Boards of Directors must focus on Customer Experience and Marketing
On 5 February, VAB member and CX expert Giuseppe Stigliano hosted a VAB On-Stage event focused on Boards’ Roles in Shaping Customer Experience Strategies. In this text he summarises some of the important points flagged in his remarks.
In a world where technology is democratised and products are easily replicated, customer experience (CX) and marketing are no longer optional—they’re essential to differentiation and growth. Yet, only 3% of companies are truly customer-obsessed. Why? Because it demands a cultural shift, not just a strategic one. Boards must play a pivotal role in enabling and sustaining this transformation.
Technology as an Enabler—Not the Strategy
The right CX tech stack depends on company context, industry and customer behaviour. Boards should ensure tech investments are guided by
- Customer Expectations – Tech must remove friction and enhance key touchpoints;
- Scalability & Integration – Seamless interoperability ensures long-term agility; and
- Real-Time Insights – Data should drive smarter, faster decisions.
Ultimately, the right technology should enhance both operational efficiency and emotional connection.
The Rise of Emotional Differentiation
As AI becomes mainstream, the bar for acceptable CX rises. This makes emotional differentiation—through purpose, storytelling, personalisation—more critical. At the same time, competition is shifting upstream, with supply chains and sustainability becoming CX issues. Boards should look for alignment between operational transparency and brand values.
Why the CMO Role Must Evolve—Not Disappear
Recent trends show many companies eliminating the CMO role. This is short-sighted. Marketing isn’t about pushing product—it’s about aligning supply with demand. Boards should advocate for a reinvented CMO: a Chief Growth Officer, if you will, who collaborates cross-functionally to drive customer-centric growth, integrating data, tech and brand strategy.
Keeping the Board Customer-Connected
To stay grounded in customer reality without operational overreach, boards can engage Customer Panels for firsthand insights; review CX Dashboards with Net Promoter Score (NPS), retention and loyalty metrics; and participate in Customer Immersion Days to experience the brand journey directly. If the board understands and accepts that customer-centric growth is profitable growth then implementation of remarkable CX can deliver impressive, tangible results like higher revenues (through retention and premium pricing); lower acquisition costs (via advocacy and referrals) and risk reduction (with lower churn and brand resilience). The "Earned Growth" metric from NPS 3.0 captures this shift: sustainable growth comes from loyalty, not just new customers. Boards must push companies to be thermostats, not just thermometers: measuring is good, but changing is better.
The Boardroom Needs Marketing Expertise
If marketing is the voice of the customer—and the customer is the reason companies exist—then marketing must have a seat at the table. Boards should include leaders with both broad business experience and deep customer insights to guide strategy in a CX-driven era. In the end, customer experience isn’t a department—it’s a board-level responsibility. Companies that align their leadership, culture and technology around the customer will earn more than just loyalty—they’ll earn long-term, sustainable profitability.
