Nestle's CMO Transforms into Digital Marketing Powerhouse with AI & Data

Aude Gandon's strategy for transforming Nestlé's marketing involves a total transformation that includes setting quantifiable targets such as making 25% of all sales online, increasing digital marketing investment to 70%, and collecting 400 million consumers' consented first-party data by 2025. She emphasizes the importance of a clear central vision to get everyone excited and motivated, blending the art and science of marketing, and focusing on creativity as the foremost element. Gandon has also launched a program called Creative Pulse to reanchor the power of creativity within the company, and stresses the importance of content fitting with the aesthetic grammar of each platform.

Aude Gandon prioritizes creativity over technology in marketing because she believes that while technology is like plumbing—essential for the infrastructure—creativity is the core of understanding pop culture, consumer behavior shifts, and evoking emotions with a brand. She asserts that creativity comes first, absolutely 100%, and without getting the creative part right, no amount of technology will drive the business effectively.

Under Aude Gandon's leadership, Nestlé approaches influencer marketing with a focus on careful selection for brand authenticity and then giving influencers full control over the content they create. The company's spend on online influencers is growing extremely fast, and the key is that influencers must fit with the brand and create their own content without interference from Nestlé, to maintain authenticity and effectiveness.

The benefits of focusing on data quality and first-party data for Nestlé include more personalized product information for consumers and a more accurate reach to potential customers. Gandon emphasizes that companies have historically overvalued third-party data, which often includes a large percentage of people with no interest in the product. By cleaning up their first-party data and being ruthless in data acquisition, ensuring consent is always obtained, Nestlé aims to improve the relevance and effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

AI plays a significant role in Nestlé's marketing strategy, with Aude Gandon spending 15% to 20% of her working week thinking or talking about it. AI presents both excitement and concern for Gandon, offering incredible opportunities for creativity and reducing the need for travel in content production, which is beneficial for the planet. However, she also believes that governments need to legislate on AI, and she is confident that AI can never replicate the elusive magic of human creativity, which will always be necessary.