CMO Spotlight | Sheraun Britton-Parris - Cordance
Welcome to the CMO Spotlight, dedicated to exploring the minds and journeys of marketing’s top leaders.
At Setup, we're focused on championing stories that matter. In the spirit of Black History Month, Setup CEO, Joe Koufman, virtually sat down with Sheraun Britton-Parris, the Chief Marketing Officer at Cordance, to discuss why following her gut is her superpower, the importance of customer-centric marketing, and the inspirational story of how Nathan Nearest Green, an enslaved black man, taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey.
Let's honor and celebrate diversity, leadership, and the impactful journey of Sheraun Britton-Parris.
WATCH + READ THE RECAP BELOW (SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW)
Q1 | What advice would you like to share?
Britton-Parris learned early in her career about the importance of finding and solving the consumer’s problem. During her time working for L’Oréal developing hair coloring products, she was approached by an executive who told her to take a grassroots approach to her research. She decided to go directly into the stores to ask customers questions.
She discovered that customers weren’t just buying the products, they were trying to find solutions. Britton-Parris shared that “it is not just about the product, it is really the need that the customer is fulfilling, so talk to the need, don't just sell the product.”
Q2 | What is your superpower?
Britton-Parris shared that in work and within personal relationships, she can recognize shifts in energy, and when something needs to be changed. She trusts the feeling within her and uses it to help her make decisions.
Q3 | What values are important to you?
Britton-Parris has multiple values that are important to her, and believes that having all those qualities can lead to being a well-rounded leader. Here are the four values she finds important and why:
Empathy: “I always think that empathy is a really important quality to carry and maintain as you're leading people. You're in charge of their careers in many instances, and we're all trying to figure it out and trying to do our best. I always say I want to make sure that I lead from a firm but empathetic perspective because obviously business still needs to get done, but people have lives outside of work as well and you want them to bring their whole selves with them.”
Authenticity: “It takes trust to build relationships, and I don't think you can have trust without authenticity. In order to create that psychological safety for people to speak to you, to talk to you, to convey whatever they're feeling, I think that you need a level of authenticity and trust to go along with that.”
Growth Mindset: “In the world of marketing, where things are changing every single day, stay abreast of all the different things that are happening and different tools, always have that beginner's mindset to learn something new and don’t be afraid to be the person that's trying to figure it out. Try to learn what [is important].”
Customer-Centricity: “Being very customer-centric and understanding the drivers of what and how your customers purchase your product is really important. [Do not] deviate from that because it's convenient…”
Q4 | Tell us about an impactful campaign.
Britton-Parris talked about a campaign that she worked on earlier in her career that taught her valuable lessons on what not to do. The company had a product launch, but they were told by a retailer to launch another product at the same time that was out of season. The launch ended up being a “flop” because the retailer wasn’t focused on the customer's wants and needs.
At the same time, however, the product that launched while in season was a success, doubling the business in a year, because it spoke to the customers. Britton-Parris stressed the importance of having a customer-centric approach to marketing and “understanding the drivers of what and how your customers purchase.”
Q5 | What brand do you admire?
Although she doesn't drink whiskey, Britton-Parris finds Uncle Nearest Whiskey’s brand story amazing. The founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest, Fawn Weaver is “revolutionizing the whiskey industry” by telling the story of an enslaved black man named Nathan Nearest Green, who created Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and essentially taught Jack Daniels how to make whiskey. The brand was founded in 2017 and, in seven short years, is already on the brink of unicorn status which is very inspiring and exciting.
For more marketing leadership advice and a view into the mindset of marketing executives in various industries, be sure to watch the full interview with Sheraun Britton-Parris, and keep an eye out for more thought leadership from our CMO Spotlights.