The Role of Storytelling in Brand Building With Taylor Morrison CMO Stephanie McCarty

Key takeaways:

07:27 Using Storytelling to Build a Cohesive Brand Strategy — McCarty is Taylor Morrison’s first-ever CMO, and early on, she saw value in bringing brand management in-house. With only three corporate marketing staff, the company had been outsourcing most of its branding, diluting control over its identity. Stephanie leveraged her expertise to build a creative studio, hire key roles like graphic designers and copywriters, and centralize media spend. This shift enabled a unified brand voice and stronger, more effective marketing campaigns, empowering the organization to control its brand destiny.

12:25 Transforming the CMO Role and Consumer Experience — McCarty shared her initial challenges with agency partnerships, expressing frustration with costly, ineffective processes. After speaking out on LinkedIn, she sparked a viral conversation with CMOs and creatives, who agreed on the broken system. Embracing her role’s influence, she led Taylor Morrison in reshaping consumer experiences by launching digital tools to simplify home customization, resulting in 60% conversion rates. This innovative approach, paired with a customer-centric mindset, has positioned Taylor Morrison as America’s most trusted home builder for nine consecutive years, according to Lifestory Research.