Why the marketing data ecosystem needs to up its game on certification and transparency

Most industries have voluntary certifying bodies that attest to the quality of their members.

For example, in the investing world, a chartered financial analyst (CFA) is someone who has been certified by the CFA Institute after having completed three rigorous examinations testing their investing and financial acumen.

Though taking the CFA Exam is voluntary, it has become the benchmark against which most investment professionals are measured, and its selectivity — fewer...

1 April 2021 | Best Practice

The most important elements of customer segmentation in 2021

For some people, flexibility comes naturally. For others, it requires hours of stretching just to touch their toes. When it comes to customer segmentation in our new normal, marketers have some serious training to do.

Segmentations are massive undertakings that lost a lot of lustre during the pandemic. Even before COVID-19, they took months to complete and analyse, could cost into the six figures to conduct, and depreciated rapidly. They represent a sliver in time, and as soon as...

8 February 2021 | Customer Experience

Travis Scott, J Balvin, and McDonald’s: Why some social partnerships work and others are destined to fail

If you went to McDonald’s in September, chances are you encountered Travis Scott. The prolific rapper had the first celebrity meal partnership to be featured on the McDonald’s menu since Michael Jordan’s in 1992. The Cactus Jack meal, named after Scott’s record label, replicated his favorite childhood special-order. The partnership was wildly successful. In its first few weeks, McDonald’s saw many franchises completely run out of ingredients for the meal, forcing a logistical...

12 November 2020 | Influencer Marketing