New Interview at 360 Magazine

Warren Kornblum’s consultancy is called Shadow Branding, but that came after a long time in the marketing spotlight.

As a CMO for Toys “R” Us and Serta Simmons Bedding, Kornblum had the opportunity to explore customer experience (CX) with consumers as well as other retail partners. His main takeaway is that every firm has a “brand stand” that embodies what it stands for – even when doing so is inconvenient or uncomfortable.

Kornblum has distilled his reflections and learnings into a book, Notes from the Brand Stand: Thoughts on Emotional Branding from Someone Who Has Fought for Consumer Attention and Won, which was published earlier this year. He discussed the “brand stand” concept with 360 Magazine by phone. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.  

Your career began before we saw a lot of the dedicated CX teams that are in place today. When did you first become aware of the value of customer centricity?
It comes from my late father, who was a salesperson in the furniture business. When I was quite young I would go out with him on Saturdays to visit Leon’s or wherever, and the I saw the relationships he had with his customers and how that drove the business. Then, in the advertising world, you know, you’re kind of one step removed. At the end of the day, marketing is about selling. Otherwise, what’s the point? But if you’re selling, the most important person in that process is the customer. We have to get out of our own way and think like a customer because if you don’t give them what they want and it’s not a fulfilling experience for them, it doesn’t matter how good your ads are.

Your book talks about the concept of the “brand stand” that represents what a company stands for. How much of that is developed intentionally by a company versus what develops organically based on its reputation with customers?
I’m a firm believer that if you kind of lose your way a little bit, leadership can come in and do the right thing to reinvigorate your brand. It’s not a static thing. I think it’s an evolving thing. But again, it all focuses on who are we trying to do business with, how do we do business and how do we deliver? When I talk about purpose, to me that implicitly means you’re making a promise to your customers on what you’re going to deliver, and you have to keep it. And keep circling back to it and having a keen sense of what your brand stand is today. It’s not a mission statement on the wall. It’s the DNA of the business.

🔗👉🏻 Click to read the full interview!

Click to Read the Full Interview!