trust and loyalty that makes customers feel like part of your ecosystem. That’ s customer intimacy, whether we call it that or not.
In 2010, three other thought leaders, Roland Rust, Christine Moorman and Gaurav Bhalla, someone I would call a collaborator, pushed this conversation further in their article Rethinking Marketing. They argued that marketing should move away from productfocused tactics and toward a strategic, enterprisewide focus on the customer. They envisioned a role for a Chief Customer Officer. That role later evolved into today’ s CXO, or Chief Experience Officer. And in small businesses like mine— and probably yours— that role belongs to the CEO. We are the ones who must champion exceptional customer experience.
Here’ s my honest observation: as a collective“ we,” businesses still aren’ t delivering exceptional customer experience consistently. If we want to stay ahead and truly lead our industries, markets, and communities, we need to revisit those original value disciplines: operational excellence, product leadership and, yes, customer intimacy.
Sometimes the ideas that move us forward aren’ t brand new— they’ re the ones that were ahead of their time. Maybe now is the moment when“ customer intimacy” is no longer squishy, but essential. Maybe this is our chance to get ahead by going back to the future.
Howard Holley is Co-Founder and CEO of TouchPoint Innovative Solutions and Co-Publisher of EVOLVE Magazine.
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2025 | 25 |