As an example, Konsynski points to the spice and fla-
vor manufacturer McCormick & Company. Given
the importance of personalization and digital tech-
nology’s ability to provide it, McCormick developed
FlavorPrint, an algorithm representing the com-
pany’s flavors as a vector of 50 data points. Currently,
McCormick uses FlavorPrint to recommend recipes
to its consumers. But the vision is much bolder. Mc-
Cormick thinks of FlavorPrint as the Pandora of
flavorings, which has prompted the organization to
see itself as a food experience company rather than a
purveyor of spices.
Eventually, all McCormick flavors will be digitized,
and the company will be able to tailor them to re-
gional, cultural and even individual personal tastes.
Although all the needed technologies are not yet avail-
able, they likely will be in the coming years, and the
strategy to take advantage of them is already in place.
The FlavorPrint product has shown such promise that
McCormick recently spun it off into its own technol-
ogy company, Vivanda, with former McCormick CIO
Jerry Wolfe as its founder and CEO.
4
The Talent Challenge
Maturing digital organizations don’t tolerate skill
gaps. More than 75% of respondents from these
companies agree or strongly agree that their orga-
nizations are able to build the necessary skills to
capitalize on digital trends. Among low-maturity en-
tities, the number plummets to 19%.
Consistent with our overall findings, the ability to
conceptualize how digital technologies can im-
As it confronts changing consumer tastes, McDonald’s is
digitally revamping its restaurant experience and how the
company works. The global restaurant chain was one of the
first companies to adopt the Apple Pay mobile payments so-
lution. Last year, it installed kiosks in select locations that
allow customers to order customized hamburgers. And it’s
seeking partnerships with startups, such as a company that
embeds sensors into paper.
i
McDonald’s is also integrating digital technologies to spur
the organization to work in new ways. Its ambitious cam-
paign during the 2015 Super Bowl football championship is
an excellent example: McDonald’s planned to give away an
item related to every commercial that aired during the game.
To respond to commercials almost instantaneously,
McDonald’s had to integrate multiple digital technologies
and reconfigure its internal communication and operational
processes. The integration came together in a digital news-
room with a cross-functional team that included members
from the company’s marketing and legal divisions, repre-
sentatives from the company’s various advertising agencies
and employees from the company’s enterprise social tech-
nology provider.
Meeting the goal required real-time reactions and monitor-
ing and analysis of social media trends. It also demanded
on-the-spot decision making to come up with the best deci-
sions about which products to give away. The effort was
successful and drew 1.2 million retweets, including some
from high-profile celebrities such as Taylor Swift.
