(5:12 Summary Video) “Shifting Focus from Product to Customer Relationship and Experience”
In this 5:12 video, Ines Hubmann outlines why brand and performance marketing are inseparable. She explains how cohesive messaging, grounded in solid brand foundations, drives meaningful conversions. By integrating insight-driven creatives with tactical platforms, teams multiply impact. Her viewpoint underscores the power of empathy and careful listening in shaping a compelling narrative.
Brands that rely heavily on product features often fail to spark meaningful customer relationships. In discussing shifting focus from product to customer relationship and experience, Ines Hubmann underscores that success isn’t just about selling what you have—it’s about showing customers how you can help them reach their goals. She references a study demonstrating that customer experience leads to greater loyalty than any specific feature set, emphasizing the importance of truly listening. This piece reveals how her perspective helps marketers avoid irrelevant, wasteful campaigns by aligning closely with their audience’s current needs.
“The interesting thing about customer experience is truly seeing things from the customer’s point of view and making decisions as a marketer with that perspective in mind. I believe the moment we start building strategies from that perspective—shifting from ego to empathy—that’s when the real friction point is happening. ” – Ines Hubmann
To learn more, watch the 5:12 video or read the article below.
To catch the full interview with Ines Hubmann on “ CMOs: How to Stop Burning Marketing Spend and Our Teams at the Same Time” CLICK HERE.
Article: “Shifting Focus from Product to Customer Relationship and Experience”
This article is based on an interview with Ines Hubmann, Senior CX Marketing Consultant at Huble
Seeing Through the Customer’s Eyes
In the discussion, Ines points to the friction marketers create when focusing on themselves. “You get cornered by someone at a dinner party who only talks about themselves, and you’re trying to leave,” she notes, drawing a parallel to product-heavy marketing messages. She highlights a McKinsey study showing companies concentrating on CX deliver higher shareholder returns. She says, “We might be trying to solve customers’ future issues, which they don’t even know about yet.” This orientation demands deeper conversations—marketers must ask, “What do you need?” instead of merely asserting, “Here’s what we have.” By stepping into buyers’ shoes, marketing teams can craft messages that resonate emotionally and practically.
Shifting from Ego to Empathy
Central to Ines’s approach is the principle of “ego to empathy.” Rather than listing features or relying on flashy product announcements, she advocates for ongoing discovery and mindful listening. “The interesting thing about customer experience is truly seeing things from the customer’s point of view,” she says. Within this perspective, marketers develop an ICP that captures customers’ pain points and aspirations in greater detail. Quotes like, “I believe the moment we start building strategies from that perspective—shifting from ego to empathy—that’s when the real friction point is happening,” illustrate why empathy isn’t just a feel-good idea but a proven strategy for growth. Marketers who adopt this principle see fewer wasted ads, higher engagement, and better customer retention.
Evolving with Customer Needs
The conversation with Ines emphasizes the importance of maintaining a living, breathing ICP. “We might be trying to solve today’s issues and our customers’ future issues. We need to speak with customers more and ask new questions,” she says. This proactive stance helps prevent misalignment between what marketers promote and buyers desire. Companies remain agile by treating ICP research as an ongoing process rather than a static document. As Ines notes, “Ignoring the customer’s changing landscape is the fastest route to wasted budgets.” The ability to pivot ensures marketing resources target evolving priorities and remain relevant across multiple channels and segments.
Conclusion
Rather than churning out product-focused messaging, Ines’s approach demonstrates how meaningful relationships stem from understanding. By championing empathy, you engage audiences at a deeper level, reduce ineffective marketing spend, and build loyalty in a crowded marketplace. This method demands stepping outside of your brand’s own story long enough to see where your audience stands today—and where they need to go tomorrow. Set aside time to actively listen to customers, update your ICP regularly, and view technology as a tool for deeper human connection, not a crutch for automated self-promotion. The outcome is a marketing strategy that continually adapts, resonates, and delivers measurable, lasting results.
ELEVATING CONTENT MARKETING STANDARDS RAISES A CRUCIAL QUESTION:
Why shouldn’t the very act of creating thought leadership content also spark new conversations with in-pipeline deals, top prospects, and high-priority customers for revenue expansion? Or serve as the cornerstone for learning and applying voice-of-customer strategies? That’s the power of ABM Podcasting—engaging B2B buyers and customers in meaningful conversations that uncover essential go-to-market insights, support long sales cycles, reinforce your market perspective, build peer-level trust, and dismantle objections that kill deals.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
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