In a recent workshop with the marketing team of a large European brand, we discussed the importance for marketers to deliver their brand promise. About 45% of marketers now report to be in charge of the customer experience. Whether they officially own CX or simply orchestrate CX talent and resources does not matter. In that particular case, the person in charge of CX reported both to the CMO and to the CEO, highlighting the importance of customer experience both as the voice of the customer and as a transverse cross-functional discipline, requiring top management’s vision, strategy, and support.

Most marketers agreed it is key and that the way consumers feel about the brand is the most important factor in delivering a differentiated customer experience. Even though emotion accounts for nearly half of the energy that a brand accumulates, few marketers measure emotion. They feel it is too subjective and difficult to measure. As a result, this team was first and foremost measuring advocacy and overfocusing on the Net Promoter Score*, without deeply understanding the drivers behind their customers’ emotions.

While difficult, there are ways to get started, and I am very excited to speak about this theme at Forrester’s upcoming CX Europe 2018 Forum in London on November 13. In my talk, I will analyze the importance of emotion in fueling brand energy and in delivering a consistent brand experience across touchpoints, as well as best practices to master the art and science of emotion.

Together with my Forrester colleagues focusing on customer experience, I look forward to welcoming you for this two-day event and to learn from executives at Credit Suisse, Kindred Healthcare, Lloyds Bank, The Telegraph, and many others.

* Net Promoter and NPS are registered service marks, and Net Promoter Score is a service mark, of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.