Emma Williamson - authenticity breeds advocacy

When she became director of Customer Experience at L'Oreal Australia and New Zealand, Emma Williamson was determined to shift the conversation from assuaging customer dissatisfaction to embracing customers as brand advocates. It's a mindset shift the marketing leader says, and one that is very different to a traditional care role where interaction with customers was kept to a minimum. "The more contact we have, the more we are able to actually refine the way we work," Williamson says. "And that is really a way that we can be successful and engage with consumers. I want to actually have consumers advocating for us." Ethics are central to this process, Williamson adds. "It's all about being ethical and showing that you stand for something more than just the bottom line." "That aligns with what consumers want these days. Their expectations of businesses are so much higher than they were even two years ago," she says. Tune in as hosts Mark Jones and JV Douglas discuss the challenges of localising content, the value of customers as brand advocates, and the importance of being open to feedback on this cracking episode of The CMO Show.