ORLANDO — If only there were an instruction manual for everything.
Like many marketers, Rahul Malhotra wishes there were one for brands.
He is the head of brand strategy and stewardship at Shell, one of the largest oil companies – in fact, one of the largest companies of any sort – in the world.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Malhotra says he is searching for ways to better connect with customers.
That is why he enjoyed the recent meeting of the CMO Growth Council, a group convened by Cannes Lions and the Association of National Advertisers.
“I would love a playbook,” Malhotra says. “I would love to have a set of core principals and best practices laid out among the 150 odd CMOs in the CMO Growth Council and say, ‘Here’s what works guys’.”
The Growth Council was formed earlier this year, chaired by P&G’s chief brand officer Marc Pritchard, to share best practice.
But, despite Malhotra’s search, he already has a good idea for what brands need to prioritize: customer–centricity.
“Customer-centricity at the core is about respect,” he says. “It’s about respecting the customer, treating them as human. I believe that has a few elements to it –
- “Understanding their deep emotional needs.
- “Creating amazing value propositions that way exceed their expectations, and beat competition.
- “When you have multiple propositions from the same organization, it should be an integrated approach to delivering.”
This segment is from CMO Growth Council presented by the ANA and Cannes Lions. Beet.TV coverage is sponsored by the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video. Please find more videos from the series here.
