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Christoph Horn is senior vice chairman of company communications and advertising and marketing at ZF Group, a worldwide know-how firm supplying techniques for automobiles, industrial autos and industrial know-how, headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
He grew up in Germany, Belgium and america and has labored as a journalist and with numerous corporations together with Common Motors Europe and Adam Opel AG. Previous to ZF, he led worldwide communications and launches at DaimlerChrysler and was head of communications for Mercedes-Benz Automotive manufacturers for a few years.
As a CCO/CMO, what greatest practices are you seeing globally along with your groups?
After the primary yr of COVID we reorganized communications and advertising and marketing at ZF. Sharing greatest practices among the many groups was one driving aspect. One other was to react to de-globalization with a extra resilient group.
Originally of 2022 we began with a brand new organizational setup and a worldwide management workforce that now contains regional leaders from North America and Asia Pacific in addition to divisional leaders from the larger divisions.
Are you able to describe an instance the place native apply and want for nuance may trump how issues are carried out globally? How a lot flexibility do you give native groups?
With the brand new construction, the regional practices are shared on the highest stage within the group. Native groups get all the pliability they want as a result of they’re near the enterprise. There’s much less flexibility with regards to company id/design and model points. That is an space the place we really feel that central governance is required
My shoppers in China rely closely on tremendous app WeChat, growing interactive content material and driving gross sales with intricate, but easy content material that enables for interplay and generally the power to buy objects in-app. Are you able to describe your strategy to WeChat in Asia and are you seeing an equal wherever?
Our workforce in Asia-Pacific expertly makes use of WeChat and different social media channels to tell and work together with totally different stakeholder teams. They faucet into international content material, choose and select after which tailor it to fulfill regional necessities. This content material is then shared with international groups and generally translated to work in company or different regional social media channels.
Are you optimizing international workflow by utilizing time zone variations to your benefit?
Sure, and we additionally ask regional groups to co-lead or lead international actions of their area. In a world with journey restrictions, it doesn’t make a lot sense to run a Shanghai Auto Present venture or a buyer TechDay from (ZF HQ) Friedrichshafen.
Are there cultural moments like holidays that your international groups have actually embraced internally and on social and maybe moments that aren’t so international the place the native workforce has flexibility however content material isn’t shared globally? Do you’ve gotten pointers round how far and huge you acknowledge non secular holidays?
We respect all areas and their holidays however in communication, we give attention to our firm’s values and rules which embrace accountability, anticipation, empowerment, ardour and variety. These are common for ZF‘s workers and join all of us at ZF. In case you are take a look right here.
How a lot content material is your workforce producing and adapting for native markets? Do you’ve gotten an 80:20 rule to maximise effectivity?
We’re a know-how and B2B firm with robust divisions that help us in creating content material for purchasers, media and different stakeholder teams. Most strategic content material comes from the company workforce however the pattern within the divisions — particularly within the electrical Powertrain and industrial automobile divisions — is to contribute increasingly more.
Are there fascinating greatest practices in disaster mitigation that you just’re both taking to markets or studying from them?
Experiences and good concepts are at all times shared. If a disaster has a possible to go international, we take care of it with a disaster workforce that represents all areas of the corporate.
Are some markets extra proof against U.S./HQ efforts to have fun inclusion? How do you handle that?
Isn’t the query whether or not a globally working firm can count on that each one central initiatives are accepted by its groups in every single place on the earth? I suppose you possibly can’t promote range with out respecting cultural variations. That doesn’t imply such initiatives shouldn’t be promoted — it signifies that you might have to simply accept ignorance and push-back and begin to have interaction in a significant dialogue.
Any traits in giving and CSR globally that both you’re sharing with markets which have come from HQ, or that you’re studying from areas/markets?
We have now a worldwide CSR marketing campaign by the title of ZF Helps. It’s centrally orchestrated and the areas can carry their very own actions below its wing. In occasions of disaster, we have now skilled unprecedented solidarity within the ZF group. Our ZF colleagues within the German Ahr Valley had been hit by a devastating flood final yr. ZF and its international groups donated greater than one million Euros to assist and donations got here from so far as China and Japan.
Hale International Communications founder Trevor C. Hale helps corporations and leaders articulate and amplify their tales. Having led international communications for Fortune 100 corporations in APAC, EMEA and the Americas, he now collaborates with shoppers and companies throughout mobility, AI, crypto, management, ESG and luxurious sectors. He’s the 2022 PRSA worldwide meeting delegate.
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