We know that in order to succeed, businesses must evolve. However, business evolution is especially challenging when organisations are transcontinental in their operations, as is the case with food and pet care retailer Mars Wrigley (Mars). Respected across the world as a leading brand in food and pet care, Mars has evolved an extensive and sophisticated customer supply chain and manufacturing capability and is continually looking for ways to deliver customer value and efficiencies. By embracing a data-led change and highlighting the importance of data in decision making, Mars has been able to identify improvements and operations that are truly global in their reach.
In an era where adoption of the latest tools and investment in the most recent technological solutions can mean the difference between beating the competition or floundering in the wake of others, Mars has demonstrated that the power of data can be leveraged to achieve success, competitive advantage and make a real difference.
The data leadership team at Mars takes a pragmatic and proactive approach to examining and identifying issues across the business and then implementing a range of solutions to deliver value such as by rectifying bottlenecks that arise. In addition to investing in leading platform technology such as from Databricks, through focusing on building a strong data culture with the use of storytelling, and a steady stream of data literacy education, Mars has rapidly advanced its data capabilities and improved the standing of data in the business.
DataIQ has been provided a unique insight into the data transformation journey at Mars – one of its global members – through talking to Deepak Jose, global head of one demand data and analytics (ODDA) solutions, and No. 4 in the DataIQ 100 USA 2023. We hope the learnings from this case study will greatly benefit data leaders in businesses of all sizes and specialisms.
Mars is a world-leading manufacturer of food and pet care with its products impacting millions of people and animals daily for more than a century across the globe, and the scope of this has been made possible through the power of data. The data being used by teams at Mars have kept the business at the front of the international food market for decades and is set to continue expanding the overall market share and customer offerings.
The leadership team at Mars is very aware of its impacts on the planet as a global business that leaves a footprint, which is why the organisational purpose has become ‘the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today’. Through the utilisation of data, Mars is creating a superior vision of its business operations and day-to-day dealings – from the sale of single chocolate bars to vast intercontinental supply chains. By leading the charge for change, Mars is setting the benchmark of how global businesses conduct themselves and evolve with changing customer needs.
Mars wants to achieve the highest possible level of customer service to keep ahead of competitors and to maintain a business focus on the customer, not just calculating success by metrics associated with profit. Through its One Demand solution – a data and analytics function at the centre of Mars’s approach to data-driven performance – the data team at Mars has been able to build data products with a focus on holistic and integrated analytics that are supported by domain expertise.
“By embracing data-led decision-making, we are moving away from a cost-centre mindset to a profit-centre mindset,” said Deepak Jose, global head of one demand data and analytics (ODDA) solutions, Mars. “We are determined to focus on the bigger business goals and ambitions while simultaneously improving the way our global operations interact with the environment and our customers.”
When describing how the issues faced by Mars were to be tackled, Jose stated that “We start with the business problem first, and a data and tech second mindset. We believe if you have a decision map mindset, you will be able to drive the biggest value for the organisation.”
The way that Mars is examining itself has been to break down data silos and leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to heighten decision-making. It has been broken down as follows:
Through this approach, the data team at Mars has been able to develop an integrated customer journey for its omnichannel operations that continue to improve customer offerings and fuel business growth.
Deepak Jose was listed as number four in the 2023 DataIQ 100 USA list: the only fully curated power list of the most influential data and analytics practitioners. Jose was awarded this distinction for his contribution to improvements in the data and analytics industry, his participation in driving forward to standing of the data office in organisations and for his unwavering support of data-driven innovations. Since 2014, DataIQ has been tracking the rise of chief data officers, chief analytics officers, data scientists, data governance experts and the leaders of key vendors and service providers. Inclusion in the DataIQ 100 is a notable badge of honour that is widely referenced by the individuals who make the cut.
One of the unique aspects of Mars is that it remains a family-owned business with an emphasis on cross-generational markets. There are legacy customers enjoying classic products as well as the opportunity to reach new customers through different brands in multiple different markets.
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