Episodes
64
Latest episode
Jun 2026
Language
EN
Businesses everywhere are struggling with change due to digital disruption. They are now at an inflection point: give up obsolete marketing practices, or risk being denied a meaningful role in the lives of people. The goal is no longer to amplify the voice of the brand – it is to serve the needs and interests of customers at every stage of the relationship lifecycle. This new marketing model is characterized by the strategic embrace of Customer First Thinking, where the emphasis is on delivering a more unified experience for customers. More than simply a platitude, this idea has evolved into a set of governing principles that can transform the corporate role of marketing from brand messenger to customer advocate.
AI is paving the way for marketing to finally usher in an era of true one-to-one marketing. As the technology evolves, it should free up marketers to give greater creative thought to making customers happy, believes Jim Sterne, who has helped steer marketers through successive waves of innovation ever since the advent of the worldwide web.
The old "give-to-get" loyalty model has grown stale. Loyalty fatigue has set in, as members tire of programs that all look the same. To break out of this sameness trap, loyalty programs need to go beyond rewards and offer members greater value to stay engaged, according to the latest edition of the Antavo Global Loyalty Report.
Too many companies today still think that improving CX is all about fixing what's broken. But for CX to make a meaningful difference in the health and success of a business, management should strive to make the everyday lives of customers better. That's why the concept of "Helpfulness" should be adopted as a core enterprise operating principle, says CX pioneer Tom DeWitt.
Despite a massive body of loyalty research over the years, there are still many unsolved puzzles, according to top researcher Dr. Yuping Liu-Thompkins, whose Loyalty Science Lab is dedicated to helping marketers find the answers they need.
Most companies today still give lip service to the idea of putting customers first. They resist making the transformational changes required to truly improve CX quality. Until they are willing to become more stakeholder centric, argues renowned CX expert Michael Lowenstein, they will struggle to win greater customer trust.
Brands still operate today as though media coverage and reach are all that matter, even as customers make every effort to evade their messaging. A new playbook is needed, according to CX expert Christina Garnett, which fosters communal spaces called "brandoms" where relationship building and brand building intersect.
Suffering from social fatigue, people are increasingly turning to private spaces online where they are free to be more themselves. Community marketing expert Sara Wilson calls them "digital campfires" where brands are shut out of the conversation.
For most companies new product innovation is a game of chance, resulting in many more misses than hits. The reason, according to innovation expert Tony Ulwick, is that they don't take the time to figure out what customers actually need.
Loyalty points programs are more popular than ever. The problem is they lead to transactional relationships where customers are more loyal to the program than the brand. To build true loyalty, advises loyalty expert Richard Schenker, companies must encourage ongoing engagement beyond point collection and redemption.
Rapid brand growth can sometimes lead to incompatibility between new and existing customer segments due to differing needs and expectations. Brand managers can minimize the possibility of segment conflict by anticipating and then carefully managing the relationship between them, according to leading marketing academic Ryan Hamilton.
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