8 milkshake
What are the biggest challenges for
marketers in creating empathy for the
customer?
Bothe: Empathy is tricky because you
have to have context. If a brand (and its
expression/marketing) is authentic and
true, then empathy can be created. I guess
I’m empathetic in a way for some of the
brands I interact with (Southwest, Apple,
etc.) whereas I’m willing to give them a
break when they screw up because they
do have an impact in my life. I feel they get
me and I get them. Thus, we have a solid
and almost symbiotic relationship.
Bower: The pandemic forcing people
inward and away from other people has
impacted marketers’ ability to empathize
and “create” empathy. Building personadriven
narratives that fuel storytelling
and using martech to personalize and
customize can help marketers address the
challenge.
Hutchens: Connection at its core is
about empathy. You actively listen to
seek understanding. You actively share
to be understood. A brand wants to
be accepted, respected and/or loved.
The consumer wants to be accepted,
respected and/or loved. When marketers
miss or dismiss the consumer’s desire
to be accepted and respected first, they
create greater disconnect.
Montini: Losing sight of the fact that
connecting with customers and not
creating campaigns is the real job of
marketing. It may sound overly simplistic,
but it can be difficult to keep a “customerfirst”
mindset in the midst of day-to-day
projects and pressures of short-term
results.
Mark Friedman: Brands are in a very difficult
position today. It is easier for smaller
companies and brands to decide to stand
for something, and in doing so, create
a genuine connection with customers.
But smaller brands can do this because
they have a smaller and generally more
homogenous customer set. And the
genuine connection they make is often
because of their standing for something,
not the other way around. Bigger
companies and brands must decide if
they can compete in this space, and it is
not easy to decide or execute. I think in
the quest to connect with customers and
cut through the noise of today’s world,
some brands have tried to deviate from
their product-focused approach and their
comfort zone and chosen to enter this
space. Will customers accept the change?
Is it genuine? Is standing up for what is
right ever wrong?
What role does marketing play in
creating intimacy?
Bothe: Man, this is a good question. I don’t
know if marketing really plays a role
in intimacy unless you’re talking about
authenticity. If the marketing is honest and
the right customer collides with the brand
due to it—and the brand executes and
provides the experience promised—then
marketing has a hand in intimacy. That
intimacy leads to brand loyalty, but the
only role marketing has in it is to be true
and to help find the right customer you
want to be intimate with.
Bower: If by “intimacy” you mean a
personal relationship with a brand,
storytelling and marketing technology—
both the province of marketing—play a
critical role in building and maintaining
customer intimacy.
Hutchens: Ultimately, intimacy is about
connection. Brené Brown defines
connection “as the energy that exists
between people when they feel seen,
heard and valued.” I would add that
people also feel truly connected when
they feel understood, when they have
a non-judgmental witness, and when,
through giving and receiving, they
are strengthened by the exchange.
When marketing authentically says,
“we understand you,” there is a strong
connection between brand and
consumer.
Montini: The primary job of marketing
is to tell a brand’s story in ways that
are meaningful to all stakeholders, but
primarily consumers. Intimacy is the
result of meaningful interactions and
experiences, so you can certainly make
the case that marketing’s role is creating
intimacy.
Friedman: We all know that digital
engagement is no match for human
interaction. And while we don’t really want
businesses to track our social behavior,
web searches or purchase history, we
do appreciate a well-timed notification
of a sale or an item we were looking
for coming back in stock. So what is
marketing to do? The key to successful
digital engagement is being genuine,
honest and respectful. Don’t abuse
automation. Don’t abuse the data you
collect. Respect a customer’s ability and
desire to make decisions and determine
their own fate.
Bo Bothe
President & CEO,
BrandExtract
Co-founder, ESG
Reporting Partners
Jay Bower
President & CEO,
Crossbow Group
AmyK Hutchens
Founder, AmyK
International
Mark Montini
CMO, Premium
Service Brands
Mark Friedman
VP of Marketing,
Fujifilm
December 2021