Data Governance Takes Center Stage at Crownpeak Empower London 2018
With the coming of GDPR, how will data privacy regulations affect customer experience?
On Tuesday, April 17th, as the sun rose over London, Crownpeak opened the doors for Empower UK 2018, an event at the OXO2, just a stone’s throw from the iconic London Eye. The topic was broad but the content was on point: with the coming of GDPR, the EU’s new data-privacy regulations, how do you govern your digital presence in 2018?
With governance, there are typically two groups of people: those that dictate, and those that enable. It’s fair to say that Crownpeak and its speakers fit in the latter category.
After a warm welcome from Crownpeak’s CCO Craig Solberg and VP of Marketing Stewart Maurer, the scene was set. The reality is that we’re facing a perpetually evolving market, and when consumers change their habits, brands need to do the same. That said, with rapid change comes inconsistency – and inconsistency is a problem with customer experience.
Simon Webb, left, and James Huckle deliver their presentation on designing for data governance
In the first of many breakout sessions, Fahd Shaaban, Senior Director of Advanced Solutions at Crownpeak, showed us how their Digital Quality Management (DQM) platform empowered web content teams. With neat prompts and customizable views, Fahd showed the audience how a framework can keep a team working in unison and promote cohesive design and robust SEO.
It wasn’t long before the Cambridge Analytica scandal and GDPR became the flavor of the day in a menu packed with governance topics. Adrian Newby, Crownpeak CTO, was the first to get political with his introduction to GDPR, giving examples of sites that won’t be compliant and ones that will. This topic was amplified in the keynote by Tim Walters, Co-Founder of Digital Clarity Group, who reported on the new law’s imminent impact on customer experience.
“GDPR is the only way to enforce a better customer experience,” said Walters.
It was refreshing to hear someone speak confidently and positively about a topic that has many in our industry shaking with fear. “You will be customer-centric,” said Tim; there isn’t a GDPR checklist, but the companies who follow the principles and handle customer data responsibly will beat the competition.
From left to right, Mirum's Chris Cook, Matt Webb, Simon Webb & James Huckle at Crownpeak Empower 2018
With the politics wrapped up, it was time for the clients and sponsors to have their say on governance. First up was Emanuela Tasinato from Toyota, who explained the difficulty in managing local markets and how adding uncompromising process creates quality. Next up was Mirum’s very own Simon Webb, Global ECD, and James Huckle, Head of Technology, who shared their take on design systems and their role within governance. Design sets the tone, Simon explained, and using the Atomic Design Methodology it’s possible to create a pattern that sets a direction and subsequently governs a consistent style.
With this approach, suddenly a template consisting of commonly used “atoms” creates an intelligently presented brand that becomes more than meets the eye. It’s a governance of design options, but flexible enough to enable creativity. It doesn’t feel like governance – it feels like great branding.
Throughout the day, it was great to hear about the progress Crownpeak is making and to see what’s coming next from their product roadmap. As event sponsors, it was also a proud moment for the Mirum team, and we’re happy to be working with an innovator like Crownpeak.
We’re looking forward to the next event!
Dominik Kondziela is Marketing Manager, Mirum London
