Beatriz Navarro - Renault Spain

Building a strong brand goes far beyond creating memorable campaigns. For Beatriz Navarro, CMO of Renault Spain and President of the Spanish Marketing Association (AMKT), brand growth is fundamentally about business transformation. With more than two decades of experience across sectors including automotive, retail, foodservice and fashion, she believes that marketing must influence everything from product development and pricing to customer experience and commercial performance. In this interview, Beatriz shares how Renault has approached brand repositioning, why the future CMO must become a business leader, and why even the most creative marketing cannot compensate for a product that fails to deliver.

Brand Building is Everyone's Responsibility

For Beatriz, a brand is much more than a logo, a campaign or a marketing department. It represents everything consumers associate with a company, shaped by experiences accumulated over time. In Renault's case, with 127 years of history, those associations can stretch across generations. Someone who has never owned a Renault might still remember riding in a family member's Renault 5 as a child, creating an emotional connection that influences their perception decades later.

"I always say that a company's value is determined by the value of its brand, and above all, by what people are willing to pay for that brand," Beatriz explains. But the real strength of a brand becomes apparent when something goes wrong. "Winning over a consumer is relatively easy. The real value of a brand becomes clear when there's a problem, whether that's after-sales service, a complaint or a return."

This is why Beatriz believes marketing must connect the entire organisation, from operations and finance to sales and customer service. "If CMOs are not connected to the business, they will cease to exist," she argues. Rather than focusing solely on advertising and media, she sees the role evolving towards that of a Chief Revenue Officer, coordinating the different levers that drive business growth.

“Winning over a consumer is relatively easy. The real value of a brand becomes clear when there's a problem, whether that's after-sales service, a complaint or a return."

Measuring Brand Growth beyond a Single KPI

When it comes to measuring brand growth, Beatriz believes there is no single indicator that tells the complete story. At Renault, the team follows the entire conversion funnel, from brand awareness and consideration to digital traffic, dealership visits, conversion and sales. These metrics are complemented by loyalty and conquest, measuring both the ability to retain existing customers and attract those who previously chose competing brands.

Brand consideration is particularly important in Renault's long-term strategy. "We know exactly where our consideration stands today and where we want it to be by 2030 compared to our competitors," Beatriz explains. This ambition shapes the company's marketing plans, ensuring that short-term activities contribute to a broader strategic objective.

“We know exactly where our consideration stands today and where we want it to be by 2030 compared to our competitors.”

Anticipating Consumer Change without Losing Agility

One of the biggest barriers to sustainable growth is failing to evolve alongside consumers. Renault's transition towards hybrid and electric vehicles illustrates this challenge. Beatriz credits the company's investment in these technologies as an important factor in strengthening its competitive position in Spain. However, anticipating trends is only part of the equation. Timing is equally important.

In automotive, where developing a new vehicle takes approximately four years, companies must predict consumer needs well in advance. Yet being too early can be as problematic as arriving too late. Beatriz recalls Renault's early investment in electric vehicles, when many consumers were not yet ready to embrace the technology. "We were among the first to have electric cars, but it wasn't the right time. People didn't understand what having an electric car meant, and we failed."

For Beatriz, the solution lies in combining long-term anticipation with organisational agility. Even established companies must retain the ability to respond quickly to changing consumer expectations, technologies and competitive environments.

"We were among the first to have electric cars, but it wasn't the right time. People didn't understand what having an electric car meant, and we failed."

Why Product is the Foundation of Brand Repositioning

Declining sales, falling market share or weakening brand consideration can all signal that repositioning is necessary. But Beatriz is clear that changing perceptions requires more than a new communication strategy. "I always say that 80% of marketing success is the product," she states. "If you don't have a product that lives up to the change you want to make as a brand, it doesn't matter how wonderful your advertising campaigns are."

Joining Renault during one of the largest product offensives in the brand's history provided Beatriz with a strong foundation for repositioning. New vehicles made it possible to change consumer perceptions through tangible improvements rather than communication alone.

Renault measures this transformation through brand tracking, social listening and competitive benchmarks. Yet Beatriz also values spontaneous consumer reactions. "When you meet someone and tell them you work for Renault, and they say, 'Wow, how Renault has changed,' that's when you know something has really happened." For her, this demonstrates that the transformation has become part of public perception.

“When you meet someone and tell them you work for Renault, and they say, 'Wow, how Renault has changed,' that's when you know something has really happened."

Delivering a Consistent Customer Experience

Even with the right product and positioning, delivering a consistent experience remains challenging. In automotive, Renault can invest heavily in communication and digital platforms, but the final purchase often takes place at an independently owned dealership. "You can do everything perfectly online, but if the customer arrives at a dealership where the salesperson doesn't understand the product, the facilities are poor, or the cars aren't clean, everything falls apart," Beatriz explains.

This makes collaboration across the entire customer journey essential. Renault works closely with dealers to maintain brand standards, while CRM helps strengthen relationships beyond the initial purchase. Beatriz sees these interactions as fundamental to long-term brand value, reinforcing the idea that marketing must influence even the touchpoints it does not directly control.

The same principle applies to external partners. Every year, Renault brings its three agencies together to share the strategic plan, exchange ideas and encourage collaboration. "They are not competitors; they are colleagues," Beatriz explains. By aligning everyone around the same objectives, the company aims to create a more consistent and effective approach to brand building.

"You can do everything perfectly online, but if the customer arrives at a dealership where the salesperson doesn't understand the product, the facilities are poor, or the cars aren't clean, everything falls apart."

AI and the Future of Marketing Leadership

Looking ahead, Beatriz sees artificial intelligence as an opportunity to fundamentally change how marketers spend their time. AI can accelerate processes, uncover consumer insights and enable greater personalisation, allowing teams to focus on activities that create more strategic value.

"AI will give you valuable time to talk about strategy, think about where the brand is going and understand your customers better," she explains. For Beatriz, the opportunity is not simply to automate existing activities, but to achieve things that previously seemed impossible because of limited resources.

This reflects her broader vision for the profession. As President of AMKT, she believes marketing is increasingly being recognised as a driver of business transformation. The future CMO must combine commercial understanding, consumer insight, technology and creativity, while ensuring that every part of the organisation contributes to building a stronger brand.

“AI will give you valuable time to talk about strategy, think about where the brand is going and understand your customers better.”