Go Beyond Data and Analytics deep dives for deeper #insights ! Consumer and Competitive immersions are vital for the business - not just marketers - , the CEO, CFO and teams across functions. Spending time with customers to grasp their experiences with your brands, their frustrations, and needs, and witnessing their interactions with the brand and competitors’ firsthand is crucial. Applies also to B2B ! At Majid Al Futtaim, I urge marketers and functional teams at large to prioritize customer obsession for a competitive edge. Reflecting on my time at Procter & Gamble, the CEO engaged in consumer inhome visits or shop alongs along with the teams on the first day of every market visit to understand their perspectives on P&G brands and competitors, addressing their concerns and suggestions ! During my market visits, I ensure to engage with customers - our own and competitors- , discussing their entertainment and grocery shopping preferences and the impact of brands on their lives. This approach goes beyond data, enabling a deeper understanding of customer behavior and preferences, understanding how best to commmuicate to customers, fostering brand loyalty and innovation opportunities. To illustrate - in one of my visits to to our Vox cinemas and competitors’ in Saudi Arabia, I joined a pair of friends in their 20’s to a movie 🎥 🍿. One of the guys had bought a hot dog loaded with ketchup, mayo and other toppings and was given a small napkin and mini carton tray. Dressed in a typical white Saudi thawb, eating this hot dog in the dark was a huge challenge and a detraction from watching the movie ! His friend had to use the light from his phone to help him stay clean instead of watching the movie 😱😱 ! A poor in cinema F&B experience overall and opportunities to get better 👍 CEOs, CFOs and teams are you ready for customer immersions ? Your thoughts on customer immersion are welcome ! Are you spending enough time listening to customers today and understanding the role your brand and competitive brands play in their lives ? #customerobsession #brandbuilding #customerimmersion #innovation #marketing #customerexperience #customer #beyonddata #data
Ahmed Soliman
3mo
Well said and well done Charles.
Fady Salwan
3mo
Great perspective Charles and totally agree with you. More and deeper understanding is a must
Sophia Benarafa
3mo
I organised an immersion once for our communication manager , when she came back she told me , Sophia I learnt in 2 hours what I didn't learn in one year sitting in this cubicle !
Emile Douaihy
3mo
Great insights Charles 🙌🏻 Customer immersion is indeed crucial for understanding and improving brand experiences. It’s essential for all teams to prioritize direct engagement with consumers. Thanks for sharing!
N. Azam Kashmiri
3mo
Thought-provoking Charles Awad
James Young
2mo
As always, Charles, brilliant but simple actions we all can take! Thank you.
CMO 📢 | GM 💼 | D2C 🛒 | B2B 🤝 | SaaS ☁️ | AI 💡| Growth 🚀 | Digital Transformation 📈 | Brand storytelling 📖 | I Help startups and Fortune 50 companies grow revenue by 500% 🏆 🌍
3moCharles Awad I couldn’t agree more. At Clorox, I conducted in-home visits where I videotaped consumers cleaning their bathrooms and spoke with them directly. Similarly, at Intuit, I spent time with small business owners in their shops, observing their challenges firsthand. Every marketer on my team was required to regularly visit customers to gain a deep understanding of their experiences. There’s truly no better way to understand your customers than by immersing yourself in their shoes.