[Listen] AI is rewriting personalization. Marketers need a new data strategy

I recently joined Greg Kihlström on The Agile Brand podcast to talk about a tension every marketer is feeling right now: how do we deliver true 1:1 personalization at a time when access to consumer data is more restricted than ever?

It’s easy to think of privacy and personalization as opposites. One is about restraint, the other about activation. But I see them as two halves of the same growth equation. When data is ethically collected, transparently governed, and used with integrity, it fuels personalization that consumers actually want.

Greg Kihlström, best-selling author, speaker, and host of the award-winning Agile Brand podcast, has spent years exploring how brands can build meaningful customer relationships through better data and design.

What we covered

Greg and I talked about why the old marketing playbook of broad-stroke segmentation no longer breaks through and what real personalization truly looks like in the age of AI.

We explored:

• How shadow data and inconsistent permissioning quietly erode trust and ROI
• Practical steps to operationalize user preferences across a martech stack
• The tangible “value exchange” moments that make customers excited to share their data, like loyalty programs, personalized financial insights, or cross-device experiences that save time
• The growing role of CMOs, CIOs, and CISOs in building a shared data foundation rooted in governance and transparency
• And what’s next for AI-driven personalization, from “do not train” signals to giving consumers more visibility into how their data shapes experiences

At Transcend, we often describe privacy as infrastructure, and that lens applies here too. The systems that collect, store, and activate personal data are the same systems that shape how consumers experience a brand. We work with companies ranging from fast-growing startups to global enterprises to put that principle into practice, building the trusted data foundations that power personalization, compliance, and long-term customer loyalty. Getting that right is what unlocks both growth and trust.

Our Hidden in Plain Sight research explores this connection in depth, showing how integrated consent and preference management empower both personalization and privacy.

Listen below

You can listen to the full episode here or on the Agile Brand site.