Customer First Thinking
Stephen Shaw
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 22, 2025 • 1h 7min
Customer Portfolio Management: An Interview with Michael D. Johnson, Marketing Department Chair, Wisconsin School of Business
Marketers tend to overinvest in acquiring new buyers while trying to keep the most valuable customers from leaving. That leaves a lot of customers feeling left out. To correct this imbalance, marketers need a more systematic framework for selective investment in the most promising relationship segments based on growth potential, according to the renowned marketing academic Michael Johnson.
17 snips
Jun 20, 2025 • 1h 6min
The New MarTech Landscape: An Interview with Frans Riemersma, Founder, Martech Tribe
Frans Riemersma, founder of the Martech Tribe and co-producer of the State of Martech Report, dives into the radical transformation of the marketing technology landscape. He reveals how AI is reshaping marketing operations and making automation tools more user-friendly. Riemersma emphasizes the importance of integrating technology with customer needs and the rise of adaptable systems. The conversation also covers the critical collaboration between marketing and IT, while looking ahead to the future of experience-led marketing driven by AI.
8 snips
May 29, 2025 • 1h 9min
The Future of Customer Data Management: An Interview with Chris O’Hara, Global Product Marketing Lead, SAP Data and Analytics
Chris O’Hara, Global Product Marketing Lead at SAP Data and Analytics and author of 'Data Driven', shares his expertise on customer data management. He discusses the critical need for businesses to unify customer data in a world driven by AI and personalization. O'Hara highlights the evolution from traditional systems to modern data strategies, emphasizing the importance of first-party data. He also delves into the challenges of the ad tech ecosystem and the future potential of AI in enhancing customer interactions and decision-making processes.
16 snips
Apr 24, 2025 • 1h 7min
Personalization at Scale: An Interview with Mark Abraham, Global Leader, Boston Consulting Group
Mark Abraham, Managing Director at Boston Consulting Group and founder of their global personalization practice, dives into the exciting world of personalization at scale. He discusses how AI is revolutionizing marketing, overcoming past limitations. Abraham tackles the mindset shift needed for successful implementation and highlights the importance of organizational changes. He also shares innovative strategies for brands to collaborate with partners and drive customer engagement, presenting case studies of companies thriving in this new landscape.
Mar 5, 2025 • 1h
Marketing Masterminds
Select excerpts from interviews with some of marketing’s most prominent thought leaders on the state of marketing and the need for transformational change.
Dec 12, 2024 • 60min
The B2B Journey Map: An Interview with Jim Tincher, President, Heart of the Customer
B2B companies tend to be laggards when it comes to delivering a superior customer experience, focused more on selling than servicing. But as a result of digital disruption, they have finally begun to embrace the need for a better post-sale journey, according to Jim Tincher, a leading expert in B2B experience design.
Nov 25, 2024 • 1h 6min
Saving Market Research: An Interview with Brett Townsend, SVP of Strategy, Quester
The market research industry is facing an existential crisis. Brand marketers have lost faith in old school methods of research – too slow, cumbersome and costly, in their view. To regain the trust of marketers, the consumer insights industry has to modernize their practices and start delivering insights that make more of a strategic impact, says Brett Townsend, a leading market research authority.
Nov 5, 2024 • 1h 1min
Buyer Personas: An Interview with Jim Kraus, President, Buyer Persona Institute
Buyer Personas have become a standard part of the marketing toolkit for creating customer empathy. But where they can go wrong is failing to reveal why customers make the decisions they do, according to persona design authority Jim Kraus.
Oct 18, 2024 • 60min
Cultural Intelligence: An Interview with Anastasia Karklina Gabriel, Senior Insights Lead at Reddit and Cultural Theorist
These days it can be risky for brands to take a stand on social issues or promote inclusiveness. But if marketers are able to honestly depict the diversity of society in their brand communications, their message has a far greater chance of being heard, according to cultural theorist Anastasia Karklina Gabriel.
Sep 26, 2024 • 1h 2min
Customer Equity: An Interview with Allison Hartsoe, AI Value Creation Consultant and Author
Companies still tend to over-invest in the acquisition of new customers while paying scant attention to relationships with existing customers. The solution to correcting that imbalance, argues value creation expert Allison Hartsoe, is knowing the collective lifetime value of all customers, known as customer equity.
