The chief marketing officer’s (CMO’s) role is shifting from a two-dimensional world of outbound marketing communications vehicles to a multidimensional world that encompasses every interaction a customer has with a brand. These CMOs must not only craft the perfect marketing communications message but also ensure that their customers’ experience is consistent with the brand promise.  

Why does this matter? Because Forrester’s TRUE brand compass research shows that having a consistent experience across all brand touchpoints is a key driver of brand trust. For example, consumers tell us that both Microsoft and Amazon.com deliver a consistent experience every time they interact with those brands. This helps both brands secure high levels of brand trust, which in turn drives strong brand resonance.

To build a trusted brand, marketing leaders must ensure that brand messages sync with achievable expectations to deliver the brand promise. Many airlines now routinely offer a swift response to customers’ on-the-go travel needs via Twitter; this real-time travel support serves to enhance the brand experience. Delta sees the opportunity; the airline is investing more than $3 billion to enhance the customer experience in the air, on the ground and online.

To learn more about how you can align customer experience with marketing communication strategies to build your brand, read my new report “How To Build Your Brand Through Customer Experience.”  Or join me at Forrester’s Forum For Customer Experience Professionals in New York on June 24, 2014.  And if you want to delve in to the TRUE brand compass research that shows how leading brands today are trusted, remarkable, unmistakable, and essential (TRUE), check out “Navigate To A 21st Century Brand With The TRUE Brand Compass.”