Hasta La Creative!

In the aftermath of a complete digital transformation, it’s easy to forget just how much time and learning went into making that change happen. Shifting paradigms doesn’t happen overnight, after all, and organizational change certainly doesn’t occur any more quickly. This week, Cara Coffee of SABMiller, the world’s second-largest beer and beverage distributor, shares just how much effort has gone into — and is still going into — turning the company’s marketing to a more social, consumer-focused approach. In Latin America, where Ms. Coffee is part of the Marketing Development Americas team, it’s a case of collaboration and knowledge transfer that would make any self-proclaimed digital “growth hacker” more than just a little envious.

The challenge

Time and time again, we hear about the challenges of a globally recognized brand undergoing a facelift or repositioning, and the growing pains that accompany this. Often, there’s a confluence of global and local messaging. Indeed, this was the first transformational challenge that Ms. Coffee and her Latin America digital team faced several years ago. At the time, SABMiller had a bare-bones presence on social media, and its global branded content didn’t necessarily make sense for the distributor’s local markets, which include Mexico, Nicaragua and the Caribbean.

Continue reading at AdAge.com