Building Brand Trust From the Inside Out 

Belén Frau: Life at home is who we are. So understanding life at home is our obsession. Because it is where it all starts, right? We need to understand not only the needs but also the dreams of the many people if we then want to build whatever — campaigns, commercial activities, communication, or room sets or stores that reflect them. So those insights are crucial for everything else that we do. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Welcome back, everyone. This is ‘Always On’, the podcast about brand, reputation, and data-driven communications. I am Shahar Silbershatz, your host in Copenhagen, and I am joined today by Belén Frau from just across the bridge, in Malmö. She’s the CCO of Ingka Group, the owner of IKEA, a company that needs no introduction. Welcome to Always On, Belén. 

Belén Frau: Thank you. I’m very happy to be here. 

Shahar Silbershatz: It’s great having you, and let’s start where we always do. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How do you describe yourself to a stranger in a cocktail party, for example? 

Belén Frau: Love that. I would describe myself as a Spanish, passionate leader, who lives by saying, “When people grow, business grows.” So I think I have that balance very deep in me. I started my career in Deloitte and now have been more than 20 years with IKEA. And I love leading people. So that would be… then on a personal note, I’m also a mother of three and a spouse and I live in Copenhagen. So that, you know, that would be… at a cocktail party, that would be enough. 

Shahar Silbershatz: That’s a pretty good, pretty rounded description. So let’s talk a little bit more about your career. You’ve had a fascinating journey, actually, starting out, as you said, at Deloitte, then being a store manager, if I’m not mistaken, for IKEA in Spain, and then making your way into the communications side. So tell us a little bit about, maybe first, what inspired the transition from the retail side to communications. 

Belén Frau: Well, I had a finance background, as I said, so I started in the store in finance, and then soon I realized that I loved retail and that, you know, by finance, you understand how the company works, but I was missing the commercial part. And so I went into … in IKEA we really believe in making people grow, so every opportunity is always offered inside before recruiting outside … so I went into a path to grow as a store manager, and for us, you know, a store, it’s a big team. It’s 400, or more than 400, people. And I really enjoyed retail. You know, it’s about, of course, the product, but it’s about being close — retail is the only place and the store is the only place where you can be close to the product, to the consumers, and to the coworkers at the same time. 

So I continued growing in retail, so I was a retail manager — CEO — for Spain, and then for Italy, which was a very interesting transition. First, it was the years of the crisis in Spain. Then in Italy, it was really about innovation. And then I took a step into global and I was deputy retail worldwide, which allowed me to have different views and different markets and learn a lot about different realities in retail. 

And then it was when curiosity started asking me, “What is the next step and how can I use my background to go into a new area?”. And I think communication, I think it’s curiosity, what inspired me to answer you, and I have always leveraged in the different positions… I have always leveraged on the run to make business grow. And I really believe also in the power of communication as a key leadership tool. So, I think I was brought into communication because of my retail experience, focus on business value, and being performance-driven, and starting from our purpose, which is what I think our deep purpose is, what has kept me in IKEA more than 20 years. 

I am sure that you have heard about our vision, which is creating a better everyday life for the many people. And that gives me energy and drive to change. And I really see that purpose-led brands have a responsibility to stay true to who we are and to their values. So I think that is the perfect marriage between retail and communication, right? So how can we deliver as a brand and create trust that nowadays is so important? 

Shahar Silbershatz: Well, that’s really nice to hear, and I guess you’re living proof of believing in the purpose because you’ve been there for 20 years, so you’ve demonstrated that, and we’re definitely going to talk more about that, but I’m curious — what are some of the lessons that you feel you’re using today in your communications role that you’ve gained throughout the other roles that you’ve had in the organization?  

Belén Frau: It’s a lot about making the business grow. So I think this is probably the biggest shift that I have brought into communication, really thinking about impact. So not about doing a lot of things, but maybe doing less things that are more impactful. And reality is more complex. It’s really noisy, as you know very well. 

And it has lots of new channels and AI is reshaping the world as we speak. In this reality, the biggest learning that I bring with me is how to build the brand, being close to performance, and making sure that we create a difference. 

Shahar Silbershatz: That’s interesting. I guess a lot of the communication leaders also struggle with this difference between the communication side and the actual operational financial, commercial side of the business. So for you, it probably comes more naturally having been throughout this journey. I’m curious to ask also about the structure of IKEA. It’s infamous maybe for its complex structure, in terms of the different entities. Can you maybe help us understand it in a very simple way? 

Belén Frau: Of course, I will try. We are a big group. But if I try to explain it like if I would explain it to one of my kids… 

Shahar Silbershatz: That’s perfect. 

Belén Frau: I would say that in this complex corporate structure, we have several entities, but we are a franchise system. So the franchisor is the owner of the brand, and that’s Inter IKEA, and we are the biggest franchisee. So Ingka and the part I lead, we account for 90% of the total business. So we are the biggest franchisee from a franchisor system that is IKEA. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Okay. And then there are a lot of… there’s a few other organizations in this mix, no? 

Belén Frau: There are a lot. So there is, of course, the organization that takes care of creating the products. That is IKEA of Sweden, that takes care of the development of the products and the communication of those. There is of course our charity arm. That is the IKEA foundation. Because we are not owned by any private. We are a foundation. So everything that we… our profit is reinvested either into the business, back into the business, or given for charity purposes. So we can say that there is no euro that goes into any private pocket. So that allows us also to have a lot of freedom to stay true to our purpose. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And how does this intricate set-up… how does that affect your role or who actually is in charge of communications? Are there other people in charge of communications and what is the interaction there? 

Belén Frau: I think it requires an extra effort. But this is like… like it does with, if I say myself and the countries, which I am matrix to, it’s also between the different IKEA entities. So we do have some things that are core to us, you know, like our vision, our mandatories, our business idea, and that is common to all of us. 

And then we do have specific things related to our business where we lead a hundred percent, but we are always in sync. So, you know, when we have, okay, there is this whatever, we do have a common calendar, a common network, because if there’s a new collection that is coming out, of course, we need to, as a retailer, be in sync. So we work very much together. We have common forums where we decide together, and the aim is that we are completing each other and not competing, but building consistency in the brand. 

Shahar Silbershatz: But the function that in a sense speaks for IKEA globally is your function in your team? 

Belén Frau: Yep. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Okay, great. So let’s talk a little bit about the purpose that you already mentioned, which is a very well-known purpose in the world of communications. Tell us a little bit about how you use communications to position the brand around this purpose. How do you connect the brand positioning with the purpose? What are your key, I guess, communication channels and activities around the purpose? 

Belén Frau: Hmm. I could speak for a year about this! 

Shahar Silbershatz: I’m sure! 

Belén Frau: But let me start by saying that our purpose is like our ultimate “why”, and it was created so many years ago. So I think it’s in … our founder did the testament of a furniture dealer, where he wrote down what are the key things that are important for the business, and the vision is the first one — “to create a better everyday life for the many people”. So of course we are keen to innovate, to test and try new things, but our vision stands and I think it is very much alive. So it really guides every decision that we take, in the everyday operations, but also helps us take decisions about the future. You know, if you think of, okay, the world of AI, of course, we approach this thinking, “Okay, if we think we want to create a better everyday life for the people…” or when e-commerce was launched, “Is this for us? Is this not for us? How do we want to take us time? How do we want…” Okay, ethics is always an important thing for us. So I think our vision guides us and is very much embedded in everything we do. 

So that’s the first one. It’s not like we need to position the brand with the purpose. It’s like the purpose is already guiding the business and therefore it is natural that we lead with that. So, for us, as an example, we want to be a brand that is more… that is affordable, that is sustainable, and that is accessible. And affordability is one of the key pillars in our purpose, because we want to be for the many people. That is, to create a better everyday life for the many people, for sure includes the ones with thin wallets. 

So if we say affordability is crucial for us, then we also take action. So we have, for example, as soon as we have been able to, after the supply crisis, lower the prices — last year we invested more than 2 billion in lowering prices. So it is very easy to communicate that because the business decision is already grounded in, “Who do we want to be?” We want to be there for the many people. Then comes communication. And when the action is there, I think action speaks louder than words. It’s not that we communicate an action and then we do the communication, but we just share, “Yeah, this is what we have done. We have, as soon as we were able, we have lowered the prices because we want to be closer to the many people and we want to enable our customers to have a more affordable and a more accessible life at home.” 

So it is really about leading by example, which is one of our values and creating a better everyday life for the many people. That includes our coworkers because I think we are very much known for our design, but we also are very focused on making a positive impact for our own coworkers, as well as for the communities that we impact. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So do you then measure the fulfillment of the purpose? Or if, for example, if the purpose means partly affordability, do you measure perceptions of you being affordable? How do you actually…? 

Belén Frau: Exactly. So our purpose is embedded in what we do and our performance — it’s measuring our purpose. But, again, it starts in the business. So we define our business KPIs and our — we call them value creation — in four dimensions. So we don’t believe that a business is successful if it only grows financially. It really needs to grow financially, but also having a better impact on the people, better impact on the homes, and better impact on the planet. And that is what we call success. So it’s really — yeah, it’s really important for us to measure KPIs like affordability, because that guides us if we are ultimately delivering to our purpose. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Right. That’s interesting. Tell us also a little bit about the Life at Home concept. How do you use this concept? Why is that so important? 

Belén Frau: Life at home is who we are. So understanding life at home is, I think, our obsession. We are a very curious company, as I said before, and I think understanding life at home is the key part of our strategy because it is about listening to our customers that keeps us relevant. And also because it is very important to not only stay relevant but have that emotional connection with them. And for that, there needs to be a dialogue, right? So it cannot be only listening, but we really try to have that dialogue. We visit thousands of homes every year, and we do an annual Life at Home report that shares those insights. 

This year we have visited more than 39,000 homes in 39 countries. And it’s something that I like to do myself also, because it is where it all starts, right? We need to understand not only the needs but also the dreams of the many people if we then want to build whatever — campaigns, commercial activities, communication, or room sets or stores that reflect them, so those insights are crucial for everything else that we do.  

Understanding life at home is like our obsession and it changes constantly. So it forces us to be on our toes and to really have those dialogues. And I think we want to be, and I was going to say we are, but at least we aim to be a very open brand that really interacts and creates community around the brand. And, as an example of that, we have the IKEA Family and our IKEA Family members. It’s our first small community with whom we build a relationship. So we believe in relationships beyond the transactions — more the human connection. 

Shahar Silbershatz: That’s quite unique. So the insights from the Life at Home studies, they inform both product development but also communications? 

Belén Frau: Yep. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And do you have maybe an example from the recent study, some of the main changes that you’re seeing and you can tell us maybe how they’re affecting the communications side? 

Belén Frau: Ooh, yes, of course I can. I am choosing as we speak. So, for example, this year we have, as a priority, sleep — and we did a sleep report where we surveyed over 55,000 people in 50-plus markets. And we learned, you know, what were the problems that people have to sleep? We learned that we all have the ambition to sleep eight hours, but we are on average one point two hours short. So, we thought what a great opportunity, 

Shahar Silbershatz: I’m calculating in my mind based on what I’m used to sleeping. I think that’s pretty much just right! 

Belén Frau: I’m very curious for that one because we also learned… we compared which countries have the biggest opportunities. And then we thought, oh my god, we really have an opportunity here. So in this strategy, we built the sleep essentials. We said we need to give something that really creates a better everyday life for the many people — again, coming to our purpose and linking that business with a purpose — and we created this recipe that was very concrete. Okay, seven essentials and of course that was a company with the range. 

What are the things … we saw that one of the things that bothered people more was the light. So, okay, now we have curtains that are darker and that can help in that. We also learned about the air quality that is not good. So we have developed an air purifier. So it starts with a product, but then it goes with the whole campaign, and I hope that you have seen this year, we have done from pajama parties to all kinds of different expressions of, “We are here for you and we really want to help you sleep”. So that is an example of how we go from purpose to action, in a nutshell, in a few months. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Ah, that’s super interesting. Let’s talk a little bit about leadership communication and also your relationship with other leaders in the company. So, what is the approach that you typically take when you work with other senior leaders in the company? I guess you also work closely with the CEO. What is the approach that you typically take to help them to amplify their voice in an authentic way and communicate their vision in the organization? 

Belén Frau: Well, first of all, I’m gifted to have a CEO that believes in communication and he really believes in publicizing. He’s very active. He really believes in communication to build trust and business growth. So, he’s a fabulous spokesperson. So maybe to say that I have it a little bit easier than the many… 

Shahar Silbershatz: You’re lucky, for sure! 

Belén Frau: But I really believe, and if I think, oh, you know, all the other leaders around us, because of course we support all the spokespersons from my team and we believe that the brand needs, you know, to be built by different personalities, different topics, different… so we have a lot of stories to tell and we have experts in the different fields. The way that we build these strong relationships, I think I would say two things. One is to really have a plan that’s integrated in the business, so that comms is nothing separate, but that you can really show that it’s integrated. 

And I think the other one that is very much related is data — data and performance. So, when you can really show — and this is one of my obsessions, you will see — but we need to measure everything we do because then you can also decide what not to do, and that frees us resources to focus on the important things. 

 

So when you are able to prove — and we’ve done that through econometrics — that brand trust really ultimately turns into visitation to our different channels and into sales, ultimately, then of course it’s also putting in value, the value of communications, which is something that I’m really a fan of, you know, to really put in value what we do. 

 And I think here, then, it’s about transparency, it’s about authenticity, it’s about consistency, it’s about humbleness. So I’m really… I’m really in favor of communication that is very integrated in the business and that can show its value. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So there’s something you said that really caught my attention there. You built an econometric model that links directly brand trust with sales? 

Belén Frau: Yes. You are curious now, huh? 

Shahar Silbershatz: Yes! 

Belén Frau: Maybe we can have a follow-up chat! 

Shahar Silbershatz: I think we will! 

Belén Frau: I think, you know, it’s very important. And if I think, you know, how do you influence, how do you convince all people? It’s very important to prove yourself and prove the value. And that’s why I also walk the talk, you know? I’m also a spokesperson and I think it’s, yeah, that is important that we also show others. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So you have, it sounds like, a close relationship with the CEO. Do you report directly to the CEO? 

Belén Frau: Yep. Yep. Absolutely. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And this is also something that we often talk about in the industry — how do communication leaders gain influence around the C-suite? Some of them report to the CEO, some of them don’t. What are some of the tips that you have to colleagues who are trying to get that level of influence and maybe don’t have it today? 

Belén Frau: Yeah, I love this question because sometimes, you know, you depend on the belief and I’ve been a CEO before in the country, so it’s also when you look at it from both sides. One very important thing, and maybe another humble advice, is to keep yourself updated and to stay relevant. That is very important. 

 Also to understand the business, you know, because the moment that you really understand the business and you can enhance the value of the business through communication, is where your credibility and you start being … it’s not only your credibility, it’s like you start being a key player in the table. So you start being called to meetings that maybe the previous communication manager wasn’t called to. But it’s how you invest in that understanding of the business, and of course, invest in the relationships and create that trust that you are there, that you understand, and again, that you can prove the value with numbers. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And I guess here is also where your background comes in handy. 

Belén Frau: Mmm. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Let’s also talk about the global nature of IKEA. Obviously, you operate in many different countries and you try to be relevant in each country, in a local way. But at the same time, you have a very consistent global brand. Can you talk to us a little bit about how you manage that balance? Is there any tension between the global brand consistency and ensuring local relevance? 

Belén Frau: You see my smile?  

Shahar Silbershatz: Yes! Is that because it’s a question you’ve heard before?! 

Belén Frau: There is a tension, but I also believe, and I’m a firm believer, it is a healthy tension. So I see this as positive. I really do. It’s not that I’m selling you something. I see it as an opportunity because I really think that, yes, as a global brand, you know, we need to be consistent. We need to be core. And so, of course, you know, if I would talk all of the sudden about luxury, I would be off-track and that’s out of discussion. So we do have frames and we do have also opportunities to scale. So sometimes it’s just more efficient to do things one time in global than in the countries. 

At the same time, I really like to talk about freedom within the frame, because I think it’s healthy that countries experiment with new ideas. Sometimes… I mean we … and then we scale globally many times. And this is the beauty of letting every country experiment a little bit within that frame, within our tone of voice. We have, I think, a very clear identity. We are a simple brand. We are a playful brand. We are an inclusive brand. So within that frame, the fact that the countries can experiment and try new things and we do have fantastic comms organizations in the country and we really learn from them. 

So it would be a pity not to use all that muscle and that brain power that we have. So I usually say we are as local as possible and as global as needed because you need to be local and you need to have that local flavor to connect. You know, the reality in China today has nothing to do… I mean, even the channels, the speed, it’s different, so there are things that work worldwide and it’s efficient to do worldwide, and there’s things that just need to have that local expertise. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So how much of central control do you have? Because such a vast organization, so many different countries and markets, how do you actually keep track of it, or what is the process that you typically use to maintain some consistency there? 

Belén Frau: And I think it’s more — and I reacted to the word “control” because I think it’s more… we or I try to focus more on support. So we build the framework, we build the packages, we build the yearly calendar that they can come up through. We build assets that they can access. Then we do have, you know, like a process where we visit the countries, we go deep in each one. And also they share, and we have a monthly call where they share. So I think it’s a give and take. 

There is not… and then I know you’re going to ask me, is it always a happy flow? No. Sometimes we have a country that says, “Oh, and maybe, oops, this is an oops.” Okay. But then we also learn from that. But we are much more focused on support and trust — again, because we have such a clear vision — than into control. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Fair enough. Does it happen sometimes the other way around where something bubbles up from a country that you think, “This is actually a great idea, we’d like to use it globally”? 

Belén Frau: So many times. And, for example… I mean there’s thousands of examples… but in social media many times, you know, there is a country that finds something that all of the sudden starts boiling and then we say, “Whoa, let’s scale this up”. Or events — you know, we’ve been now cooperating with London with the opening of the Oxford Street store, which is quite an innovative customer meeting point. And we have been throwing these housewarming parties to make our voice be heard by youngsters specifically, but really to prepare for the brand, and that seems to be a super success. So when we see that, we say, “Okay, UK team, let’s package it in.” And then we share with the others. 

Shahar Silbershatz: That’s nice. It’s always good to have those examples and benefit from a lot of different creative ideas across the board. When it comes to the sentiment of stakeholders, perceptions of stakeholders, what kind of tools or systems do you use to monitor that across the different stakeholder groups, across different markets that you have on an ongoing basis? 

Belén Frau: I think it’s probably the difference is not so much the tools because I think we use very similar tools to others, like econometrics and rankings and social media tools. I think what makes the difference is that we have chosen to take a data-driven approach, that we really use follow-ups to take decisions. So now we are, you know, building the calendar of next year, and we have started from, “Okay, what is working well? What is not working well? What can we stop doing?” So I don’t think we have such innovative tools, sorry not to share, but it’s important and for me, communication is not about volume, it’s about value. It’s a strategic lever to grow performance and people, and for that, we need to ensure that we are making an impact. 

Shahar Silbershatz: I’m curious to hear more about the data side and how you use it in your communication because it sounds like, for you, it’s more a question of mindset rather than of the actual tools that you use. So how has that mindset changed? Or how do you see the role of data and communications over your career? How has that evolved over the years?  

Belén Frau: It’s like a revolution, if you ask me. Before it was impossible and what we were talking about now, this model that we created to build the brand trust, of course coming from the business, I made super uncomfortable questions at the beginning, you could say. “How can it be that we cannot measure?”, you know? And we have created some models and we have… I think, the world itself is evolving and then we have evolved with the world because it is more important than ever that we take informed decisions based on insights and coming from data. So, I think that helps us to stay relevant with the new capabilities. And it’s a mindset… it’s both things, it is that we measure more but that we have decided to use the measurements also. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So do you have some kind of a process or some kind of a practice where there’s a forum that gets together once a week, looks at data points, changes, decisions, I mean, anything like that that you put in place? 

Belén Frau: Yes, we do. And that is the same… performance and planning is together … so I think that’s also the feedback loop is the most important. So we do have a dashboard that has some weekly data, some monthly data, and based on that, we review the planning and we say, “Okay, is this what we want? Is this not what we want?” 

And then it’s not — and I think that is maybe important to say — it’s not only comms data that we look at, because, for example, one of the things that we look at every single week in the management is the “happy customers” data. You know, we want to understand, are our customers happy? And because of course, are our coworkers happy? That we look at every week. Because happy coworkers make happy customers, happy customers make happy sales and happy sales make a happy brand. So I think, yeah, it’s all related. And it’s very important to look at brand metrics. Sometimes I think they are seen as only marketing and it is not, you know. I think really, growth and business growth and brand positioning — I really believe that they go hand-in-hand, and that one without the other cannot happen. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And, as you said before, so that model that you have looking at brand trust, I guess you have your own customized, unique IKEA model of how you look at brand trust and how you measure brand trust? 

Belén Frau: Yes, we have used econometrics. We have the luck also to have a vast IKEA Family club. And that is also one set of data where we have a lot of data so we can really analyze, you know, and go deep, and test and try and do A/B and, you know, we really learn a lot from them because they are customers that trust us and they normally trust us to use their data because they know that we are a responsible company. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Yeah, that’s also the beauty of retail. You get a lot of data very, very quickly, very real-time. So you can see the impact very quickly. 

Belén Frau: Yeah. That helps us to stay relevant. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Exactly. Would you say there are some data points that are underutilized in communications that you think communication leaders should use more or are maybe not leveraging enough today? 

Belén Frau: I think it’s probably what I just mentioned about the happy coworkers, happy customers. I really think that, you know, sometimes we think, “Okay, communication — we need to look at reach and we need to look at the visits, or we need to look…”, and I really think that sometimes we are underutilizing some data points from the business that gives us a hint, you know. If you don’t have a happy customer, we need to understand why, because it can be an experience, but it can also be things that we can solve in the preparation of the experience because it’s a communication issue. So really how to have the full overview. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So when you look… at the end of the year, let’s say, if you want to look at all the measurements and say, “Did we have a positive ROI on our communication efforts?”, you typically try to close that loop with customer satisfaction, sales, and employee engagement? 

Belén Frau: Yes, yes. And then of course, not everything is mathematical, but we really make an effort to understand the impact and the real engagement and the conversion. So, beyond reach or beyond impressions. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Yeah. Do you have in your mind maybe an example of one of the campaigns that you’ve done, either in recent times or over the years where you felt that some data-driven insights actually changed the strategy or change messaging? I guess it happens all the time. 

Belén Frau: Exactly. But I’m choosing one that maybe can give you something new. I’m thinking of Paris. Like, last year we took a decision and we said, “Why don’t we go to Paris Fashion Week?” And everybody was like, “Why do you want to show up in Paris Fashion Week, you are a home furnishing company.” But we started from an insight that we had from the Life at Home report, actually this time, where we saw that half of the people globally do not feel that their life at home is represented in the media. They don’t see themselves in the magazines, they don’t see that that looks like their home.. They say that this is staged, ´it’s not the real thing. 

So we, from that insight, said, “Okay, but really style starts at home and it’s about style. And sometimes you can combine style with small accessories. You can really have… you can define your style. Style starts at home.” So we elaborated from that and we decided to go to Milan — sorry, to Paris Fashion Week. And we actually had amazing numbers and we were tapping into audiences that we hadn’t tapped into before and, you know, more into fashion and younger people. And that came really from an insight that we had from a data-driven approach. So sometimes we are also taking some daring decisions based on data. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And it’s maybe harder — easier for you, sorry — to argue for some challenging decisions when you have some data to back it up with? 

Belén Frau: Exactly. I didn’t want to sound like a nerd that only looks at numbers, no. But sometimes we look at numbers also to take calculated risks. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Yeah, that makes sense. You know, we call the podcast “Always On” because we see the world around us today and we see the growing complexity and volatility of the world, and we find that it requires companies and communication teams to be “always on”. Do you find that you and IKEA need to be “always on”, in your role? 

Belén Frau: A hundred percent. It is an “always on” reality, as you mentioned. It’s complex, it’s volatile, and I really think that, especially for the part of creating conversation, you know, you have to be “always on”. You need to listen. You need to be present. You need to engage in the conversation when it happens, you know. You cannot decide that’s before, “Okay, now I do a press release, and then you listen.” No. It’s the other way around. You are listening. I should go to where you are. Listening is so important and for that you need to be on, and maintaining that constant connection to reality — including, you know, including what you were talking about before, like the different, the diverse countries, the diverse cultures, you know, you need to be curious to be open and be innovative and test and try new things. And maybe another way of being “always on” that is crucial for us is also being super close to our coworkers. So we also have an internal communication platform where, you know, where our coworkers help us foster that understanding and that collaboration. So, again, that coworker-customer bridging. 

Shahar Silbershatz: How about when it comes to crisis communication? So, again, in this “always on” world and very, very fast reaction kind of world that we live in today, how are you handling situations that require a response instantly? 

Belén Frau: Well, with a lot of super committed and knowledgeable coworkers. That would be my first answer. But yes, of course, you know how the world is. So it is as important right now to promote the brand, if I can say, than to protect the brand. And we are really aiming to, you know, maintain that balance and be there when we have to be present. 

So I think we really strive and, coming back to our purpose, to be transparent and consistent in our actions. So we have a very clear brand personality and we are guided by our values. So sometimes we are open to say, “Whoops. Yes. Sorry. With this one, we made a mistake, but we learned from it.” And sometimes it’s just about, you know, expressing a point of view and standing up for what we believe. 

But I really think that those core values that we have so alive in the company act as a compass in our decision-making, also in regard to crisis communication. And then we maintain that balance between global and local considerations. That was one of your other questions. So that is key in crisis when you are present in so many countries around the world as us. And transparency and being transparent builds trust. And trust is more important than ever in the current environment. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And harder to protect, harder to maintain. 

Belén Frau: Exactly. Exactly. 

Shahar Silbershatz: How about when it comes to things like social and political issues and the expectations that companies take a stand on these issues? How do you determine when to speak out or whether to speak out on something or what to say? 

Belén Frau: A lot is about preparing before. So, for example, we don’t take political standpoints. That is a principle and we totally follow that. But for social issues, we take responsibility. So we do have, you know, mapped what are the topics that define us that we want to talk about. And I think we have the different spokespersons prepared for that because the spokesperson responsibility follows the business responsibility. So they take the stands for their own business. 

And, yeah, I think, yeah, I think for a global brand, this is really important that you know when to talk, what to say, and when not to talk, what not to say, or where you want to be more clear, knowing that misinformation and disinformation are the biggest risks according to the World Economic Forum. So we need to take responsibility in being transparent and in being vocal in the social issues that we stand for. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And when it comes to your relationship with the CEO around these things — because in many cases the CEO is also visible on taking a stand or speaking out on things — do you find that it’s an easy kind of decision-making process and you’re on the same page? Or do you find that sometimes there’s a lot of give and take or different approaches to that? 

Belén Frau: We definitely have healthy tensions, also here, which I think is great. You know, sometimes we want to be more vocal and he says, “Maybe not.” Sometimes he wants to be more vocal, and I say, “Maybe not.” It boils down to trust again. I think it’s the most important currency today. It really, you know, in a moment where there’s so much uncertainty, consumers are looking for trust and they are expecting us, companies, to lead. There is less trust in other stakeholders. So we really have a role to play. And beyond contributing to incremental visits and sales, trust also allows us to take some responsible risks — you know, when we make a mistake to rebound from it and say, “Okay. We did a mistake.” 

But it’s all about being transparent and continuing this trust because we also act and this trust is not only about the things that you say, but even more importantly, the things that you do, you know. For example, all the things that we are doing in regards to climate and how we are really trying to lead a way to net zero and investing in sustainability and looking for more sustainable materials. And, you know, we are really leading in that space. And that is an example where we think, “Okay, this is important. This is an important social issue that we want to act on, not only talk about.” And our CEO is for sure our best ambassador in that one. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Plus I think today it’s impossible not to make mistakes because things are coming at you all the time.  

Belén Frau: Yeah. Humbleness is also a good friend in this one. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Exactly. I was going to say that. If we look a little bit into the future, how do you think the role of the CCO is evolving these days, changing? 

Belén Frau: Of course, AI was the first thing, when you said future, the first thing that came to me was AI. And, as AI speeds up, business is most trusted to lead. So again, you know, I think accelerated AI adoption and more regular use to spread this information have an increased profound impact on trust, in people and in the brands, both. 

So I do think that … when I think future, it’s more important than ever to be relevant — again, dialogue — and to build this trust in a challenging environment. Challenging but, at the same time, I think it’s an opportunity for brands that are really consistent and that are a trusted partner. 

So, if I think of future concrete, it’s about leveraging AI efficiencies to drive transformation. Taking a proactive approach — to adapt to the evolving landscape of channels and to be relevant — will continue to matter. So, it is to continue to be transparent. And probably again. in the noisy environment, the future is about doing less with more impact. 

Shahar Silbershatz: So, in that sense, if I try to extrapolate from that, you think the CCO, or the actual profile or the role of the CCO. is becoming more or requires a little bit more technological skills and maybe people who are feeling increasingly comfortable using more technology in the role of the CCO? 

Belén Frau: It’s business knowledge or business understanding. And with that goes technological skills, yeah. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Yeah. 

Belén Frau: Or at least understanding. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Right, right. So it’s the two things. It’s understanding the business to maintain that, to continue that strategic journey, as well as the journey of technology, of innovation. Do you have any bold predictions about the industry for the future that you think might surprise some people? 

Belén Frau: I don’t know if I dare to do that, because I think what we have learned is that there is no bold prediction anymore. Reality is all the time outpacing the bold predictions. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Completely, sometimes unfortunately so, but that’s true. So we talked a lot about this “always on” thing, and I’m curious to hear from you, how do you switch off? 

Belén Frau: I think it’s very important to be present where you are. So I am very present at work when I am, but I also am very present at home when I am. I really spend time with my family and friends and I think it’s the little things that make me switch off. So I love to gather around the table with my loved ones. I enjoy food. I’m a foodie. I love spending time outdoors, biking, now the weather is helping us finally, and just enjoying nature around me. That’s the best disconnection. 

Shahar Silbershatz: And you have all the insights from the Life at Home Report so you know what to focus on. 

Belén Frau: Exactly. So I know what to do. I can give you some tips if you want. Sleeping is very important. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Always. I think we have a few follow-up conversations coming out of this. Belén, it was lovely to have you with us. Thank you so much for your time. 

Belén Frau: The same, the same. 

Shahar Silbershatz: Many thanks for listening to this episode of Always On. If you haven’t done so already, check out some of the other episodes. They’re packed with unique insights from seasoned experts at leading companies. 

Oh, and if you have any comments or questions about anything you’ve heard on the pod, we’d love to hear from you. Just drop us a line at [email protected]. Thanks again for listening. Till next time, take care.