While promotional marketing aimed at attracting new customers tends to draw a lot of marketing’s focus, the issue of data deprecation—largely driven by customer privacy concerns—presents a growing challenge.  Customer acquisition will always be important, but the changing nature of data availability underscores the importance of customer retention strategies that help marketers engage better with ...

When I was in my early 30’s, I had some injuries that ended my career as a professional dancer. It was a shattering experience, but I emerged with a strong desire to switch mediums and become a filmmaker. I was lucky enough to get into the prestigious MFA program in film production at USC, but ...

Privacy issues are driving historic changes in how consumer data is collected. In a recent survey, 86% of Americans said data privacy is a growing concern, and 40% said they don’t trust companies to ethically use their data.  In response, platforms like Google Chrome and Apple iOS are phasing out third-party cookies, which has turned ...

Marketing to low-income communities can be a highly successful strategy for your brand. Millions of Americans fall into this group, and engaging them with targeted campaigns can help you gain customers you might not otherwise acquire. It can also generate goodwill, which leads to greater brand awareness that can positively impact your entire business.  Rising ...

At the core of any good marketing strategy is your customers: who they are, what they want, and how to reach them. This leads us to a common question amongst marketers: should I be prioritizing customer acquisition or retention? The short answer is both. But when deciding how to allocate your marketing budget for customer ...

Headlines about the demise of third-party cookies and the detrimental impacts of data deprecation are everywhere these days. And it’s true that increasing concerns about data privacy are leading to new policies and features that are changing the way brands can collect and use customer data.  But there’s an opportunity waiting in this so-called cookieless ...

This article was originally published in 2017, but has been updated to reflect new research and consumer trends. A lot has changed since we first covered this topic, but the need to securely verify students has not!  Leading brands from Nike to YouTube to Peloton extend special discounts to college students for good reason: student ...

Between the demise of third-party cookies, the increase in privacy regulations, and rapidly changing consumer attitudes on data privacy, marketers today are facing less access to consumer data and thus more challenges with hitting their numbers. We’re experiencing a seismic shift in how brands can collect, use, and report on customer data. The impacts of ...

Marketers understand the importance of quality data—85% say they need it to create personalized experiences that effectively engage customers. But data deprecation is making quality data harder to come by, thanks to the phasing out of third-party cookies and increasingly strict data privacy laws. Marketers are concerned: virtually all (99%) say they are working to ...

If you’re like most marketers, you have a database filled with hundreds of thousands of customers–maybe even millions. But how well do you really know them? Sure, you know that Jenny from Grand Rapids, Michigan bought a medium-sized blouse nine months ago. But what does that tell you about Jenny herself? Not much.  Data is ...