AkzoNobel's digital landscape had grown into a complex web of 140+ websites across multiple markets, each demanding attention while campaign decisions relied on assumptions rather than evidence. The global paints and coatings leader needed a partner who could bring structure to the chaos: centralising content management, migrating to a future-proof platform, and introducing a data-driven approach to campaign optimisation. Together, we built a scalable digital activation model and pioneered journey mining to transform how AkzoNobel understands and engages its customers worldwide.
Centralised support for 140+ websites across global markets
Migration from Drupal to Adobe Experience Manager at enterprise scale
Journey mining: applying process mining principles to digital marketing
Data-driven campaign optimisation replacing assumption-based decisions
Dedicated digital activation team as extension of the brand
Continuous partnership model: from incubator to embedded experts
The challenge
How do you maintain quality and consistency across 140 websites while gaining real insight into customer journeys that span multiple touchpoints and markets?
The solution
A centralised digital activation team combined with journey mining methodology: one partner managing content at scale while transforming raw data into actionable campaign intelligence.
AkzoNobel x iO: from incubator to indispensable digital partner
AkzoNobel is a global leader in paints and coatings, with well-known brands like Dulux, Flexa and Sikkens. Operating across dozens of countries with over 140 websites, their digital ecosystem is both vast and complex. Managing it requires both scale and precision.
Our partnership has grown steadily over time. What began as an incubator to test centralised web support has evolved into a close, embedded collaboration. Today, we act as their digital activation team: managing content, optimising campaigns and exploring new ways of working, including journey mining.
This case highlights two key moments in that journey, but the collaboration keeps evolving as AkzoNobel continues to push its digital ambitions forward.
Why centralised content management matters for global brands
When your digital presence spans 140+ websites across multiple markets, fragmentation becomes your biggest enemy. Every site needs updates, every campaign requires localisation, and quality control becomes a constant challenge. AkzoNobel faced exactly this reality: a growing digital ecosystem that demanded more resources while delivering inconsistent results.
The solution was not simply more hands on deck. It required a fundamental shift in how web content management was approached: from decentralised chaos to centralised excellence.
From Drupal to Adobe Experience Manager: migration at enterprise scale
AkzoNobel's websites were running on Drupal, but the organisation needed a platform that could scale with their global ambitions. Adobe Experience Manager offered the enterprise capabilities required, but migrating 140+ websites is not a simple lift-and-shift operation.
We approached this migration as a partnership, not a project. Our team embedded within AkzoNobel's operations, learning their brand guidelines, content workflows, and market-specific requirements. The result: a repeatable, scalable migration process that maintained quality while accelerating delivery.
Building a digital activation team that scales
Rather than staffing up internally for every digital need, AkzoNobel chose a different model: iO as their dedicated digital activation team. This approach offers flexibility without sacrificing expertise. Our team handles:
Day-to-day content management across all 140+ websitesCampaign execution and localisationQuality assurance and brand consistencyPlatform optimisation and technical support
The model works because we operate as an extension of AkzoNobel's team, not as an external vendor. We know their brands, their tone of voice, and their strategic priorities.
What is journey mining and why does it matter?
Traditional campaign analysis relies heavily on assumptions. Marketers believe they know how customers move from awareness to conversion, but these mental models often diverge from reality. Journey mining changes that.
Journey mining applies principles from process mining, traditionally used to analyse operational workflows, to digital customer journeys. Instead of assuming paths, we map actual behaviour based on data. The result: an objective view of how customers truly navigate towards conversion.
For AkzoNobel's colour-of-the-year campaign, this meant discovering unexpected touchpoints, identifying where customers dropped off, and finding opportunities that assumption-based analysis would have missed entirely.
Data-driven campaign optimisation: from assumptions to evidence
The colour-of-the-year campaign is one of AkzoNobel's flagship marketing moments. Traditionally, campaign decisions were based on experience and intuition. Journey mining introduced a new paradigm: evidence-based optimisation.
By mapping actual customer journeys, we identified:
Which content truly drives engagement versus what we assumed would workWhere customers enter the journey and where they convertHidden friction points that suppressed campaign ROIOpportunities to redirect traffic to higher-converting pages
This shift from assumption to evidence transformed campaign performance and established a methodology that AkzoNobel now applies across their marketing efforts.
A partnership model built for continuous improvement
Digital transformation is not a project with an end date. AkzoNobel's partnership with iO is designed for continuous evolution. What started as an incubator experiment has become an indispensable part of their digital operations.
This model offers AkzoNobel several advantages:
Flexibility to scale up or down based on campaign cyclesAccess to diverse expertise without permanent headcountContinuous knowledge transfer and capability buildingA partner invested in long-term success, not short-term deliverables
iO's approach provides us with an objective view of how customers navigate towards conversion, rather than what we think they do based on assumptions.
The numbers
1+
Websites managed through one centralised digital activation team
1
Unified platform after Adobe Experience Manager migration
1%
Data-driven insights replacing assumption-based campaign decisions
From fragmented operations to data-driven digital excellence
The transformation goes beyond operational efficiency. AkzoNobel now operates a digital ecosystem where quality is consistent, campaigns are optimised based on evidence, and scalability is built into the foundation.
For their internal teams, this means less time firefighting content issues and more focus on strategic priorities. For their customers, it means a seamless brand experience whether they encounter Dulux in the UK, Flexa in the Netherlands, or Sikkens anywhere in the world.
Perhaps most importantly, journey mining has established a new standard for how AkzoNobel approaches marketing decisions. Assumptions have given way to evidence, and that shift continues to drive improved campaign ROI across their global operations.
Our partnership continues to evolve as AkzoNobel's digital ambitions expand into new markets and new channels.
