Andreas Hannemann (Group CEO TRG): Relevance is the new currency

Never before have companies had access to so much data and technology, and yet customers often feel less understood than ever. Why is that?

This is exactly the paradox of our time: we have more data than ever before, more technologies, more tools and yet many customers feel that brands don’t truly understand or engage with them. The reason is simple: data alone do not create closeness. Only when they are translated into relevance does real value emerge.

Relevance means that I, as a company, understand and respond to my customers’ needs in real time. We live in an era in which attention is scarce. Only those who deliver highly relevant messages, offers and services succeed in building genuine relationships. Companies that fail to do so lose in visibility, in market share and ultimately in future viability.

That is why, in my opinion, relevance is the new currency. It determines whether companies can build trust, retain customers and achieve long-term success, or whether they, despite all investments in technology and marketing, disappear in the noise of communication.

Why is relevance especially important right now?

This urgency is intensified by the enormous transformation we are currently experiencing. Customer expectations are rising rapidly: people have become accustomed to streaming services or online shops offering them highly personal recommendations. They now expect the same precision in other areas of their daily lives. At the same time, technologies such as artificial intelligence are evolving at a breathtaking pace, while markets and society are becoming increasingly uncertain.

A few years ago, broad, uniform campaigns could still reach large audiences effectively. Today, that approach works much less well. Customers expect a personal, data-based and context-specific approach, whether in the banking sector, in retail or in non-profit organisations.

Those who understand this and act on it consistently have a clear competitive advantage: higher conversions, stronger customer loyalty and, above all, sustainable growth. Those who ignore it lose relevance, customers and ultimately their future prospects.

How does The Relevance Group help companies become more relevant?

With many of our clients, we see the same pattern: they know that relevance is crucial, but they struggle with an extremely fragmented marketing and sales landscape. Too many tools, too many service providers, too many interfaces. Our task is to reduce this complexity, manage it efficiently and achieve maximum impact.

The Relevance Group was designed from the start as an end-to-end ecosystem. We connect specialised units that look beyond their own interests and focus on collective impact: from data strategy to AI, CRM and creative activation. For the client, it feels like one well-coordinated team, with TRG as the central point of contact.

The added value lies precisely in that: we combine technological and analytical expertise with effective creative execution and a clear business focus. It is not the data or the tools themselves that are decisive, but how they create real relevance for the customer and measurable success for the company.

What distinguishes you from classical consultancies or technology providers?

Many consultancies remain stuck at the strategic level, while technology providers focus only on tools. We combine both: strategic vision and operational power to turn data and technology into real business value.

Our approach is therefore holistic: we bring strategy, technology and implementation together under one roof. We not only develop concepts, but also ensure that they work in practice and deliver measurable results. As in an orchestra, it is not about the individual notes, but about how they interact. Our specialists bring in their individual strengths and together create tangible impact for our clients.

Can you give an example of how data-driven relevance works in practice?

Imagine a retailer sending the same discount promotion to all customers. That is mass marketing and, in a time when everyone is overwhelmed with information, hardly effective anymore. At TRG, we take a different approach: we use data to recognise patterns. For example, who is price-sensitive, who is interested in sustainability or who is always the first to try new products. Based on that, we build data-driven audience segments that do not arise from gut feeling, but from real customer behaviour.

This allows us to design offers and content in very different ways: one audience responds to price promotions, the next to sustainable products, and a third to exclusive new releases. Every customer receives what is truly relevant for them, at the right moment and through the right channel.

We turn interchangeable, meaningless communication into tangible relevance. And that is measurable: higher response rates, more purchases and, in the long term, stronger loyalty.

What role does artificial intelligence play in this process?

Artificial intelligence is an accelerator for us. It helps process enormous amounts of data, recognise patterns and make predictions that would not be visible to humans alone, or at least not as quickly and comprehensively. But the decisive factor is not the technology itself, but what you do with it.

We do not use AI for its own sake, but where it creates real added value: to better understand customer behaviour, to personalise offers in real time or to use marketing budgets more efficiently. In this way, AI becomes a tool that enables companies to make relevance in their customers’ daily lives tangible and measurable.

You once said: "We don’t want to be the biggest, we want to be the most relevant." What do you mean by that, and how can relevance actually be measured?

It is not our goal to have the most employees. Size alone does not create value. Our ambition is to be the partner that makes the greatest difference for our clients. Relevance means, for us, helping to build real relationships, through communication that truly reaches customers and through offers that match their needs. That can be measured with indicators such as Customer Lifetime Value, Conversion Rates and Net Promoter Score.

In addition, we have developed the Customer Relevance Index, our own measurement tool that shows how relevant a brand truly is in the eyes of its customers, beyond traditional KPIs. This way, relevance for us is not an empty phrase, but a measurable metric — a management principle that delivers impact. Because those who are relevant remain top of mind and earn trust.

How will relevance evolve over the next five years?

The time of uniform communication is over. We are entering the era of hyper-personalisation, a world in which algorithms know better what people want than they do themselves. But with every click, the need for trust also grows. Relevance must not become manipulation, but should be based on genuine value creation. Brands that understand this will build relationships. All others will become interchangeable.

What advice would you give to companies that have not yet systematically addressed the topic of relevance?

My most important advice is not to wait for the perfect moment. Many companies hesitate because they think they must first harmonise all their data or implement one large technology platform. In reality, a first, clearly focused step already brings enormous progress.

Choose a relevant target group, identify a concrete use case and start there. Gain experience, learn from the results and scale step by step. That is how an abstract goal becomes a tangible change.

Relevance does not arise in PowerPoint slides, but in contact with customers. Therefore: start, learn, improve. And do so as a continuous, conscious process. Relevance is not a topic for the future; it already determines companies’ success today.

This interview was published on Handelsblatt.com