In this interview, David Mullen, president and partner of The Variable (Winston-Salem, NC), explains how any company can defeat its biggest competitor and drive sustainable, long-term growth. David articulates the holistic mindshift and strategies needed to develop products people want to buy, build "people-friendly" companies, and win long-lasting, loyal customers. He emphasizes the need to focus on changing:

• Customer experience to people experience (inclusive of product developers the frontline [those interacting with customers], suppliers, influencers, stakeholders and shareholders, and customers]
• Buying something to buying into something (shaping people's experience at every touchpoint)
• Positioning your company in the minds of customers to positioning your company in the lives of customers

Key strategies for building people-friendly companies include:

• Consulting with the business:
• • analyzing business, brand, and communication strategies
  • identifying the right problems to solve
• Creating solutions for the right problem. Solutions might include:
• • great advertising campaigns
  • rebranding an organization
  • content
  • innovation roadmaps, product concepts, and product development
• Engaging to take solutions to market. Areas of concentration:
• • Employee engagement throughout the internal culture
  • integrated media planning and buying
  • social/PR
• Underpinned with a foundation of Analytics to
• • understand what's happening
  • assess the magnitude of impacts
  • identify weakest link, opportunities, and challenges, and
  • guide timely change implementation to ensure continued progress and drive growth

David can be reached on his company's website at: thevariable.com, by email at: [email protected], or on LinkedIn.