Thinking Caps

We are taking our show LIVE with a special webinar in support of the new AdAge white paper "Zero-Party data: An Optimal Path to Personalization". Join us, as well as Salling Group, a $13B retailer, Pure Archery Group, a global sporting good company and guest speaker Scott Cunningham who is privacy and brand safety expert as well as the founder of the IAB Tech Lab and driving force behind the creation of USAToday.com.

We will tackle the current hurdles marketers face with privacy, adtech disruption and cookies as well as define zero-party data and show how, why and where to use it in your personalization efforts with consumers. Here's a taste of what's to come.

Starting in September, Apple's "Mail Privacy Protection" will allow Mail app users hide IP addresses for ESPs and the brands sending emails to Apple device users. This has monumental repercussions on the ability to track, segment and report on email open rates and could essentially kill most marketers' email strategy and the ability to report. BUT, savvy marketers who have adopted a one-to-one personalization strategy will rise above their competitors not ready for this disruption. We'll explain how they'll do it.

From Aeropostale to Shimano, retail brands are finding new and innovative ways to build relationships with their customers. These brands are drawing in consumers with interactive Experiences ranging from scratch n’ wins to quizzes that reveal insightful preferences. Each of these Experiences helps the brand to build a better database that will later let them target their customer with personalized content that appeals solely to the customer. And, after the IAB said that brands should seek to build relationships instead of “pay” for them, it’s great to see these brands moving to engage with their customers in a more authentic, one-to-one way. 

The amount of media coverage on new 'cookie-less solutions' is exploding. New 'middlemen' solutions are popping up weekly, but are they helping or hurting the cause? We translate 3 key articles in AdAge published within days of each other that highlight the race to collect consumer data and we agree with Mondeléz that brands need to connect direct with consumers nd leave the 'middlemen' on the sidelines.

Apple doubles down, again, on privacy by launching a brilliant TV spot aimed at consumers visualizing just how annoying 'creepy' third party tracking works. Bringing this topic into the living room is sure to have a massive ripple effect on brands still heavily reliant on third party data and other tracking tactics. We explain why it's never been more important to collect your own data, directly from consumers with consent to use it as you need.

AdAge’s homepage last week said ‘marketing may be better off without cookies’.  We agree and glad they are finally getting up to speed… we’ve been saying that for years.  Furthermore, we’ve partnered with AdAge to understand what marketers do and don’t believe about personalization now that adtech is crumbling.  This is a sneak peak into some of the incredible stats that will be released in early June via a whitepaper published by the AdAge custom content team.

Retailers got hit hard in 2020 but the pandemic wasn't the only disruption. We share 5 key consumer trends that can help you thrive as we move towards recovery. What are consumers expecting when it comes to your ad dollars, your privacy practices, where will they buy and how do you get a leg up over your competitors? Watch for those tips as well as access to the full Consumer Trends Index Report 2021.

It’s been a week since iOS users started receiving notifications that they could turn off cross-app tracking. What is clear is that ad execs will need to get creative to solve user consent challenges within the walls of the Apple App Store. Some reports show as many as 70% of users opting out. Let's dig in!

US regulators investigate the algorithms of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to understand if they amplify harmful content. We wrap our heads around the potential for this to have implications on advertising for brands and reinforce why a customer engagement strategy that fosters loyalty may be the safe bet for advertising brands.

It's raining analyst reports right now, but how do you make sense of them all? From Forrester to Gartner to Real Story Group and a dozen others, what you need to know before you read them and how to identify the right type of report for your unique needs. Rich and Tim both have 20+ years experience on two sides of the fence and help you navigate the sea of confusion when sorting through the data. Make sure you have context on the report and its author before you take it at face value.