What: Portada talked with Stanley Black & Decker’s VP Digital and Commercial Excellence Andres Amezquita about how SB&D is using Latin America as a major market to test digital and content innovations.
Why it matters: Content commerce and SB&D’s new “omnichannel” approach to marketing in Latin America will be a featured topic at Portada Miami on April 12 Make sure to get your tickets! While offline continues to be important, Amezquita says offline plus online has “a stronger appeal.”
Andres Amezquita is proactively changing SB&D’s marketing approach in Latin America.
The global diversified industrial company that provides tools and solutions to builders and makers worldwide, is keenly away of the power of reaching consumers digitally. But that doesn’t mean abandoning the traditional offline channels of communications that have served the company so well since its founding in 1843.
While the traditional focus has been on offline communications with consumers (in-store materials, catalogues, print), SB&D is proactively changing its marketing approach in Latin America, Amezquita tells Portada.
“While we realize offline continues to be important we believe an omnichannel (offline plus online) approach has a stronger appeal.”
Content and focus on the end-user is driving SB&D’s new LATAM strategy of a combined offline and online approach.
“Our strategy is to be end-user centric. Content is a key pillar of this,” Amezquita says.
SB&D’s shift from traditional commercialization strategies to an end-user centered e-commerce approach to marketing also takes into account the exploding growth of consumers’ access to the internet via cell phones in Latin America.
“YouTube and social media, in particular Facebook, are key for our communication strategy,” Amezquita says.
Stanley Black & Decker’s Andres Amezquita will be a featured speaker at #Portadamia on April 12 when he will discuss how SB&D’s content- and user-focused digital strategy in Latin America is changing the way SB&D is reaching customers.
Portada: What are some of the ways digital tools can improve your content reach to consumers?
AA: We have to have all the fundamentals in the right place (websites, social destinations) while bringing technology to key activities like our after-sales service network.
Portada: What are some of the new tools SB&D is deploying in Latin America that reflect an increased focus on the end-user, and how does ecommerce fit into this?
AA: We also realize the importance of digital tutorials and video content to upskill and help our users do more with their tools.
Portada: Why the importance of eCommerce?
AA: eCommerce is part of the ecosystem where our end user moves gathering information to make decisions and choosing the best way to buy our products.
Portada: What changes have there been in online sales for SB&D in Latin America?
AA: We have accelerated growth in this area putting a lot of focus on it. We are not only looking at pure players but actively working to develop our customers within marketplaces.
Portada: Is SB&D using machine learning as part of its overall consumer-centric, content focused online and offline strategy?
AA: Definitely.
Portada: Why and how is Miami important for Stanley Black & Decker Latin America?
AA: Close to Miami we have our Global Emerging Markets headquarters. In this division we work every day to create an exponential organization and experiment new models to grow our business. Miami is in a privileged place geographically for being close to Latin America and yet at a distance to get a bigger picture. Also it provides a daily platform to explore upcoming digital trends before they are hot within Latam.
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