Sitecore and Formica Corp also received a finalist nod for the best use of technology as part of a content marketing program

Sitecore, the global leader in digital experience management software, announced it won the 2020 Content Marketing Award for Best Use of Content Involving Artificial Intelligence (AI), for its work with Microsoft’s Partner Network. The Content Marketing Awards, produced by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), is the largest and longest-running international content marketing awards program in the world.

The win highlights the success of Sitecore’s work with Microsoft to test Auto Personalization, a component of Sitecore AI, a machine learning framework that empowers marketers with predictive insight to automate the delivery of personalized digital experiences. The companies used this technology on Microsoft’s Partner Network website, which sees more than 6.5 million unique visitors per year, totaling 56 million page views per year from visitors in more than 100 global markets using 11 different languages.

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“Sitecore AI-Automated Personalization has improved our operational efficiency and enabled Microsoft to connect to a broader audience, enhancing the overall customer experience,” said Wina Wichienwidhtaya, martech strategist, Microsoft.

By using Sitecore’s Auto Personalization, the manual customization time significantly decreased by 30%, allowing Microsoft to build customized experiences for visitors and experiment with options, which were not feasible in the past, e.g., short- versus long-form versus bulleted content and use of different colors. Engagement rose 16%, and the specific pages that were updated have an engagement rate 244% higher than the rest of the site, with a bounce rate less than 85%.

“Content is critical for all aspects of driving personalized experiences, but many marketers struggle with the amount of content needed to keep campaigns fresh,” said Paige O’Neill, chief marketing officer, Sitecore. “Auto Personalization, a feature of Sitecore AI, enables Microsoft’s team to spend time thinking about how they want to personalize content to individual site visitors versus the mechanics of making it happen across hundreds of different sites. I’m thrilled to see this work recognized by the Content Marketing Institute and be seen as a case study to inspire others. ”

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Sitecore was also named a finalist in the Best Use of Technology as Part of a Content Marketing Program category for its work with Formica Corp. on a solution to deliver a more responsive and personalized experience, making ordering more intuitive and convenient for customers around the globe.

“One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to review some of the most innovative, inspiring, successful content marketing programs in the world each year for the Content Marketing Awards,” shares Stephanie Stahl, general manager, Content Marketing Institute. “The quality of work we’ve seen with this year’s contenders is just off the charts. The industry has come a long way over the last 10 plus years and it’s gratifying to see companies and businesses not only embracing what we’ve been preaching but that they are seeing so much success with their content marketing efforts.”

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