It is fundamental to update the company branding strategy during a digital transformation to guarantee the full success of the later. The two actions must go together!!! Without a parallel analysis between corporate changes and its brand strategy, there is the risk of misalignment, sending the wrong message and losing big opportunities'. In the worst-case scenario, the failure of the Digital Transformation and of the company itself. In the attached presentation I explain what digital transformation is and the link with branding.

1. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
English Version

2. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
What is digital transformation?

3. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Impact of Digital Transformation on businesses
The impact of digital transformation (DX) on businesses has been
very important. It has fundamentally changed their approach with
the customer and way they work.
The impact on the brand?

4. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Digital Transformation
Digital
transformation:
new focused on:
• Customers
• Data and their
analysis
• Rethinking the customer approach.
• Develop new products/services.
• Restructure processes.
• Re-engineer the technology.
• Re-train the workforce.
• Instill a new culture.
• Update the business model.

5. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Digital transformation is not "Digitazation" or "Digitalization"
Digital transformation is a different action and the next step of
"Digitazation" in "Digitalization". The last two actions are
necessary for the first.

6. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Digital transformation isn't just web or social media
Digital transformation isn't
just about having a website
or being on social.
It is a project and a series of
actions that involve the
whole company, the
people, the processes, the
services offered, the
customers.

7. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Deep business transformation
Digital
transformation is a
total business
transformation.
• It's an invasive act!
• It's a radical transformation.
• It's not just a technological transformation.
• It opens up many doubts:
• What will the company's business look
like at the end of this trip?
• What will it do, what will it sell?
• What will be its new added value?
• What will be the perception of the users?
• How will change be communicated?

8. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Areas interested in digital transformation
The entire value chain and every single business process are
affected by digital transformation.

9. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Digital impact on operations
Tools will be automated, time reduced,
processes changed, opportunities increase.

10. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Questions about digital transformation
DX
It's a new start from scratch. Management must ask: What we
want to achieve, Which are the priority, Why to change, Who to
engage, What skills are needed, How to measure change?

11. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
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3
4
5
6
1
Drivers pushing digital transformation
Customer Expectations Optimization
(new services)
Performance and cost reductions
Innovation (Mobility and Cloud)
New approach and revenue sources
(AI and Cognitive Technologies)
Information powered ecosystem
(Big Data and Analytics)
Operational flexibility
Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA

12. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Digital strategy
Fixed and long-term
Medium-term editable
Medium-term variable
Medium-term variable
Very variable short
Term
It is important to set a fix long-term goal and an action plan
that constantly changes according to events and situations.

13. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA

14. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
What is missing?
Essentials for the digital journey:
• establish a vision,
• redefine the customer journey,
• streamline internal process
• redifine business activities
• transform governance,
• explore collaborative ways of working
• Cosa manca???

15. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Brand realignment
There is a lack of recognition of
the inherent need for parallel
and simultaneous brand
realignment to the digital
transformation process.

16. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Customer experience, branding e digital transformation (DX)
Improving the "customer
experience" is one of the goals
of digital transformation.
Branding is a fundamental link
between the customer and the
brand.
Re-think brand strategy should
be updated after a DX to
strengthen the customer
experience?

17. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Customer experience – immediate visual impact
Design the
customer
experience
starting from an
external focus
(what customers
want?)
Expanding reach
and increase
engagement
with smart
investments
(apps, tools)
Place customer
data analysis at
the center of the
entire project
(immediate custom
services)
Blending the
new digital
experience with
the old real
physical element
(fashion, food)

18. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Examples: Customer experience and smart investments

19. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Examples: Using Data to Increase Customer Welfare

20. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Examples: Using Data to Deliver New Services

21. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
New expectations
Digital transformation
aims to create or
strengthen the business's
ability to meet new
customer expectations.
The branding strategy must embody these
new perceptions to capitalize on the
opportunity for greater differentiation and
customer relationships.
New way of customer
perception of the brand

22. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
New opportunities
Digital transformation is an
opportunity to rethink:
• positioning
• offer
• initiatives
• priorities

23. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Synergy between branding and digital transformation
• Digital transformation
of a business
can make the brand
stronger.
1° step to understand how the
• Rebranding can
•
increase the impact and
success of DX

24. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Stress test of current branding strategy with DX
2° step evaluate whether
the current brand strategy is consistent with the
envisioned business expected by digital transformation.
DX often introduces
new features and
improved processes
to engage with
customers,
employees, and other
stakeholders.
Brand strategy
should evolve to
take advantage of
these new features
and processes.
The DX provides a
framework to
reintroduce
business to its
customers and
employees and
highlight the new
positioning.

25. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Rivisitare l'architettura del brand
Digital transformation
through innovation creates
new business
opportunities.
3° step analyze whether
the current brand architecture will be enough to
incorporate the new company and its new products
once the digital transformation is complete.
These new business or
products can use the same
branding strategy or it will be
necessary to think at a new
one?

26. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Examples
Ford has launched two new features,
Sync and MyTouch, to maximize the
opportunity arising from its new digital
platform.
McCormick launched Flavor Forecast®,
a platform to learn about the latest on
restaurants, new products, recipes.
McCormick, has spun off the tool,
FlavorPrint into a new azoenda, to
make it available to McCormick's B2B
customers.

27. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Ensuring a clear message
The positioning of new features
or activities can influence the
perception of the original brand.
E’ importante elaborare una
nuova strategia che comunichi
chiaramente le nuove funzione e
attività ed i vantaggi per i clienti.

28. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Branding is a key element in digital transformation
Integrating brand considerations
into planning and performing digital
transformation helps organizations
maximize the benefits of their efforts
in DX.
Not doing so is a missed
opportunity!

29. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Branding and digital transformation strategy
Branding strategy and that
digital transformation need to
be analyzed together.
Not doing so can lead
to a misalignment
between the two
strategies!

30. Content curation: Pietro Stopponi, Chicago Booth MBA
Bibliografy
• Digital Transformation: Don’t Forget the Brand: https://www.brandamplitude.com/digital-transformation-don-t-
forget-the-brand ;
• Digital Transformation as a Catalyst for Brand Marketing, Lisa Croft, December 6, 2018:
https://www.business2community.com/marketing/digital-transformation-as-a-catalyst-for-brand-marketing-
02146811
• Who wins in a Digital World?, Mit Sloan management review, 2019
• Driving Digital Strategy, Sunil Gupta, Harvard Business Review Press, 2018
• The six stages of digital transformation maturity, Brian Solis, https://cogniz.at/2p65dwW
• The Digital Strategy Guide I Couldn’t Find, Harrison Llyod, https://bit.ly/2NxugSS
• The Definitive Guide to Enterprise Digital Transformation, https://bit.ly/2CrezX3
• Digital transformation: online guide to digital business transformation, https://bit.ly/2WVefcA
• Unlocking success in digital transformation, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/2qzdR7A
• Three snapshots of digital transformation, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/36KNbRH
• The ‘how’ of transformation, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/34MXa7n
• The seven decisions that matter in a digital transformation: A CEO’s guide to reinvention, McKinsey & Company,
https://mck.co/2Q0IPQB
• The case for digital reinvention, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/2Q3fNQd
• Why digital transformation is now on the CEO’s shoulders, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/2p0579U
• Digital transformation: The three steps to success, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/2NzstwP
• Five moves to make during a digital transformation, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/33xIVmx
• Unlocking success in digital transformations, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/2X5ND8L
• A roadmap for a digital transformation, McKinsey & Company, https://mck.co/36MahaB
• Difference between Digitization, Digitalization and Digital Transformation, Anna Irniger, https://bit.ly/2qDwo2B