Together we build the best! Findings on the EMEA Partner Marketing Academy 2013 - Berlin

This is a guest blog post. Views expressed in this post are original thoughts posted by Ellen Le Beer, Marketing Manager at Securelink.

Despite the unreasonable hour I had to get up , I was excited to be in Berlin! I like Berlin; the transformation the city went through is remarkable. The city is breathing freshness. Combined with its rich and extraordinary history it’s the perfect inspiring scene for the first Juniper Networks EMEA Marketing Academy. I arrived at the nhow hotel; a Barbie Walhalla so it seems (since everything is pink in here!).

The Juniper Networks crew did a great job in putting together a very interesting program. Lutz Klaus - the perfect host for the Marketing Academy - set the ball rolling and reminded us of the main goal of our gathering: Let’s get to know each other and create a platform to exchange ideas! 

Natalie Horne of PrimeDecision was the first speaker introduced by Lutz. As marketers we are all interested in what drives behavior and how the decision making progress works in people’s minds. Natalie provided us with an introduction in behaviour-centric marketing strategy, since it is the context that determines the perception of a product, solution or brand.

Martina Kreisch’s (MK-Impulse) presentation on Neural Communication relates to the buyers’ behaviour as well. By emotional selling and the use of positive messages, you can improve your sales numbers!  Positive emotions attract people, negative emotions cause stress. Good emotions are rare, and that is why they work!

To give an example: using the words ‘secure’ or ‘chance’ in your communication, will have higher impact than the word ‘risk’.

Next up was Dave Silke, Paul Gainham and Lutz Klaus, the Juniper Networks marketing gurus, talked about Juniper’s perspectives on 2014 and market trends and opportunities. A couple of focus areas were discussed: first one was Software Defined Networking (SDN). SDN implies a fundamental change for the market upcoming years, since the use of apps are becoming more and more relevant for all kind of users. 2014 will be a period of awareness and introduction.

Secondly, data centers remain a Juniper Networks focus area. Today, already 60% of the data centers are already virtualized and cloud investments are still rising significantly! Three differentiators to provide customers the strategic option to move to the cloud: it has to be simple, smart and open.

Also the growth in mobility investments can’t be ignored! Mobility will drive the infrastructure, which means there is a huge opportunity for us. Related to the mobility theme, Gartner predicts a growth in the WLAN market of more than 20%.

Of course Juniper will continue to focus on their security expertise as well. All these key technologies are defined to deliver our customers what we promise them: a safe and high performing network.

Next up was is Paul Trotter of IDG Communications, presenting his findings of the Customer Engagement Study performed by IDG. As marketers we need to have a content marketing strategy in place. Content needs to fit the audience and the device. In practice this means we should less focus on our brand and more on our role as ‘trusted advisor’.

Luanne Tierney, Juniper Networks VP Global Partner Marketing, closed the official program of day one of the Marketing Academy.  She explained the positive effects of Social Selling. Please send me a copy of the Aberdeen Study, so I can rub it in the face of our sales force. ;-)  Luanne also challenged us, marketers, by  announcing a marketing incentive. I gladly accepted this challenge!

And now we’re all feeling Juniperized… time for the real ‘networking’ stuff: informal conversations and a delicious dinner!

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