicated to information about your sustainability and environmental policies.

• For agrochemcials businesses, videos of how your products are helping sustain communities in emerging markets.

• Visual representation, such as infographics, of how your organisation off-sets its environmental impact, or how your products are eco-friendly.

• Demonstrate the environmental benefits, such as Co2 savings, of your products or processes with an online calculation tool.

We recommend

Repurposing data from existing internal systems

• Multiple internal databases and disparate versions of marketing collateral result in consistency, version control and workflow errors.

• Databases need to be centralised and exposed, with interfaces added to enable the data to be monitored and used.

• ERP systems can be integrated with digital and marketing tools to enable the consolidation and effective sharing of information.

• Consider where data should live (e.g. pricing info shouldn’t be in a CMS, but still needs to be accessible by marketing teams).

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• Master Data Management (MDM)comprising of one or more systems that contain the definitive information.

• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)enables multiple systems within a network to cooperate with each other.

• Application Programming Interface (API) enables integration of new features into existing applications, or share data between otherwise distinct applications.

• Content Management System (CMS) marketing-led content can be stored and managed in a centralised CMS system.

• Digital Asset Management (DAM) can act as a centralised library of images, MSDS and label information.

We recommend

Targeting multiple types of customers

End-User vs. Reseller & Distribution Channels

• Educate resellers and distributors about the benefits of your products, how and when they should be used.

• Provide them with useful resources they can share with their customers.

• Educate end-users about how to get better results and improve efficiency, whilst subtly promoting your products.

• Providing added-value content will make end-users more likely to ask suppliers specifically for your products.

6

• Understand the challenges faced by your different customer types – design digital plans around these challenges.

Vertical Markets

• Tailoring and displaying relevant information for specific challenges will pay dividends.

• Buying cycles can be hard to stipulate, but providing the right information to address sales barriers, at the right time, is key.

Rise of the developing nations

• Developing markets, particularly Brazil, China and India, are critically important to organisations in the chemical sector.

• These markets pose additional complications for digital plans to consider.

7 Challenges

• Finding common conventions that enable website design fit for complex languages.

Example: Reuters Market Light uses SMS to send information on crop prices, weather conditions and general farming tips.

It claims to have 1 million users across 50,000 villages in India.

• Maturity of the market’s digital infrastructure, internet connectivity, speed and penetration.

• Varying user digital maturity and uptake/usage of internet-enable devices.

• Different markets will utilise email, SMS and social media in different ways.

• Translation and localisation.

• Literacy levels can be lower in developing nations. Consider using videos, images and graphics to communicate complex subjects and explain all acronyms/technical jargon.

Handling acquisitions

Companies with complementary or competing products and services are often merged into existing organisations

Pre-integration, each acquired company will have a set of ‘unknowns’:

• What systems do they currently use?

• How will these systems integrate with the parent company’s?

• What is the acquired company’s branding?

• Will the acquisition impact the company name?

While it is hard to plan for how to integrate, considering potential scenarios is beneficial.

8

If your CEO announced an acquisition tomorrow, and told you their offering needed to be integrated into your digital infrastructure within seven days, where would you start?

Even if, after careful thought, it isn’t possible, if you have planned for such a scenario, you will already have the rationale on why it can’t be achieved and what the alternatives are.

Scenarios will help you to set realisticexpectations, help steer the flexibility of your digital infrastructure, and will save you time and costs in the long run.

Consider this…

Building Blocks’ client Adama, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of crop protection solutions, recently undertook a global project across over 45 operating markets to bring all subsidiaries together under one new brand, with centralised digital management.

Adama Agricultural Solutions LtdCase Study

The challenge

• +45 markets, +40 brand names, 00’s products.

• Disjointed brand messaging.

• Different CMS used in each market.

• Differing digital maturity levels.

• 18 month project, with 3 month window for website build and rollout.

3 month result

• Governance, processes and digital operating model.

• Digital infrastructure designed and built.

• Centralised global content management system.

• Coded a mobile-first, touch responsive website design.

• Hosted in the cloud and served by geo-redundant datacentres

• Training delivered to content editors, from across the world.

Within six months, Building Blocks helped to design, build, train and rollout Adama’s new global websites to 18 markets…

Free WhitepaperTackling 8 Digital Challenges of the Agrochemcial, Industrial and Speciality Chemicals Sector

Find out how to:• Communicate expertise, knowledge and practical application of

your products• Balance global consistency with local needs• Tackle regulatory compliance• Showcase innovation and sustainability• Repurpose data from existing internal systems• Target multiple types of customer• Make digital work for you in the developing nations• Handle company acquisitions

building-blocks.com

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We build digital capabilities for global organisations to help them get closer to their customers.

We work with clients to identify digital opportunities that will increase revenues, develop relationships and improve efficiencies

Our creative, technical and operational expertise then put those opportunities into practice - rapidly, reliably and at scale.

Founded in May 2007 by Jonathan Whiteside and Andy Iddon, Building Blocks has offices in Manchester UK and San Francisco USA, employing over 70 people.

CONTACT USManchester

T: +44 (0)161 441 0600E: hello@building-blocks.com

San Francisco

T: +1 (415)-361-5648 E: hello@building-blocks.com

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