SAP : A Company Transforms

Itself Through Social Media

Group 9
What is Web 2.0?

 Web 2.0 is commonly associated with web

applications that facilitate interaction over WWW


 Information sharing
 Interoperability
 User-centered Design
 Collaboration
Web 2.0 services:
 Social networks (Youtube, Facebook, Orkut)
 Web-based applications (Google docs, TimeTracker)
 Wikis (wikipedia)
 Blogs, photologs or podcasts (blogger)
 News promotion systems (digg, meneame)
 Content managers (netvibes, del.icio.us, cannotea,
refworks)
 Communication tools (basecamp, zohoproject, meebo)
 Suscription systems (bloglines, RSS Feed)
 Searchers based on tags (flickr, technorati)
 ….
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT ? Moving from ‘Top­Down’ to 
‘Bottom – Up’ Approach
Differences in Customer 
§Source of Inspiration: Executives
Interaction §Key Business Drivers: Existing assets, products, and po
Britannica 
Online §Customer Involvement: Structured
Double Click
§Tools: Survey, focus groups, storyboards Web 
Press Release
Page Views 1.0
Picasa §Bottom Line: Publishing/ pushing content and knowledg

Superbowl  Personal 
Ads Websites
time

time
§Source of Inspiration: Users
Wikipedia Google 
§Key Business Drivers: Observations of customer nee
AdSense Web 
Flickr Cost per click
§Customer Involvement: Spontaneous 2.0
Web 
Wikis Blogging 
§Tools: Search, blogs, smart POS, and intranets
2.0
Corporate  Folksonomy
§Bottom Line: Harnessing of collective intelligence
Blogs
 SAP : A Company Transforms Itself Using Social Media

Demonstrates how a company
can create a social networking platform that not only achieves
its tactical goals of pushing company content to its target audience,
but also broader, strategic purposes aligned with the
company’s corporate profile and brand.
Case overview

SAP was the third largest software company in 2002
Wanted to transform to a Platform Company

Key Implications
Opening its platform to the outside world
Non SAP developers would work on it to solve their 
business needs
Creation of a self sustainable interactive community
Global collaboration
Aim to develop a SAP Developer Network
Solution Strategy

 Platform to enable the proliferation of the technology

 NetWeaver is the SAP foundation for Enterprise SOA
 Designed for flexibility
 Solutions: blogger, wiki, discussion forum etc

Evolution of SDN
 Initially Now
Marketing Specific marketing Integral part of sales
manager engagement
Discussion Forum Web page Format Collaborative posts

Active contributors Employees 60% non-

to blogs employees(including 
c usto me rs, 
c o nsultants, and 
o the r o pinio n
Le ade rs)

Wikis fo r me mbe r c ultivatio n


BPX – a second network
 Natural extension of the Industry Value Networks (IVN)
ecosystems
 IVN community is allowed open access to NetWeaver and
to SAP applications
 Less technical topics
 Common features:
 Transparent and searchable
 Users can subscribe and obtain RSS feeds
 All the content is accessible to social bookmarking sites
 Offered in four languages
 The Future: online meetings and flash video

Community Management: Maintaining and Enriching the User Experience

As part of corporate sites, SDN and BPX do present  “good stuff above the fold”

Voluntary Blogging : relationship monitored by SAP community network staff

Key to success and growth of SDN – Novel awards program
 User obtains points by 

Providing answers to network questions
Publishing blogs
Conducting online demos

 Brings in rewards in terms of Online recognition at TechED and SAPPHIRE
 Measures of Success
Parameter 2004 2006

SDN Membership 3,40,000 members 7,50,000 members

BPX Membership 0 100,000 members

Page Views 20 Million 75 Million

Active Contributors 740 3000

Unique Monthly 100,000 550,000

Visitors
Member Satisfaction2.41 / 5 4.24/5
Revenue Generation through Premium Content and “Presence Packs”

Premium Access Zone (PAZ) 
program
Offers premium content
Conference video downloads
PowerPoint presentations

Powerful NetWeaver platform and MaxDB database exploits web capabilities by offering
Business Lounge (adds areas of interest and 
growth)
Newsletters
RSS feeds
Alerts (by subject area)
Presence Pack – creative use of online network ; customizable package of 
Banner advertising
Virtual and actual events
White papers in online library
Targeted banners
Downloads for Premium access users

Packages developed with help of Business Dev managers, part of community Network Team
User growth and other measurement of impact

 When SDN was first launched, in 2003, the expectation for

eventual audience size was 5,00,000 members
 Customers could solve their problems within network
without help of Customer teams
 I ndustry participation
 University alliances



User growth and other measurement of impact

 The network itself became a brand

 Learning of how to make best use of social networking
 Marketing platform for small business companies
 Opportunity to access business applications within the
ecosystem



SAP Sets Aggressive Goals for the Future
Ø Current Goal
 one million users
 networks to become completely self-funded.

Ø Plans and Programs:
 Extend the conversation to an even larger audience engaged with the
company.
 More “hubs” to be formed around topics of interest.
SAP Sets Aggressive Goals for the Future(Contd..)
Ø Future Potential
 Online advertising expanding at more than 30% / year.
 B2B online advertising, which has lagged behind B2C, should grow at an
even faster rate.
 SAP can become a major business-to-business publisher.


 SAP’s ability to create content segmentation - prove

increasingly attractive to its technology partners
SAP Sets Aggressive Goals for the Future(Contd..)

Ø Future Roadmap:
 Motivate Technical analyst in ways other than an online point system-
 - membership in a “private” community open only to top SAP and partner
 executives.
 - specific events that provide a “high touch” element to the engagement like
 SAPPHIRE.
 Social media could replace huge chunk of traditional media marketing
 - Company spends millions of dollars to reach specific target audiences.
 - Social media is simpler and saves huge costs.