Siemens’ Data-Driven Communications Strategy – Measuring What Matters: The Long Road to a Data-Driven Communications Strategy at Siemens

Siemens’ Data-Driven Communications Strategy – Measuring What Matters: The Long Road to a Data-Driven Communications Strategy at Siemens

For over 15 years, Siemens has been focusing on strategically anchored performance measurement. In the “Data & Insights Experts” group, Nadin Ernst (Siemens) and Dr. Mark-Steffen Buchele (buchele cc) demonstrated that data-driven communication is a marathon, not a sprint—and that it cannot succeed without clear standards and comprehensive enablement of the entire team.

The Foundation: Framework and Alignment The first step is the target vision. At Siemens, there is no communication activity that does not contribute to the overarching “CM Strategic Pillars.” Success is defined and refined through dialogue from the very beginning:

• Shared Goals: Communication goals are refined in a measurable way in collaboration with the project communicators.
• KPI Standards: Siemens uses its own global KPI standards and a “Periodic Table” to define key performance indicators, enabling comparisons across projects.
• Levels of Impact: Success is measured across various levels—from channel-specific performance to overarching strategic success.

The Lever: Enablement and Cultural Change Even the best framework is useless if teams are unable or unwilling to use it. That is why Siemens placed a strong emphasis on empowering communicators:

• The 5-Step Approach: A clear workflow and consistent methodology provide structure for the entire analytics process.
• Central Platform: An internal hub provides background information, templates, the KPI generator, and practical tips for communicators (“Tame your datamonsters”).
• AI for Explanatory Purposes: AI bots are used to explain complex frameworks (e.g., the Analytics Bot for questions about the framework or Brand Research in 6 languages) and thereby reduce complexity.

From Report to Recommendation Meaningful reporting is crucial at Siemens. It’s always about linking performance data to strategic impact. The results from dashboards and reports serve as the basis for discussions and concrete recommendations for targeted improvements.

• Culture of Dialogue: Communicators are involved in the process from goal-setting through to the derivation of KPIs to ensure that the recommendations are actually implemented.
• Personal Support: Through the “Book Your Analyst” service, teams receive personalized and tailored support.

Conclusion: Perseverance Pays Off The presentation’s motto was: “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ’n’ roll.” The insight shared by Nadin Ernst and Dr. Buchele is clear: Without a plan, standards, processes, and—above all—perseverance, it’s impossible to establish a data-driven strategy. It requires a clear plan (framework), but also the flexibility to respond to sensitivities and act in a solution-oriented manner.

Are you looking for standards for your communications strategy? In the “Data & Insights Experts”interest group, we discussthe best frameworks and standards for data-driven communication. Join us! Here you will find the dates and information about the interest group