Cisco has established itself as a global giant in network and connectivity solutions. In a fast-paced digital world, Cisco uses new tools and techniques to improve its digital marketing capabilities. Jeff Leroux and Shastri Purushotma from Ziff Davis B2B spoke to Joseph Puthussery, VP of Digital Marketing and Javier Camacho, Senior Director at Cisco. Here’s a quick roundup of the key takeaways from this enlightening three-part session.
For over three decades now, Cisco has been a network technology pioneer. Today, it has made bold strides in digital marketing and is transforming how businesses store, analyze, and assess data for intelligent and meaningful insights. In Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview series, Jeff Leroux and Shastri Purushotma from Ziff Davis B2B spoke with Joseph Puthussery, Vice President of Digital marketing at Cisco. In Part 3, Jeff and Shastri sat down with Javier Camacho, Senior Director for Latin America, Cisco, on marketing best practices prevalent in the company.
Joseph’s Career and Background
Joseph began his career at Hewlett Packard and eventually moved to Cisco. He spoke about his many mentors who, over the course of a long career, have taught him the importance of staying close to customer sentiment and developing a razor-sharp strategic vision.
Digital marketing Transformations at Work and the “Stackie” Awards
Cisco has won the MarTech Conference ‘Stackie Award’ for two years in a row. When asked how they achieved this recognition a second time running, Joseph spoke about the necessity of bringing together multiple channels and platforms, and why localization was critical in any digital marketing strategy. He also discussed how B2B market dynamics are changing, with customers expecting a more personalized and experiential sales pathway. He said that these market movements have driven Cisco to reimagine its digital marketing strategy, putting together a combination of new tools and technologies.
For all the details on challenge and change at Cisco
Joseph also shared his approach for managing third-party data within this tech stack: “Everything is anonymized, but we do all this comparison work so there is no duplication of data we already have.”
Content, Channel, Audience, and Digital marketing Strategy Alignment
In Part 2, Joseph spoke about how AI and Machine Learning are pushing the boundaries of customer experience and digital marketing at Cisco. Hyper-personalized experiences, according to him, were an area of experimentation at the company. He said that with these revolutionary tech forces, the sky is the limit: “If you can forecast the weather, you can forecast digital behavior.”
Talking about managing data across channels, Joseph explained how Cisco builds multiple data models which unify interactions, touch points, and modes of engagement. By looking at this engagement data from different perspectives – The Funnel, The Audience, The Channel, and The Content Strategy – one can create a comprehensive digital marketing architecture which never misses the mark. To know more about the four perspectives and for Joseph’s views on the intersection of sales and marketing, click here.
Staying Customer Centric is Critical for Cisco
In Part 3, Javier spoke about how customer centricity and digital marketing will be the new normal for any marketer’s handbook.
Early Days
Javier has been with Cisco for over 18 years now and said that staying at the forefront of tech movements was of particular importance to him. He talked about his many mentors who shaped his ideas and inspired his way of working (for the full list, click here).
Why Customers are Key
Javier said that at Cisco, any product is created keeping the customer in mind. Usability, UX, and the ability to maximize customer experience are at the heart of any Cisco offering. He also discussed the top skills necessary for any marketer, ranging from understanding customer mindset to staying abreast of digital marketing developments.
Finally, Javier detailed the changes in customer demographics and segmentation – a thorny area for most modern marketers. He shared his thoughts on the many intricacies of an emerging and vibrant Latin American market and how it demands new thinking: “There is also a different balance in how much we do digitally and how much we need to invest in account-based marketing and relationship marketing due to cultural considerations.”
This was a fascinating and exhaustive session with two of Cisco’s most recognized marketing leaders. You can view a transcript of all three parts at Digital Transformation at Cisco: Audience Centric Approach, Digital Transformation at Cisco: Content, Channel, Audience and the Funnel, and Global Marketing at Cisco Becoming Customer Centric.
