On September 26, we held our latest SEED Alumni Club event, with Tamás Schenk, Partner at Deloitte Hungary, serving as the host. The event, titled “If Data is the New Oil, How Can You Run Your ‘Marketing Car’? Hyperpersonalisation and Customer Value Management”, provided a platform for SEED alumni to discuss the evolving role of data in marketing.

The SEED Alumni Club continues to be a cornerstone for building a strong, interconnected community of SEED graduates, offering networking opportunities and discussions that support professional growth. This session featured expert presentations, followed by small group discussions on key topics like Segmentation, Campaigning, Personalization, and the use of Generative AI (GenAI) in business.

Key Takeaways from the event:

• Maciej Dakowicz, Partner Associate at Deloitte Digital Polska, opened the session with a presentation that underscored the importance of hyperpersonalisation in today’s marketing strategies. He highlighted that 84% of consumers value being treated as individuals, rather than as just a number, when deciding whether to do business with a brand. Despite this, many organizations are still struggling to implement effective personalization strategies.
   
  Maciej noted that while the hype around personalization has matured, brands are still facing significant challenges in execution. With the increase in personalization budgets by 29% compared to 2023, brands are looking to close the gap between customer strategy and actual user experience. He emphasized that companies that actively use personalization are not only improving customer loyalty but also seeing tangible business results, such as a 48% higher likelihood of exceeding revenue targets.

• Following Maciej’s insights, Péter Prokop, Director of Transformation and Customer Management at UNIQA, shared use cases from the insurance industry, focusing on the practical challenges and lessons learned in developing personalized solutions.
   
  He stressed that many companies make the mistake of focusing too much on the problem rather than crafting customer-centered solutions. Péter emphasized the importance of UX testing and the quick introduction of minimum viable products (MVPs) to measure success and adjust business processes accordingly. He also touched on how UNIQA has leveraged automation and personalization to improve customer experiences, especially in claims processing, an area where customer satisfaction is often low. Additionally, he highlighted the critical role of fraud monitoring in the successful deployment of personalized solutions, particularly in complex insurance products.

In the second half of the event, small group discussions focused on Segmentation, Campaigning, Personalisation, and the application of Generative AI (GenAI) in customer management. These discussions allowed participants to explore strategies for collecting and utilizing data to create effective campaigns, as well as how to measure customer value in personalized marketing. The small group discussions on GenAI focused on potential applications of AI in enhancing customer experiences and their expectations on the effect of GenAI on corporate operation.

• To conclude the event, Gergő Barta, Senior Manager at Deloitte Hungary, presented an overview of the upcoming EU AI Act, which will be the first comprehensive regulation on artificial intelligence. He explained that the AI Act focuses on ensuring that AI systems used in the EU are safe and comply with fundamental rights.
   
  The regulation, which is expected to come into effect in 2027, introduces a classification of AI systems based on their potential risks. High-risk AI systems, such as those used in recruitment or credit assessment, will face stricter controls, with non-compliance potentially leading to fines of up to EUR 35 million or 7% of global revenue. Gergő emphasized that organizations must prepare for these regulatory changes now to ensure their AI technologies are compliant and trustworthy​.