Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks! The podcast for CX leaders who want to spice up their leadership. 

In this episode, your host Nienke Bloem CCXP connects with Cairo Marsh, founder of Relativ, an experience agency based in Tokyo. Together, they explore why branding alone isn’t enough in today’s world and introduce the powerful concept of “brand being”: how a brand shows up in every experience, online and offline. 

Cairo Marsh shares practical strategies for aligning different departments around shared customer goals, the importance of employee incentives and culture, and how CX leaders can leverage moments of belonging to drive loyalty and connection. You’ll also hear insights on balancing quantitative and qualitative research, the necessity of customer experience strategy, and lessons from global and Japanese brands. 

Grab your favorite drink and get ready for inspiration and actionable tips to elevate your CX leadership! 

Timestamped overview: 

00:00 Brand being and belonging 

05:33 Branding agencies and broken promises 

06:57 Marketing for today and tomorrow 

10:57 Thin slicing customer experience 

13:47 Overcoming Fragmentation in Teams 

18:37 Unified customer engagement platform design 

21:58 Prioritizing customers to align goals 

25:47 Balancing data and insight 

30:00 Defining strategy to stand out 

33:47 Authentic leadership and expectations 

36:16 Japan's experience design challenge 

39:08 Belonging over basic needs 

40:50 Building belonging through connection 

45:38 Unreasonable hospitality insights 

Extra information:  

Connect with Cairo on LinkedIn  

You can find the information about relativ* here   

You can find Cairo's book recommendation here

About Nienke:   

Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.    

She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.   

Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.    

With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.