But it should never come at the expense of understanding what your customers actually want.

Following the recent Disrupt or Decline: Brand Relevance in the Age of Digital Disruption panel, hosted by CIM Yorkshire as part of Leeds Digital Festival, one message stood out for me; whatever the sector, the size of the business or the technology available, marketing has to come back to the customer.

It sounds obvious, doesn't it? Yet with so much emphasis on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, new platforms and the next big marketing trend, it's surprisingly easy to lose sight of the people we're actually trying to reach.

As the panel discussed, customers have more choice than ever, their money doesn't stretch as far as it once did, and competition for their attention is relentless. So why should they choose your business? What makes your product, service or experience worth their time and money?

Those are the questions businesses need to keep asking themselves.

Innovation should start with the customer

One of the strongest themes from the discussion was that a brand is only as good as the experience it delivers today. A strong reputation and years of heritage can help, but neither guarantees that customers will continue to choose you tomorrow.

Lawrence Christensen, Head of Innovation for Fashion, Womenswear and Beauty at Marks & Spencer, talked about the importance of continually asking why customers should spend their hard-earned money with the business.

That means looking beyond what a company has always done and considering what its customers need now, what they might want next and where there are opportunities to do things differently.

It doesn't mean changing everything for the sake of it. Nor does it mean abandoning the things that made your business successful in the first place.

Instead, it means understanding which elements of your brand remain relevant, which need to evolve and where innovation could make a meaningful difference to your customers.

And sometimes, that innovation comes from working with someone else.

Craghoppers and the National Trust - bringing complementary audiences together

A great example discussed by Clare Grimshaw of Craghoppers was the brand's collaboration with the National Trust.

The partnership brings together two established brands with shared interests in the outdoors, nature and exploration, while giving each an opportunity to reach audiences they might not otherwise engage as effectively.

The collaboration includes a collection of clothing inspired by National Trust locations, with 10% of the proceeds from the products going back to the National Trust to support its conservation work.

There are several reasons why this is an interesting example of customer-focused innovation.

Firstly, the partnership makes sense. The two organisations have a natural connection, and their audiences have overlapping interests. It's not simply a case of putting two logos together and hoping for the best.

Secondly, it creates something tangible for customers. The collection connects products with places, experiences and stories that people care about. Customers can see the relevance of the collaboration rather than simply being told about it in an advert.

Finally, it brings benefits to both organisations. Craghoppers gains brand awareness and an association with a well-respected organisation, while the National Trust has an opportunity to connect with younger and more diverse audiences.

The lesson? A good partnership should offer more than exposure. It should create value for the customer and make sense for both brands.

For smaller businesses, this is worth considering too. You don't necessarily need a huge marketing budget to reach new audiences. A well-chosen local partnership, complementary business relationship or joint event could be far more effective than trying to reach everyone on your own.

Marks & Spencer and Sephora - giving customers more of what they want

Another example from the panel was the partnership between Marks & Spencer and Sephora, announced shortly before the event.

M&S already has a substantial beauty offering, including its own products and established third-party brands.

Bringing Sephora into its stores adds another dimension to that offer, with the potential to attract new customers as well as give existing ones more choice.

This is an interesting example of a business recognising that it doesn't have to do everything itself.

Instead, it can build on what it already does well by working with a partner that brings complementary products, expertise and customer appeal.

The important point is that the collaboration is not innovation for innovation's sake. It is about strengthening the overall proposition and giving customers another reason to visit.

The same principle applies to businesses of every size. Sometimes the best way to meet your customers' needs isn't to develop a completely new product or service in-house. It might be to find the right partner who can help you deliver something better.

Of course, a partnership needs to work commercially for both parties, and the customer experience must live up to the promise. But when the fit is right, collaboration can help a brand evolve without losing sight of what it stands for.

Getting closer to customers means more than looking at the data

One of my favourite examples from the discussion was a little less about brand partnerships and a lot more about people.

Lawrence explained that colleagues working at the M&S support centre are required to spend a set number of days in stores, including shifts during the busy Christmas trading period. That can mean working on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or New Year's Eve.

The principle behind the initiative is simple: if store colleagues are serving customers on the frontline, colleagues working elsewhere in the business should understand that experience too.

And it doesn't stop when the shift ends. Colleagues are expected to feed back what they've learned, including anything that makes life more difficult for store teams or creates friction in the customer experience.

I think there's a valuable lesson here for every business.

It's easy for people working in marketing, management or head office to make decisions based on reports, assumptions and what they believe customers want. Data is important, but it doesn't tell you everything.

Actually spending time with customers, listening to the people who serve them and seeing the experience first-hand can reveal things that might otherwise be missed.

Perhaps a process is unnecessarily complicated. Maybe a product isn't meeting expectations. Or perhaps a small change could make the experience considerably better.

These insights don't always require expensive research projects or sophisticated technology. Sometimes they come from asking a question, listening properly and being prepared to act on the answer.

For a smaller business, this might mean joining a customer meeting, spending time on the shop floor, asking clients for feedback or simply picking up the phone rather than relying on another email survey.

The important thing is to stay connected to the people whose decisions determine your success.

Technology should give us more time to focus on people

Digital tools and AI featured throughout the panel discussion, but I particularly liked the practical perspective on how technology can support customer-focused businesses.

Lawrence described how AI tools can help colleagues analyse information and complete tasks more efficiently, freeing up time for thinking, discussion and, importantly, customer service.

That is where I believe technology has the greatest potential.

It's not about adopting AI because everyone else appears to be doing so. It's about identifying where a tool can solve a problem, improve a process or help your team do something better.

If technology removes unnecessary administration and gives employees more time to help customers, that's a worthwhile outcome.

If a new platform creates more work, fragments your communications or takes attention away from the things that matter, it's worth asking whether you really need it.

The same applies to marketing activity more generally. Just because a new channel, format or trend is available doesn't mean it's right for your business.

Start with the customer and the objective. Then decide which tools and tactics will help you achieve it.

Customer focus doesn't mean standing still

Of course, putting customers first doesn't mean giving them everything they ask for or making every decision based on the latest feedback.

Businesses still need a clear strategy, a commercially viable offer and a sense of where they want to go.

Sometimes innovation means anticipating a need that customers haven't yet articulated.

But those decisions should be informed by a genuine understanding of the market, rather than assumptions made inside the business.

Craghoppers' collaboration with the National Trust and M&S's partnership with Sephora demonstrate how established brands can evolve their offers, reach new audiences and create fresh reasons for customers to engage.

Meanwhile, M&S's approach to getting support-centre colleagues into stores demonstrates something just as important; staying close to the people who experience your brand every day.

These examples show that innovation doesn't have to mean abandoning your heritage, changing your entire business model or chasing every new technology. It can be about making thoughtful changes that strengthen what you offer and help you remain relevant.

Three questions every business should be asking

Whether you're an established brand or a growing business, I'd suggest coming back to three simple questions:

1. Why should a customer choose us? Be honest. What makes your offer valuable, distinctive or relevant? Is that still what customers want, and are you delivering on the promises you make?
2. What could we do differently to improve their experience? Look beyond your existing products and processes. Could a partnership, a small service improvement or a new way of working create more value for your customers?
3. How well do we really understand our customers? When did you last speak to them, observe how they interact with your business or ask what's working and what isn't? And, just as importantly, what have you done with what you've learned?

You don't need to have all the answers immediately. But you do need to keep asking the questions.

The starting point for good marketing

The Disrupt or Decline discussion reinforced something I believe strongly: good marketing starts with understanding your customers, not with deciding which marketing activity to do next.

It's tempting to begin with the latest platform, a new campaign idea or a piece of technology. But without a clear understanding of the people you're trying to reach and why they should care, even the most impressive marketing can miss the mark.

Innovation matters. So does a willingness to challenge established ways of working. But neither should distract you from the fundamentals.

Understand your customers. Deliver on your promises. Look for ways to create more value. And never assume that what worked yesterday will automatically work tomorrow.

That's how businesses can continue to evolve without losing sight of the people who matter mos