Customer Experience Is the Brand (Especially When Things Go Wrong)In this episode of Canned the Marketing Podcast, Steph and Ben are joined by Sarah Clearwater, founder of Reframr, to unpack why CX is the delivery of your brand promise — and why the best brands shine brightest when everything goes sideways.This is a practical, no-nonsense conversation for marketers who are tired of talking about “customer centricity” and actually want to do something about it.What We Cover1. Customer Experience ≠ Marketing (But They’re Inseparable)Marketing makes the promise. CX keeps it — or breaks it.Sarah explains why CX is the glue between marketing, sales, product, service and tech — and why organisations that treat it as a silo end up with beautifully branded disappointment.2. Why Journey Mapping Still Matters (When Done Properly)Journey mapping one of the most effective decision-making tools.We get into:Why org charts are the enemy of good CXWhere handovers really fail (hello B2B 👀)How mapping exposes misaligned KPIs across teamsSpoiler: most “lead quality” problems aren’t actually lead problems.3. CX as a Growth Lever (Not a Vibe)If you’re struggling with:AcquisitionConversionRetentionChurnCost to serve…there’s a strong chance your promise and delivery are misaligned.Sarah breaks down how CX work connects directly to the metrics CFOs actually care about — without needing a six-figure tech stack.4. B2B CX: The Invisible Journey Everyone IgnoresB2B buying isn’t one customer — it’s a committee.We unpack:Why 7–10 stakeholders break most B2B journeysThe risk of selling to one person and onboarding anotherWhy CRMs help, but don’t magically fix experience gapsIf you’ve ever heard “marketing brings rubbish leads” or “sales kills momentum” — this bit will sting (in a good way).5. Real CX in the Wild: When Things Go WrongThe best brand moments don’t happen when everything’s smooth.We share real examples from:Mecca and the Beauty Loop backlashASB delivering calm, human support in a crisisCatherine Wilson proving founder-led service still winsMitre 10 turning product advice into brand loyaltySmart Takes You’ll Steal for Work“Customer experience is how organisations build resilience, not just satisfaction.”Personas > demographics. Behaviour beats age every time.Talking to customers who cancelled will teach you more than 10 NPS surveys.If you digitise a broken experience, you don’t fix it — you scale the problem.Bonus for MarketersSarah also shares:How to introduce CX into organisations that “aren’t ready”How to use moments like CRM re-platforming as leverageWhy CX and marketing are long-term partners, not project buddiesPlus: a free upcoming webinar on optimising pipelines using customer journey mapping.Who This Episode Is ForSenior marketers juggling brand + performanceB2B marketers dealing with messy funnels and handoversAnyone sick of “customer first” being pure theatreLeaders who want fewer CX buzzwords and more business impactTo do your own customer journye map - try this free framework here: https://www.reframr.co.nz/90minutemapLiswww.cannedmarketing.com Stephanie Quantrill - Linkedin Ben Van Rooy - Linkedin