Part 2 of our new series of Q&A blogs. We spent 10 minutes with Emma Titchener, Director at Brand Vista and customer experience alignment specialist. Read on to find out what Emma’s most rewarding and favourite insight projects have been, where and when she’ll be time travelling to this weekend, and which books she’ll be packing to pass the time with.
- Start by giving us the background as to how you became a director with Brand Vista.
I have known Gary and Andrew who founded Brand Vista from when I was a client of theirs 20 years ago. My background is in marketing in various industries and once I added insight, innovation and facilitation skills to my experience through a stint at an innovation agency I was a natural fit to help grow Brand Vista into the thriving agency it now is.
- Could you explain to any of our readers unfamiliar with the term what is meant by customer experience alignment.
This is simply ensuring that the experience a customer has at every interaction with a brand or company not only meets, but exceeds their expectations and fits perfectly with the brand’s positioning.
- What has been exciting or inspiring you so far this year?
Brand Vista have been talking about customer experience alignment for 20 years, in fact that is why Gary and Andrew left their jobs at JWT. They could see that the old way of building brands was failing. At last everyone else is speaking our language and there is a huge movement behind customer experience. We are talking to clients about what we believe in and what we do and we see their eyes light up. They now get what we do and want it applied to their brands.
- What would be your favourite research project you’ve been ever involved with…?
It has to be an insight and positioning project for Durex. Fascinating and I learnt a lot!
- And the most rewarding?
Most Pharmaceutical research I have been involved in has been hugely rewarding but I think the most has got to be a project for AstraZeneca developing insight, positioning and launch communications for a new and much needed antibiotic for serious resistant infections. The drug was then bought by Pfizer who said they were impressed by the insight work and took the positioning exactly as was. We are now working with Pfizer on their wider anti-infectives portfolio which is very exciting
- What is going on outside of work-life that our readers need to know about!?
I was lucky enough to rescue a lovely gentle lurcher a couple of years ago and we do work for the Pets As Therapy charity, visiting dementia patients and children with autism
- What is your personal ambition for the coming months?
To get my daughter through her A levels without either of us throttling each other!
- Musical choices are often revealing. What were the first and last gigs you attended?
The first was Dire Straits at Shepton Mallet showground cheese pavilion! The most recent was Shania Twain at the MEN!
- What about book recommendations?
The best fictional book ever has to be Count of Monte Cristo. Intrigue, revenge, passion – what more could you want?!! For non-fiction I would say Black Swan by Nicholas Taleb. Very thought provoking.
- Lastly, fire up the DeLorean. You can spend the weekend time travelling – where are you going and when?
I’d be heading straight to Nashville and Memphis in the 1960s – Elvis and Johnny Cash!
Emma has been a director of Brand Vista since 2015. She has spent most of her career in marketing roles client side in companies such as Mars, British Midland, Merlin Entertainments and AstraZeneca. She hails from the West Country and is still very much a lover of the countryside, her ideal day being a lovely long walk with her dog ending with a pint of cider in a good country pub!
