First-Party Data Strategy: Why Ignoring It Is Your Biggest Marketing Mistake
As long as I have been in marketing, this has been my biggest concern, and sometimes, it is a pet peeve when having an honest conversation about what fails the discipline of marketing.
We all know first-party data is the foundation. This topic is boldly discussed at conferences and debated on panels year after year. Some even name their conferences after this theme.
Yet
While eighty per cent of marketers say data is critical, only thirty per cent are fully leveraging or building their own first-party data.
When Google announced the end of the cookie era, I felt that marketers would finally focus their efforts here, but even that didnโt move the needle for many in the industry.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐-๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ข๐ป๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ โ ๐ข๐๐ป ๐๐, ๐๐ผ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐.
So, I am going to be a broken record and talk about it again. yes again
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐-๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
โข Itโs your most valuable marketing and sales asset.
โข It enables personalised experiences, better targeting, and higher conversion rates.
โข It facilitates retargeting, segmentation, and lifetime value metrics.
๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐
โข Legacy systems, unclear ownership (marketing vs. Sales vs. IT vs. vs etc).
โข A focus on short-term ROI, like the CMO revolving door.
โข Assigning high value to third-party data when the actual untouched gold is your own data.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ด๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐
โข Data privacy regulations (GDPR, PDPA, CCPA) make 3rd-party data unreliable.
โข Third-party data is a band-aid solution or a quick fix; your brand deserves to own its own experiences on a great foundation.
โข Donโt get me wrong, third party can be an ally, but it canโt be the only trick in town.
๐๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป, ๐ข๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ
โข AI/ML models are only as good as the data fed into them.
โข First-party data improves accuracy, relevance, and automation in campaigns.
๐๐ซ + ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ = ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ-๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
โข Companies that lead in CX and data maturity will outlast their competitors. Although there is an outdated data point on this topic, I believe it remains a valid argument. Companies that invest in CX + FP data outperform the S&P 500 by 45%. Personalisation can drive a 5-15% revenue lift.
๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ (how can I not have one)
โBrands need to own their customer relationshipsโand that starts with data.โ โ Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer, P&G
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
โข If your brand isnโt building its first-party data strategy today, youโre already behind.
โข Whatโs stopping your organisation from prioritising first-party data?
If you want an honest conversation about first-party data in your organisation, I am happy to make a convincing case with your business stakeholders. I don't BS, I keep it real
Strategic Guidance for Measurable Growth: Need to sharpen your decision-making or align your teams for better execution? Our Business and Marketing Advisory service offers data-informed guidance on everything from product-market fit to scaling high-performing teams. Letโs build a strategy that works.
