1. How can brands foster more emotional bonds with customers, and why is it so important to do so?

Emotional bonds aren't just "important" for businesses anymore — they're make or break. I think as consumers ourselves, we all understand that pretty well. I mean, when I connect with a brand personally, I don't just shop there occasionally…I become their unofficial ambassador.

The challenge is that building a brand customers love has typically been limited to delivering great products and great customer service. Because, let's face it, it was always much harder to achieve that with truly great marketing. Highly personalized, contextual marketing has been too hard for brands to achieve with the tools and technologies they had available to them.

AI is shattering these limitations – not incrementally, but completely. We're witnessing a radical shift where every single customer touchpoint can be uniquely tailored to each customer’s needs and context. When we use AI to personalize at human scale – making every email, push notification, or interaction feel like it came from someone who deeply understands you – customers don't just feel satisfied, they feel a genuine emotional connection.

2. How does a shift from transactional incentives to emotional drivers in marketing influence brands’ approach to customer loyalty?

We all know that coupon shoppers aren't loyal shoppers. They may provide a quick hit to your quarterly KPI, but they won't help you build a lasting brand. True loyalty only emerges when your brand means something deeper than the price tag.

And you really can’t make your brand mean something to a customer if you don’t understand your customer. So at the heart of the shift from transactional incentives to emotional drivers is a deep, connected understanding of customer data. Not siloed data living in disconnected systems, but a unified view that reveals who customers truly are and what genuinely motivates them.

3. What role does post-purchase engagement play in converting customers into brand advocates?

The post-purchase experience is where advocacy either solidifies or dies, but it’s really common for marketing teams to underestimate its importance! We obsess over acquisition but then revert to generic communication after purchase.

Of course, there are a lot of customer service-related actions that play a role in driving post-purchase loyalty… easy returns, for example (in a similar vein, our loyalty report with EMARKETER found that services like available customer support and free delivery are key to customer retention).

But don’t overlook the impact that genuine emotional connections and deep personalization can have in post-purchase, too. Personalized recommendations and follow up communications, reminding customers when it might be time for a product refill… these post-purchase, personalized touches can play a huge role in helping brands strengthen their relationship with customers.

4. How can brands ensure consistency in emotional engagement across various customer touchpoints and channels?

The fragmented, channel-by-channel approach to emotional engagement isn't just ineffective—it's actively damaging the connections we're trying to build with customers. When Monday's email feels deeply personal but Tuesday's push notification screams "generic discount," we're not just missing an opportunity; we're eroding trust.

This is where AI really makes a difference, particularly now as agentic AI is making marketing more autonomous. Brands can leverage agents to create this kind of message consistency across every channel —  from email and SMS to social media and in-app notifications — and can do that at scale for every customer. It lessens the manual burden of trying to create this kind of experience, and unlocks a level of scale that really hasn’t been possible until now. With AI, you can ensure that every customer is receiving a personalized, consistent experience with your brand, attuned to the emotional drivers they actually care about.

5. How can organizations address potential trust issues that may arise from negative customer experiences or brand missteps?

Trust isn't built through perfect execution. It’s built through authentic human response when things inevitably go wrong. It's how you handle the stumbles that defines your brand's emotional connection with customers. When missteps happen (and they will), transparency isn't just the ethical choice; it's the only strategy that preserves the emotional bonds we work so hard to create.

Along with that transparency, there needs to be clear value creation. If customers don't believe that sharing their data results in genuinely better experiences that matter to them personally, you’ll never build a strong relationship. We need to fundamentally reimagine the value exchange between brands and customers — transforming data collection from a transaction into a partnership where both sides clearly benefit from deeper, more meaningful connections.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.

1. How does an organization's social media strategy align with the finding that consumers primarily follow brands to stay informed about products/product updates?

Consumers primarily follow brands on social media to stay informed about products, but their expectations go beyond just updates. They’re looking for education, inspiration, and proof of product quality. That’s why an effective social strategy must deliver consistent, value-driven content that speaks to each of these needs. At Emplifi, we empower brands to scale this approach; enabling teams to collaborate across markets and product lines, supported by AI for scale, to deliver timely, relevant content and measure its impact. The brands that succeed are those that use social not just to promote, but to educate, engage, and build lasting trust.

2. With Instagram Reels and TikToks accounting for brand posts, are content strategies adapting to prioritize short-form video content? 

With Instagram Reels and TikTok videos now representing a significant portion of branded content, brands must evolve their content strategies to prioritize short-form video as a high-impact tool for reach and engagement. Consumers increasingly crave authenticity and fast, value-driven interactions. In fact, short, unpolished content is one of the top ways to win attention, according to recent findings.

To meet this demand, brands should focus on producing concise, visually compelling videos that highlight product features, showcase customer stories, share practical tips, and deliver data-informed insights. (Or finding these online with the help of AI based technology that can identify user generated content for you.) These formats are uniquely positioned to capture attention within seconds and convey clear value, making them highly effective across both B2C and time-constrained B2B audiences. By optimizing content for platforms like Reels and TikTok, brands can meet consumers where they spend time while maintaining the relevance and credibility today's audiences expect.

3. What initiatives are being implemented to increase audience engagement?

To increase audience engagement, brands should focus on creating content that sparks interaction, feels personal, and offers immediate value. Insights from our report show that consumers today want authenticity, entertainment, and a real sense of connection - not just polished marketing messages. This means moving away from one-size-fits-all messaging and tailoring content to what your audience actually wants to see, whether that’s quick how-to videos, behind-the-scenes looks, user-generated content, or timely, relevant conversations.

Since short, unpolished content wins attention, formats like short-form video, polls, questions, and stories often drive stronger engagement than static posts. Additionally, encouraging and sharing user-generated content builds trust and deepens audience connection. A/B testing different approaches can help uncover what resonates most.

Ultimately, the goal is to create content that invites participation, not just passive consumption. The more your audience feels seen, heard, and inspired to respond, the more meaningful your engagement will be.

4. The report indicates that 70% of consumers will abandon a brand after just two negative experiences, what strategies can brands have in place to monitor and improve customer interactions on social media?

The report highlights that 70% of consumers will abandon a brand after just two negative experiences, making it critical for brands to proactively monitor and improve customer interactions on social media. To address this, brands should implement real-time social listening to ensure no customer question, concern, or mention goes unnoticed. Leveraging AI-powered sentiment analysis helps detect shifts in customer mood early, enabling brands to flag potential issues and quickly escalate them to the right teams, whether for product improvements or crisis management. With technology it is possible to leave no stone unturned.

Brands can also benefit from streamlining social customer care through automation. Tools that support pre-populated responses for frequently asked questions and automated case management enable teams to respond faster, possibly achieving the ever allusive “first contact resolution”, and more consistently.

For example, Emplifi’s solutions have helped clients reduce handling times by over 80% and increase resolved cases more than tenfold, demonstrating how these strategies can translate into real business results. Adopting such approaches not only improves customer experience but also builds long-term loyalty by preventing negative interactions from escalating.

5. How should organizations calculate and interpret social media engagement rates to inform strategic decisions?

Engagement rate is ultimately a summary metric that aggregates many different interactions: likes, comments, shares, clicks - and serves as one piece of a larger puzzle. While it provides a quick snapshot of how content is performing, it’s important for brands to view it alongside deeper analysis of conversations and sentiment on social media. Together, these insights can guide strategic decisions beyond content creation, such as identifying emerging customer needs, uncovering potential product issues early, and inspiring innovation.

By interpreting engagement rates in context, brands can make more informed choices about where to focus marketing efforts, how to refine messaging, and when to pivot their strategy in response to audience feedback. This holistic approach ensures social media data drives smarter decisions across marketing, customer experience, and product development, helping brands build stronger connections and stay ahead of evolving consumer expectations.

6. What plans are in place to innovate your social media strategy to stay ahead of emerging trends and consumer behaviors in 2025?

Looking ahead, AI will play a crucial role in shaping social media strategies. As we move into 2025, brands will increasingly rely on AI to analyze audience behavior, identify trending topics, and predict the types of content that will resonate with specific segments. This technology will empower marketers to deliver hyper-targeted content, optimize posting times for maximum engagement, and create dynamic, personalized creatives. AI will also enhance customer interactions; whether through smarter product recommendations in DMs or AI-generated replies that maintain brand authenticity. Ultimately, AI will enable brands to engage at scale to meet the increasing demand without adding staff while keeping interactions personal and meaningful, making it the cornerstone of social media success in 2025.

At Emplifi, we’re already leading the way in providing the technology that enables marketers to leverage AI-driven insights, optimize content creation, and elevate customer engagement. Moving forward, we will continue to enhance our solutions, helping brands stay ahead of emerging trends and evolving consumer behaviors, while delivering even more personalized and impactful experiences for their audiences.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts. 

How have you utilized your professional experience in operating major consumer brands to drive growth in rapidly changing industries?

To drive growth in rapidly changing industries, it is important to understand that marketing doesn’t exist in a silo. To be successful, you need to work closely with sales, product development, partner teams, etc. to ensure that your marketing messages are aligned and that you are working towards the same goals.

Additionally, when I enter a new role, I assess what has and hasn’t worked in the past. From there, we figure out what priorities are important for growth, and I share my experience of what has worked well in my previous roles. For example, one idea I have suggested is for my team to reach out to industry influencers and partners to participate in podcasts or webinars. This is an effort that can expand your reach and get your organization’s name out to a wider audience.

Lastly, it is important to encourage your team to experiment with new ideas and approaches that haven’t been tried before.  Don’t be afraid to take risks and try new things. After all, you never know what may catch your audience’s attention.

Can you explain the correlation between personalization and post-purchase experience? What advantages does this partnership have?

It is easier and cheaper to convert repeat customers than to bring in new customers. To ensure each customer has a positive post-purchase experience, retailers need to personalize their customer journeys based on the information the customer has given them. Understanding customer’s previous shopping behavior or preferences will allow brands to craft a tailored shopping experience.

For unique customer journeys, retailers should insert things like personalized product recommendations, marketing promotions, how-to videos, and loyalty program banners into tracking pages and email communications. By providing this personalized experience, retailers can decrease customer inquiries by keeping customers proactively informed and improve conversion rates since the communications are tailored to their preferences.

At parcelLab, retailers are empowered to deliver personalized communications, order status pages, and returns experiences. One example is our campaign manager product which allows retailers to easily build customer segments and create personalized, visual campaigns for any audience. It includes the ability to insert content into email notifications and order status pages, enabling retailers to boost customer lifetime value, increase conversions, and reduce “Where is my order” (WISMO) inquiries.

In what ways do you believe aligning advertising efforts with shopper intent helps CX? How do you measure the effectiveness of such alignment in driving sales and fostering long-term customer loyalty?

When organizations align advertising efforts with shopper intent, the customer experience is improved due to the ability to:

• Display ads for the products and services they are most interested in.
• Promote information customers need to progress their journey down the purchasing funnel.
• Personalize ads, messages, and recommendations that cater to individual customer needs and preferences.

There are a few ways organizations can measure the effectiveness. For driving sales, organizations can view click-through rates, conversion rates, return on ad spend, time spent on your site, and page views per session. For long term loyalty metrics, organizations should look at repeat purchase rates and customer lifetime value. By tracking these metrics, you can determine whether your advertising methods are working well or if there is room for improvement.

How do you see the evolving landscape of AI tools impacting various industries, particularly in relation to MarTech?

MarTech is being quickly transformed by AI and these tools are essential for marketers to stay on top of their game and ahead of the curve. More and more organizations are adopting AI to provide deeper customer insights, automate tasks, and improve marketing performance. In the future, these tools will continue to evolve and drive wider impact on the growth of organizations in various different industries.

What lessons would you impart for a growing retailer? Additionally, what future do you see for the e-commerce industry?

For growing retailers, there are three lessons I would keep in mind are:

• Always prioritize the customer experience: Build a seamless shopping experience across all points of the customer journey, from browsing to post-purchase to returns. Consider implementing a post-purchase provider that allows you to embed your tracking page on your own website so you can provide a consistent experience from end-to-end and ensure the provider has segmentation capabilities that allow you to personalize each customer journey.
• Embrace data-driven decisions: Leverage analytics to understand your customer base, identify trends, and optimize your marketing efforts. Make sure to track key performance indicators to measure success and make informed decisions about your product offerings, marketing strategies, and resource allocation.
• Think beyond borders: Consider what expanding your business looks like. International fulfillment has a lot of complexities, and your business will need to factor in communicating in different languages. From the post-purchase side, make sure you are partnering with a provider that can help you navigate these challenges and ensure a smooth delivery experience for global customers.

As for the future of e-commerce, it is constantly evolving with exciting trends shaping the future:

• Personalization at Scale: Consumers crave personalized experiences. E-commerce will see a rise in AI-powered personalization, offering tailored product recommendations, targeted marketing messages, and dynamic content that caters to individual customer preferences.
• The Rise of Social Commerce: Social media platforms are becoming increasingly shoppable. Expect to see even deeper integration between social media and e-commerce, allowing customers to discover products, make purchases, and receive customer service – all within their favorite social media apps.
• Sustainability Takes Center Stage: Today's consumers are environmentally conscious. E-commerce will prioritize sustainable practices like eco-friendly packaging, carbon-neutral shipping options, and transparent supply chains.
• Emerging Technologies Take Hold: Technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will transform the online shopping experience. Imagine virtually trying on clothes or viewing furniture in your own living room before making a purchase!

By staying informed about these trends and adapting your strategy accordingly, e-commerce businesses will be positioned for long-term success. Remember, the focus on exceptional customer experience and leveraging data-driven insights remain constant, regardless of the future innovations to come. 

Hi Michelle, please share your journey and milestones that culminated in you being the UserTesting CMO. 

My journey to becoming UserTesting’s CMO has been shaped by over two decades of strategic marketing and product management experience. From my time at Act-On Software, where I led the successful launch of a new company vision which drove record growth, to my roles at Salesforce and Oracle, where I honed my skills in understanding diverse markets, enterprise value selling, and scaling businesses – every step has been a milestone. Throughout my career, I've held firm to the belief that human insights are key to building exceptional customer experiences. This belief has guided me as I've led product teams, crafted marketing campaigns, and driven go-to-market strategies. Today, as the CMO of UserTesting, I'm excited to continue this journey by strengthening our brand, driving revenue growth, and fostering deep customer engagement and loyalty—all fueled by the power of human-centered insights.

How does UserTesting differentiate itself in providing comprehensive experience research solutions compared to other platforms?

UserTesting sets itself apart in the experience research market by delivering rapid, human-centric insights that enable companies to make informed decisions pre-launch. We focus on providing an end-to-end solution that empowers businesses to understand their customers deeply and quickly. Our approach leverages the power of human insights to simulate actual customer interactions and feedback, making our data not only robust but also immediately actionable. This speed in gathering and deploying insights is critical in today’s fast-paced markets and is a cornerstone of our service.

Additionally, UserTesting is recognized as an industry leader, trusted by 75 of the Fortune 100 companies. This reputation is built on our ability to provide comprehensive solutions that cover every stage of product development—from ideation through to final launch. Our platform's strength lies in its ability to seamlessly integrate into any company’s workflow, enhancing their capability to test, iterate, and launch products that are well-tuned to meet customer demands and exceed their expectations.

What are the key benefits of leveraging human insight provided by UserTesting compared to relying solely on user behavior tracking or customer listening data?

Leveraging human insight through UserTesting offers several key advantages, particularly when used in conjunction with user behavior tracking and customer listening data. Our platform enriches traditional quantitative methods by providing a deeper understanding of user intentions, preferences, and emotions. This comprehensive approach goes beyond mere metrics to uncover the "why" behind user actions, offering rich qualitative feedback that helps businesses identify specific issues within their products, tailor offerings to user feedback, and detect emerging trends early on.

Many of our customers integrate UserTesting’s insights with traditional data sources like A/B testing, behavioral analytics, and customer data. This hybrid approach fosters a robust testing and experimentation culture within organizations, enhancing their ability to make informed decisions. By combining these methods, companies can not only validate hypotheses and optimize experiences based on real user feedback but also enhance their product design and strategy continuously.

UserTesting’s human-centered approach prioritizes empathy and customer-centricity, empowering companies to craft user and customer experiences that resonate authentically and drive loyalty. By offering a direct link to real users’ feedback and voices, we enable businesses to anticipate evolving needs, stay ahead of competitors, and deliver transparent experiences that inspire customer trust and satisfaction. This strategic integration of human insight with quantitative data sources is what helps our clients lead in their markets.

You wrote an article on “British FCA's Consumer Duty mandate”. Could you share some key insights from the article?

The British FCA Consumer Duty mandate, while appearing as a set of localized regulations, has profound implications for businesses worldwide. This mandate acts as a customer care manifesto, urging companies to prioritize the needs of customers and to embed customer-centric values into their organizational culture. As a CMO, I recognize the mandate's explicit call to action for businesses to provide accessible customer support and effective communication throughout their operations. It’s not solely about compliance; it's about urging businesses to evolve and place exceptional customer care and experience at the forefront of their priorities.

Additionally, it’s important to note the broader context of such regulatory initiatives. Similar to many regulatory trends that originate in Europe, the principles of the Consumer Duty are likely to influence policies in the U.S. and other regions. This pattern of regulatory influence suggests that businesses, regardless of their geographical location, should prepare to adapt to similar standards, which could become global norms. This foresight into compliance can provide a competitive advantage by anticipating changes and proactively enhancing customer relationships, making businesses not just compliant but also leaders in customer experience.

What marketing approach do you follow in terms with Demand Generation? How do you align it with your marketing strategies?

My approach to Demand Generation is structured around fostering close collaboration among our sales, customer success, partner, and marketing teams, particularly within the dynamic context of the SaaS industry. We strategically organize our sales and business development teams to capture valuable data and nurture qualified leads effectively, enriching our pipeline. It's crucial for us to leverage the evolving data landscape and market insights for a more accurate understanding of our position, moving beyond solely qualitative measures which can sometimes lead to incorrect assumptions.

Moreover, our Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy is tailored to accommodate a diverse range of businesses—from startups and mid-size organizations to large global entities. This broad targeting requires a sophisticated Demand Generation machine that not only supports traditional lead generation but also incorporates Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and enablement programs that significantly influence our pipeline. By integrating these elements, we ensure that our marketing efforts are not only comprehensive but also highly effective in driving demand and enhancing customer engagement across various market segments worldwide.

What future does the Martech industry hold regarding digital and customer experience?

The future of the Martech industry in relation to digital and customer experience is rapidly transforming. As the world becomes increasingly digital, customer experiences are not only moving online but also becoming more integrated with real-world interactions. In this evolving landscape, marketing teams are enhancing their capabilities by incorporating developer skill sets and centralizing operations to avoid system overlaps and disjointed customer experiences. This shift is evident in the rising budgets for CMOs, often surpassing those of IT departments, as investments surge in technologies that enhance end-to-end customer journeys.

In the B2B sector, account-based marketing is becoming a critical focus, with an increasing reliance on tools for testing and AI to drive scalability and deepen customer connections. As digital strategies become more integral to customer interactions, marketers are fostering cultures of continuous experimentation and learning. The "test and learn" approach, coupled with the broader adoption of generative AI technologies, is being applied across numerous points in the customer journey and throughout the Martech stack, indicating a future where marketing and technology not only intersect but work in concert to create more personalized and impactful customer experiences. This convergence is set to redefine the efficiency of operations and the effectiveness of customer engagement in the Martech space.

Welcome, Steve; the tech marketplace is ever-evolving. What three key learnings did you pick up while leading Mapp as the CEO?

I’ve learned it’s essential to stay focused on the long-term vision and prioritize features with strong use cases and measurable improvements for marketers. At the technology level, this means enhancing customer experiences, decreasing friction in brand-consumer interactions, or reducing cost/effort to reach desired outcomes. Next, businesses should prioritize client KPIs above everything else—because when your efforts align with your customers’ goals, success follows. And finally, constant employee communication is critical, as it emphasizes the “why” behind what we do. This is highly valuable in our hybrid work environments and globally distributed teams.

Can you highlight how today’s CEOs need to be more adept at leveraging technology?

For all CEOs, embracing technology can improve operations, customer experiences, and decision-making. In addition, technology for CEOs is vital to quickly analyzing data and making strong decisions. Mapp uses a number of tools, including excellent analytics and dashboards, to measure company performance, customer behavior, and even anomalies that need to be addressed internally.

For CEOs to be successful, fostering a culture of digital transformation is crucial. This means being surrounded by the right talent and leveraging tech partnerships, particularly MACH-certified technology, to make informed decisions and drive innovation. With this approach, it empowers you to stay ahead, adapt to market changes, and achieve sustainable growth in the digital era.

We’d love to hear your observations on how CX is evolving by the day; how does Mapp ascertain to adapt to this constant change?

It will come as no surprise to hear that customer experience (CX) is constantly evolving, driven by data and innovation. At Mapp, we’re reflecting this by exploring new options available to customers. For instance, we have incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our solutions, allowing marketers to make complex decisions more efficiently. By automating certain processes with AI, we free up time for our team to focus on other areas. The most important thing, however, is that we ensure that any improvements made for CX have measurable outcomes attached, as that is what truly matters to the end customer.

Please walk us through Mapp Cloud, the all-in-one marketing solution, and what makes it the go-to platform for modern marketing challenges.

Mapp Cloud is the largest independent Marketing Cloud and the go-to platform for modern marketing challenges. Mapp enables cross-channel marketing campaigns at scale. Our Customer Data Platform, combined with our Marketing Insights engine, provides marketers with valuable information to maximize their campaigns. And while my opinion is biased, I believe no one can touch Mapp’s ability to leverage first-party customer data for marketing, which explains why Mapp has been recognized by Forrester for our Marketing Intelligence and Analytics, showcasing our ability to leverage first-party customer data effectively.

Can you talk about the distinctive characteristics that set Mapp Cloud apart from other vendors in terms of its CDP capabilities?

Mapp’s Marketing Cloud is powered by our comprehensive Customer Data Platform (CDP). Unlike other vendors, Mapp Cloud excels at collecting, leveraging, and exporting data within our platform without additional charges. These capabilities eliminate the need for a costly standalone CDP. It’s also important to note that our focus is not solely on delivering cross-channel customer experiences but also providing insights for future improvement opportunities. With Mapp Cloud, marketers can drive strategic campaigns, maximize conversions, and generate revenue while gaining valuable insights for enhancing customer experiences.

How does Mapp plan to leverage generative AI to reinforce its solutions for better marketing outputs?

Well, AI is, of course, not new. We’ve used it throughout our platform for several years now, and our AI capabilities were highly regarded by Forrester way back in 2021. Having said that, the latest advancements in natural language processing models and ChatGPT are opening up so many more opportunities. Soon, our clients will be able to engage in conversational interactions with our AI engine, improving personalized content, campaign direction, timing, channel optimization, and actionable data sets for future campaigns. I’m excited to see what will come next!

What fundamental shifts should we expect following Eric Lubow joining Mapp as the new CTO & CPO?

Eric has done a fantastic job in his short time here at Mapp. Coming from our technology teams in Berlin and Munich, Eric has brought about tremendous change and excitement within our organization. He has played a crucial role in improving our solution delivery to customers and unifying our teams under a common mission. We can’t wait to see what our Technology Teams, led by Eric, will deliver in the future.

What business ploys do you live by to keep your competitors at bay?

I’m not sure I would say “ploys”, but we work hard to understand where we fit against the competition in our sector. At Mapp, we focus on how we communicate about our marketing platform, emphasizing a “data-first” approach with our CDP and Marketing Intelligence solutions. This enables marketers to make informed decisions and avoid wasted investments. Mapp additionally differentiates itself by owning and managing its campaign infrastructure, unlike many competitors who rely on third-party providers. This end-to-end control ensures reliability and brings exceptional value to our customers.

Looking at the massive acceleration of digital transformation, how do you see customer intelligence evolving in the next five years?

Marketing technology remains at the forefront of this transformation, and the integration of AI will empower marketers to automate complex decisions regarding content, channels, and more. At Mapp, we envision “living-breathing campaigns” as the future of marketing. This entails real-time adjustments in messaging, content, timing, or channels based on customer responses. As this technology evolves, we aim to bring these innovative solutions to all companies, not just those with large marketing budgets, for years to come.