Johann Freilinger

Head of Marketing and Communications

SAP XM

Johann Freilinger has spent the last year immersed in those issues that represent the most fundamental changes now occurring in marketing—from recognizing how relevant real-time data can enhance the personalization of messages to solving concerns about transparency to understanding what drives cultures of innovation.

Freilinger believes, "In a connected world, every company is fast becoming a technology company. Consequently, winning brands in a digital economy are those that learn to derive actionable insights from big data, while thinking and responding in real-time and concentrating on business outcomes." This, for him, is the new tipping point of marketing, and he admits that the industry has a huge task ahead to deliver the kind of data-driven marketing that ultimately creates a significant difference to an individual customer.

SAP, of course, is a market leader in enterprise application software which helps organizations and their people to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Seventy percent of the world's transactions touch SAP systems. And SAP customers represent 98% of the world's most valuable brands.

Johann Freilinger head marketing and communications for the company's new SAP XM unit is challenging existing industry models by applying real-time technology powered by SAP HANA cloud in-memory technology to achieve transparency, accuracy and efficiency through a new premium media exchange. SAP has recognized that the issues at the heart of programmatic media buying apply to every SAP customer.

He also advocates that programmatic buying will play an important role in the transformation of business as it strives to achieve true customer relevance with an individualization of messaging tied to customer needs—especially as more companies understand the value of integrating processes across marketing, sales, analytics, customer service, digital commerce and finance.

Johann Freilinger is a marketing and communications executive with strong discovery and delivery skills. With an entrepreneurial mindset, he became an Innovator in digital marketing and transformation that is related to big data, analytics, mobile and digital networks. He has acquired a depth of knowledge across all disciplines of marketing and communication, with a track record in innovative global marketing and leadership of multicultural teams. He has lived and worked in Germany and the US.