In this episode of Hello $Firstname, I’m joined by Nikolaj Skarbye from Scratcher.io for a deep dive into what might be the most overlooked shortcut to personalization: asking people directly - while making it fun.

At the heart of our conversation is zero-party data: the kind of willingly shared data that can include preferences, intentions, interests - even motivations. And instead of waiting for transactional behaviour to build up, gamification offers a way to collect this data early in the journey, at scale, and in ways that engage rather than interrupt.

The twist?

📺 Watch the full video

This episode is part of Season 2 of Hello $Firstname, based on the book Hello $Firstname – Profiting from Personalization and the Content Crisis Manifesto.

📘 Buy the book

What happens when the Content Crisis meets AI creativity?

In this episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I sat down with Villads Leth, CEO and Founder at Alvas.ai, to explore what fully individualised, AI-written email content looks like in practice. And why it’s forcing marketers to rethink what content is, how it’s created, and what it means to personalise at scale.

🎯 Here’s what makes this conversation so relevant:

Villads and his team are enabling brands to go far beyond segmentation. They’re generating email content that’s 100% unique—based not just on the products in a customer’s basket, but also their behavioural history, preferences, and context. It’s 1:1 communication, built in real time by AI.

But this isn’t just a story about scale.

It’s a story about what happens when content creation becomes decisioning—and when marketing teams have to shift from writing to prompting, from planning to QA.

Villads also reflects on how fast things are moving:

📺 Watch the full video here

📘 Buy the book

In the latest episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I had the pleasure of talking with Chris Kjær Sørensen, CTO and co-founder of Landfolk — the curated holiday rental platform that’s redefining what it means to rent a holiday home with character.

What struck me most in this conversation is just how naturally Landfolk operates in alignment with the Content Layer of the CX Layers framework. Not because they set out to do so—but because their approach to content is rooted in human stories, structure, and AI-powered scalability.

📥 Collection, but with heart Landfolk doesn’t ask hosts to write their own listings. Instead, they encourage them to tell the story of their holiday home—the memories, the rituals, the morning light. This host-generated content is rich and emotional, and it becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

🔧 Enrichment and modeling into Master Content Those heartfelt descriptions are then cleaned, structured, and standardized using Generative AI—forming what we in the CX Layers would call Master Content. The result is brand-consistent, emotionally rich, and structurally sound content that’s ready to go.

🌍 Localization and platform adaptation From there, the Master Content is localized into multiple languages and adapted for use across web and mobile experiences—ensuring every guest, regardless of language or device, gets a coherent and delightful experience.

📬 Outbound activation—and what's next Landfolk is also reusing this enriched content in email newsletters and recommendation flows, with push notifications likely next on the roadmap. It's a brilliant example of how content can scale across both inbound and outbound channels without sacrificing soul or story.

🤖 Generative AI as a quiet powerhouse AI doesn’t replace the human voice at Landfolk—it supports it. From narrative cleanup to localization and platform-specific adaptation, AI enables a small team to operate with large-scale ambition.

It’s the Content Layer with a Scandinavian accent—and a really good camera lens.

🎧 In the episode, Chris and I talk about:

The power of host storytelling in a data-driven business

Why content isn't just a product description—it’s the product

How AI plays a supportive, not dominant, role in personalization

And what personalization means when your content already feels personal

📝 Disclaimer: Yes, Landfolk is an Agillic client (🙋‍♂️), having moved from a simpler setup to one that could support both a flexible content and data model. But we promise—we only mention it once.

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

In the latest episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I’m joined (Again! Congrats on being the first 2nd-time guest, David) by David Mannheim — author of The Person in Personalisation, founder of MadeWithIntent.ai, avid Disney fan and all-around provocateur of personalization norms.

David and I go way back — he even wrote the foreword for Hello $Firstname — but this episode isn’t just a nostalgic reunion. It’s a bold look at how website personalization has lagged behind other parts of the customer experience, and how understanding customer intent is the key to finally catching up.

📊 What’s the Intent Gap?

💥 The Big Idea:

🔁 Context Is King

And this connects beautifully to the CX Layers framework. MadeWithIntent enriches the Data Layer with real-time context, enabling the Personalization Layer to act meaningfully — not just generically.

🧠 We also dive into:

🎧 This one’s packed with sharp insights, useful provocations, and some delightfully David-style perspectives on what real personalization should look like in 2025 and beyond.

Check out 'The Intent Gap Report' here or

'Made with Intent' here or

Connect with David here

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

Not Enough Traffic for A/B Testing?

Here’s How VodafoneZiggo Scales Personalization Anyway

📉 In B2B marketing, low traffic volume is often a CRO killer. But that hasn’t stopped VodafoneZiggo from building a smart, insight-driven personalization engine anyway.

In the latest episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Daniel Granja Baltazar, CRO Specialist at VodafoneZiggo, about how his team is rethinking Conversion Rate Optimization and Personalization in a B2B context—where statistical significance isn’t always an option, and complexity is the norm.

Daniel shared how qualitative research, from customer interviews to service center conversations, plays a central role in shaping the personalized customer experience. The transcripts and insights collected feed directly into the Personalization Layer—alongside behavioral data—and are then activated across web and email touchpoints.

🔍 Key Insights from the Episode

🎯 Why qualitative research is the backbone of B2B CRO With limited traffic and massive variation in the SME segment, Daniel's team relies heavily on qualitative methods—interviews, feedback loops, and even in-person time at customer service—to shape hypotheses and content strategies.

🧠 From assumptions to insights: how interviews feed content strategy By analyzing common misunderstandings and recurring questions, the team uncovers "invisible friction" in the journey—then translates that into smarter, simpler content that helps guide customers toward the right solution.

📬 Lifecycle content that prevents service calls Many of the best content ideas come directly from the call center. Proactive outbound emails that answer questions before they’re asked can save thousands of service hours—and create a better experience in the process.

🌐 Personalization in B2B is about people, not just companies At VodafoneZiggo, they’re working toward tailoring content not just by segment or industry, but by the individual’s role, preferences, and behavior—whether that’s a founder, an IT manager, or someone else entirely.

🤖 Generative AI as a CRO co-pilot Daniel also shares how their internal GPT instance helps summarize interviews, categorize feedback, and analyze large sets of qualitative data—saving time and enabling faster learning.

🔗 How It All Connects to the CX Layers

Daniel’s approach aligns beautifully with the CX Layers framework—with qualitative insights feeding the Content Layer, behavioral signals informing the Data Layer, and personalization being orchestrated across inbound and outbound channels.

It’s a great example of how Experience Optimization in B2B isn’t about volume—it’s about relevance. And sometimes, it starts by just sitting down and listening to your customers.

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

🐟🍦 If we just increase the number of shark attacks, we’ll sell more ice cream! Sounds ridiculous, right? Yet, many businesses unknowingly fall into similar data traps when working with predictive analytics. While the two graphs might correlate - one is not causing the other. Could the sun be at play as the common determining factor?

The shark anecdote is one many great anecdotes Ola Lindeberg shared in the latest episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast. Ola, an indeed very senior data scientist with experience from Telia Sweden, Ivbar, and Swedish Armed Forces, joined me to discuss the flawed assumptions businesses make when using predictive analytics—and why prescriptive analytics would often be better if you want to drive real behavioral change in personalization. (OMG also just remembered the anecdote with the genAI powered spoof caller trap!!! It’s towards the end of the episode!)

At the core of our conversation was the Data Layer in the CX Layers framework. While most personalization setups heavily rely on data-driven insights, many fall into the trap of using predictive analytics without considering how to act on those insights. In other words, they’re forecasting the weather instead of deciding what to do about it.

Ola’s perspective perfectly illustrates why the Data Layer isn’t just about insights—it’s about decisioning and action. And that’s where prescriptive analytics comes in: Instead of just predicting what a customer might do, it helps businesses determine what action should be taken to actually influence customer behavior.

📊 Predictive vs. Prescriptive Analytics: Why Knowing Isn’t Enough

🌦️ Why Wearing a Jacket Won’t Change the Weather (And Why Your Marketing Might Be Doing Just That)

⚡ The Booking.com Experiment: Why One Day in Paris Sells More Trips

🤖 The Role of Generative AI in Decisioning

🚀 Final Takeaway: Stop Predicting—Start Influencing

Follow Ola on LinkedIn here.

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

In this special episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ronald Griffin, CEO and co-founder of SEEN.io—a trailblazer in personalized video content for marketing.

I first met Ronald at Dialogkonferansen 2024 in Sweden, where his powerful presentation on Generative AI and video creation left a lasting impression. He introduced the now-famous phrase: “That’s cute, but so what?”—a challenge to all marketers using AI to move beyond creating visually impressive content and focus on making it meaningful.

In this episode, we dive deep into how personalized video fits within the Content Layer of the CX Layers framework. Ronald shares how SEEN is helping brands like Norsk Rikstoto, Nespresso, and Carrefour deliver videos that not only grab attention but also drive real business outcomes like customer engagement and retention.

🎯 The Content Layer’s Power in Personalization

📊 Personalized Video That Delivers Results

🤖 Generative AI: Streamlining Video Creation

🚧 The Challenges of Personalized Video at Scale

🚀 What’s Next for Personalized Video?

Marketers have long focused on data for personalization—but the power of personalized video is often overlooked. As Ronald points out, video uniquely captures attention and emotion in a way static content simply can’t.

With Generative AI making personalized video more scalable and cost-effective, this content format is poised to become a game-changer for brands looking to stand out and foster deeper customer connections.

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

In this special episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, we’re doing things a little differently than normal. Having covered several episodes of season 2 and having discussed and presented the concept of the CX Layers that show how Personalization feeds from both the Data Layer AND the Content Layer, I thought it was time for a midway stop and introduce an update on the framework. This episode represents a key milestone, offering an in-depth look at how Content and Data work together to drive Personalization at scale.

NB: Since I'm sharing a graphical overview of the CX layers in this episode, it may well be worth watching on YouTube 🎥 

The CX Layers framework was born out of a growing need to understand how content and data intersect in a world of personalized marketing. The initial spark for this idea came from the work of Scott Brinker and my co-author Frans Riemersma and the growing understanding of how not only a Data Layer was needed in a MarTech stack, but evenly so a separate Content Layer should exist.

From the initial work on the Content Crisis Manifesto, I realized that of course this had a major impact on how marketers should think, build and ultimately scale Personalized customer experiences. Because once data was under control, marketers faced another challenge: namely content.

So, Frans Riemersma and I started investigating and discussing the Content Layer in greater detail. We realized how much sense it made to separate the Content from the Data Layer and envisioned an almost parallel process for getting content ready for activation and ultimately personalization. Ultimately our first draft made it into the Martech 2025 trend report that Scott and Frans presented to the world in December 2024.

Our perception is that for many marketers, this new way of thinking about content is a game-changer. Historically, marketers have struggled with how to apply data principles and data processes—such as data modeling, data activation, and data insights—to content. By separating the Content Layer from the data processes, it has allowed marketers to manage content in a more structured and scalable way, with the same rigor they apply to data. This alignment of content and data – along with the use of generative AI - will enable marketers to finally create the personalized experiences at scale that they’ve always been dreaming of.

The CX Layers model breaks down the process from content and data collection to personalization and consists of three key layers:

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

In this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Zsuzsa Kecsmar, Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Antavo, one of the most powerful loyalty management platforms. Together, we unpacked how loyalty programs can act as the glue between content, data and personalization, and how they’re helping brands build emotional connections with their customers.

Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:

1️⃣ The Role of Loyalty Programs in the Content Layer:

2️⃣ Personalized Rewards = More Loyalty:

3️⃣ Gamification as a Data Goldmine:

4️⃣ Transactional vs. Emotional Loyalty:

💡 The Generative AI Connection:

🎧 Don’t miss this insightful episode where loyalty meets personalization!

📥 Bonus: Download the just-released 2025 Antavo Global Loyalty Report for the latest loyalty trends and strategies.

As always the episode is based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!

In this episode of The Hello $Firstname Personalization Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Rasmus Schlosser, AI Manager at Flying Tiger Copenhagen. What really stood out was how Generative AI is solving a massive challenge they face. ✨

This episode is a little different – it doesn’t dwell much on personalization but instead explores the upstream phase of the Content Layer, where Master Content is gathered, created, and cleansed.

Flying Tiger Copenhagen handles thousands of SKUs, many with limited descriptions from suppliers. 🏷️ Crafting meaningful, localized product descriptions at scale is no small task. You need it not only for your customers but also for SEO purposes! That’s where Generative AI steps in, producing core content assets quickly, consistently, and with the right tone for each market. 🌍

💡 As Rasmus Schlosser puts it:

This is a big leap forward in tackling the Content Crisis – the gap between having data and insights ready for personalization and actually creating the content to make it work at scale. 🤯

🎯 Tune in to learn:

Based on Rasmus Houlind's book ’Hello $FirstName - Profiting from Personalization’ and in turn the Content Crisis Manifesto.

The Content Crisis Manifesto can be downloaded here.

The full book is available in print and kindle and can be bought here (or your local amazon in case it doesn't work...)

An written abstract of the book can be downloaded here.

The full audiobook can be downloaded here (courtesy of Agillic).

All models and illustrations from the book can be downloaded here.

Book me for a presentation, meeting or talk here!