On October 23, the UWEBC hosted a Marketing Peer Group event that brought together professionals from member companies to explore how customer experience (CX) can be embedded into every stage of a marketing strategy. The session focused on redefining customer relationships, elevating strategic impact, and driving business results through integrated CX. As organizations work to strengthen connections in an era of rapid digital change, this session explored how CX can serve as a unifying lens for marketing strategy.
Jason Voiovich, Fractional CMO, Author, and Historian, offered a historical perspective on the longstanding relationship between CX and marketing. He referenced Marshall Field’s “the customer is always right” philosophy, Alfred Sloan’s engineered customer lifecycle at General Motors, and Robert E. Wood’s data-driven retail strategy at Sears. Jason encouraged attendees to view CX not as a separate function but as a foundational element of marketing itself.
Building on Jason’s historical framing, Wayne Simmons, Global Customer Excellence Lead at Pfizer, expanded the conversation from individual brands to enterprise-level transformation. Wayne outlined four structural shifts needed to embed CX across the enterprise: leadership, operational, organizational, and commercial. He described how companies can move from funnel-based thinking to a flywheel model that centers on acquisition, retention, and expansion. Wayne identified three forces reshaping the landscape: experiential commerce, trusted partnerships, and evolving customer expectations.
Building on these enterprise-level themes, a panel from Alliant Energy, featuring Robin Sempf, Cristina Hurley, Jen McMahon, and Jessica Palmer, illustrated how embedding CX in marketing requires both cultural and structural change. Specifically, they shared how their teams are integrating CX and marketing by starting with customer needs, not just business goals. From restructuring their website to overhauling small business onboarding, they emphasized the importance of data-driven insights, cross-functional collaboration, and early marketing involvement. The panel also reflected on learning moments when execution fell short and how those experiences led to stronger alignment and storytelling.
The event concluded with breakout discussions, where participants examined how CX shows up in real organizational decisions. Conversations centered on practical examples, challenges in implementation, and the kinds of shifts that make integration stick. Attendees used the time to exchange insights and reflect on what meaningful change looks like in their own teams. The conversations underscored that CX transformation is an ongoing journey, one best advanced through shared learning, experimentation, and community dialogue, which exemplify UWEBC’s commitment to fostering collaboration and growth across our member community.
UWEBC members can view the full event recording and download slides from the event here.