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- Your marketing data is lying to you | The ClickZ Digest
Your marketing data is lying to you | The ClickZ Digest
Structured data boosts content ROI by 20%
Zihan Lyu
March 15, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
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Hi there!
Highlights from today's newsletter:
🚀 How to inflation-proof your marketing in 2025
💄 Rare Beauty’s Chief Marketer on winning Gen Z
📱 The smartest SMS marketing strategies for Shopify brands
🤖 The AI marketing revolution—major brands going all-in
EDITOR’S PICK
#MARKETING ANALYTICS
Marketers are drowning in data, yet starving for insights.
Despite record investments in data-driven tools, campaigns fail when insights remain fragmented. Poor data quality costs companies $12.9 million annually, distorting performance metrics and leading to wasted budgets.
Structured data fixes this. Brands using it for campaign tracking see a 20% boost in content ROI, while AI-driven marketing thrives only when data is properly structured. Retailers leveraging structured metadata for ads are already seeing higher conversions.
The key to marketing intelligence is making every data point work together.
#EVENT INSIGHTS
Live From SXSW—What Every eCommerce Marketer Was Talking About at SXSW
Our team has been on the ground at SXSW, reporting from exclusive interviews, panels, and sessions. Here are some standout takeaways for eCommerce marketers — and how to turn them into actionable growth opportunities:
✅ Audio Meets Video: Over 270M people now watch video podcasts on Spotify — but ad spend hasn’t caught up yet. The rise of multi-format content presents a major opportunity for brand engagement. Understanding cross-platform performance will be key to capitalizing on this shift.
✅ AI-Driven Personalization: AI is driving consumer expectations — with users engaging across 13+ platforms daily, they now expect hyper-personalized, native ad experiences. Real-time insights into which platforms are driving true impact will allow you to fine-tune your strategy.
✅ Authenticity Is Driving Performance: Authenticity and storytelling took center stage at SXSW, with brands and creators emphasizing genuine connections over technological spectacle. Marketing experts noted a shift away from "purpose fatigue," highlighting the importance of meaningful engagements that feel real.
📊 Understanding these shifts requires smarter measurement. That’s why leading brands are turning to Fospha to track cross-platform performance and uncover the true impact of brand engagement across channels.
LEADERSHIP LENS
As 2025 approaches, CMOs and marketing executives are navigating a complex environment that demands both strategic flexibility and operational excellence. The most effective CMOs will successfully connect strategic planning with execution. Gartner’s recent research outlines the three critical focus areas that marketing executives should emphasize in 2025 to achieve enterprise growth.
In the face of ongoing disruption and transformation pressures, CMOs must prioritize the execution of their strategic initiatives. Many, however, find it challenging to prove their value to CEOs and CFOs, who may not perceive marketing as a key growth driver. To address this, CMOs should leverage marketing's capabilities, evolving it into a proactive customer insights engine that informs enterprise strategy and commercialization efforts.
In an inflationary market, precise marketing strategies using data analytics and automation are crucial. Emphasize cost-efficient avenues like content marketing and form strategic alliances. Technological advancement is vital for enhancing ROI.
Make shrewd, growth-oriented decisions to ensure your marketing strategy remains resilient, embracing innovation as an asset during economic challenges.
CMO tenure in Fortune 500 companies rose to 4.3 years in 2024, with many promoted to higher roles. Female representation in CMO positions increased to 53%, despite diversity stagnating.
Spencer Stuart highlights shifting marketing roles focused on broader expertise and revenue generation as organizations face political pressures and structural changes.
WHAT WE ARE READING
 | Rare Beauty capitalizes on Gen Z's preferences by focusing on community-driven strategies over traditional advertising. CEO Katie Welch likens marketing to cultivating genuine relationships, prioritizing mental health and inclusivity. This authentic, purpose-driven approach enhances brand loyalty. |
 | Harnessing unique and unconventional data sources is crucial for understanding consumer behavior in digital marketing. By integrating diverse insights, like social and entertainment preferences, brands can create more dynamic, personalized strategies. Leveraging AI-driven analytics offers enhanced engagement and predictive capabilities, addressing gaps often overlooked by conventional data approaches in advertising strategies. |
 | Generative AI in growth marketing offers transformations through AI-powered creative optimization. By crafting personalized visuals and dynamic content, it enhances engagement and conversion rates. AI integration achieves swift content creation, channel consistency, and real-time optimization, marking a pivotal shift in marketing strategies for enhanced ROI and future-ready campaigns. |
🎯 Exclusive: Get 10% Off Shoptalk Registration
ClickZ is thrilled to offer our readers an exclusive 10% discount on Shoptalk—where the future of retail takes shape.
Shoptalk brings together the biggest names in eCommerce and retail to explore the latest trends and challenges—from AI-driven personalization to shifting consumer behavior.
🔥 Shoptalk 2025: What’s Coming
Last year, AI, retail media networks, and omnichannel innovation took center stage—this year promises even bigger insights. Expect exclusive talks from top retail leaders and deep dives into cutting-edge strategies.
ClickZ will be on the ground at Shoptalk, sharing exclusive insights with our readers. Fospha will be attending too—book a meeting to discover how performance-driven measurement can transform your strategy.
👉 Register now using the code RBCLICK269.
👉 Book a Meeting with Fospha
📩 Sign up for Unofficially Shoptalk to receive our exclusive event coverage straight to your inbox.
TOP VOICE
💭INSIGHTS FROM NAOMI OMAMULI EMIKO
💭INSIGHTS FROM THE BUSINESS OF FASHION
💭INSIGHTS FROM SAM CARTER
WHAT WE ARE LISTENING TO
🎙 DTC PODCAST
SMS marketing holds immense potential for Shopify brands but remains underexploited due to diffuse strategies. Precision through AI and segmentation, alongside real-time optimization, can increase profitability by 20%.
Employing strategic brand personalization and smart segmentation enhances retention and conversion rates, highlighting SMS's growing dominance over email during critical sales periods.
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