This month I have been recording the latest BrandHook podcast series which will be distributed through the CMO Magazine next month.

Today I was reminded of something the VP of Luxottica, Jee Moon said; ‘The brands that will do well are ones that understand that their customers are not just numbers.  They are, in fact, people who have needs, dreams and fears and by understanding why they behave the way they do means we can deliver a meaningful customer experience’.

This way of thinking can’t just be the rhetoric of the marketing leads, it needs to be imbued into a brand’s culture but from our perspective, few businesses are able to crack it.  Our advice is to start with these three things:

• Employ a CEO who is empathetic, kind and curious. They will treat the people in and out of the business with respect.  I know a CEO who reads all the complaint pages on their website and another who answers social media questions on the weekends.
• Don’t institutionalise your approach. Make it warm, face to face and real – ethnography is a great way to start. Sending personalised notes to customers touching on something unique to them can be included into a brands everyday operations.  You just have to find the things that create the most meaning.
• And finally, let your marketing people tell your customer stories. Marketers should be the storytellers in the business – the ones that excite everyone else.  These stores will help filter real meaning through the business so everyone feels the customer pain and needs, not just thinks about them.

Pauline Hanson has infuriated a lot of people (us included) with her comments about kids with autism and the need to exclude them from mainstream school.  Maybe Pauline should come and spend time with us in people’s homes to see how real people live, what their fears are, how they struggle and what makes them joyful.  Maybe then she might develop some empathy and be kind to those that need it.