Embracing the Experience Economy with the SAP Innovation Awards 2019

Over its 47-year history, SAP has established itself as one of the top technology companies on the planet. In fact, in one way or another, SAP products and solutions touch 77 percent of global transactions. This level of sustained growth is in part due to the solutions and processes we’ve pioneered.

At its core, however, SAP has continued its success because of our deep commitment to seeing our customers thrive. Their ability to achieve their goals and drive better business outcomes through our solutions is a core metric for our brand and for me personally as a marketer.

In this spirit, we concluded our 6^th annual SAP Innovation Awards, to showcase the diverse and innovative ways our customers are using SAP solutions. As the executive sponsor of the 2019 awards, it has been an incredible journey, reviewing stories of how organizations are improving the lives of people around the world, driving innovation, and transforming their businesses.

That said, one thing that has specifically resonated for me is how these Intelligent Enterprises are leveraging SAP technology to adapt to dynamic customer needs in the Experience Economy. In an environment where the relationship between brands and customers is more valuable than product or price alone, finding innovative ways to enhance every touchpoint with your brand is mission critical.

In this regard, after reviewing the submissions and applicants, here are a few that got me excited about the future of the Intelligent Enterprise:

• letuno – En”light”ening Customer Lives… One Bulb at a Time! This submission by letuno® powered by SAP Cloud Platform features an innovative solution which transforms light fixtures into critical sources of data. As people walk past these smart fixtures, customers gain valuable insights that can be leveraged for informational and promotional material.
• Red Bull – Energizing the Brand Through Enterprise-Ready Cloud Analytics. As one of the top energy drink vendors in the world, Red Bull needs current, actionable insight to stay ahead of emerging trends and customer expectations. In a co-innovation project with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Red Bull helped developed an enterprise-grade analytics and reporting solution. SAP Analytics Cloud helps Red Bull optimize operations, gain a better understanding of how its markets develop, and implement measures to drive outcomes.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Innovating to Improve Life on Campus – Taking Business Solutions Mobile with SAP Cloud Platform. Becoming an Intelligent Enterprise isn’t limited to just businesses. As a 23-year SAP customer, it was time for MIT to upgrade their solutions to better meet the needs of their students, faculty, and institution as a whole. This included the deployment of recent SAP acquisition Qualtrics, to provide greater insight into student “experience data” and improve their satisfaction with the university experience.
• Bumble Bee Seafoods – Ocean-to-Table Blockchain. Transparency in the supply chain is an important issue for most brands, but especially when you’re sourcing fresh fish for consumers. Leveraging SAP Leonardo’s blockchain technology, Bumble Bee Seafoods has increased the accountability of its supply chain partners to ensure sustainable fishing practices for environmental protection.

I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the 2019 SAP Innovations Awards and extend a heartfelt congratulations to all of our winners! We can’t wait to celebrate and recognize their success at SAPPHIRE NOW, happening May 7-9 in Orlando, Florida.