SAP’s Martin Wezowski: with punk rock and respect for customers

In 2017, he was distinguished as one of 100 most innovative minds in Germany. As Chief Designer and Futurist at SAP‘s Chief Innovation Office, Martin Wezowski is responsible for creating future perspectives, strategies and products for the company as well as defining and running its innovation frameworks.

Even today his reputation as a punk rocker precedes him. That’s what he was when he was young—in a band. But what does this have to do with his job today? For him, punk rock and innovation are synonymous. Without having to have a special talent, both punk rock and innovation provide “space to research, be curious and challenge the status quo”. “We can steer our future in the right direction”—that is what Martin Wezowski firmly believes.

“We design a relationship, a behavior and the product will follow.”

We spoke with Martin about the relevance that companies should use to build a relationship with their potential customers. Data is the foundation of it all. Based on this, information can be collected and products or services can be developed.

His opinion is that people don’t just want to be stupidly informed. They want to have knowledge imparted to them. Absorbing the know-how of others is what makes us feel wise and educated. It’s not just about gaining information. Martin Wezowski is convinced that this could be translated into the market system.

A product or feature can be exceptional. But in order to be bought, it has to do more than that. It has to generate emotions! True to the motto: Transform your product into a service and create a relationship between the customer and the product. “Think about every product or service you love or don’t, you have an immediate emotional response to that. Which means that it triggered something, you have a relationship you maybe come back, like you do to a discussion, to a topic, to a friend, to a party, to a venue, you have a relationship with that place,” explains Martin Wezowski.

For him it is about shaping relationships and investing in the behavior that makes up the relationship. The next step consists of determining how the product works and how it can be monetized. Ultimately, however, relevance key and thus the pinnacle of success. In the end, people only really take notice of things that are interesting and relevant to them. To be successful as a marketer, you have to interact co-actively. According to Martin, there are two key factors to carving out a position in the market. First, get to know the potential customers. Second, respect the potential customers. “And when we do it well, we’re relevant, we build a relationship.”

DMEXCO Podcast

In our podcast episode, you’ll learn more about how marketers should add value and emotion to their products. In the interview with Katja, Martin talks about successful examples, his own experience and the need for every successful company to achieve justifiable relevance in ten years’ time.