The Power of One: Building a Harmonized Content Strategy with Mars, Inc.

Now more than ever, harmonized product content is essential to ensure consistency across channels, boost efficiency and create a unified brand experience. Recently, 1WorldSync hosted a webinar as part of our Product Content Countdown Series, featuring insights from Mars, Inc., on how they successfully embarked on their journey to harmonize content across their global organization.

Organization: How Does Mars Break Down Department Silos?

The session kicked off with a powerful quote from Joyce Ann Rosenfield, Master Data, Value Creation Lead at Mars, Inc.: “Teams might be siloed, but data and content shouldn’t be.” This mantra set the tone for the entire discussion, highlighting the challenges and strategies Mars employed to break down departmental silos. Joyce Ann shared how Mars took a step back to identify who needed what data across the organization, uncovering more silos than expected. The key was not just identifying these silos but ensuring that their data remained consistent and accessible, no matter the team or department.

Ownership: Listen to How Joyce Ann Took Initiative to Help Harmonize Mars’ Content and Teams

Joyce Ann’s journey began with a call from Walmart, which highlighted inconsistencies in the data they received from Mars. This moment was a catalyst for change. Joyce Ann took ownership, starting from the ground up, to harmonize the company’s data and content. She didn’t wait for a directive from senior leadership; instead, she acted as if Mars was her own business, rallying support from higher-ups to implement her vision. Joyce Ann’s story is a testament to the impact one person can have in driving organizational change.

Stakeholders: Harmonizing Teams and Processes at Mars

Harmonizing content and processes at Mars involved coordinating across various departments, from sales to regulatory teams. Joyce Ann emphasized that data is everyone’s responsibility, coining the phrase, “There’s no I in data.” By involving stakeholders from marketing, R&D, e-commerce, and even customer care, Mars ensured that all teams were aligned in their approach to data management. This cross-functional collaboration was crucial in creating a unified data strategy that reflected the needs and goals of the entire organization.

Role of Data: How Mars Thinks About Data

Mars, Inc. redefined what data means within their organization. Historically, data might have been limited to basic attributes like weights and dimensions, but Mars expanded this definition to include everything from product imagery to nutritional information, ratings, and reviews. Joyce Ann shared how Mars views data as an all-encompassing term that includes every touchpoint that impacts their product’s representation, whether online or on physical shelves. This holistic approach has allowed Mars to maintain consistent and accurate data across all platforms.

Do’s and Don’ts: Lessons from Mars’ Journey to Unified Content

Joyce Ann provided valuable advice for companies looking to embark on a similar journey. One of her key recommendations is to start small and not try to tackle everything at once. Mars began by focusing on core data attributes like weights and dimensions before expanding to more complex data types. Joyce Ann also stressed the importance of being agile, encouraging organizations to implement minimal viable products (MVPs) rather than waiting for a perfect solution. By taking incremental steps and continually improving, Mars was able to build a robust and adaptable data strategy.

Next Steps: What’s Next for Mars?

Looking ahead, Joyce Ann is excited about the continuous evolution of Mars’ data strategy. With advancements in technology, including AI and new data management tools, Mars is poised to further refine its approach to product content. Joyce Ann highlighted that the journey doesn’t have a defined end—Mars will continue to adapt and grow, ensuring that their data remains at the forefront of their business strategy.

Why You Should Watch the Full Webinar

This webinar offers a comprehensive look into how Mars successfully harmonized their content across a global organization. From breaking down silos to redefining data, Joyce Ann’s insights provide valuable lessons for any business looking to improve their content strategy. Whether you’re in the early stages of your journey or looking to refine your existing processes, this session offers practical advice and inspiration.

Join Our Product Content Countdown Series

This session with Mars, Inc. is just one part of our ongoing Product Content Countdown Webinar Series. We’re committed to helping organizations like yours navigate the complexities of product content orchestration and ensure consistency across all channels.

Our next session is coming up on September 5th, where we’ll explore a “Tale of Two Processes” with Asics and Moto, diving into a before-and-after case study that reveals the transformative power of harmonized product content.

Don’t miss out—register today and keep your product content strategy ahead of the curve!