The best way to understand your customers is to watch & listen to them. Customer observation & listening are powerful but often underutilised marketing tools., and are often wrongly carried out. Here are the ffive rules to getting observation and listening right every time, so you get maximum benefit from every session.

C3Centricity

The 5 Essential Rules of Customer Observation for Greater Business Success

This episode of DEEP DIVES from DENYSE argues that exceeding customer expectations is crucial for business growth, surpassing mere satisfaction. 

It uses examples like Amazon, Zappos, Apple, IKEA, and Brompton Bikes to illustrate how companies achieve this through exceptional service, innovative products, and emotional connections with customers. 

In her article discussed in this episode, Denyse emphasises the importance of surprising and delighting customers, creating a memorable experience that fosters loyalty beyond initial satisfaction.

The discussion concludes that aiming for consistent improvement and exceeding expectations should be a core objective for any business.

Beyond Customer Satisfaction  Achieving Delight

This episode of DEEP DIVES from DENYSE recounts a frustrating three-month customer service experience that Denyse had with TomTom, highlighting the company's failure to promptly resolve a simple map reactivation request due to repeated requests for documentation in different formats. 

This negative experience then serves as a case study to illustrate seven key principles of excellent customer service: prioritising customer needs, responding quickly, taking immediate action with minimal information, using customer-friendly language, empowering customer service representatives, focusing on swift resolution and customer satisfaction, and aiming to exceed expectations. 

Denyse emphasises that even seemingly basic principles are often overlooked, resulting in lost customer loyalty and missed opportunities. 

The discussion also promotes Denyse's book on how to adopt a customer-first strategy called Winning Customer Centricity.

Seven Steps To Awesome Customer Service

In this latest episode of DEEP DIVES from DENYSE, Radical Consumer Centricity is presented as a superior business strategy compared to typical "consumer-first" approaches. 

The discussion emphasises the importance of embedding consumer insights into all company operations, leading to increased profitability and loyalty. 

Several companies, such as Monzo, Oatly, and Kroger, are highlighted as examples of successful implementation. 

A three-pillar framework focusing on cultural alignment, integrated data systems, and adaptable frameworks is proposed to achieve this. 

The episode concludes by advocating for proactive adaptation to evolving consumer needs to gain a true competitive advantage.

Radical Consumer Centricity  A Competitive Advantage

This episode of Marketing Deep Dives by Denyse explores the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a customer-first business strategy. 

Advantages include improved customer satisfaction, increased sales, enhanced brand reputation, and better decision-making, illustrated through examples like Amazon, Apple, and Zappos. 

However, disadvantages include increased costs, a potential short-term focus, difficulty measuring success, and the challenge of balancing customer and business needs, as Southwest Airlines, Kodak, and McDonald's have demonstrated. 

The discussion concludes with recommendations for companies considering this approach. 

Denyse emphasises the need for a thorough assessment, clear metrics, employee training, interdepartmental collaboration, and a long-term perspective. 

Denyse shares several examples of companies that have successfully adopted a customer-first strategy for further inspiration, such as Salesforce and Airbnb.

Customer - First Strategies  Advantages & Disadvantages

This episode outlines seven common reasons companies fail to implement a customer-first strategy successfully. 

Lack of executive leadership and company-wide buy-in are highlighted as critical failures. 

Denyse emphasises the need for clear roles and responsibilities, visible leadership, and an understanding that a customer-first approach is an ongoing process, not a one-time project. 

Furthermore, she stresses that the significant potential for increased profitability and customer retention outweighs the perceived high cost of implementation. 

Finally, Denyse encourages companies to overcome these obstacles to achieve greater success and profitability.

Seven Reasons Customer - First Strategies Fail

This episode recounts Denyse's negative customer experience with the Hilton hotel group, illustrating failures in their customer journey mapping. 

Three key lessons are developed out of this experience: 
1. The need to integrate all customer touchpoints
2. The importance of adequately addressing and resolving mistakes
3. Follow-up is necessary to ensure customer satisfaction. 

In conclusion, Denyse proposes two additional improvements to customer journey mapping: 
1. Incorporating customer emotions at each interaction
2. Personally experiencing the customer journey as a buyer

This discussion focuses on improving customer service and satisfaction by optimising customer journey mapping strategies.

Customer Journey Mapping Failures

This episode discusses five key consumer trends predicted to shape the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry in 2025.

They include:
 - ultra-personalization
 - digital engagement
 - sustainability
 - wellness
 - authentic brand purpose. 

The lively discussion examines each trend, providing examples of successful brand implementations and actionable strategies for CPG companies to adapt. 

Denyse emphasises the importance of leveraging data, technology, and ethical practices to build meaningful consumer relationships and achieve growth. 

Denyse concludes by urging CPG brands to prioritise consumer values and create genuine connections to thrive in the evolving market in 2025.

Top 2025 Consumer Trends For CPG

This episode offers seven leadership principles drawn from Denyse's experiences, including continuous learning, seeking help, practising diligently, thorough preparation, embracing mistakes, honesty, and considering diverse customer groups. 

To illustrate these points, Denyse shares personal anecdotes, such as recording an audiobook. 

A bonus eighth principle, preparing for unforeseen challenges, is also suggested during the discussion. 

In conclusion Denyse emphasizes the importance of continuous self-improvement and to use a holistic approach to be a more effective leader.

Seven Leadership Lessons For Quantum Growth

This episode examines the qualities of excellent customer service, using a personal anecdote from Denyse about a positive experience she had with a cable company.

It represents the ideal "7 Ps" of customer service excellence: Private, Patient, Polite, Perceptive, Professional, Pragmatic, and Perseverant. 

Denyse contrasts this positive experience with the generally negative experiences of dealing with call centres, highlighting the importance of speed and empathy in resolving customer issues. 

She advocates for prioritising customer needs and emphasises the value of a responsive and understanding approach to customer service. 

In conclusion, Denyse suggests that the audience check out the C3Centricity customer service training services as a solution to improve business practices.

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The 7 Ps Of Customer Service Excellence

The episode discusses brand portfolio management, arguing that fewer, well-chosen variants lead to greater success. 

It challenges the common belief that more choices benefit consumers, citing research indicating that excessive options can hinder purchasing decisions. 

Denyse uses examples of successful global brands to illustrate the benefits of focused brand portfolios and suggests strategies for streamlining SKUs, such as annual reviews and targeted innovation. 

She says poor brand management is linked to marketers prioritising quick promotions over effective long-term brand strategies. 

Denyse concludes by emphasising the importance of understanding customer needs and aligning product offerings to those needs for optimal results.

Brand Portfolio Management  5 Secrets To Success

The episode uses Swiss police speed cameras as a case study to illustrate the benefits of a customer-first strategy. 

It contrasts the negative customer experience of traditional speed cameras (permanent, temporary, and laser) with the positive response to cameras providing immediate feedback, like a smiley face for drivers under the speed limit. 

Denyse argues that focusing on a positive customer experience, rather than solely on revenue generation, leads to better outcomes and brand loyalty, applying this concept to businesses beyond law enforcement. 

The discussion concludes by promoting Denyse's C3Centricity customer-centric business consulting services.

Customer - First Strategies  Lessons From Swiss Police

This episode of Marketing Deep Dives by Denyse emphasises the importance of direct customer observation for businesses seeking to improve understanding. 

It highlights the shortcomings of traditional market research and advocates for regular, informal interactions with customers. 

The discussion details five key rules for effective observation: attentiveness, objectivity, and contextual awareness. 

These rules, which Denyse proposes, aim to ensure accurate data collection and insightful analysis, which will ultimately improve products and services. 

The episode also stresses the need for cultural sensitivity in international settings and encourages the sharing of experiences to enhance understanding.

The 5 Rules Of Customer Observation

This episode presents five key strategies for enhancing insight development in marketing. 

It emphasises that insights rarely result from singular market research studies but require integrating diverse data and information. 

The process necessitates focusing on consumers' desired behavioural or attitudinal shifts, often involving emotional connections. 

Collaboration across departments is crucial for gaining diverse perspectives, leading to breakthroughs. 

Denyse concludes that insights frequently hinge on fundamental human truths, offering broad applicability, and can even be adapted across different categories.

Five Brilliant Ideas For Insight Development

The episode examines hyper-personalization in marketing, a strategy using AI and real-time data to create highly individualized customer experiences. 
The discussion highlights the importance of this approach for building brand loyalty, boosting sales, and differentiating in competitive markets. 

Denyse shares numerous examples from various companies and regions to illustrate successful implementations, emphasizing the role of data analytics and various technologies. 
The discussion also addresses ethical concerns surrounding data privacy and the potential for over-personalization. 
Finally, it concludes that hyper-personalization is crucial for future success in consumer engagement.



Why Hyper-Personalisation Matters in Delighting Your Consumers

This is a discussion about C3Centricity's 2024 CPG blog post roundup. It highlights the most popular articles on consumer centricity. 
The top ten posts cover various aspects, including strategic change management, emotional intelligence in business, consumer delight, insight development, and measuring consumer experience. 
Several articles also address challenges of implementing consumer-first strategies and developing effective mission statements. 
In conclusion, the 2024 Top 10 CPG blog collection emphasises the importance of a consumer-focused approach for business success.



AI Marketing Strategies_ Success & Transformation

The discussion this week argues that deep customer insights, meaningful innovation, and inclusive leadership are crucial for business success in 2025.  
It supports this claim with data from McKinsey, PwC, BCG, and Deloitte, showcasing how companies effectively integrating these three elements significantly outperform their competitors.  
The discussion provides examples of successful companies like Spotify, Nike, Unilever, and Microsoft, illustrating how these principles are applied in practice.  
Finally, it offers a framework for implementing these principles and suggests methods for measuring progress.


Insight, Innovation and Inclusive Leadership- The New Business Success Formula

Influencer marketing is transforming the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, with social media personalities launching successful brands like Prime Hydration and Feastables. Authenticity, direct engagement, and pre-built audiences are key drivers, disrupting traditional marketing and creating new market dynamics. 
Established CPG brands can learn from these strategies by fostering authenticity, engaging consumers directly, and partnering with influencers. 
However, influencer-led brands face risks like over-reliance on personal reputation and challenges in scaling without losing their unique appeal. 
Despite some speculation, influencer marketing remains powerful, offering unparalleled reach, high ROI, and strong consumer trust, particularly among younger demographics. 
The future of CPG involves blending traditional strengths with influencer-driven approaches to foster genuine connections and continuous innovation.

Influencer Marketing: Redefining Consumer Engagement and Market Success

This session, drawn from personal experience in corporate leadership and supported by research, identifies seven key insights for navigating workplace power dynamics, particularly for women aiming for senior roles. It argues that simply breaking the "glass ceiling" isn't enough, as subtle biases and power plays persist at all levels. 
Denyse highlights issues like visibility challenges, fear-based leadership, and the importance of boundaries. 
Ultimately, the discussion of Denyse's blog post aims to equip individuals with a framework to understand and strategically respond to these often-hidden truths in their career progression, offering further guidance through a masterclass and personalized sessions.

Breaking The Glass Ceiling: 7 Essential Truths Smart Women (and Men) Need to Know

This session emphasizes resilience as a crucial skill for career success, especially in uncertain times. 
It highlights research demonstrating the measurable benefits of resilience, including increased productivity and promotion potential. 
In Denyse's blog post, she presents a three-part framework for building resilience: developing active response patterns, building strategic support networks, and practicing intentional reflection. 
Through anecdotes and expert insights, the text argues that resilience is not just about bouncing back but about adapting and growing from challenges, ultimately differentiating successful professionals.

Resilience: The Essential Foundation for Career Success in Uncertain Times

This podcast discussion argues that mid-sized companies can achieve remarkable success by strategically outmaneuvering industry giants, despite having fewer resources. It substantiates this claim by presenting compelling case studies from both the technology and consumer packaged goods sectors, such as Stripe, Zoom, Chobani, and Kind Snacks. The analysis of these examples reveals key winning strategies centered on focusing on specific problems, leveraging new technologies, creating new categories, building authentic connections, and maintaining quality during growth. The session serves as an implementation guide, offering practical steps and success metrics for mid-sized companies aiming to not just compete, but to truly outperform their larger rivals by prioritizing agility, focus, and customer understanding.

How Mid-Sized Companies Outsmart Giants: Learning from Tech and CPG Success Stories

This podcast discusses key strategies for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands to cultivate consumer loyalty in 2025 and beyond, emphasizing a shift towards a consumer-centric approach. 

It highlights the increasing importance of exceptional experiences, radical transparency, hyper-personalization, and purpose-driven commerce as primary drivers of purchasing decisions. 

The article discussed provides real-world examples of brands successfully implementing these principles and offers actionable strategies specifically tailored for mid-sized CPG companies, focusing on leveraging AI, agile development, co-creation, and precision marketing. 

In conclusion, the piece argues that moving from reactive insights to predictive foresight is crucial for gaining a competitive edge and fostering lasting consumer relationships.



7 Powerful Secrets Explaining How Successful CPG Brands Capture Consumer Loyalty

What if the secret to explosive growth isn't moving faster... but knowing when to stop?

This episode of Marketing Deep Dives with Denyse Drummond-Dunn challenges the business world's obsession with relentless acceleration. 

Drawing from real examples of successful companies, she reveals why strategic pauses lead to breakthrough innovation and energized teams.

You'll discover:

 - Why constant forward motion can lead to exhaustion and diminished returns

 - How recalibrating and challenging assumptions creates fresh perspective

 - A framework for making strategic pauses work for your business

 - Examples of companies that use reflection periods for explosive growth

 - Why intentionally slowing down is a bold move that drives sharper direction

Perfect for leaders who are ready to question the "always accelerate" mindset.

Based on the thought-provoking blog post from C3Centricity that's changing how business leaders think about growth.

Listen now and discover why your next bold move might be to pause.


Why Slowing Down Is the Boldest Move You Can Make to Accelerate Growth

The article that this podcast discusses argues that for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies, the key to successful AI investment for customer understanding is not simply adopting technology. But undertaking a business transformation starting with clear strategic objectives. It highlights that many companies struggle to translate AI insights into measurable business impact, with a significant gap between generating insights and acting upon them. The author proposes a framework for balanced AI investment across short-term and long-term horizons, emphasizes the need for organizational capabilities like decision architecture and cross-functional activation to utilize insights effectively, and suggests using comprehensive metrics beyond just financial returns to measure success. In concluding the article asserts that value comes from building systems to translate understanding into decisive action and growth, not just from the AI technology itself.

Why Smart CPG Leaders Are Rethinking Their AI Strategy to Maximise Consumer Insight Value

The discussion argues that inclusive innovation is a system, not a department, and that many organizations are hindered by overlooking their mid-level managers. These managers should be appreciated as crucial for translating strategy into action and for possessing vital insights from both the C-suite and the front lines. Excluding them from innovation processes leads to stalled initiatives, lost insights, and leadership drain. True inclusive innovation involves not only who is within the company but also innovating for and with consumers, with mid-level managers playing a key role due to their proximity to both. In conclusion the discussion suggests that changing this requires a mindset shift, structural adjustments, and cultural reinforcement to include and value the perspectives of mid-level leadership.

Mid-Level Managers Drive Inclusive Innovation

This discussion explores the paradox of being irreplaceable in the workplace, arguing that while initially appealing, it can ultimately hinder career advancement. It highlights the benefits of being essential, such as enhanced job security and increased influence, but then identifies the hidden costs, including burnout, career stagnation, and succession challenges. The article on which the discussion is based advocates for a "Goldilocks Zone" of strategic indispensability, where individuals offer unique value through vision and leadership while ensuring their day-to-day tasks are tactically replaceable. It offers six practical strategies for achieving this balance, emphasizing knowledge sharing, team development, and a shift from operational tasks to strategic direction. The discussion concludes by advising individuals to focus on building sustainable systems and developing others to foster long-term career growth and mobility.

The Hidden Danger of Being Your Company's MVP (And 6 Smart Ways to Avoid Being Irreplaceable at Work)

The blog post discussed in this episode of Marketing Deep Dives by Denyse argues that the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry faces a "relevance crisis" because traditional market research methods cannot keep pace with rapidly changing consumer behaviour and preferences. 
It emphasises that AI-powered consumer listening is crucial for CPG companies to regain relevance, illustrating this with examples from industry leaders like Procter & Gamble and Unilever, who have leveraged AI to achieve faster insights, more accurate predictions, and improved product development. 
The discussion reviews the six pillars of AI-powered consumer intelligence summarised in the post, such as real-time sentiment analysis and predictive consumer modelling.
It concludes by asserting that embracing AI for deeper consumer understanding is no longer just a competitive advantage but a "survival requirement" for sustainable growth in the evolving market.

How Smart CPG Leaders Are Mastering AI Consumer Intelligence to Drive Growth

This week's blog post "How CPG Leaders Stay Ahead When Consumers Innovate Faster Than Brands" suggests that consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies urgently adapt to the accelerating pace of consumer-driven innovation, which often outstrips traditional brand development cycles. It highlights how platforms like TikTok foster viral trends and "dupe" culture, compelling brands to embrace, rather than merely analyse, these grassroots movements. The post presents case studies, such as e.l.f. Beauty and L’Oréal Pakistan, illustrating successful strategies where brands rapidly responded to consumer creativity. It concludes by outlining a playbook for CPG leaders focusing on spotting viral trends, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and visibly demonstrating the impact of swift responses to maintain market relevance and leadership in a fast-evolving landscape.

How CPG Leaders Stay Ahead When Consumers Innovate Faster Than Brands

This podcast emphasizes that effective cross-functional collaboration is crucial for innovation in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector. It highlights a global innovation crisis, with a low percentage of genuinely new product launches, particularly in North America, while Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern companies are leading with entrepreneurial mindsets. The discussion suggests that traditional siloed approaches are failing, leading to significant financial waste and missed opportunities. Instead, successful CPG leaders are leveraging integrated teams to achieve higher revenue growth, increased efficiency, and more new product launches. It introduces the CATSIGHT™ process as a framework for developing actionable insights and transforming dysfunctional teams into innovation powerhouses, citing examples from companies like Unilever and Nestlé. It concludes by saying that mastering cross-functional innovation is no longer optional but a necessary competitive advantage for the coming decade, especially with the rise of automation and AI.

How Smart CPG Innovation Leaders Are Rewriting the Rules

Have you been working with the marketing 5Ps but still don't seem to know your customers any better? 
Try these 7Qs and see a real difference! 
This post gives you the questions to ask yourself and the actions to take to build your brand.

C3Centricity Blog Post Podcast

Are You Still Using The Marketing 5Ps? Move To The Improved 7Qs.

Many companies create great new products and services – from their perspective – but they fail! In such a situation, it is almost always due to an outdated innovation process, in which the customer has not been involved.

I know it can be difficult to innovate in this new age of technology, but it remains vital for growth. This podcast shares some of the latest ways to improve your innovation success rate.

C3Centricity Blod Post Podcast

Improving Ideation, Insight & Innovation

A customer first strategy is not hard. Just think customer first in everything you do. So how come most businesses get it spectacularly wrong? I think the reason is because they don't see the immediate return. 
Reasons for having a customer-first strategy
There has been enough research done to prove that the return on a customer first strategy is significant:
•	86% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience. But only 1% feel that vendors consistently meet their expectations.
•	89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. 
•	By 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.
•	10% increase in customer retention levels result in a 30% increase in value of a company. 
Those are numbers that would make any CEO sit up and take notice! But will it make them act? 
Marketing are too busy building brands
With so much information available today, marketing is being challenged to demonstrate its ROI. This might explain why they are still putting their efforts into brand building, sometimes to the detriment of their customers, consumers and clients.
An analysis by IBM on UK research by Callcredit Information Group gives a different reason. They found that the majority of marketers is feeling overwhelmed by all this data. Their explanation for this is that "only 29% of marketers believe they have the necessary skills to analyse data, with 44% planning on investing in further training over the next two years to boost confidence within their organisations around the handling of information." 
Big data has actually done customer understanding a disfavour. Organisations are hardly increasing their spend on market research. The industry grew 2.2% compared to over 4% for ad spend.
Market research is seen as a cost, not an investment
Companies still need market research to understand their customers. That's why market research needs to provide more "why" answers and not just the mere statistics.
I believe that (a large?) part of the issue is also the researchers themselves. They're not sociable, speak a language others don't understand and seem afraid to voice their own opinion let alone make recommendations. 
Customer services are seen as complaint handlers
The customer care centre is often seen as mere complaint handlers. Their image is of a group of women who spend their days on the phone talking to other women! 
You only have to take a look at companies which excel at customer care to realise the business benefits of putting the customer first. 
Forrester report’s key findings from the 2016 report:
•	In all five sectors covered, companies with higher customer experience (CX) scores outperformed rivals in revenue growth
•	CX leaders’ annual growth rate is 17% compared to just 3% for others.
•	Cable and retail industries beat the field in CX by 24% and 26%, which is a huge boost to the bottom line.
•	Even in the sector with the smallest range (airlines), there was a 5% difference between companies.
•	This also translated into subscriber growth – in the cable industry leaders grew internet subscribers by 23.9% more than others and video subscribers by 13.9%
Along with the previously mentioned statistics, I can see no reason for a company not to invest in a customer-first strategy. 

A customer first strategy needs an organisation to recenter itself behind this company-wide objective. It can make a real difference in terms of both sales & profits to those who follow this direction. But it is essential to have executive support and true commitment from every employee to think customer first.
It will take skill upgrades for both marketing & market research departments to translate the data & information gathered into actionable insights.
And it will mean every employee having the chance to get close up and personal with customers. This is the only way for them to understand the role they play in satisfying and delighting them.

What a customer first strategy means today

MARKETING DEEP DIVES by DENYSE is a Podcast for CPG Executives wanting to attract, delight and retain more consumers.
In each episode Denyse shares her tips, tools and ideas gathered from her more than 30 years experience working in over 125 countries around the globe.
Denyse is: 📈 Advisor to Fortune 100-Inc 5000 | 🚀 Strategist for mid-sized CPGs | 👨‍💼👩‍💼Leadership Coach | 🎤 Keynote Speaker | 📚 #1 Best-Selling Author | 🌍 Former Global Head of Consumer Excellence at Nestlé

Marketing Deep Dives by Denyse

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