If you’ve been following my writing, you know I talk a lot about Customer-Centric Marketing — the art of turning your customers into your marketers.

But today, I want to do something a little different. I want to revisit the industry where my career began — one that shaped me as both a designer and strategist — and take a fresh look at it through the marketing lens I’ve spent the last decade developing.

This is the first in a new series I’m calling CMO Armchair Expert, where I break down industries I know intimately and explore how they could radically transform their marketing by applying Customer-Centric principles.

So let’s start where it all began for me — lighting.


Where It All Started

Back in my early days, I worked in high-end custom lighting, starting at Tritan Chandelier in Santa Ana, California. From there, I was recruited to Alger Lighting, then went independent, consulting for more than 28 top custom lighting design companies. Eventually, I became Head of Product Design at Solatube International.

Lighting wasn’t just a job. It was an art form. I spent years designing bespoke pieces for hotels, casinos, and luxury properties around the world — each project a balancing act between engineering precision and artistic storytelling.

But here’s the thing: at that time, I wasn’t a marketer.
I was a designer — and I didn’t realize just how little marketing innovation existed in the industry.

Fast forward to today, and I can say this confidently:
"There is no clear marketing leader in the custom lighting industry."


An Industry Stuck in the Dark

Now, don’t get me wrong — there are a few standouts.

Jason and Sally at Lusive Décor deserve an honorable mention for their design-centered approach and how they integrate art, lighting, and storytelling into their brand. Their work has a certain creative energy that naturally translates into marketing.

But across the industry as a whole?
Most lighting companies are stuck in the same rut — obsessed with sales, not storytelling.

Their marketing playbook hasn’t changed in decades:
• Get featured in Architectural Digest or Hospitality Design Magazine (if you’re lucky).
• Exhibit at BDNY, HD Expo, or Lightfair.
• Send out a few postcards, maybe a brochure.

• Have sales reps drop by a design firm with cupcakes and freebies

Repeat.


And here’s the issue — those legacy media outlets cover less than 1% of the total market. The tradeshows? They’re great for handshakes and cocktails, but every booth looks and behaves the same.

Lighting brands are competing for attention in spaces where no one’s truly listening.


Where’s the Storytelling?

That’s the missing piece.

The lighting industry doesn’t have a media problem. It has a storytelling problem.

And that’s where Customer-Centric Marketing changes the game.

Instead of begging the traditional press to tell your story, why not become the press yourself?

CMO ARMCHAIR EXPERT - If I Were the CMO of a Lighting Company…

If I were to step back into the lighting world as a Chief Marketing Officer, here’s exactly what I’d do.

1. Launch an In-House Digital Magazine - I’d build a user-generated content magazine dedicated to the lighting and design industry — not a glorified catalog, but a storytelling hub.

This platform would feature:
• Designers, specifiers, and architects telling their stories.
• Behind-the-scenes looks at iconic installations.
• Spotlights on collaboration between artisans, vendors, and brands.

And here’s the kicker — it wouldn’t just promote our company. It would promote the entire community.

Our sales team could use featured articles as touchpoints:
“Hey, we featured your firm last month — here’s the link.”

“We’d love to spotlight your next project.”

“Here’s a digital feature we did on one of your peers — we’d love to do something similar.”


That’s not sales. That’s relationship building.

And I’d offset the cost by offering sponsored content and ad placements for related vendors — flooring, hardware, design firms, and more.

In short: we’d build a media property that pays for itself, while turning our customers into our marketers.

2. Launch an Industry Podcast — But Flip the Format - Forget the typical corporate podcast that’s just executives talking about their own brand. No one wants to hear that.

Instead, I’d host an industry spotlight podcast — where we interview interior designers, architects, contractors, and lighting designers about their work, their projects, their creative process*.

Not only does that make for far more engaging content, it positions our brand as the connector at the center of the industry.

Every time we feature a guest, they’ll share their episode with their audience — multiplying our reach organically.

Now imagine doing that live at tradeshows like HD Expo or BDNY — turning our booth into a live podcast studio.

While everyone else is handing out brochures, we’re recording interviews, telling stories, and attracting crowds.

When attendees leave the show, guess whose booth they’ll remember?

Ours.

3. Create Evergreen Content that Keeps Us Top-of-Mind - The beauty of this approach is that it creates evergreen visibility.

Every interview, every feature, every story becomes timeless digital content — searchable, shareable, and constantly rediscovered.

The content lives long after the tradeshow is over, giving us visibility for months or even years.

That’s how you stay top-of-mind — by building an ecosystem, not a campaign.


The Fatal Flaw in Lighting Marketing

Here’s the mistake lighting companies make again and again:
• They chase media coverage instead of becoming the media.

• They’re waiting for someone else to validate their work, when they could easily build the platform that shapes the narrative.

That’s the power of Customer-Centric Marketing.

It’s not about showing off your fixtures. It’s about illuminating your customers.


If I Were Back in Lighting…

If I ever returned to the lighting industry, I wouldn’t go back as a designer. I’d go back as a CMO with a media mindset.

I’d build an in-house content division — one that produces stories, not ads. One that gives the designers, fabricators, and clients a voice. One that shifts the conversation from what we sell to why we matter.

Because at the end of the day, lighting is one aspect of the larger story. And I'm order to be the focal point, it would behoove a brand to create the stage in which to share the endless stories of projects globally.

And the best brands — in lighting or otherwise — don’t just sell a product.
They sell an emotion, a story, a connection.

That’s Customer-Centric Marketing. That’s what turns a lighting company into a movement.


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If you own a lighting, furniture, appliance, or building materials brand and you’re ready to stop waiting for the press to notice you — let’s talk.

We can turn your brand into the focal point of the industry.

📩 Visit my Open To Work profile and set up a call.

Let’s light up your marketing strategy — literally.