Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® – Episode #760
Nestle's Daniel Damasio on successful marketing transformation that is both global and local
Recorded at Treasure Data's CDP World, Las Vegas | October 31, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Greg Kihlström sits down with Daniel Damasio, Senior CRM Analyst at Nestle, to delve deep into the challenges and strategies of marketing transformation at a global company. Live from CDP World, they explore how Nestle balances brand consistency with local personalization, leverages intelligent customer data platforms (CDP), and builds customer lifetime value through digitalization and agile processes. The conversation is rich with insights on operational efficiency, data strategy, cross-market collaboration, and actionable advice for other global brands.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Complexity of Managing Global and Local Brands
[03:10 – 04:49]
- Nestle as a House of Brands: With products ranging from KitKat to Purina, each brand needs a unique approach but must also contribute to the larger Nestle mission.
- CRM’s Role: Daniel’s team crafts strategies and communications to engage customers across different products, ensuring that each brand’s messaging resonates but also aligns with Nestle’s overarching values.
"We need to make sure that everything stands together, even though they have their own particularities... Our job is to transform strategies into something customers can actually feel."
— Daniel Damasio [03:46]
2. The Case for Continual Digital Investment
[05:34 – 07:10]
- Ongoing Advocacy: Digital transformation isn’t a one-off—Daniel emphasizes that “the business case is always there,” with ongoing needs to justify investment in platforms like CDP and Salesforce.
- Alignment with Strategic Shifts: Strategies adapt as Nestle’s global priorities shift every few years, requiring constant alignment and innovation from local teams.
"It's not just one final exam at the end of the semester... every quarter, every half a year, every year, we have to defend that digitalization is happening and providing enough value."
— Daniel Damasio [06:25]
3. The Intelligent CDP: Technology and Human Collaboration
[07:12 – 09:25]
- What Makes a CDP “Intelligent”? While technology like AI is essential, Daniel insists that human strategy is critical:
- Teams must be skilled, understand company vision, and ensure that technology is applied strategically.
- Unified Data Activation: A truly intelligent CDP is as much about ‘the brain’—human and machine intelligence together—as it is about technical capabilities.
"For me, the intelligent CDP is the brain behind the power—everybody is thinking about the system and using the tool intelligently."
— Daniel Damasio [08:24]
4. Empowering Local Teams Within Centralized Governance
[09:25 – 12:11]
- Decentralized Execution, Centralized Strategy: Each market, whether Brazil, Mexico, or Asia, has unique needs and strategies. Local teams use global platforms but adapt to cultural contexts.
- Continuous Knowledge Sharing: Regular information exchange across regions ensures best practices and learnings are shared, fostering a “global hive mind.”
- Agility in Practice: Nestle’s motto, "Together we make Nestle," encapsulates balancing autonomy and unity.
"We have to make sure we're bringing personalization to every country... sharing information so that what we’re doing is something that is working or not working, and what can we learn from each other's mistakes."
— Daniel Damasio [11:28]
5. Measuring Success: KPIs That Drive Both Value and Efficiency
[12:11 – 14:26]
- Balanced Metrics: Beyond open and click rates, the focus is on tying engagement to customer lifetime value and efficiency (including cost reduction).
- Operational and Strategic KPIs: Efforts track both direct revenue and long-term brand equity, ensuring a holistic view of customer relationships.
"It's not always about opening rates, click rates... It's about how this correlates to more efficiency, to lifetime value, or other metrics to ensure customer loyalty and reactivation."
— Daniel Damasio [13:37]
6. Top Advice for Other Global Brands
[14:48 – 16:51]
- Vision and Purpose: Brands need a long-term goal (“vision”) and a strong motivation to create real customer value (“purpose”).
- Consistency Through Action: Consistent execution aligned with purpose fosters customer trust and true digital transformation.
- Start Small: Daniel champions taking small, consistent steps and “taking the first step” as the key to long-term success.
"Have a vision, but always take the first step. If you not start the journey, you will not end it."
— Daniel Damasio [16:37]
7. The Next Frontier: Continuous Innovation & AI
[17:08 – 18:25]
- Growth Mindset: The CRM team is driven by testing new tools, learning from mistakes, and breaking through performance plateaus.
- Increased AI Adoption: Continued integration of AI and advanced technologies is central to further personalization and efficiency.
"The next step is always to adopt new technologies, new perspectives, trying to learn... bringing everything together and creating unity."
— Daniel Damasio [18:17]
8. Conference Highlights & Personal Motivation
[18:26 – 21:52]
- Learning from Peers: Daniel highlights learning from keynotes and other brands as a conference highlight—what keeps him “on edge” and humble.
- Staying Agile: Frequent cross-team collaboration, an MVP (minimum viable product) mentality, and celebrating small wins keep the team nimble and motivated.
- Purposeful Connection: “Business is always to connect”—internal transparency and open communication are recurring drivers for agility and adaptability.
"If we break down these big projects into very small pieces, you can stay agile because there's like a dopamine type of reward involved... the wheel is in motion."
— Daniel Damasio [21:22]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the real role of CDPs:
"It's the brain behind the power."
[08:24 – Daniel Damasio] -
On balancing global and local:
"Together we make Nestle."
[10:14 – Daniel Damasio] -
On transformation:
"The business case is always there. Digitalization is something you justify over and over."
[06:25 – Daniel Damasio] -
On advice to others:
"Have vision and have purpose, and always take the first step."
[16:37 – Daniel Damasio] -
On agility:
"Business is always to connect... If we break down big projects into small pieces, everyone stays agile."
[21:22 – Daniel Damasio]
Timestamped Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment/Summary | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:08 | Episode theme: Is global brand strategy still an asset with hyperlocal demands? | | 02:05–03:10 | Daniel Damasio’s background and role at Nestle | | 03:10–04:49 | The challenge of managing differentiated brands globally | | 05:34–07:10 | Necessity of ongoing digital investment and strategy alignment | | 07:12–09:25 | Defining an “intelligent CDP” – human and AI collaboration | | 09:25–12:11 | Empowering local teams, continuous knowledge sharing, balancing governance | | 12:11–14:26 | Measuring success: short-term KPIs vs. long-term business value | | 14:48–16:51 | Daniel’s advice: Vision, purpose, consistency, and starting small | | 17:08–18:25 | Future plans: Embracing new technologies and AI | | 18:26–21:52 | Conference experiences, staying agile, motivational strategies |
Summary
This episode offers a high-level yet practical look at how Nestle harmonizes global brand unity with local relevance, powered by both technology and human collaboration. Daniel Damasio makes it clear that agility is achieved not just through tech investments, but through culture, vision, and deliberate cross-market sharing. The emphasis on continuous improvement, the value of connecting with peers, and actionable advice for transformation make this essential listening for any enterprise marketing leader navigating globalization, digital transformation, or customer-centricity.