303. On Point, On Brand: Why Honest Communication Always Lands

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1:23Empathy and transparency are essential for effective communication in person or virtually. My name is Matt Abrahams and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. Today, I look forward to speaking with Kim Storen. Kim is Zoom's chief marketing officer who oversees brand marketing and communication. She's a seasoned executive with a background spanning startups to Fortune 50 companies. Well, welcome, Kim. I am excited for our conversation. Me too. Thanks for having me here. Excellent. Shall we get started? Let's do it.

2:03Excellent. Well, I have a long relationship with Zoom. Back in around 2015 at Stanford's Business School, I initiated a class on virtual communication. And the deans at the time were like, oh, go ahead and teach the class. But, you know, we're not sure how important that is. Ironically, it became very important. and Eric Yuan, your CEO, was very kind at that time. We had a different tool in place at the business school and I had learned of Zoom and saw its potential. And because Eric was affiliated with the school, he's a graduate of one of our executive education programs, I reached out to him and he was very kind.

2:39And in fact, the very first use of Zoom at Stanford was as a result of Eric giving us free access for the class. And ever since then, he and I have been close and Zoom has been something that's been important on the campus. So just wanted to give a little bit of that background and I'm glad that he introduced me to you to have you here today. So thank you. So let's get started. Clearly, COVID and the pandemic had a huge impact on Zoom. Without exaggeration, I think it's fair to say that Zoom saved countless businesses and allowed for many parts of our everyday lives to continue and function. Looking back, what are you and the company most proud of?

3:15And are there things that you might have done differently with hindsight? You know, I wasn't here at Zoom at the time. I've only been here for about a year now. I did watch what Zoom did and I really admired how Zoom took the challenge head on and how Eric led with such empathy for not just customers, because Zoom was an enterprise business at that point, but for what the world was going through at that time. And, you know, for people, not just organizations, but also individuals, families, students that were looking for ways to connect, to learn, to work during that period. You really saw how Zoom became such a critical part of how we functioned and how we communicated during that time.

4:04But what's interesting is because of how Eric and the leadership team were so empathetic, put that freemium model in place right off the bat, helped turn on every school, every company, every individual. And so as a result of that, we became a household name. We became a verb, right? We're the Kleenex of software. And we have nearly 100 % brand awareness. But as the business has grown, that brand awareness has actually made it harder for us to shift perception. So we've expanded into areas much further than just video conferencing. Yet because of the ubiquity of the brand, we've still been pigeonholed in a way.

4:51And people don't recognize the breadth and depth of our product portfolio and the problems that we solve for customers. And so that ubiquity, that becoming a verb during COVID really makes it challenging as a marketing and communications leader. Yeah, I can imagine. It's like an actor who gets typecasted as a specific role. And one of the things that I think is impressive about Zoom and many other companies during times of difficulty and tragedy, leading with empathy and doing what's right, even if it's may or may not benefit the business right away, I think is important. I think Zoom did that very well.

5:27So talk to me a little bit about how do you try to change perceptions and expand people's very pigeonholed view of you all. But this happens in a lot of industries and a lot of businesses where people see you as one thing. And in our communication, we need to expand that. Are there certain things that you do or are trying to help expand that view? Absolutely. And, you know, I would say it's two pronged, if you will. Right. There is one aspect that is more scientific and one that's more of the art. And so when you think about the scientific elements, people now are spending 50 or 80%, I should say, of their buying journey where they don't want to talk to a brand.

6:09They want to do their research on their own. Buyers are now starting their buying cycle on a large language model. So those two dynamics mean that we have to be really scientific of how are we marketing ourselves? How are we ensuring that we are strategically positioning ourselves? That's the scientific part, right? All of the elements of like, how are you showing up in that funnel? When people don't want to be talking to you, they want to be learning about you. The second piece is more of the art, which is much more oriented around that brand to demand connection and ensuring that you're showing up at all the right places where your customers care, that you're putting content out there that answers their pain points, that helps them progress through that preference formation journey, that we're leveraging in-person events and experiential, and we have the right marketing mix overall.

7:06So that's a little bit more of the art side. And ultimately, it takes the combination of both the science and the art in order to change that perception. And it really starts with anchoring on a narrative. And consistency drives preference at the end of the day. So even as you're balancing art and science. Like you have to be constantly coming back to that poor narrative that really defines the company and that North Star. Well, you're certainly singing my tune when it comes to storytelling narrative, super important. And we focus a lot of that in the classes I teach on strategic communication and consistency is critical.

7:44The idea of transitioning from awareness to preference building, that's really fundamental. And in large part, as you mentioned, a result of how AI is impacting how people buy. And then the brand and demand and being just where people are and making sure they understand the pain point that you solve. These are lessons that all of us can take in the businesses we run. But it's an evolved form of marketing, right? This is a very different world for sure. Zoom has scaled rapidly. You're in charge of both external and internal comms. How do you maintain a cohesive company culture with a rapidly expanding organization, both domestically and internationally.

8:24How do you keep that culture alive? We believe that culture starts at the top and we take it very seriously. And it is something that Eric and our executive staff think about and talk about all the time. We also have a very flat organization and that helps ensure that communications are consistent, that there's not layers and layers to drive that message through the organization. and ultimately we really do reward speed, curiosity, learning, and care. And those cultural attributes are the core of how we act, the decisions that we make, and how we treat each other, and how we treat our communities.

9:07And we really take that seriously. So we are driving those conversations with managers on a regular basis. We bring those messages to a bi-weekly town hall meeting with all employees, which I've never in my career seen such a drive and commitment to transparent communications in that way. People are used to seeing a quarterly all-hands meeting, not a every other week all-hands meeting. And so I think it's really a testament to our executive team's core commitment to our culture and our values and to transparent communications. So it sounds to me several things there that all of us could benefit from.

9:49One, having a clear distillation of what your values are, speed, learning, care, and those serve as that guiding light and then providing opportunity to be transparent and the frequency of, in your case, all hands meetings. And then having a flatter organizational structure that then focuses on communication and consistency helps as well. And those are really important ingredients, I think, to helping a culture flourish and take root in the midst of rapid growth. So thank you. Tools like Zoom have made much of our communication more transactional and scheduled. This can absolutely drive efficiency, but it can work against serendipity and spontaneity.

10:33What are your thoughts on what is gained and lost in this virtual modality? So I agree. I think the water cooler moments and those happenstance, those happenchance moments that are like IRL are so critical to professional development and work agility. And so I think ultimately we are giving that up a little bit. But on the other hand, what we've done is enable communication and collaboration with the world and across your organization and across your customers and your partners at a scale that was previously unattainable. And so I think the ubiquity of Zoom has really opened up the world, both how you communicate within your organization and how you communicate outside your organization in a way that just wasn't, we would never have been able to see this at scale without the technology.

11:27So I think what's really critical is that we do both, right? There's value in those in real life moments, in those water cooler moments. We all have the stories of where something happened as a result and drove our professional development, our career growth. That was just a happen chance moment. And so we want to ensure that we're still enabling those moments. But there is so much beneficial from the virtual standpoint and just the global mindset. Being able to talk and communicate and collaborate with your peers, with your team in India, While you sit in San Jose, like that's a huge opportunity for global communications at scale.

12:11So I think it is ultimately finding that balance and ensuring that the technology is ultimately helping where it can, driving context, ensuring that we've got different ways of communicating, helping understand and taking notes that works for both the individual and the enterprise. But ultimately, it's not replacing those in real life moments. It's augmenting them. Are there things that you do in your own team or in your own life where you actually design for that spontaneity? So for example, do you pull your team together in real life and with a certain frequency? Are there certain icebreakers or activities you do?

12:59We are very committed overall of bringing people together in person when needed to drive brainstorming and ideation and problem solving. But I think for the folks that don't naturally have those opportunities because they don't sit in a function like marketing that is public facing and kind of running those big event opportunities. opportunities, I think raising your hand and talking to your leader about where are the right places, when is it the right time to spend a week at headquarters and have some of those moments? When is it the right time to bring your team together for an offsite? And when the opportunity outweighs the cost, leaders are receptive to that.

13:41But you as an individual in an organization also have to be raising your hand and sharing those ideas with your leader. so that those happenstance and in real life moments can happen. Excellent. I like that you lean into the role and job responsibility opportunities to be in real life and weigh the pros and cons and costs of when it makes sense to bring people in, either based on the task that's being done or the need of the group at the time. I'd like to get your suggestions for how we can handle challenging external communication issues that business leaders might face. For example, you have to announce a layoff or what happened with Zoom.

14:23Zoom required that all employees come back to the office, which had a moment in the media. How do you advise people to think about their communication when the view in the public might be negative towards it? What advice do you give as somebody who has vast experience in marketing to help in those situations? So I actually started my career in crisis communications, funny enough. So I think about this a lot. And also great that I started in crisis communications because my first week on the job here at Zoom, we faced a crisis, which was an outage that impacted the Zoom platform. And ultimately, what I believe is best practice is transparency and clarity.

15:08And again, going back to our DNA speed of that response. And so I think ultimately understanding the crisis, have full frame of the crisis is really important. So going slow to go fast, because if you start moving fast with limited information or not understanding the repercussions of the crisis at hand, you can end up having to backtrack, which makes it even worse, calls more attention than if you had taken a beat and made sure that you had the full view of what's happening. So I always say like, go slow to go fast when it comes to a crisis, but you have to act with a sense of urgency and be able to pull the right voices together.

15:51In many ways, it is the voice of our partners, the voice of analysts, the voice of media that people look to in a crisis. Like what are these third parties saying about the crisis, not just what the company is saying. And so in that moment of going slow to go fast, in that moment of really understanding the issue, also mapping out who are the voices, who are the stakeholders that can help you tell your story. And that becomes really critical because it is core for you to own the message and your narrative, but you also want to shape the market narrative. And so I always like to start with that stakeholder map as well and understanding who can help me tell this story.

16:33Were there other partners that are involved in the crisis? Are there other partners that have a stake in the ground? Anyone shaping that narrative that we need to be working with to collectively shape that narrative? And then lastly, I try to be as transparent as possible because again, we live in an age where people can spot fakeness and inauthenticity so fast. And again, you want to watch out for making the reputation worse. And your reputation and your brand are the most valuable assets that you have as a company. And so being able to be very transparent and clear, especially if customers were impacted, is kind of the third piece of what I would say is kind of crisis comms 101.

17:22one. So thinking about the stakeholder map is really important. Who are the constituents that are involved? It's beyond just the company and the customers. Slowing down to understand fully the situation and then creating messages that are transparent and understandable and clear, really important. And thank you for sharing that because all of us in our work, be it in our personal work or in the work of the company are going to have times where we have to communicate challenging information outside the walls of the organization. We'll be right back to finish our conversation. But first, we're going to take a quick break for a word from our sponsors.

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20:00Promo code THINKFAST for up to 30 % off mattresses plus an extra$50 off. Let them know that we sent you at the survey at the end of checkout. Kim, this has been really enlightening and insightful. Thank you. Before we end, I like to ask everybody three questions. One, I create just for you. And two, I've been asking for a long time. Are you up for that? Let's do it. So I know you believe strongly in philanthropy and you focus on many causes in this area, especially women's issues. Can you share why you feel so strongly that we all should think about giving back and focusing on philanthropy? Absolutely.

20:39So I started community work and volunteering back when I was in fourth grade, and my mom played a huge role in helping to shape this in me. I do believe that service is a virtue and it is the responsibility of each of us to do unto others as we would have done unto ourselves, right? That was the thing I learned from my mom was really the importance of that golden rule. I'm now really focused on community-led solutions to local challenges, and it's why I've become such a huge supporter of community foundations. You know, we have such a loneliness epidemic. And what I love about the community foundation is that it truly is about community, not just about philanthropy, but also coming together as a community to solve the problems in the community.

21:25And it makes us feel more connected to our local organizations, to others that have similar things that they care about. I love that you have a long history of philanthropy and that it's beyond just doing what's good and in many cases right, but it's about building a sense of community and that amplification can really make a difference. Question number two, who is a communicator that you admire and why? So my mind goes to, and it's probably because I've been hanging out a little bit too much with my nieces, but Taylor Swift is just somebody that I think does such an amazing job of communications.

22:03And I think ultimately, I call her this like audience architect because she has such a sophisticated view with the role that the audience plays in how she communicates. And she does a lot of direct to audience communication and she disintermediates the media a lot, which I think is a valuable lesson for all of us. Not that like we all have the ability to pull off what Taylor's name grants her in the market, but she does turn fans into distribution channels and more importantly, into defenders with such a passion and standing up for you when you're not in the room. And so I think there's a lot we can learn there.

22:43I love that you picked Taylor Swift. I think she's a great example for many of the reasons you articulated. This idea of audience architecture and really thinking about your audience and how to convert fans into defenders is a really interesting idea for all of us to think about and to watch how she does it. And she's just so dynamic and with so much energy. I appreciate that. Final question for you, Kim. What are the first three ingredients that go into a successful communication recipe? So I think we've talked about all of these things, but I'll just reiterate. So I think number one is authenticity.

23:17Especially in this world of AI slop, authenticity is going to rule. Gen Z is telling us over and over and over again that authentic communications matters. Taylor Swift is telling us over and over again, authentic communication matters. I think the second one is transparency. We talked about that when we talked about crisis communications. And I think transparency, whether it's internal communications or external, goes a really long way. I think spin has less value right now than authenticity and transparency. And then lastly, solutions oriented. And I say that because I think so many of the times we think it's about the words that we're using and really what it is, it's the solution that we're communicating.

24:01When you have a crisis or message that you're trying to bring to the masses, you want them to understand that you understand the problem and you're bringing them a solution. And ultimately, we're not just navel gazing. And so I think that third piece of the recipe has to be solutions orientation. I really like your three and everybody listening knows I like when things are memorable. So authenticity, transparency, relevancy. If you have those three ingredients, you're going to have very successful communication and very connected communication, which is really important. Kim, this has been really a great conversation and very insightful.

24:43Many of the things that you shared are things that people will or have confronted and some of your best practices can really help us make a difference. Thank you for your time and thank you for your insights. Thank you. And always remember, what would Taylor Swift do? Definitely shake it up. That's for sure. Amazing. Thank you for joining us for another episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. To learn more about managing internal and external communication, please listen to episode 82 with Nancy Duarte. This episode was produced by Katherine Reed, Ryan Campos, and me, Matt Abrahams. Our music is from Floyd Wonder with special thanks to Podium Podcast Company.

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