‘Claro Is Claro On Any Channel’

An integrated presence is top of mind as the Latin American telecom giant transitions its business model from the era of telephone calls to the era of experiences, says CMO Marcio Carvalho.

With more than 60 million active cell phone lines, Claro is one of the largest telecom operators in Latin America. In Brazil, specifically, the company leads for coverage, with a presence in more than 4,000 cities that use 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies.

Claro was the first to implement all generations of mobile internet in the Brazilian market, and it now has the challenge of transitioning its business model from the era of telephone calls to the era of experiences. Claro’s CMO, Marcio Carvalho, explained in this interview how the company is handling this transformation process.

CMO.com: Telecom companies have an internal challenge to change their own business model as revenue gradually migrates from phone calls to connected experiences. How does Claro deal with this process?

Carvalho: Without a doubt, through data intelligence. This is our biggest asset and also our biggest need, [as] a carrier with millions of customers’ needs, to give personalized treatment to the demands of each one of them. Today, this goes far beyond the infrastructure for phone calls.

The smartphone is a tool for people’s interaction with the world but is also a rich source of information. And that same smartphone connects consumer information—and in which context they may need or might want some product or service. This is where we begin to differentiate ourselves from competitors because through data analysis, we can offer much more than a telephone service. We offer everything our customers need on their phone screens.

CMO.com: This is a challenge that combines marketing and technology. Is there a conflict in this process, or has it already been overcome?

Carvalho: There are conflicts because these are originally different areas, but this has been changing. Today, they are the same thing, no matter what.

You cannot do great projects unless you join very distant skills. And the best way of doing this is by integrating teams who can work together to solve our biggest problems.

CMO.com: In which way is this integration reflected in your customers’ experiences?

Carvalho: It is reflected in a super-strategic and unified CRM. In my opinion, this is the greatest strength of a company today.

At the same time that Claro is in full digital transformation, serving customers in any channel, we have this integrated presence aligned with our physical channels. We care about building a relationship that is not only physical and not just digital because that does not make sense in our clients’ heads. For them, Claro is Claro on any channel, and they want to be recognized in all of them.

CMO.com: In this multichannel service context, “content” gains importance in marketing. How do you optimize this?

Carvalho: Content is in the essence of everything we do. We are a platform, and we are also content distributors. Our integrated campaigns guarantee, through content, that the client has a good experience with the Claro brand.

Here, again, the data comes into play. The correct data analysis allows for greater assertiveness in the offer of content, be it our owner or that of our partners.

CMO.com: Would you venture to say what a telecom carrier will look like 10 years from now?

Carvalho: The only certainty is that it will be different than it is today. Technology continues to evolve and pull our business—for example, with the development of 5G.

Our services and our customer service will be much more agile because people are more connected. Our offer will transpose the phone screen and will enter people’s houses and cars. We will be able to provide service through a connected refrigerator, for example … making customers’ lives easier and more productive.