Digital marketing presents a large opportunity for the chemical sectors. Building Blocks work with a number of global organisations in this industry, and have found that the complexity of these businesses creates a number of unique challenges when using digital communications. However, with the challenges come opportunities. In this whitepaper and supporting slide deck, we’ve identified eight of the key challenges faced by these industries, that we’ve helped tackle over the past few years.

1. Building Blocks

2. By 2030, the global chemicals industry is predicted to be worth
approximately US$5.9 trillion.
Three main forces will drive the competitive market:
• changes in competition
• value networks moving east
• increasing economic volatility
Competition to retain market share across the entire chemicals sector
is intensifying as a result of:
• The rise of players in emerging markets producing competitive
products.
• Demand to find innovative new products to meet market
drivers.
Digital marketing presents a large opportunity for the chemical
sectors, but the complexity of these businesses creates a
number of unique challenges…

3. Communicating
expertise & practical
application of products
• Industry jargon and scientific
language - challenge to create an
engaging online experience.
• In-house subject matter experts (SMEs)
have unrivalled wisdom about how to
tackle your customers’ problems.
• Use digital channels to explain how and
why products should be used.
• Share real-life examples of how to apply
your products to achieve specific goals.
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We recommend
• Product applications
Build website structure around the
applications of your products.
• Personalisation
Consider your customers’ challenges
and present relevant content.
• Lead with outcomes
Build navigation via the outcomes of
implementing your products/services.
• Use interactive tools
e.g. product/solution finders and
cost efficiency calculators.
• Use your Subject Matter Experts
They hold the source of the most
valuable content for your website
visitors.

4. Balancing global
consistency with
local needs
• The same products are not always
available in every market.
• Products may use different brand
names for different markets.
• The same chemical may be available
in multiple markets, but be used for
different applications.
• A single product may have to display
different descriptions and warnings,
depending on the regulations in each
region.
• Marketing messages can vary
depending on localised issues, such
as climate.
2
• Global operating model
This can affect the design & technical
decisions, so must be considered early-on.
• Appoint digital champions
Pair digitally mature markets with those
less so, to mentor and share knowledge.
• Create an exemplar website
A good practice CMS site which local
web managers can copy from
• Pre-build website elements
Have clear and usable front end
design systems and pattern libraries.
• Consider economies of scale
Investigate how internal budgets
can be made to go further by
applying economies of scale.
We recommend

5. Regulatory compliance
• Incorrect MSDS and label information
on a website can cause a number of
compliance issues.
• MSDS and labels are normally created
at the point of manufacture, by
colleagues unaware of how it will be
marketed.
• Often created in different languages,
leading to translation issues.
• Components may be created in
different plants and counties – these
need to be made consistent.
3
Core principles of digital content
management and technology tools would
facilitate the management of this complex
content.
When planning a new (or upgraded) CMS,
pay specific attention to the requirements
of the ‘nuts and bolts’ functions:
• Componentization
• Usage Analysis Reports
• Version Control
• Content Workflow
• Notifications
• Audit Trails
• Translation and Localisation
Your CMS platform will not be
fit for purpose unless it has
strong, customisable abilities in
these key areas
We recommend

6. Showcasing innovation
and sustainability
Include information about:
• interesting applications of products
• innovative processes or methods
• environmental initiatives that the
business is driving
• Clarify the purpose and mission of the
company in its entirety, and from a global
perspective.
• Highlight the company’s unique selling
points, and reflect the areas that set it apart
from the competition.
• Highlighting your sustainability and
environmental policies can help with
employee retention and recruitment.
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• A section on your website dedicated to
information about your sustainability and
environmental policies.
• For agrochemcials businesses, videos of
how your products are helping sustain
communities in emerging markets.
• Visual representation, such as
infographics, of how your organisation
off-sets its environmental impact, or how
your products are eco-friendly.
• Demonstrate the environmental
benefits, such as Co2 savings, of
your products or processes with an
online calculation tool.
We recommend

7. Repurposing data from
existing internal systems
• Multiple internal databases and
disparate versions of marketing
collateral result in consistency, version
control and workflow errors.
• Databases need to be centralised and
exposed, with interfaces added to
enable the data to be monitored and
used.
• ERP systems can be integrated with
digital and marketing tools to enable
the consolidation and effective sharing
of information.
• Consider where data should live (e.g.
pricing info shouldn’t be in a CMS, but
still needs to be accessible by
marketing teams).
5
• Master Data Management (MDM)
comprising of one or more systems
that contain the definitive information.
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
enables multiple systems within a network to
cooperate with each other.
• Application Programming Interface
(API) enables integration of new features
into existing applications, or share data
between otherwise distinct applications.
• Content Management System
(CMS) marketing-led content can be
stored and managed in a centralised
CMS system.
• Digital Asset Management
(DAM) can act as a centralised
library of images, MSDS and label
information.
We recommend

8. Targeting multiple
types of customers
End-User vs. Reseller & Distribution
Channels
• Educate resellers and distributors
about the benefits of your products,
how and when they should be used.
• Provide them with useful resources
they can share with their customers.
• Educate end-users about how to get
better results and improve efficiency,
whilst subtly promoting your products.
• Providing added-value content will
make end-users more likely to ask
suppliers specifically for your products.
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• Understand the challenges faced by
your different customer types –
design digital plans around these
challenges.
Vertical Markets
• Tailoring and displaying relevant
information for specific challenges
will pay dividends.
• Buying cycles can be hard to
stipulate, but providing the right
information to address sales
barriers, at the right time, is key.

9. Rise of the
developing nations
• Developing markets, particularly
Brazil, China and India, are critically
important to organisations in the
chemical sector.
• These markets pose additional
complications for digital plans to
consider.
7 Challenges
• Finding common conventions that enable
website design fit for complex languages.
Example: Reuters Market Light
uses SMS to send information on
crop prices, weather conditions and
general farming tips.
It claims to have 1 million users
across 50,000 villages in India.
• Maturity of the market’s digital infrastructure,
internet connectivity, speed and penetration.
• Varying user digital maturity and
uptake/usage of internet-enable devices.
• Different markets will utilise email, SMS
and social media in different ways.
• Translation and localisation.
• Literacy levels can be lower in
developing nations. Consider using
videos, images and graphics to
communicate complex subjects and
explain all acronyms/technical jargon.

10. Handling acquisitions
Companies with complementary or
competing products and services are
often merged into existing organisations
Pre-integration, each acquired company will
have a set of ‘unknowns’:
• What systems do they currently use?
• How will these systems integrate with the
parent company’s?
• What is the acquired company’s
branding?
• Will the acquisition impact the company
name?
While it is hard to plan for how to integrate,
considering potential scenarios is beneficial.
8
If your CEO announced an acquisition
tomorrow, and told you their offering
needed to be integrated into your digital
infrastructure within seven days, where
would you start?
Even if, after careful thought, it isn’t
possible, if you have planned for such a
scenario, you will already have the
rationale on why it can’t be achieved and
what the alternatives are.
Scenarios will help you to set realistic
expectations, help steer the flexibility
of your digital infrastructure, and will
save you time and costs in the long
run.
Consider this…

11. Building Blocks’ client Adama, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of crop protection solutions,
recently undertook a global project across over 45 operating markets to bring all subsidiaries together
under one new brand, with centralised digital management.
Adama Agricultural Solutions Ltd
Case Study
The challenge
• +45 markets, +40 brand names, 00’s
products.
• Disjointed brand messaging.
• Different CMS used in each market.
• Differing digital maturity levels.
• 18 month project, with 3 month
window for website build and rollout.
3 month result
• Governance, processes
and digital operating
model.
• Digital infrastructure
designed and built.
• Centralised global
content management
system.
• Coded a mobile-first,
touch responsive
website design.
• Hosted in the cloud
and served by geo-
redundant datacentres
• Training delivered to
content editors, from
across the world.
Within six months,
Building Blocks helped to
design, build, train and
rollout Adama’s new global
websites to 18 markets…

12. Free Whitepaper
Tackling 8 Digital Challenges of the Agrochemcial,
Industrial and Speciality Chemicals Sector
Find out how to:
• Communicate expertise, knowledge and practical application of
your products
• Balance global consistency with local needs
• Tackle regulatory compliance
• Showcase innovation and sustainability
• Repurpose data from existing internal systems
• Target multiple types of customer
• Make digital work for you in the developing nations
• Handle company acquisitions
building-blocks.com
Download Whitepaper

13. We build digital capabilities for global organisations to help them get closer to
their customers.
We work with clients to identify digital opportunities that will increase revenues,
develop relationships and improve efficiencies
Our creative, technical and operational expertise then put those opportunities
into practice - rapidly, reliably and at scale.
Founded in May 2007 by Jonathan Whiteside and Andy Iddon, Building Blocks
has offices in Manchester UK and San Francisco USA, employing over 70
people.
CONTACT US
Manchester
T: +44 (0)161 441 0600
E: hello@building-blocks.com
San Francisco
T: +1 (415)-361-5648
E: hello@building-blocks.com
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