Data Unlocked

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Lockie Andrews, the founder and CEO of Catalyst Consulting and CEO of RICH Hair Care US.
With years of experience in building brands, Lockie is an innovator who focuses on leveraging digital technology to transform go-to-market operations and strategies and employing diversity to seek differentiation.
For the past 17 years, Lockie has been leading the charge at Catalyst Consulting, a boutique advisory firm specializing in innovation, analytics and leveraging digital technologies to increase revenue, improve marketing and sales, and enhance operational efficiency.
Their work focuses specifically on digital marketing, performance marketing, and performance branding.
In this episode, Lockie and Jason discuss the intersection of creativity, technology, and business strategy in the field of digital marketing and branding. They particularly focus on personalizing customer experiences and leveraging generative AI for effective marketing and operational efficiencies.
They also dive deep into Lockie’s experience building brands, specifically the small EU-based hair care brand RICH Hair Care as well as exploring a number of other topics across data, gen AI, and CDPs.
Want to learn more?
Then tune in now!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)
Meet Lockie (00:59)
RICH Hair Care (06:03)
The benefits of gen AI (09:28)
Leveraging AI for marketing (13:34)
The intersection of first-party data and AI (21:44)
Who would you have this conversation with again? (23:34)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Lockie here.
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In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Nick Schrock, the founder and CTO of Dagster Labs.
With years of experience in the engineering space, Nick has worked for some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Microsoft, Facebook, and Care Evolution.
In 2018, Nick left all of that behind to found his own company, Dagster Labs, where he is also CTO.
Dagster Labs is a data orchestration platform built for productivity. Dagster, their open-source product, is primarily used by data engineering teams to make sure from a marketing and business stakeholder context that data is properly transformed.
On Data Unlocked, we've brought in a lot of marketers to talk about their relationship with data teams and how they drive that relationship. But in this episode, Nick and Jason will be discussing that relationship from the other side of the house to answer three main questions:

1. Are you working effectively with your data teams?
2. What does great collaboration look like?
3. And what steps do you need to take to make cross-functional collaboration as effective as possible?

Are you ready?
Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Nick (00:44)

Let’s go back in history (02:37)

How to have better continuity and data access (11:00)

Is your data good enough? (14:35)

The data quality problem (22:05)

Who would you have this conversation with again? (23:07)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Nick here.

Learn more about Dagster Labs here.

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Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Soumyadeb Mitra, the founder and CEO of RudderStack.

Passionate about finding engineering solutions to real world problems, Soumyadeb specializes in large scale distributed systems, machine learning, and deep learning.

In 2019, he decided to use his expertise to build RudderStack.

RudderStack is a warehouse customer data platform that’s purpose-built for data teams. Like Simon Data, RudderStack is a CDP, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. While we focus on the application side of things, RudderStack focuses on infrastructure and data collection.

RudderStack is used by some of the biggest brands on the market, such as Hinge, HP, Stripe, Glassdoor, and more.

In this episode, Soumyadeb and Jason discuss the future of data, data infrastructure and AI, CDP best practices, what CDPs will look like in 2025, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Soumyadeb (00:38)

The future of CDPs (03:39)

CDP best practices (08:35)

Technology limitations two years from now (10:56)

Identity trends in 2025 (18:34)

CDPs and AI (24:09)

Who would you have this conversation with again? (32:01)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Soumyadeb here.

Learn more about RudderStack here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Alex Levin, the CEO and co-founder of Regal.io.

Alex has over a decade of experience in the marketing and product management world. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Thomson Reuters, Personal, Inc., and Titan Steel Corporation.

However, in 2020, he left all of that behind to found his own company, Regal.io.

Regal.io is an AI-enabled outbound conversation platform. The company’s work is all about helping their clients build the highest-answering, best-converting outbound funnel in order to hit their growth goals.

They have worked with some of the biggest names on the market, such as Supergroup, HomeAdvisor, HelloTech, Assure Health, and more.

In this episode, Alex and Jason discuss how to deal and engage with bad customers, the evolution of customer support, Alex’s favorite acquisition strategies, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Alex (00:36)

The evolution of customer support (03:08)

Let’s talk about bad customers! (05:42)

The best acquisition strategy (10:14)

Regal.io’s approach to bad customers (13:51)

Advice from Alex (17:27)

Who would you have this conversation again with? (21:26)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Alex here.

Learn more about Regal.io here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week's episode of Data Unlocked, Jason talks with the Co-Founder of ON_Discourse, Toby Daniels, to discuss the future of SEO and how generative AI is changing everything.

Nearly two decades ago, Google emerged as a quirky yet efficient alternative to the complex cataloging efforts of Yahoo.

With its simple search box, Google simplified the process of finding information on the internet.

Fast forward to today, and platforms like ChatGPT have similarly introduced expanded text boxes that showcase the evolution of AI-driven search experiences.

The major question is whether AI will serve as an enhancement or a detriment to media and its models.

The narrative around SEO's future becomes pertinent as ChatGPT and comparable technologies challenge Google's traditional search methods. Generative AI is making the flaws of the Google search engine experience more apparent by providing alternatives that offer cleaner and more effective solutions.

The beauty of SEO lies in the ability to identify consumer demands and gaps in the market, allowing brands to respond with relevant content or products.

With generative AI training done on the same dataset as Google, a new approach to content generation and search experiences is imminent and promises huge disruption.

However, this leads to disintermediation in the distribution channel known as SEO. Brands might lose their visibility as AI answers lack the identity that Google's ecosystem provides.

What does all this mean for SEO, marketing, and Google?

Tune in to this insightful conversation to learn more!

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

The future of SEO with generative AI (02:55)

How SEO evolved over the years (07:07)

Will Google survive the AI onslaught (10:40)

How long it will it take to disrupt Google (14:48)

The anatomy of Google and what makes them different (20:59)

Additional Resources:

Toby Daniels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobydaniels/

On_Discourse:https://www.linkedin.com/company/ondiscourse/

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If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Chris Marriott, the president and founder of Email Connect.

Chris has decades of experience in digital marketing and vendor selection. He has previously served as a tenured executive at Acxiom, where he managed and expanded the global digital and email services division. 

More recently, he was VP of Consulting for The Relevancy Group.

Today, he is at the head of Email Connect, which he founded back in 2012.

Email Connect is a company that provides consulting support for marketers who want to change their current ESP and/or CDP. Their work is all about helping their clients connect with the right marketing technology solutions for email and multichannel marketing. 

They have worked with some of the biggest names on the market, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, American Airlines, Sephora, and many more.

In this episode, Chris and Jason discuss how data can make or break your email campaigns, the importance of gathering the right data for an efficient email strategy, the evolution of email and email platforms, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

The evolution of email (02:54)

The core problems of email (09:35)

The current technology and category trends (16:17)

Who would you have this conversation with again? (25:11)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Chris here.

Learn more about Email Connect here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Christian Kleinerman, SVP of Product at Snowflake.

Christian started his career over a decade ago with one of the biggest names in the market, Microsoft.

From there, he moved on to work at Google as their senior director product manager. Today, he is lending his expertise to Snowflake, one of our biggest partners here at Simon Data. 

Their work is all about the Data Cloud, a global network where organizations mobilize data with near-unlimited scale, concurrency, and performance.

In this episode, Christian and Jason discuss how hard it is to manage your data when it lives in silos, the importance of data security and governance, how centralizing your data can help you personalize and customize your touch points with customers, and more. 

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Christian (00:29)

Snowflake’s data platform (02:29)

Let’s talk about data governance (04:32)

Driving business results with centralized data (11:00)

Who would you have this conversation with again? (22:21)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Christian here.

Learn more about Snowflake here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Mike Mothner, the founder and CEO of Wpromote.

Mike started his career back in 2001, when digital marketing was still in its infancy. Even when advertisers were skeptical of this new industry, Mike followed his vision and founded his own company, Wpromote.

Since then, he has been at the head of Wpromote, a performance marketing agency focused on leveraging the powerful combination of best-in-class marketing experts with proprietary technology to drive transformative growth for their clients. 

They have worked with some of the biggest brand names in the world, including Whirlpool, TransUnion, Frontier Airlines, and Jack Black Skincare.

In this episode, Mike and Jason discuss Wpromote’s work, what a winning digital marketing strategy needs, why brick and mortar brands should go digital, how the COVID-19 pandemic affected brick and mortar brands all around the world, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Mike (00:48)

The effects of COVID on organizations (01:51)

How your data strategy can fit into a B2C strategy (13:04)

Did brands going B2C during COVID get it right? (20:10)

Let’s talk about the real winners (22:56)

If you were to have this conversation with anyone else, who would it be? (29:57)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Mike here.

Learn more about Wpromote here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Aric Zion, CEO of Zion & Zion.

Aric is an entrepreneur with decades of experience in marketing. He has several international experiences, including positions with Intergraph, where he was based in The Netherlands, and additional assignments with Nortel Networks where he was based in Tokyo, then London.

Today, he is at the head of Zion & Zion, a full-service agency with a fully-staffed CDP practice. They pride themselves on meeting their clients at what they refer to as “the intersection of strategy and creativity.” Some of their biggest clients include Sun Health, Goodwill Industries, and Walmart.

In this episode, Aric and Jason discuss Zion & Zion’s work, how CDPs can transform businesses, how to build an effective CDP strategy, what an efficient CDP deployment looks like, the importance of using the right key dimensions to build your CDP strategy, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Aric (00:44)

What are the key dimensions required to build an effective CDP strategy? (01:50)

What an effective CDP deployment looks like (08:06)

The questions to ask around support for data before working on your CDP strategy (14:50)

If you had to have this conversation with anyone else, who would it be? (21:33)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Aric here.

Learn more about Zion & Zion here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!

In this week’s episode of Data Unlocked, Jason sits down with Gareth Davies, the SVP of product at TransUnion.

Gareth is an entrepreneur, GM, and product leader who focuses on solving meaningful problems with data. 

With over fifteen years of experience in the marketing industry, Gareth has worked with big names, such as Google, Crisp, and LiveRamp.

Today, he is SVP of Product at TransUnion.

TransUnion is one of the biggest consumer credit reporting agencies in the US. Their work aims to ensure that individuals are reliably represented in global commerce so consumers and organizations can transact with confidence and achieve great things. 

In this episode, Gareth and Jason discuss TransUnion’s work, three things marketers need to know about identity, how using identity can help you create a better marketing strategy, and more.

Are you ready?

Let’s dive in.

Key Takeaways:

Intro (00:00)

Meet Gareth (00:37)

Let’s talk about identity (02:52)

The importance of customer insights (09:01)

The key concepts you need to know (15:57)

How to increase the reach of your ad strategy (21:40)

One final question (28:01)

Additional Resources:

Get in contact with Gareth here.

Learn more about TransUnion here.

>>

Learn more about us here.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!