The Gist
- Content as a catalyst for change. Strategic content plays a key role in transformation, requiring integrated systems and change leadership to succeed.
- Systems thinking in content strategy. Effective content strategy requires a holistic approach that aligns content models, taxonomies, and technology for seamless execution.
- AI’s role in content operations. While AI enhances automation and personalization, its success depends on structured knowledge, content governance, and human expertise.
Content is more than just words on a page — it’s a driver of change, a system of interconnected parts and a strategic force in digital transformation.
In this episode of The Digital Experience Show, our first of Season 2 of CMSWire TV, Timi Stoop-Alcala, principal content strategist at IKEA, joins Dom Nicastro, editor in chief at CMSWire, to discuss how content teams can embrace systems thinking, change leadership and structured knowledge to scale and optimize digital experiences.
From content modeling and taxonomies to AI integration and governance, Timi shares insights on how IKEA’s content teams are evolving their strategy to meet the demands of omnichannel experiences. She explains why content strategy starts and ends with people and how structured knowledge is the foundation for AI-powered personalization.
Whether you’re leading a content team or managing digital transformation, this conversation provides key takeaways for rethinking content at scale.
Table of Contents
Episode Transcript: Welcome to the Digital Experience Show
Editor’s note: This transcript was edited for clarity and brevity.
Dom Nicastro: Hey everybody, Dom Nicastro, Editor-in-Chief of CMSWire, back for another round of the digital experience. And this time we’re joined by Timmy Stoop-Alcala. She’s the Principal Content Strategist at IKEA. Timi, it’s great to bring your LinkedIn personality to life here.
Timi: Hey Dom, thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited to be here.
Content Strategy, AI, and the Future of Digital Experiences
Dom Nicastro: I mean, we’ve been at the intersection of content discussions on LinkedIn, lively discussions — CMS, content design, AI — how it all kind of weaves in and out. It’s all connected, and we’re trying to figure it out just like we were when the internet came out. And how to have a good content strategy, but you’re still at it and that’s great. Before we get into the discussion about content being a catalyst for change…
Timi: It’s all connected.
Timi’s Journey: From the Philippines to IKEA
Dom Nicastro: …the role of systems thinking, change leadership and content strategy—all such crucial topics, especially now. And I’m going to be listening pretty intently because I’m going to take this advice as an editor and apply it. Content is my world, man, you’re right in it. So I just wanted to get a little background on you. I know you were born in the Philippines, you’re in the Netherlands now. You are a fascinating individual.
Timi: Thank you. Well, yeah, so I am from the Philippines, born and raised in the Philippines. And I then went to the Netherlands two decades ago—for love, to be perfectly honest. We met in an online game, my husband and I. So we love games. We love stories. We love games, fantasy, sci-fi, and I learn a lot.
Dom Nicastro: There you go.
Timi: From games, from game thinking, and I apply a lot of that into content strategy. So yeah, that’s how I came to the Netherlands. And then I dove right into doing interactive media, that kind of thing. And then, you know, slowly really came into the content strategy space. But I’ve been working with content, like, throughout my life. I started as a writer back in the Philippines.
Building a Career in Content Strategy
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, so the web has brought you a job, a spouse, and a conversation with Dom Nicastro. I mean, that’s pretty cool. Two, three pretty cool things, yeah.
Timi: Yes, indeed. Indeed. That is cool. Yes. A lot of good things have come from working with stories, with the web, and seeing that transition. I come from that age. I’ve seen the analog. I’ve seen those mobile phones when they were super big, and you couldn’t hide them. Then switching from more print and above-the-line advertising, going into more interactive stuff.
A Humorous Take on IKEA’s Assembly Process
Dom Nicastro: Now, I tell you, with IKEA, that iconic furniture brand, let me ask you a request. Can I ask you for a favor? You know, next time my wife orders something from IKEA, maybe forget a few parts in there so I have an excuse not to build it that day and I can be lazy again and go on the couch. Is that okay? Can we figure that out? Yeah, I have the list.
Timi: Whatever makes you happy! I would say that’s a way to engage again. So there you go.
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, I’m always trying to knock off that honey-do list by being, you know, lazy. Not exactly finishing everything, just kind of going to, “I can’t do it, there’s a missing part. IKEA, they didn’t put in a screwdriver, I don’t know what to do.” So that’s me—Mr. Excuse.
Timi: Then you go back, and then you get the total additional experience—because it is an experience to shop at IKEA.
Inside IKEA’s Content Strategy Team
Dom Nicastro: That’s right. Yeah, yeah. So let’s paint the picture of where you sit in the organization, content-wise. What’s your team look like? Who do you report up to? Who’s on that team for you?
Timi: Right, so I’m in the Content Center of Expertise, and that’s part of the Experience Design Group. My team is made up of content strategists, content designers and UX writers. We are a small but mighty team. As a content center of expertise, we connect horizontally across the organization. Our content designers work closely with UX teams, going deep into different projects.
For strategists, it’s interesting because, in our organization, we are trying to connect the big things. That can be very challenging, but in the three years since our team was created, we’ve made progress. It’s great to have a dedicated content strategy team, so we don’t have to fight for that presence—it’s already embedded in the organization. But the bigger job comes in when figuring out who to partner with, how to collaborate, and how to map out our network of influence.
Defining Content Strategy Within the Organization
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And how would you describe that? Like, what is content strategy? Because we’re always trying to figure out, okay, day-to-day, you get lost in the day-to-day—we got to update the website, we got to build a blog, that page needs to be built, we need to translate it into several languages. But there has to be some kind of overarching content strategy that connects to business objectives, right?
Timi: Yeah, that was one of our first challenges—to explain what content strategy really is. And also, what is content? Because that’s still a question we get asked all the time.
For us, we see content strategy as a set of integrated choices. It’s not just one thing; it’s a system of decisions that impact the content experience, structure, and the ways of working within an organization. We apply human-centric design principles and systems thinking to make those choices.
Related Article: Content Management’s Midlife Crisis
Defining Content Strategy
Dom Nicastro: Well, how would you describe a content strategy and how do you kind of be an ambassador of that within your organization?
Timi: Yeah, that’s one of the very first things that my team did—to try to define or at least enrich the perspective of what content actually is. Because that’s still a question that is asked all the time. And then, what is content strategy?
For us, we see content strategy as a set of integrated choices. So that’s one part of the definition for us. It’s not just one thing; it’s a system of choices that impact different areas: content experience (user experience, customer experience), content structure, and—most importantly—the ways of working and processes.
For our teams, a strong content strategy involves selecting the right set of integrated choices using a broad set of design principles, human-centric design, and systems thinking. It’s not just one decision—it’s a constantly evolving framework.
The Reality of Content Strategy
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, yeah, yeah, sounds easy. Sounds like an easy job. Everyone gets it, and you’re ready to go every day, and it’s amazing analytics and the customers are responding. Man, I’ll tell ya. And all the technologies are just blended in seamlessly like the vendors say.
Timi: Yeah, easy peasy. You have a 360-degree view of content, and you know exactly the insights and what to do with them, and you optimize.
Dom Nicastro: Right, right. But you had a quote that really brings it all home, and I want you to elaborate on it. You’re a highly sought-after speaker—I’ve seen you out in the world at big conferences. And in the literature of your speaking engagements, they reference this quote from you: “Content starts and ends with people. It rises and falls with relationships.” Now, I can relate to that, but I’d love for you to expound upon that. What are you thinking there?
Content Starts and Ends with People
Timi: Yeah, yeah. That’s something I truly believe in. I even include it in my email signature because I think it captures the essence of content.
When people think of content, they often think of an article or a video. And when they make content decisions, they think about format—how long should it be? What platform should it go on? And while those are important questions, they don’t capture the full picture.
Content, at its core, begins with people—real-world problems, real-world needs, and the things that matter to an audience. So, when I think about content, I ask: Who is making it? Who is it for? Who is it helping? Who are we supposed to serve?
And then, the second part of my quote: “It rises and falls with relationships.” Relationships with our audience matter. How engaging are we? Why should our audience give us their time and attention? Content is the interface people interact with in the digital sphere, and if we don’t think intentionally about relationships, we fail.
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Success in content strategy isn’t just about performance metrics. It’s about how well we integrate people and processes and whether we are worthy of the audience’s time. That’s how I see it.
The Importance of Audience Engagement
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, yeah, and it’s like you have all these analytics that tell you who’s interacting with it, how, how long, where they come from, which pieces of content perform better than others. And we get excited, you know, we go, “Whoa, look at this engagement we got on this article. We are awesome. We’ve done our job, let’s go home.”
But that can be misleading. Maybe you did get your best engagement in a month or so, and month to month you’re doing well. But have you heard back from a reader? Have you had real interactions? Has there been social engagement? Because without that relationship that you talk about, where are you even going? How do you inform your next piece of content? Those relationships are crucial.
Timi: Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah.
Balancing Content Creation and Technology
Dom Nicastro: Now, would you say you sit more on the technological side, like you’re dealing with the Martech systems, the CMSes, the DXPs, UX systems? Are you kind of owning those systems and helping the content creators, or are you doing both—content creation and content technology? Where do you fit in?
Timi: It’s changed throughout the years. At the beginning, I was more on the creation side—the actual writing, editorial and understanding how to express content. What’s the format? What’s the best way to structure it?
Then, with the rise of the internet and web devices, I started getting more interested in how technology impacts the content we produce and how we communicate. Now, I focus more on the structure of things. I’m not techie, but I have enough understanding of the broad principles behind the systems. I challenge myself to grasp some technical aspects so I can translate what it means for the end user and content teams.
As a principal content strategist, my team and I think a lot about systems and their impact—potential requirements, disruptions, and opportunities. Personally, I like diving into those challenges.
Applying Systems Thinking to Content Strategy
Dom Nicastro: So systems thinking, right? You’re constantly thinking about how your systems empower content teams and content strategy. Tell me more about that approach. Where can you do better? Where can organizations improve in adopting a systems thinking approach that respects the need for a strong technological base?
Timi: Systems thinking is nothing new. It’s widely discussed in design circles, organizational design, and strategy. But I don’t think it’s applied to content as much as it should be.
Since systems thinking is about understanding the interplay of parts within a whole, it’s incredibly relevant to content. First, we have to acknowledge that content itself is a system. If we’re making decisions about content, we need to ask:
- What part am I trying to improve or change?
- How is it related to other parts of the system?
- What larger context does it affect?
- How will small changes create ripples across the organization?
Applying systems thinking to content means looking at it holistically. Every decision has cascading effects—whether it’s metadata, taxonomy, or user experience. Understanding this complexity is essential, especially today when all systems touch content in some way.
Yet, when it comes to decision-making, content teams are often seen as executors rather than strategic partners. That mindset needs to shift. Content should be viewed as a crucial system within the organization, not just a final step in a workflow.
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Content Strategy: More Than Just Execution
Timi: Content teams are still often seen as just the doers. They execute on things but aren’t always involved in the strategy. That kind of mindset—where content is not viewed as a system—is reflected in the structures of the organization and in how we connect and treat content professionals.
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Applying Systems Thinking: A Real-World Example
Dom Nicastro: Can you recall a recent example within your organization where systems thinking really entered the picture and improved things? Was there a situation where having this mindset made a big difference?
Timi: A great example would be when we started discussing metadata and taxonomies. People often think of metadata as just tags—”We just need to tag the content, and that’s it.” But it’s far more complex than that.
Dom Nicastro: That sounds like fun. That’s so fun. For folks like you, you love it. You love it.
Timi: Haha, yeah. But when we start to unpack it, questions arise. Where do these tags come from? Who decides what to call things? How does one set of terms differ from another? How do we ensure consistency across all pieces of content?
Then, we realize that different teams are responsible for different tags, stored in separate tools. Someone else is managing a different set of metadata. Who makes decisions when something has to change?
Once we start mapping out the people and tools involved, we see the interconnected nature of everything. What seems like a simple change—”Let’s just update these tags”—can have cascading effects. So, when we’re talking about taxonomies, metadata, and delivering omnichannel content, we need to think system-wide. Otherwise, we end up like a frog in a well—seeing only a small piece of the sky and assuming that’s the whole reality.
The Hidden Impact of Small Content Changes
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, and content creators may think they’re making small, insignificant changes, but they can impact the whole system. Someone might add three new tags, but later, when searching for content, nothing makes sense. The content lacks cohesion.
Timi: Exactly. Cohesion is a big issue in many organizations.
Driving Change Leadership in Content Strategy
Dom Nicastro: You talk a lot about change leadership in content strategy. That makes sense—content is constantly evolving, AI is shaking things up, and companies don’t always know how to adapt. How do you put a strong change leadership process in place? How do you drive change in your organization?
Timi: We’re learning every day, but one of the biggest enablers for us has been partnering with digital transformation teams. We asked, “Who in our organization is responsible for enabling transformation?” We connected with those colleagues, and that helped us get visibility into relevant teams and conversations.
It also helped other teams understand us better. Often, teams just need to see how content strategy connects to their work. But in a large enterprise, everyone is busy. That’s why making these connections early is key.
We also focus on identifying the big, foundational changes that need to happen while developing different experiences. It’s about making content needs clear—not just on an asset level, like “We need these types of assets,” but also showing the broader connections. For example, “You need this, but you also need X, Y, and Z. Maybe not all now, but let’s plan for Phase 2 and Phase 3.”
Speaking the same language as other teams—the way they develop and change things—has been extremely helpful in driving change.
CMS vs. DXP: What’s in a Name?
Dom Nicastro: And speaking of change, technology has changed a bit. Maybe. Now I say maybe because I don’t know if that’s the vendors driving these changes in their marketing, or if end users like yourself aren’t seeing major shifts. So let’s talk about the whole CMS vs. DXP world.
DXPs kind of emerged six or seven years ago. Some people say DXP is more of a vision rather than an actual tool, while CMS has always been the core system. But when we look at deployments, many end users just call it a CMS—whereas vendors push the term DXP. Where do you land on this? How do you strategize around these tools? What kind of conversations are happening in your world? Is it CMS? Is it DXP? What excites you in that space?
Timi: In our world, it’s still CMS. Of course, I’ve heard of DXP, but content management is both a discipline and a platform. Every content team is engaging in some form of content management. But as content evolves, so do the capabilities around it.
Some aspects might fall under content management, but others don’t. There are gaps, especially when it comes to modeling knowledge and structuring content. So yes, we still think in terms of CMS, but what really interests us is how we integrate content and knowledge. Where do knowledge graphs come in? How do we orchestrate everything that needs to happen with our content?
Bridging Content Models and Delivery
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Timi: The moment you model content—breaking it down into structured components—how do you then bring it back together and deliver it in different channels? The technologies around that are where the real challenge lies.
Is it DXP? Is it orchestration? Is it something else entirely? I don’t know, but I’m interested in learning more about how we put these pieces together. We have content models, but we need to figure out how they get delivered optimally.
Is One CMS Enough?
Dom Nicastro: Yeah. Yeah. So whatever CMS powers IKEA—do you feel it’s enough? Is it fueling your entire content strategy, or do you need third-party tools around it?
Timi: I mean, there’s no such thing as a perfect CMS that fits every purpose, right? Especially as more companies go headless. Having a headless CMS is one thing, but you still need additional capabilities to ensure that content is delivered and rendered properly. That’s where orchestration comes into play.
For us, yes, we have a CMS, and our product teams are constantly improving it. But we also have to understand what needs to work alongside it. What does content orchestration look like for us? That’s the more interesting piece.
I don’t believe in a single CMS that can “rule them all.” The real question is: What happens to the content once it’s out of the CMS? And before it even gets into the CMS, what work needs to be done?
Taxonomies, Ontologies and Knowledge Graphs
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, that makes sense.
Timi: Taxonomies, for example, aren’t something that should solely live inside a CMS. You can have taxonomies within your CMS, but at IKEA, the level of complexity we require is beyond what a CMS can handle alone. We need additional systems to manage and store taxonomies, ontologies, and structured knowledge.
And honestly, we’re still learning. We’re still figuring out how a CMS should interact with those other components.
Integrating Content and Knowledge at Scale
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Timi: Especially when it comes to knowledge graphs—we do have one at IKEA. So the question becomes, how do you integrate that knowledge into your content systems?
That’s the challenge—figuring out integration. It’s not just about choosing a CMS or a DXP; it’s about ensuring that all these different technologies can work together seamlessly.
AI in Content Strategy: Where Does IKEA Stand?
Dom Nicastro: Yeah. And that’s the key—ensuring that everything functions seamlessly for the end user. They don’t need to know what’s happening behind the curtain. They just want great content experiences. So speaking of tools that enable those experiences, let’s talk about AI. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it—artificial intelligence, if you will.
Timi: Mm-hmm.
Dom Nicastro: I’ve traveled around the country this year, talking to marketers about where AI is actually proving useful. From what I’ve gathered, most organizations are still in the experimentation phase when it comes to integrating AI into content management, CMSs, and DXPs. It’s an additive for now, but no one seems to be fully “all in.” Well, except for Silicon Valley Bank. I recently attended a conference where their marketing technology leader told me they’ve gone all in—contracting with multiple AI partners to enhance content and empower marketers.
So where is IKEA? Where do your content teams stand in terms of true AI integration and measuring real ROI from AI?
Timi: Hmm. Good question. The content teams are still working through what AI truly means for our content. Some areas are already benefiting—things like auto-tagging assets or using generative AI to assist with workflow efficiencies. But we’re still in the early stages.
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Building AI-Ready Content Operations
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Timi: Right now, our team is focused on understanding what AI needs to work effectively in the first place. And that starts with structured knowledge and structured content. AI isn’t magic—it needs data that is clean, organized, and well-structured. That’s where we’re putting our efforts.
Of course, there are broader AI initiatives across IKEA, and we have governance teams ensuring that everything aligns with ethical AI practices. But within content strategy, we’re asking: What does AI actually need to be useful? How can we optimize our knowledge structures to make AI work for us?
Efficiency and productivity are great, but we’re also mindful of what AI might open up elsewhere. Maybe it’s faster to generate an image, but does that create a new set of tasks? That’s why we’re also thinking about AI content operations—how we design content workflows for an AI-driven future.
The Role of Content Teams in AI
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Timi: I think this is an incredible opportunity for content teams—especially content designers. They’re the ones who truly understand conversation design, UX writing, and structuring content in ways that make AI useful. Making sure that organizations understand why content strategists, content designers, and content engineers need to be involved in AI development is crucial.
We’re pushing for that, but there’s still a long way to go in terms of general awareness. AI isn’t just a technology issue; it’s a content issue, too.
Looking Ahead to 2025: What’s Next?
Dom Nicastro: Absolutely. I like to close by looking ahead. So here we are in a new year—2025. What’s the big initiative for you this year? Maybe it’s something that started in 2024 and is carrying over. If we were having this conversation at the end of 2025, what would you hope to have accomplished?
Timi: There are so many things! But if I had to narrow it down, it’s all about getting content models fully up and running. That means content modeling, taxonomies, and semantic layers that allow us to deliver truly personalized experiences. And when I say personalized, I mean actually serving the right content at the right time—not just adding someone’s name to an email.
Advancing Content Modeling and Taxonomies
Dom Nicastro: Yeah.
Timi: Our team, along with other product teams, is focused on getting these models right—building robust taxonomies, structuring content effectively, and integrating knowledge systems. This isn’t new work for content strategists, but it’s foundational. If we do this well, it enables so many possibilities.
By the end of 2025, I’d love to be able to say, “Look, here’s how content and knowledge integration should work.” I want to see us fully leveraging the vast knowledge within our organization and making that visible in an omnichannel content experience through modeling and taxonomies. That’s the dream.
Accountability and Measuring Success
Dom Nicastro: Well, I’m going to check in with you in December 2025. We’ll go step by step through everything you just said and see what actually happened!
Timi: Please do! Well, one thing I can say is that we have content models now. A year ago, we didn’t. That was the first big step. But the harder work is still ahead—creating meaning, defining semantics, and structuring the necessary systems. It’s an exciting challenge.
Closing Thoughts: Content Modeling Strategies for Success
Dom Nicastro: Yeah, yeah. Or just throw it into ChatGPT and say, “Give me a content modeling strategy for IKEA.” Boom. Done. You’re all set for the year!
Timi: Haha! Yeah, sure, that’s how it works!
Dom Nicastro: Timmy, I can’t thank you enough for sharing IKEA’s content strategy journey and giving us insight into content modeling, systems thinking and AI integration. There’s a lot to unpack here, and we’re excited to see where IKEA goes with all of this.
And remember what I said in the beginning—it wouldn’t hurt to “accidentally” forget a few parts in my wife’s next IKEA order so I can have an excuse to take a break!
Timi: Intentional friction! Love it. Thank you so much, Dom.
Dom Nicastro, CMSWire: You’ve been an incredible guest on CMSWire TV’s The Digital Experience Show. We appreciate you taking the time.
