Taking a composable approach to partnerships: Bringing experts together to serve customers

Here at Contentful, our number one core value is Start with the customer and work backwards. It is in this vein that I am pleased to share updates to the Contentful Partner Program. 

These updates are designed to give — our Solution Partners — more options to engage with our executives, our product, and our brand. And speaking directly to that core value, we will ensure that Contentful and our amazing Partners are more tightly aligned than ever in how we support our joint customers at companies all around the world in delivering cutting-edge digital experiences using the industry’s leading composable content platform. 

A new mission statement

I am excited to have joined Contentful earlier this year, bringing over 25 years of experience in channel and strategic alliance development and management.

The building momentum we have observed in the composable technology movement over the last several years was not something we could ignore. As our product offering shifted to being a composable content platform — the evolution of headless CMS technology to encompass support for all your content, regardless of where it’s stored — we realized that the level of excellence we hold our Partners to needed refreshed support from our own teams. 

That refresh starts with our new Contentful Solution Partner Program mission statement: 

The Contentful Solution Partner Program is a global community of partners, offerings, and resources designed to connect your organization with everything it needs to build, launch, and deliver digital products and experiences built on Contentful. This partner ecosystem is enabled with training, support, service, and programs that accelerate innovation and drive growth. We recognize and reward partners for their success by ensuring customers have met their go-live objectives and business outcomes.

By focusing on simplicity, efficiency, and measurability, we can ensure that we are effectively supporting our Contentful Partners and helping them to succeed, which in turn supports the success of our joint customers.

What’s new in the Solution Partner Program?

The changes we have made fall into the following categories:

• Simplified requirements: We have simplified and clarified the requirements for partners to achieve each tier of recognition.

• Enhanced benefits: Partners now have access to new benefits, including new marketing and brand support, technical training, and certification options.

• Data-driven governance: By reviewing and updating our governance of the program, we are enabled to make better-informed decisions and continuously improve our offerings.

Yearly on February 1, partners will be assigned a partner program tier based on the requirements referenced in the Contentful Solution Partners Program Guide available within the Contentful Partner Portal.

We’ve packaged up these requirements and benefits in new tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Tiers are assigned at the Agency, Consultancy, or Entity level that operates within each region. Going forward, these tiers will be evaluated on an annual basis.

In an effort to provide transparency around Partners’ concerted efforts within the program, an assigned partner account manager (PAM) will provide Partners with quarterly updates on progress made toward achieving requirements needed to reach the next tier.

Why make these changes now? 

I touched on this earlier, but at Contentful we are seeing a drastic change in the way businesses are wanting to reuse existing content they have stored in disparate locations. In order to truly lead the composable content revolution, we need to ensure our Partners are equipped with the right knowledge, assets, and support to confidently engage their customers.

We are proud of the breadth and depth of experience and expertise that our Partners provide, and, as composable content starts to emerge in more customer conversations, we are excited to tout the niche skills Partners already have overlaid with cutting-edge guidance on how to best navigate the composable content movement. 

Furthermore, in a composable world, one of the most important realities to accept is that there is far more than one way to get things done. The use cases our customers solve for every day are growing ever more creative and complex, and our existing partners already offer a great range of these solutions.

One of the key motivations for launching the new Partner Program now is the opportunity to expand our program out to new agencies and consultancies who can bring their respective specialties and groundbreaking ideas to support the content creators and developers of our customers. 

Announcing the Contentful Partner of the Year Awards

One more thing: We'd like to celebrate our partners’ achievements with the first ever Contentful Partner of the Year Awards, an honor that recognizes those partners that drove exceptional growth, demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to training and certification, and achieved outstanding customer satisfaction and go live success. We are proud to announce this year’s winners!

Global Partner 2023: Valtech

Valtech is a global company focused on business transformation powered by digital innovation. They enable change by combining experience design, business consulting, technology engineering and marketing execution, with a network of more than 5,000+ makers, thinkers, marketers, creatives and developers spanning 5 continents with 55 offices in 19 countries.

“We are thrilled to be awarded Global Partner of the Year for 2023," said Allison L. Koch, Vice President, Global Strategic Alliances Lead, MACH at Valtech. "Contentful's dedication to Valtech and our joint clients fosters continuous growth by providing consistent and elevated experiences at a rapid pace, resulting in outstanding business value.”

North America Partner 2023: Apply Digital

Apply Digital are a leading global digital consultancy with expertise in products, experiences, and commerce, solving complex problems with well-executed digital solutions. A top strategic partner, they have implemented Contentful’s platform for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Moderna, Kraft Heinz, Shaw Mobile, lululemon, UiPath, Coca-cola, Santander, Atlassian, and more.

"Since 2020, we have expanded our Contentful practice to over 25 joint clients, moving up-market into the enterprise segment together," said Gautam Lohia, CEO at Apply Digital. "We have grown our Contentful expertise with certifications and have elevated our joint reputation and positioning within the MACH landscape. Contentful has been a true strategic partner for our business."

EMEA Partner 2023: Wunderman Thomson

Wunderman Thompson is home to over 4,000 technology specialists across the globe. They apply technology to build the foundations for growth, working with their clients to deliver exceptional digital experiences. With 54 technology centers in 33 countries, Wunderman Thompson supports their clients to design, build, run and operate their digital programmes and campaigns, through its execution and on-going operation.

"We're delighted to be the recipients of this EMEA Partner of the Year award," said Josie Klafkowska, Global Marketing Director at Wunderman Thompson. "As more and more customers seek agile, composable solutions, our relationship with Contentful grows. This award is testament to that partnership and proof positive that together we help brands and businesses unlock the power of their digital content to fuel growth."

Technology Partner 2023: commercetools

commercetools is a diverse, global community of disruptors, thinkers, builders, and evangelists working together to help businesses embrace innovation and thrive. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, they have offices across Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and China. Every day, billion-dollar enterprises and growing brands rely on commercetools to make faster, more meaningful connections to their customers. 

“We’re honored to be recognized by Contentful as a Partner of the Year,” said Blaine Trainor, Vice President, Global Partnerships and Alliances at commercetools. “The award is a testament to the impact of taking a composable approach to not only your commerce architecture, but your full technology stack as well. Together, commercetools and Contentful are enabling businesses to provide high quality digital commerce experiences.”

We’re here to support you

The demand for a composable stack is growing rapidly. But whether you’re an existing partner or someone checking out the prospect of partnering with Contentful for the first time, know that we are here to help. You don’t have to go it alone when it comes to keeping up with changes in the market, or to our composable content platform.

If you are an existing partner, or are interested in becoming a partner, drop us a line here. Someone from our Partnerships team will be in touch!

We have a great global ecosystem of partners to help customers make their wildest content dreams come true, and we maintain a directory of our amazing partners here. 

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