What you need to know:

• As part of the FY25 Marketing and Customer Benchmarks report, Mi3 asked 18 marketing and customer chiefs whether they personally “love” any brands and if so, which and why.
• Likewise what is the best customer experience they have ever had; whether they advocate for any brand; if they use loyalty programs and whether they think those schemes are any good.
• Plus, which campaigns they think are the best of the last 12 months – and the best new product or service they have come across professionally of late.
• Here’s a selection of what they had to say.
• Get the full download via the FY25 Marketing & Customer Benchmarks report.
• In association with the Australian Marketing Institute, Tumbleturn Advisory and Qualtrics, the report benchmarks investment, operating models, agency arrangements, capabilities and shifting KPIs across 105 B2C and B2B marketing and customer chiefs, representing $3bn-plus of marketing spend.

Zach Kitschke: Chief Marketing Officer, Canva

For Kitschke, one brand sets the marketing bar.

“I’m not alone here, but I can’t say enough about how impressive Spotify’s marketing efforts are, both as a consumer and marketer. Their Unwrapped series is something I look forward to annually, as it never ceases to amaze me how viral it gets with everyone I know."

Does he “love” any brand?

“There is good reason The New York Times is the ‘paper of record’ because they’ve set the gold standard or what true journalism looks like. I love that a 170+ year old brand can sustain such longevity, credibility and respect, while artfully evolving with consumption habits for generations, while weathering endless storms and emerging on top. It’s reinvented itself as a brand for today, and it stands for something important in our world.

“Business aside, they set a really high bar for storytelling, and never skimp on how they communicate visually, which I also love. There is a lot to learn from the standard they set for themselves, and it’s an inspiration for all emerging brands.”

Kristy Keyte: Chief Marketing Officer, Penfolds / Treasury Wine Estates

For Keyte there’s one standout brand she would advocate for personally.

“Aesop. A brand that brings to life "everyday luxury" consistently across all consumer touchpoints from packaging, customer experience in store and then the product itself at the point of use. To then take this level of discipline global is no mean feat. I am personally a consumer, and have enjoyed watching their rise over the last decade.

When it comes to loyalty programs there are two: “Qantas and Mecca. Both add tangible value to my day to day with genuine benefits that exist beyond price or discounting. They definitely influence my buying behaviour and I go out of my way to interact with both brands over their competitors.”

Brent Smart, Chief Marketing Officer, Telstra

Does Smart actually “love” any brand?

“I love Guinness. Not just how it tastes (like beer and coffee had a baby), I love the brand itself. A legacy of great advertising. Incredible brand codes. One of the world’s best brand experiences at the Dublin brewery. And my favourite piece of positioning and tagline writing – “good things come to those who wait”. It is the antidote for a too-fast world."

What about the best product or service Smart’s discovered professionally of late?

“I’m a late adopter, but I’ve become obsessed with the podcast Acquired. It tells the stories behind great companies and is meticulously researched, really delving into history and strategy. As a marketer, it reminds you of the importance of truly understanding the DNA of a company and it consistently demonstrates the enduring power of a great brand. Acquired is also a great example that following “best practice” just makes you like everyone else – it breaks all the rules of podcasting, with episodes that go for over three hours and are dropped inconsistently every other month, yet it has established a cult following.”

Rebecca Darley: CMO and MD – Consumer Division, Domain

How many loyalty programs is Darley in? Answer, all of them.

“To this day, I have a Hotmail account. Don't judge. I use it to subscribe to EVERY SINGLE loyalty program known to (wo)man. My name is Rebecca Darley and I'm a loyalty program junkie. There I said it.

"You name it. I'm a member of it. I'm an online shopping addict (yes I have many vices, this is one) and if there's a chance of a discount on my midnight online shop, a free pair of leggings in my basket that will no doubt shrink after the first wash or a free bottle of cheap booze that will result in a nasty hangover I'm in.

"I'm also a mum of three growing kids who eat. ALL.THE.TIME. They outgrow shoes and clothes seemingly weekly, have more bloody sports activities than an Olympic meet and the social calendar of a C-Grade Sydney 'celebrity'. If my loyalty gets me my 10th pair of kids shoes half price, or a $50 supermarket voucher or my third child at 30 per cent off for the school holiday sports camp I'll take it. I'm spending anyway. (Imagine the discount if I'd had that fourth child I always wanted?!).

"These small 'wins' are a result of loyalty but more so my excellent shopping skills honed over many, many years of practice. I knew it would all come in handy!

"I suppose I should also add that I'm a marketer and I'm curious. I dump the unending stream of shopaholic spam into the aforementioned Hotmail account (yes Hotmail still serves a purpose) and occasionally sift through them to see what discounts... I mean... direct marketing 'inspiration' is out there."

And the best product or service she’s discovered professionally of late?

“Tealium and Braze: a marriage made in personalisation heaven!”

Yash Gandhi: Head of Marketing, Baiada (Steggles | Lilydale)

When it comes to the best customer experience ever, there’s one standout for Gandhi (and possibly a lifetime’s supply of chicken for a BMW dealer in the Central Tablelands).

“On a family holiday in the beautiful country town of Orange, I damaged the tyre of the car driving through a pothole on the first day of our week long holiday. We made our way at a snail’s pace to the Orange BMW Dealership and highlighted our situation while trying to argue with the insurance company (will save that for another day – NRMA!).

We were told the tyre on our car was not easily available, would have to be ordered in and would take a few days. Not the ideal start to any holiday and you should’ve seen the look on my wife’s face!  She wasn’t angry, just disappointed. However, seeing our plight, the dealer principal kindly offered his brand new car as a loan car so we could continue our family holiday undeterred while he took it upon himself to get our car fixed before we made our way home. Now that’s a 10/10 for customer service and experience.”

Amanda Connors: Global Chief Marketing Officer, Total Beauty Network

Two brands Connors would advocate for personally as a consumer?

“July suitcases: Australian made and strong word of mouth, which is powerful given the market is so cluttered with cases. They are personalised, sturdy, innovative with a battery charger, gorgeous colours and for me, my friends and colleagues are the go to for great luggage, even though you pay more."

The other?

Alex McLean: General Manager – Marketing, BMW Australia

For McLean, the best customer experience he’s ever had didn’t even happen to him. That’s how good it was.

“The best customer experience I have had, or rather been a witness to, was several years ago when we had organised an event in Sydney.

“We were launching a new MINI and had invited the entire network to come and experience the new car. We settled on the Old Clare Hotel, for our guests to stay at. I am an advocate for the power of data and hotels particularly, have access to so much, so they can (or rather some) do so much with it.

“The hotel provided a personalised welcome experience for one of our German guests. They had sourced a postcode of her hometown of Munich, had written a letter in German on the postcard and had it waiting in her room along with traditional German pretzels from a local Bavarian bakery. I still tell this story today and promote their brand. Powerful.

“Why did they do this? Just because they could. I believe there are many examples from service-based brands, such as hotels and tailors, that brands like BMW can learn from.”

Andrew Waddel: General Manager – Australia, Tourism New Zealand

Waddel is a big loyalty program user – but there is one card missing in his wallet arsenal, and it hurts.

“I’m enrolled in numerous loyalty programs, so many that I’ve lost count. The most prominent ones are airline including Air New Zealand, Qantas and Virgin Velocity but also accommodation, as well as getting the most from Woolworths Everyday Rewards. I’m happy to share my data if it enhances the product, services or experiences I enjoy, and I get more value as a result.

“Collecting points is a habit for me, I do it everywhere I can. What’s harder is to redeem them. Yet, I continue to accumulate them.

“The one program I regret not having is Bunnings Trade PowerPass. While I’m not eligible it still stings a little every time I shop there… which is a lot.”

Jo Feeney: Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Hill

Feeney is another a loyalty card collector – but only cares about three: Mecca, Qantas and Everyday Rewards (Woolies).

“Like many people, you sign up often for a deal, but are not engaged enough by the brand. Mecca provides great rewards, but also great expertise, and makes it frictionless – storing your information to take that burden off the customer. Qantas – it’s about the ease of getting on a plane, the lounge – ease of travel. I shop at Woolies to get more Qantas points! Loyalty means different things to different people, I’m loyal when a brand provides value to me beyond price – make my life easier please.”

When it comes to brands nailing customer experience – there are two that stand out.

“Lounge Lovers: a brand I had never purchased from before, and it took me by complete surprise, and I must say delight! Every aspect of the customer journey, they nailed. From ordering – talking to a real person whilst on the website, modifying the delivery address and time without a challenge. Delivery of the product was completely frictionless – communication via messaging, direct to the driver, and everything delivered on time and in perfect condition. A far cry from many others in this space from experience – I have since advocated for this brand to others looking for furniture.

The second?

“Temple Eyewear, a small local optometrist in Brisbane with a distinct and unique range of eyewear products. What sets them apart is their exceptional customer service. It’s easy to book an appointment with the optometrist team, who are all wonderful, and the aftercare follow-up and service is excellent. Nothing is too much trouble; you receive an SMS to come and collect when ready and every staff member knows your name. Their product is a little more expensive, but the service and quality you don’t mind paying for. I have sent customers their way who have equally become brand advocates.”

Luke Waldren: Chief Customer Officer, Les Mills International

Waldren keeps it short and sweet when it comes to the brands he advocates.

Firstly, "Adidas: I love their heritage, their story, their authenticity and their products rock."

Secondly, "Air New Zealand: travelling across the ditch a lot and they consistently create a unique experience at every touch point. No matter how small the moment is... it’s great and deliberate."

Likewise he’s straight to the point when asked if there’s any B2B marketing content he’s noticed professionally.

“Apple does a great job of creating awesome B2B content that is also entertaining,” says Waldren. He points to the video below by way of example.

Leandro Perez: Senior Vice President and CMO – APAC, Salesforce

For Perez, the best ever customer personal customer experience was a recent one. But one that, with care and high calibre dry cleaners, could last a lifetime.

“I recently received an email from M.J. Bale that announced the return of the "Godfather," Japanese master tailor and menswear icon Kaneko Kenichi, to their flagship Sydney store. I’ve never had a custom-made suit before, so I was in. The end-to-end experience was meticulous, from the appointment scheduling to the one-on-one measurement. While we all know the value of ‘white glove’ service, it was the human interaction and true connection at a personal level that turned my love of M.J. Bale to evangelism.

“While ‘cool offers’ might lift email open rates, I encourage marketers to take a page out of M.J. Bale’s strategy. Every email is thoughtfully crafted, balancing product showcases with content that educates customers — the importance of locally sourced merino wool from Tasmania or the history of fashion — they take customers on a journey. (Did I mention they’re powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud?!)

“After the suit was delivered, M.J. Bale emailed me with a choice of three sustainable projects my purchase could support. In this case, I chose a reforestation project in Southeast Queensland. Talk about leaving your customers feeling warm, (well-dressed) and fuzzy.”

Chelsea Wymer: Chief Marketing Officer, Chartered Accountants

Over the last 12 months, one brand campaign stands out for Wymer.

“Alexis Bittar “Bittarverse” on Instagram. It’s revolutionising brand marketing with a direct-to-consumer campaign where his fashion accessories (jewellery and bags) play a supporting role to eccentric and hilarious, NYC-based characters in episodic bite-sized skits. As a (no longer closeted) lover of daytime drama, I’m enthralled. Goes to show you, well made, scripted, and shot content on social still has a place.”

Does Wymer actually “love” any brand?

“I love Google. Seems odd to love a search engine, but don’t you love it when you can’t remember something and you “google” it and there it is, helping you remember. Not sure the impact it’s had on my ability to remember even the simplest things though. If they could add a function where you could google the name of the person you worked with 10 years ago, that you just randomly ran into on the street, I’d love it even more.”

Tracy Gawthorne: Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, APAC, Capgemini

Asking Gawthorne many loyalty programs she’s in, and whether they influence what she buys, Mi3 hits a nerve.

“Don’t get me started. I must be in at least a dozen loyalty programs and I’m not in a relationship with any of those brands. Brand loyalty relationships are built on trust, familiarity, emotional engagement and two-way benefits. Whereas most of the programs I have entered into are transactional. They start with a random lure of a (negligible) discount offer and end with a request for my personal details. It’s hard to tell them apart and therefore they don’t influence my purchasing decisions.

“What’s really interesting is the potential for Gen AI to transform this experience. Pulling real insights from all the purchase and personal data I allow them to access should create more tailored experiences, more compelling products and services and more personalised ways to engage. I’m not alone. Our research shows consumers now expect more sophisticated, natural, and personalised customer experiences and are willing to accept Gen AI as an enabler for that.

“I expect loyalty to be a new battleground for early adopters of Gen AI.”

Liana Dubois: Chief Marketing Officer, Nine

Dubois’ best personal ever customer experience? “Nothing beats Mecca,” she says. “A product range that is expertly curated, a user experience that is seamless at a price point that feels aspirational though not out of reach, a gorgeous little package (usually with a little surprise gift) arrives quickly and a brand that feels like it’s for me. Bravo Jo Horgan and high fives to the Mecca team."

What about the standout brand campaign of the last 12 months?

“Tipping my hat to Jo Feeney and the team at Michael Hill. The overhaul of the Michael Hill brand has been crafted strategically and executed beautifully. The creative partnership with CHEP is clearly highly effective. Christy Peacock’s work is exceptional. As an outside observer it is clear by their marketing that Michael Hill has a very clear vision: To be a brand that moves with the times, is premium, aspirational and underpinned by deep company values.”

Karl Winther: Chief Marketing Officer, Kogan

For Winther, there’s a brand literally pouring cold water on convention that he personally sees as a standout.

“The consistent work of Liquid Death, while lesser-known in Australia, looks to be having an impact in the US. I admire this canned water brand for boldly defying industry norms, taking the playbook of energy drinks marketing, with its rebellious, edgy branding, and dark humour content, and applying it to the heavily commoditised category of water.

“Everything about this brand from its provocative name, packaging, and punk-inspired visuals are like nothing else in the sector. The brand’s approach to activations seems to continually generate attention based on a consistent brand position of not being like the market leaders. From recently ‘actually’ giving away a fighter jet and partnerships with beauty brands to even mocking the sugar content of soda brands with humorous video content seems to be engaging and growing its audience.”

On the B2B front, he thinks that just about every SaaS-based B2B brand has piled into sponsoring an F1 team, the sport or the coverage.

“From a target audience perspective, they have definitely found me and helped maintain top-of-mind awareness but I can’t tell if it is efficient and will increase conversions in the long-term…”

Nikki Clarkson: Chief Marketing Officer (former), Southern Cross Austereo (SCA)

When it comes to loyalty programs, "Qantas Frequent Flyer points is about it" for Clarkson.

"I purposely go out of my way to avoid giving my personal details and therefore shopping behaviour to as few outlets as possible – even though access to consumer purchase and behavioural data for SCA to leverage and mirror is a game changer in the practice and effectiveness of marketing."

On her personal standout brand campaign of the last 12 months, Clarkson picks Telstra's 'Hello Christmas' created by The Monkeys and Exit Films.

"I loved the distinctive Australian feel to the campaign and the clear role Telstra played within it. It was also beautifully executed with consistency and simplicity across every single touch point. The inclusion of the ‘Santa’ audio used in the physical pay phones around the country where everyone could ‘talk’ to Santa was a brilliant addition."

Mel Hopkins: Chief Marketing Officer (former), Seven West Media

Hopkins’ best personal customer experience ever? Service NSW, hands down.

“Governments often have the best excuse to be a lazy utility, but Service NSW continues to surprise me – from their digital transformation and flawless app – for everything from fines to working with children checks, to the in person experience. I recently had to re-register a car and it was over and done within minutes – even with a complication. Best global example of how to manage a digital-first transformation for a legacy business.”

What about a stand out brand campaign?

“It has to be Unilever and Lola Mullen Lowe for the most awesome revival of ‘The Power of Fragrance’ with Robbery. It demonstrates that a strategy developed well over 20 years ago – when rooted deep in a consumer insight still has legs in 2024. The humour, connection and clarity of product benefit is world class.”

Michael Branagh: General Manager – Sales and Marketing, Hamilton Island

Most improved customer service of late for Branagh?

“As someone who has been on a plane every pretty much every week for the past two years, I must hand it to both Qantas and Virgin Australia for the way they have lifted their game. For some time you were really unsure if you were going to make it to your destination due to cancellations and disruptions. The last 10 flights have been near perfect experiences … except for the attempt to convince me I need a butter chicken parcel at 9am!”

Does Branagh actually, genuinely, “love” any brand? Indeed he does.

“I do love On Running – the Swiss running shoe and athletic brand. I love their products for their design, fit and performance, and am building a collection of their shoes and clothing. Their digital first approach to brand experience and personalisation is a standout – as is their commitment to responsible and sustainable growth. They have become the challenger brand in a category dominated by the likes of Nike and Adidas.”