Sandra Howard

101 Great Minds on Music Brands and Behavior

Sandra Howard, VP Corporate Brand Marketing at AT&T

Sandra Howard is Vice President of Corporate Brand Marketing for AT&T, the world’s largest communications holding company. Sandra began her career on the advertising agency side. She worked in both media and account management, leading teams within top consumer-brand clients like Coca-Cola, Mars M&M’s, and the Southwestern Bell before joining Burger King Corporation as the Senior Director of Global Advertising and Global Consumer Insights. During her years at Burger King, Sandra helped lead a revival of the brand’s popularity through such campaigns as ‘The King’. Sandra also led the Advertising/Marketing Communications team at Southwest Airlines. Her arrival at Southwest marked a turning point for the company’s marketing efforts. Tasked with leading the airline’s advertising, Sandra developed the award-winning campaign, ‘Bags Fly Free’.

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“The more brands understand and seek a true customer-first mentality, then the technology and product innovation will follow. That’s why audio has developed so rapidly.”
— SANDRA HOWARD, VP CORPORATE BRAND MARKETING AT AT&T

Reese:Describe your role at AT&T.

Howard: My role is Vice President of Corporate Brand Marketing, and that position sits inside the global marketing organization for AT&T. My team leads the development of Corporate Brand Marketing Initiatives, AT&T Business advertising, AT&T’s Branded Merchandise program, as well as other key AT&T Inc. initiatives. Business advertising responsibility includes all mass, digital, direct response and direct mail supporting the business unit’s comprehensive marketing calendar. We are also in charge of incorporating best practices and new/innovative advertising ideas across the enterprise and integrating the AT&T company ‘Connections’ brand story into all relevant initiatives.

Reese:Describe the brand for someone who has just landed on the planet.

Howard: AT&T’s unique blend of businesses works together to provide our customers with connectivity, technology, entertainment, news, advertising and more. Connectivity simply makes the world better, and we believe everyone should have the access they need to live, learn, work and play to life’s fullest. Simply­­, we create a connection with each other, with the things people and businesses need to thrive every day, and with the stories and experiences that matter. 

Reese:What is the role of audio in your customer experience at AT&T?

Howard: There’s the role that it plays in our marketing communications, but also, I think one of the unique aspects is the role that it plays in our own DNA. Our patent is telephone and telegraph. That is where the company started. Although we’ve evolved, we’ve never forgotten our heritage, and we celebrate it. So today, when we talk about the innovation of the company, it all started with telephone and audio and the ability to connect with someone who can’t be near you. 

Reese:When you think about the shift in the last three years from video to audio, how important is audio to the brand?

Howard: The more brands understand the needs of their customers and seek a true customer-first mentality, then the technology and product innovation will follow. That's why audio has developed so rapidly. Our attention is more fragmented, demands on our time are ever-changing, and our need to have personalized experiences and convenience has grown. Look at the growth of podcasts. We desire to be productive, but now there is this way to stay smart while multi-tasking.

Reese:CMOs are figuring out how to behave in this new sonic ecosystem. What is your advice to them?

Howard: Two things. Firstly, transition into audio will be even more challenging, so the brand will have to work harder in the more traditional environment to build that brand connection with consumers. That equity will carry into an audio ecosystem where brand affinity is critical. Secondly, if you don’t have enough experience with sonic, one can think about sonic identity in a very shallow way. By that, I mean not having enough understanding of how robust it needs to be in its application. It’s all about understanding what the consumer touchpoints in this audio world are and how that’s reflected in the development of our messaging upfront.   

“The more brands understand the needs of their customers and seek a true customer-first mentality, then the technology and product innovation will follow.”

Reese:We are a world away from 30-second spots and a logo at the end of an ad. Would you agree that many brands, such as McDonald’s, now realize that they need something different from their 20-year-old sonic identity?

Howard: That’s right, the 2.0 version is about understanding the new rules of engagement, and it’s not the way you’d approach it 10 or 20 years ago. It’s now more complicated. 

Reese:I always say to brands “stop consuming sonic pop culture and start becoming sonic pop culture.” So, is there a case for flexibility in audio at AT&T? 

Howard: I recall several examples of work we were producing where we were pulling in the sonic identity specific to the mood and tonality of the piece we were creating. It had the same notes but was flexible enough that we could use it with different instruments so that it wasn’t just a bolt-on. Flexibility is key to broad utilization. If you believe from the outset you have a sonic element you must use – and oh gosh, it’s five seconds longer than I need – then that can lead to a potential clash of philosophies. But if you have a team that understands your ecosystem and creative landscape and can ensure there’s flexibility for execution for sonic, then that’s when I think you’ve cracked the code. 

Note: The interview took place in Dallas on August 28, 2020.

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