i3 - January/February 2020 - 10

Tech

What is Deloitte's business model? How is it
disrupting the industry?

A As one of the world's largest professional services

firms, our business model is to help our clients
solve their biggest challenges. In a time of unprecedented technological innovation and change, how brands, leaders and consumers
respond drives disruption. We have the depth across industries and
sectors to understand the implications of these responses and we
use that knowledge and foresight to advise our clients on how to
adapt and move forward and thrive in the face of disruption.

Global Chief Marketing
Officer at Deloitte
Diana O'Brien

iana O'Brien is the
Global Chief Marketing
Officer for Deloitte,
responsible for driving
growth across all businesses. O'Brien connects a network of
brand, communications, marketing and
organizations. Her responsibility is to
champion the voice of the customer,
surface deep insights with advanced
analytics, increase sales velocity, and
gain greater competitive advantage with
stronger, differentiated experiences.
One of Forbes' World's Most Influential
CMOs, O'Brien also leads the C-Suite
CMO Program and serves as an advisory partner to global life sciences
clients. O'Brien serves on numerous
boards including the Ad Council and
Impact Autism Foundation.

Q What is the role of storytelling in marketing today? Do personal stories resonate
more with consumers?
A Human beings have always told stories
to communicate, and the most effective
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020

month. Deloitte has over a dozen podcasts
in unique topic areas, and they give global
reach to our thought leadership.
Digital Reality [augmented reality, virtual
reality, mixed reality (MR) and 360-degree
video] has become another channel we use
both to engage audiences at live events and
share our content. There is no better way to
capture someone's attention in a noisy and
crowded event space than to immerse them
in your world in a different reality.

Q How is Deloitte addressing diversity
and inclusion?

marketing tells great stories. Today, consumers expect brands to create experiences and products that not only meet their
needs, but also anticipate their wants.
A more recent expectation is that brands
also strive to solve bigger problems in the
world, society and the communities where
they live and work. If they engage in these
higher-level challenges, brands must do it
with authenticity. We've all seen public missteps where brands use a one-off tweet to try
to associate themselves with a movement
or an event. Successful brands authentically
connect any social impact with their purpose.

Q How are you using tech tools and various
media platforms to reach new audiences?

A Like all brands today, we use a wide range

of tools and platforms to tell stories, share
insights and connect with our clients, both
digitally and at live events. Podcasts have
been a more recent success for us - whether
our own or others we participate in or sponsor.
Podcasting isn't a new medium, but
it's very effective at reaching customers
where they are, in the time they have. More
than half of the people in the U.S. have
listened to a podcast, and something like
one in three say they listen at least once a

A Deloitte has been helping shape what

inclusion looks like since 1993. We were the
first professional services organization to
establish women's and diversity initiatives.
A lot has changed since then, and our leaders remain committed to evolve and innovate in this space and keep the core tenet
of empowering our people and fostering an
inclusive culture. That's why we're on bestplaces-to-work lists, like Working Mother's
100 Best Companies, Best Companies for
Working Mothers and FORTUNE's 100 Best
Companies to Work For.

Q What do you look for at CES?
A To be inspired and to connect for impact.

CES provides so many opportunities to
learn about new technologies and how
consumers' use of tech disrupts different
industries and business models. It is easy
to be inspired by the many companies that
anticipate and even define technology
shifts and move their businesses into the
future. And nothing is more important
and satisfying for me than to connect with
clients and have compelling conversations
about what we are seeing and what it means.
That is how you connect for impact in our
world today.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

i3 - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of i3 - January/February 2020