article thumbnail

Winning the Elusive Marquee-Brand Customer Advocate

Harvard Business Review

The marketing head of an ambitious technology firm recently shared with me a vexing problem: Apple was one of their customers. As Michael Stephenson , a key leader in global customer programs at Oracle puts it, his firm has various business units that focus on specific industries. Marquee brand executives are people, too.

Brand 8
article thumbnail

The 3 Things CEOs Worry About the Most

Harvard Business Review

Please note that titles used here reflect the positions the individuals held in 2013, when we conducted the interviews for a separate article ). Randall Stephenson of AT&T explained, “We had 270,000 people we employed around the globe. What keeps them awake at night?

CEO 8