Aadya uses brand and communications to bridge the gap between tech companies and the world. Armed with an MSc Corporate Communications & Reputation Management from the University of Manchester, she has worked with founders and senior executives in pioneering robotics and industrial automation companies such as Universal Robots, Phillips Corporation. Aadya believes the potential of this disruptive field – which is largely male-dominated as of now – can make a positive and sustainable impact only when more women are empowered to contribute.
1. How has the tech marketing and communications landscape evolved in the past few years? Which industry trends brought about the most significant impact?
In the tech industry, there was a time when many companies seemed to overlook the importance of investing in brand-building and communication strategies. Instead, they carried the business on the back of their product, confident that the sheer innovation or advancement could meet their business goals – and perhaps they were right, at least in the beginning. However, increased globalization and competition, changing customer behaviors, and more importance given to the consumer experience have been slowly but surely nudging more and more tech companies to embrace communications to stand apart and connect with their target audience. Over time, one mayobserve that the companies giving importance to their communications strategies are the ones getting the furthest ahead, while the rest tend to reach a point of stagnation. I’ve worked with companies of both categories and found that the businesses neglecting the power of communications today are the ones that need to work twice as hard tomorrow.
The emergence of new marketing channels and automation tools has also encouraged more tech companies to explore how to take advantage of these new avenues for demand and value creation. For example, since B2B marketing needs to speak to multiple decision makers and influencers, online marketing tools enable you to target each one with content tailored to their personas.
By now, I almost feel like it’s a cliché to say, but the COVID-19 pandemic has also drastically changed the landscape as businesses had to quickly pivot strategies from offline to online while still striving to meet their targets. This was especially challenging for industries like robotics and industrial automation, which rely heavily on offline activities like trade shows, exhibitions, and workshops. Businesses were forced to get creative enough to not just market online, but also make an impact as strong in the digital world as it would have been through traditional offline methods. However, I believe this change was inevitable, although the crisis accelerated it. After all, online marketing has been possible for a long time now – the only difference being that in the pre-pandemic era, most still had a choice whether or not to adoptit. Either way, digital marketing – especially when complemented with the right marketing automation software – allows for the more streamlined, data-oriented, and personalized approach required today.
With the world forced to work remotely, the pandemic also shed light on the benefits of deploying internal communication strategies for talent engagement to help employees stay engaged and connected to the pulse of the company, even if their interactions were limited to the online world.
2. In your opinion how is B2B marketing different from B2C marketing?
There are numerous differences between B2B and B2C marketing. For example, B2B has a much longer sales cycle, relies more heavily on educational content, and thought leadership, and requires appealing to rationale than raw emotion or desire.
One of the most challenging aspects, in my opinion, is that B2B requires targeting multiple individuals or teams, not just an individual decision-maker. For example, if I am pitching a robotic solution to a large manufacturing company, the CEO will probably have a high-level perspective whether it furthers the vision and mission of the company, production management may try specifically measuring the quantifiable benefits it could result in, shopfloor employees may be worried about being replaced or unable to use an advanced technology, and the purchasing team is analyzing the best price and return on investment. Similarly, if the potential client was a small, family-run business, we may need to appeal to the elders who have run the company for years and have very traditional views on automation but also the children who may be taking the reins and are keen on using future-forward technologies. This means that the entire approach to not just marketing, but also sales, revolves around pitching and speaking to completely different customer personas at once, which requires a delicate, nuanced approach.
3. Throw some light on a few key pointers you keep in mind while designing the marketing, branding and communications strategy for robotics, automation, and tech companies?
In essence, my approach is to unearth the humanness in a world of machinery and technology.
At the surface level, nearly every robotics and automation company has the same rationale for what they do: to automate repetitive tasks to drive efficiency and enable humans to do value-added tasks. However, my approach is centered around understanding the deeper purpose behind a company's creation, which can drive the overall communication strategy. To achieve this, I engage with the senior management and the founders of the company, asking the right questions to uncover the North Star that guides the company's business functions, encompassing everything from the type of people hired and culture created within to how the company interacts with customers, investors, and various stakeholders externally.
I find it essential to also understand the perspectives of subject matter experts from other functions such as sales, product management, and technical. Collaborating with them often results in discovering new and unique selling propositions that I wouldn't have come across otherwise. After all, they are the ones who are on the ground meeting customers, developing products, and aware of the nitty-gritty technical specifications. Speaking to them almost always helps discover new ways to speak about the company and its products. For example, I don’t have a technical background, and an engineer probably does not have a brand or marketing background, so collaborating could result in us realizing a new USP together.
Another key component of my methodology isbeing as hands-on as possible. This means everything from learning from a technical specialist how to handle the product myself to visiting customers with sales teams. When I started my first role at Universal Robots (leading Danish collaborative robot manufacturer), for example, my team patiently taught me to program the robots myself – at least at a basic level. I even completed the company’s beginner robotics certification course to fully understand what I was marketing. My colleagues even encouraged me to try pitching it to potential customers and would step in when I needed assistance. While I was nervous at first, I realized that this is exactly what helped me create effective campaigns and speak to potential customers with confidence.
My best work has always evolved from taking the time to truly understand why a business exists and how it works towards its vision. This enables me to develop a communications approach that intertwines deeply with long-term business strategy.
4. Tell us about some of the most critical challenges faced by professionals such as you in context of today’s tech communications landscape.
One of the major challenges in tech communications is that you are in uncharted territory, often speaking about something that hasn’t even existed before. This is exciting, but also daunting. For example, one of my client’s products is so advanced that it could be part of a whole new product category that doesn’t even have a name yet – which presents both challenges and opportunities that we must navigate through.
Just like the historical divide between sales and marketing,another challenge is the potential misalignment between marketing and technical teams, each with their own unique perspectives and approaches. At times, the value of communications efforts may not be fully recognized, especially in environments where technical expertise is highly valued. However, this can be overcome by fostering a better understanding of the role and impact of corporate communications, and by actively breaking silos to collaborate towards creating mutual value.
5. What can communications professionals do to overcome the challenges brought about by the industry?
To address working with ever-evolving technologies, I find it crucial to use and understand the product myself to determine how it can help the world. I also put myself in the shoes of not just the end user, but all the decision makers involved in the process, trying to understand the concerns each may have about a new technology, and determining how we can alleviate them. For example, complex technical jargon can add to how daunting a new product feels, so I try translating this into simpler, relatable language.
I firmly believe that a strong corporate communications strategy is business strategy. After all, it acts as an anchor, determining how the business wins customers, attracts and retains the right talent, develops products, speaks to shareholders, attracts investors, and interacts with the public. However, there’s often a short-sighted approach to communications functions and lack of understanding of the influence it has on an organization, which leads to professionals in this field constantly needing to justify their actions and fight to be considered significant. I think it is vital that we first understand our importance in connecting businesses with the world, and gradually help others see it, too.
6. How do you foresee the global tech marketing and communications landscape evolving going forward?
As technologies continue to advance at a phenomenal pace, I see an increasing number of businesses turning to communications specialists to help them connect with the right stakeholders – and understanding the need to integrate these strategies across business functions. Plus, like I said before, globalization, increased competition, and the need to be more consumer-centric will drive businesses to value the role of communications. This will lead to communications strategies becoming more deeply intertwined across other business functions, acting as a lodestar helping chart the course for departments such as sales, product development, customer service, HR, CSR, and even operations. Only when the silos are broken between communications and other departments will a company be able to effectively communicate its value proposition to the world.
Additionally, the rise of technology has also enabled more sophisticated evolutions in data-driven marketing, and as companies seek to reach customers in new and innovative ways, I believe that AI-powered marketing and communication technologies will become more prevalent, allowing us to target and communicate with customers more effectively.
In essence, I see the future of tech marketing and communications as being highly integrated and focused on delivering the right message to the right audience, using innovative technologies and techniques to better understand and connect with customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
7. In your opinion what must communications professions do to future-proof themselves?
This will probably be an increasingly common question thanks to the likes of ChatGPT.
I know many professionals in my field – or the creative industry in general –terrified of new technologies like the controversial ChatGPT and other AI software. While the fear is perfectly justifiable, at this stage I still do think these tools are just that, i.e. tools that have exceptional capabilities but exist to augment human ingenuity, not replace it. I have even had clients show me AI-written content and ask, “Can you write like this?” At first, I will admit, I was a little disappointed but curious to know why they wouldn’t use what was written – especially considering how much they loved it. They responded by saying while they liked the eloquence, much of the content was generic and did not cater to the company’s strategy, lacked emotion, or was simply irrelevant, so they still preferred a professional to work with. That’s when I realized we shouldn’t be so scared – in fact, sometimes I think we should even be overjoyed to access powerful, instantaneous help that is literally at our fingertips.
Having worked in the industry for the last five years, I know that there’s no point fighting technology or machines. They will win – they are literally designed to do so, and there’s no point denying it! But the thing is, we shouldn’t be competing. Instead, we need to be learning to use these technologies to our advantage, presenting our ability to do so as a strength. We are fortunate to be at the dawn of this new era, at a unique place in history where we have the power to influence the zeitgeist of human-machine interaction in a way that transforms humankind forever. It’s imperative to need to learn how to make this work in our favor to unlock the emotion, creativity, originality, and innovation that only humans are capable of, and only then can we chart a course that makes positive differences and charts boundless opportunity.
