The ARF on Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: An Interview with CRO Joel Rubinson

As Chief Research Officer of the Advertising Research Foundation, Joel Rubinson knows what will keep customers coming back. Rubinson regularly meets with marketing leaders to assemble a cohesive set of industry trends and priorities. With his pulse on the industry, he aids in the mission of the Advertising Research Foundation: to improve the practice of advertising, marketing and media research in pursuit of more effective marketing and advertising communications. Rubinson understands that brands need customers more than customers need them, and that a brand’s relevance will determine brand success or failure.

Being relevant today includes understanding the customer’s frame of mind, which is currently a fragile one. The economic downturn has resulted in increased calls to crisis centers and visits to psychiatrists. The collective unconscious has changed–has your tonality and messaging? Are you lending a sympathetic ear? In looking at marketing trends post-meltdown, Rubinson said that when the upturn comes, there won’t be a "stasis" or "normalcy" to return to. By the time the economy turns around the marketing environment will be different.

In this podcast, Rubinson speaks with Customer Management IQ’s Blake Landau about how the economic crisis has affected the marketing and advertising world, and what will currently determine a brand’s sustainability. He reveals how companies have veered off course with their messaging, focusing on what Rubinson calls a "product-centric" lens, and how they must shift focus to a "human-centric" lens. Rubinson also addresses social media marketing, metrics and ROI for building a brand that listens.