David Corns
101 Great Minds on Music Brands and Behavior
David Corns, Chief Marketing Officer, Opendoor
Meet David Corns, the visionary CMO at Opendoor, whose boundless creativity has propelled him to become one of the luminaries of the industry.
While he is new to the real estate sector, David has used his unique point of view to emerge as the dynamic force driving Opendoor's extraordinary marketing strategies and ambitious business expansion.
David's extensive experience, acquired through years of building prestigious brands, has given him a profound understanding of consumer behavior and the ever-evolving trends within the market.
Under David’s leadership, his work has won multiple awards and recognitions, including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix, Gold Effie's, Grand Clio's and even AdAge’s Idea of the Year.
Corns is at the forefront of propelling Opendoor to unprecedented heights of success, reshaping the global home-buying and selling experience in ways never imagined.
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“Emotion and creativity are the ultimate business advantages. By prioritizing creativity, you win. Sound design and sonic branding are critical pieces of building a modern brand.”
— DAVID CORNS, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, OPENDOOR
Uli Reese: Opendoor isn’t like Mercedes Benz or any other heritage brand, so how do you deal with that fear of failing?
David Corns: I’d have more fear sustaining a brand that already existed. I get excited about all the opportunities and mapping them out. Part of my process is being strategic and figuring out the steps and the pitfalls, and trying to get ahead of those. I don't know if it's my dyslexia, but I'm good at focusing on each step and breaking it down into bite-sized points. When you talk about fear, I moved to Minneapolis from the UK, having never been to the US before, and proposed to my wife the fourth time we were together. There's a lot out of my control, but there's also a lot I can control. If I'm honest about what I want and can build the right team and a culture where people can be their authentic selves and enjoy it, the rest takes care of itself.
Reese: Can you break down some of your processes?
David: It's about building the right team and structures. I told Julie Andrews, the Head of Operations and a good friend at R/GA, that I was looking for a Head of Ops. She was the first Ops person to say she hated processes, and the reason why - which I agree with - is that it allows people to hide. Often people get stuck following what they think they're supposed to do. But with the right vision, objective, and the right team and structure, the process can shift, but the right results are often delivered. I like to keep things organic. Many dyslexics have this skill where they piece together disparate bits of information. I remember early on seeing things others didn't. I call it my crystal ball. It's frustrating trying to quantify why it's right. That becomes the challenge. But it becomes easier when you're the one who's setting the vision and making the calls; people trust your instinct.
Reese: What have been your major takeaways from our talks about Sonic?
David: When you talk about a brand, most people think visually, but it's always been fascinating to me how sound design can play a significant role in building a brand. Sonic branding, for many marketers, is still an afterthought. The reality is that it should be as much of an important tool in defining a brand as the visual identity. Slack’s ‘brush knock’ is iconic now. I also find it interesting that Siri is part of Apple's identity, but you can also change Siri’s voice and gender. Some brands can shape-shift even when the visual identity is set. With Opendoor’s ‘Be Open’ campaign, we're setting up the solution, which is ‘Powering Life's Progress, One Move at a Time.' That's our purpose. People don't generally move house because they want a bigger yard or more bedrooms; it’s usually through a life event such as a new job or retirement. With that comes joy, but also panic about the hassle of selling. Opendoor is the solution. In that campaign, when the solution comes in, the sound design is almost angelic. It’s had a big impact. We don’t yet have a sound or sonic identity - part of Opendoor is that we’re building the brand from a blank sheet of paper – but it’s an exciting area to delve into.
Reese: What are your thoughts on licensed music versus ownability?
David: At this point, we're so immersed in our lives via technology the brand toolkit should obviously include what you sound like. The association has always been sound equals music, and music is made by musicians, which is basically borrowed equity anyway. But it's like anything; the more it's proven to work, the more people will buy into it, but it just isn't a sustainable reality—the way your brand sounds shouldn't be licensed. You wouldn't license your logo, and you wouldn't license your visual identity. It makes no sense. You need to have as much control over who you are and how you show up as possible.
Reese: Right now, we don’t have the tools to analyze data in a uniform way. How are CMOs meant to justify what they do sonically?
David: We should make data our love language. Humans are inherently emotional creatures, and we make decisions based on those emotions. Sonic branding, or owning sound design, and being able to quantify the results it has in changing human behavior is really what we're talking about. When I put what I regard as great creativity on air, I can see results and track them. Where it gets hard is dissecting what is working. So let’s make X amount of spots, run them all, and see what's performing best and reinvest into that. You can do the same with sound design. Radio is still pretty standard, and podcasts are incredible, but I think the way people are advertising on them turns you off…
Reese: Yes, especially when they become popular, and you're suddenly listening to 10 continuous minutes of advertising...
David: Exactly. No one wants to be advertised to. It works against both the advertiser and the podcast. The way sonic branding is used in those situations can help deliver the show, but creative teams aren’t set up to think about the trifecta of visual, copy, and sound. They're only now set up to think about visuals and copy. That's the next frontier. Note: The interview took place in Los Angeles, California on the 29th of August 2022.
Reese: Stats show that 30% of people’s time in the US is being used to listen to audio, but only 5% of ad spend goes towards audio. Are we just insecure?
David: CMOs look to experts in the field and rely on them to make sound decisions. Media agencies and media planners have a responsibility too. We know who our target is, so we can easily find out where they're spending their time and then make sure that the media plan is reflective of that percentage. But often CMOs are reliant on building a campaign that's set up with copy and art or copy and art with social channels.
Reese: What thoughts would you like to share before we close?
David: In a world where we’re overloaded with information, with data, with points of view polarizing and otherwise, I still wholeheartedly believe
emotion and creativity are the ultimate business advantage. They're often separated in that businesses are rational, and creativity is emotional, but when you look at the most beloved brands in the world, they're highly emotional and creative. If you prioritize emotional creativity, you will win.
Note: The interview took place in San Francisco, California on the 14th of February 2023.
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