As a former senior executive at Starbucks, Aimee Johnson knows a thing or two about customer experience. While waiting in line was part of the community experience for some, the Starbucks’ app was also a critical timesaver for others. Aimee had to convince leaders at the democratized brand that tech could also have heart. In her most recent role as CMO of the Zillow Group, Aimee juggled how to build an online brand that showcased the dream of real estate with the realities of qualifying for a mortgage. With more than 30 years of high-level marketing experience, including years at Campbell Soup Company, Aimee joins the pod to share insights about product development and digital transformation at Starbucks and brand differentiation at Zillow, when the rest of the industry starts to copy you. Maybe her best advice came from her father: "Don’t listen to anyone’s bullshit."

In this episode you’ll learn:

• That sometimes waiting is part of the community experience
• How to align internal groups by leaning into customers habits
• Why this Brené Brown fan agrees that vulnerability and values are your strengths
• Sustaining a consumer relationship that could take years to actual point of sale
• Why her mantra on digital transformation comes from Einstein: ”The true science of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.”

Brought to you by Mekanism.