How to keep personalization and email marketing running while migrating to a new data platform? That was the central question for Harman International, the company behind Harman Kardon and JBL. Harman International recently transitioned from an advanced platform to a compact tool that combines a CDP and an ESP in one solution. In his presentation at EMAS 2025, Rudi Claassen, CRM and Email Marketing Manager at Harman international, will share insights on personalization: how to use data enrichment and apply it in campaigns. Navigating the complexity of managing multiple brands, markets and languages is something Harman International deals with daily.
From cars to film theaters
Harman International is best known to the general public for its portable speakers and soundbars. But as explains, that’s just the tip of the iceberg: “We are huge in the automotive industry, for example.” The company supplies audio systems for brands like BMW, Volvo, and Toyota.
What many people don’t know is that Harman International is also a significant player in the professional audio market. The company supplies sound systems to large stadiums and concert halls around the globe. “And,” says Rudi, “more than half of the cinemas worldwide are equipped with JBL speakers.”.
CRM in an international context
A well-configured customer relationship management (CRM) system is essential for Harman International. Managing customer data across different markets and languages brings complex challenges. “The biggest challenge lies in scalability and personalization without losing the human touch or the right tone of voice,” says Rudi.
“The transition from an advanced platform to the simpler yet powerful platform Simon Data revealed the importance of content structures that are flexible enough to accommodate local nuances while still allowing central control”, Rudi explains. Harman International developed a JSON code together with Springbok Agency to work in an efficient way updating live content. This code proved to be a flexible alternative to previous rigid data extensions.
The use of customizable content blocks
Harman International builds emails using content blocks that can be customized by message or region. Each content block can be unique, requiring flexible templates based on complex HTML code. This led to an email architecture that allows dynamic adjustments by country, brand, and language. In other words: a fully automated and personalized system within an extremely complex international marketing landscape.
Rudi’s team works with clear frameworks that form the basis of their email templates. He explains: “We try to create a sense of familiarity for our email recipients so that they can clearly recognize: this is a new product launch, this is branding, this is promotion-driven or an event campaign.” By using recognizable templates, each campaign has a consistent format, while still leaving room for creativity and content relevance per brand and region.
Brand identity plays a key role in designing email campaigns across multiple brands and audiences. Whether it’s the energetic style of JBL or the elegant feel of Harman Kardon, every email must reinforce the brand. “For us, brand identity is the common thread in everything we do,” says Rudi. “With dynamic content blocks, that consistency is maintained.”
Combining technology with creativity: the power of simplicity
Scaling personalization across regions requires not only technical improvements, but also creative flexibility. From campaigns to events, everything needs to be visually and substantively appealing. “Creativity and technology must go hand in hand,” Rudi emphasizes.
The challenge lies in translating creative concepts into local executions. “One of the biggest eye-openers in that regard, is the power of simplicity,” says Rudi. Where the team previously used an extensive enterprise solution with countless cloud modules, the new, more compact yet powerful tool with the advantage of all-in-one functionalities forced them to return to the basics. “We had to rethink what truly adds value to the customer,” Rudi explains. Recognizability for the recipient became key.
Smart technology requires smart data
If he could redesign the global CRM tech stack from scratch, Rudi would advocate building an architecture from day one that can seamlessly switch between brands, markets, and languages. That’s the only way to achieve the agility needed in an international, multi-brand environment. “Scalability and modularity are not luxuries; they are essential,” Rudi stresses.
But technology alone is not enough. Power lies in the combination of infrastructure and data quality. “The data you put into the tech stack is equally important. Without reliable, well-structured data, campaigns remain generic no matter how smart your technology is.” Rudi therefore advocates investing in data quality, not just in availability but especially in usability for scaled personalization.
A look behind the scenes
During his presentation at EMAS 2025, Rudi will offer realistic and applicable insights into what a migration project truly entails. “What I hope to share is a behind-the-scenes look at a migration that was more than just a technical switch,” he says. “We’ll show how we overcame both technical and creative obstacles along the way.”
So don’t expect merely marketing buzzwords, but rather practical insights: how to enrich data, how to use it for personalized campaigns, and how the right architecture lays a scalable, flexible foundation. As Rudi summarizes: “a story that is immediately applicable: pragmatic, realistic, and built from real-world experience.”