In this episode, we sit down with Khalid El Khatib, the Chief Marketing Officer of Consumer Reports, one of America’s most trusted and oldest consumer advocacy organizations. Khalid unpacks how he’s transitioning Conaumer Reports from a “publisher” mindset to a platform strategy that emphasizes product-led growth, user-centric advocacy, and yes, the iconic lab testing (including a cat-hair-laden robotic vacuum test).

One of the key takeaways here is how community can be a company’s competitive moat, and how bringing in fresh digital tactics doesn’t have to mean losing an 88-year legacy of credibility. Another recurring theme is the intergenerational aspect of CR’s brand story - how do you engage a loyal but aging membership and a new crop of digitally native consumers at the same time? If you’ve ever wondered how to future-proof an institution while staying true to its roots, then this conversation is for you!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/K-OrSj6ioiA

          📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) – Intro 🎙️
• (00:03:00) – Khalid’s favorite challenger brand 🏆
• (00:06:45) – Overview of Consumer Reports 📋
• (00:16:31) – Approaching community 🚀
• (00:28:11) – Succeeding in a SaaS environment 🤝
• (00:35:28) – What makes a good CMO ⚙️
• (00:41:05) – Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• New York Magazine 
• Duolingo 

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Khalid El Khatib of Consumer Reports in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn.

Find Eric on LinkedIn.

Find Khalid on LinkedIn.

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗  https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024