Marketer’s Alchemy: Turning Data Into Gold

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May 2026

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About the show

Marketing is an art. Data is a science. Together they create what we call “Marketer’s Alchemy.” Join us on our podcast, as we pull back the curtain on the world of data-driven marketing and explore how to turn data into marketing gold. Discover lessons from marketing leaders and data experts as we explore how to use data to get to market faster and create powerful campaigns that win in every industry. “Marketer’s Alchemy” - brought to you by the trailblazing data and marketing powerhouse, Deluxe. Find more information at https://www.deluxe.com/resources/marketers-alchemy/

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31 recent

May 13, 202630 min

The Data-Driven Playbook for Modernizing Iconic Brands

In this episode, Kathryn Turnoff talks with Matt Repicky, Chief Brands Officer at Tailored Brands, about how he uses consumer research, social listening, and media mix modeling to modernize legacy brands, and why changing perception is less about overhauling a brand's heritage and more about reintroducing it to audiences who already like it. Guest Quote: “ The Men's Wearhouse business is so fascinating and unique because it's really built around this idea of those moments and people come to us because they're getting married or they have prom or they have a job interview or they have a first date. Whatever that sort of, Oh my gosh, this is something that I want to make sure I'm showing up correctly for. We do see them in these cycles that correspond with major life stages. Somewhat differently on Jos A. Bank, that customer is a little bit more attuned to he just likes the way he dresses and he has his own point of view and he comes to us much more regularly because he's into the wearing of it all, if you will. And so A, we have to bifurcate the way that we're talking to and showing up for each of those audiences. We've done that through our segmentation. But what I think the beauty of how we're trying to look at our segmentation is that not every customer is going to fit neatly into a box. The idea is that we actually are pushing our marketing and our creative and our messaging and our product to the lens of what's going to be most exciting to those segments tied to each brand. But we certainly don't want to ignore anybody or turn anybody off because again, there's a wide swath of men across the country that these brands are speaking to.” – Matt Repicky Episode Breakdown: [02:32] Alchemy Unveiled From insight to instinct: Matt reveals how he diagnoses brand health by combining consumer research, store visits, and social listening — and why closing the gap between what a company believes about its brand and what customers actually think is always his first move. [13:11] From Nuggets to Campaign Gold From stagnant to standout: Matt shares how data showing over-reliance on wedding messaging pushed him to lead with comedy, why he pre-tests every campaign concept before it hits air, and how a weekly pulse survey of 300 men keeps his team honest about what's actually landing. [25:39] Gold Rush Round Hold the line, question the data: Matt calls out self-reported consumer metrics as the number he trusts least, names Men's Wearhouse as the harder marketing challenge over Barbie, and pushes back on the idea that legacy brands can't change perception fast. Links & Resources: Connect with KathrynConnect with MattLearn more about Tailored Brands, Inc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

April 22, 202636 min

Hiya's Secret to Compelling Customer Engagement

In this episode, Kathryn Turnoff talks with Corinne Crockett, CMO at Hiya, about how the brand uses post-purchase surveys, customer DMs, and iterative launches to build a data-driven yet deeply human kids' health and wellness brand. Guest Quote: “ A consumer doesn't live in this split world where they only experience organic channels or only experience paid channels, they're living in the real world. There really is no way to delineate very specifically pure paid traffic, pure organic traffic. It's really about the blended experience that you create. Of course, we're always looking at individual channel performance and in-platform in understanding that, but the bigger picture is that how does it work together? What is your customer journey path? How many channels are people interacting with? How many touch points are there? And it's not paid and organic. They're a full person just in the world experiencing your brand.” – Corinne Crockett Episode Breakdown: [04:59] Alchemy Unveiled From symphony to signal: Corinne breaks down how Hiya treats KPIs as an interconnected system, why she goes 10 layers deeper with post-purchase surveys, and how staying in the Instagram DMs gives her team real-time customer insight that no dashboard can replicate. [14:44] From Nuggets to Campaign Gold From data to creative breakthrough: Corinne shares how upper-funnel thinking led Hiya to a comedy influencer campaign that drove massive engagement, why a Mattel partnership doubled user acquisition overnight, and how measuring packaging impact turned a qualitative brand moment into hard revenue. [28:35] Gold Rush Round Trust your gut, not the split: Corinne calls out the paid vs. organic myth, champions the conceptual leaps data will never deliver, and reveals why hearing a customer say a product changed their kid's life is what keeps her in the consumer business. Links & Resources: Connect with KathrynConnect with CorinneLearn more about Hiya Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

February 25, 202627 min

Why Scale Loses to Precision in B2B

In this episode, Katherine Turnoff talks with Dipti Kachru, CMO, Broadridge Financial Solutions, about the shift from marketing to millions in B2C to marketing to hundreds or thousands in highly targeted B2B, which requires finding senior operations and technology leaders in the right context for complex, high-consideration purchases. Guest Quote: “And what's interesting about the world of B2B is you're no longer selling to one person. You're actually selling to buying groups. And so we've got to think about the personas in the buying group in terms of are they actual decision makers? Are they users? Are they influencers? And what role are they actually playing in that sales process that we often are helping support, enable, or make faster.” Episode Breakdown: [01:34] Alchemy Unveiled From scale to precision: Dipti shares how moving from millions of consumers to hundreds of B2B buyers reshapes targeting, messaging, and channel strategy — and why context and timing matter more than reach. [18:03] From Nuggets to Campaign Gold Look past the dashboard: Dipti explains why vanity metrics can hide the real story, how psychographic insight changes campaigns, and what happens when marketers follow engagement signals instead of impressions. [23:27] Gold Rush Round What data can’t replace: Dipti reflects on the limits of impressions and CTRs, the role of empathy in marketing, and why understanding the business is the modern marketer’s real edge. Links & Resources: Connect with Katherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynturnoff/ Connect with Dipti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kachru/ Learn more about Broadband Financial Solutions: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broadridge-financial-solutions/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

January 14, 202623 min

What Happens When You Really Study Your Audience

In this episode, Katherine Turnoff talks with Meg Douglass, VP of Marketing at Tonal, about brand as a living conversation shaped by audience signals. They discuss real-time data, experimentation, community-driven momentum, and why some “rules” should be broken. Guest Quote:“ One of my old coworkers said that brand is a shared hallucination between a customer and a business, and really brand is everything in that conversation. All of the experiences, all of the touchpoints and all of the signals that you're getting from your audience about that brand evolves over time because of the audience, because of the usage, because of the signals they're getting. Brand is data to some degree.” Episode Breakdown:[01:51] Alchemy UnveiledBrand is a conversation: Meg shares why brand is shaped by audience signals across experiences and touchpoints — and how resonance and stickiness show up beyond traditional metrics.[12:33] From Nuggets to Campaign GoldBreak the rules to break through: A logo-placement experiment challenges “best practices,” reinforcing that storytelling and judgment sometimes matter more than rigid frameworks.[18:52] Gold Rush RoundSignals that matter: Meg shares what she’s learning from social communities, what she’d automate to free up brainpower, and what member language signals real brand health.Links & Resources:Connect with Katherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynturnoff/ Connect with Meg: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/megdouglass/ Learn more about Tonal: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tonal-strong/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

December 17, 202539 min

The Holy Grail of Marketing: Right Person, Right Time, Right Message

This episode. Kathryn discusses finding the right person, at the right time, with the right message with Greg Licciardi, Professor of Marketing and Vice President of Partnerships at ANA. The discussion covers the impact of AI on marketing, useful tactics and innovative case studies from brands like Wendy's, e.l.f., and Harry's.Guest Quote: ”Marketing is moving at breakneck speed with all the new technologies coming in and AI. Marketers need like a north star, a framework to guide them through this complex time we're in.”Episode Breakdown: [02:21] Alchemy Unveiled: The Holy Grail of MarketingThe Holy Grail of Marketing includes the five Rs: right person, right time, right message, right outcome, right environment. [28:10] From Nuggets to Campaign Gold: Case Studies in Creative TargetingGreg shares a case study that demonstrates how small behavioral signals, testing in real time, and a willingness to pivot can turn early campaign learnings into breakthrough performance gains[35:55] Gold Rush!Reach is the most overrated marketing metric. Spray and pray is not the right approach. Links & Resources:Connect with KathrynConnect with GregLearn more about DeluxeCheck out Holy Grail of Marketing Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

November 19, 202523 min

More Humanity, Less Noise: Rethinking Retail Experiences

This episode, Kathryn digs into the art and science of customer experience with Bennett Fox-Glassman, SVP of Customer Journey at Macy’s. Together, they explore how listening, context, and authenticity shape memorable interactions in modern retail.Guest Quotes“One of our first focuses was taking stock of what was working and what wasn't. And in our CRM programs, when we looked at them, we believed we could actually get more by sending less, which was maybe counterintuitive at first, but in fact, we have. And so it used to be that it was Tuesday and so everybody got the coats email, and now we are much more attentive to where you are in your journey. So if you recently bought something at home, for example, we wanna be talking to you about how do you style it and how do you complete that room. And that becomes our priority over talking to you about the fact that it happens to be Tuesday.”Episode Breakdown[01:42] Alchemy Unveiled: Rewiring Around the Customer[14:13] From Nuggets to Campaign Gold: Power of Iconic Moments[21:00] Gold Rush Round: Bennett’s Bumper Sticker WisdomLinks & Resources:Links & Resources:Connect with Kathryn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynturnoff/Connect with Bennett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennettglassman/?skipRedirect=true Learn more about Macy’s: https://www.linkedin.com/company/macy/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October 22, 202533 min

Scaling Through Focus: Lessons from a DTC CMO

In this episode, Kathryn sits down with Connor Swegle, CMO and Co-Founder of Priority Bicycles, to discuss how simplicity, authenticity, and gut instincts drive smarter marketing. Connor explains how his team strips data down to what truly matters, avoids the distractions of automated platforms, and builds meaningful customer connections—both online and on the road. From postcard campaigns to 190-mile bike rides with customers, he reveals why sometimes the best data is human experience.Guest Quotes: We don't say, oh, well, the marketplace is $7 billion, so we just need a slice of that. No. What we want to be able to do is understand who are the people who are in a position to have desire to purchase. We don't think a lot about specific customer segments, and breaking down demos. We'll use Google to really understand, where the customers are, who are interested. So a lot of that can just be looking at locations where weather favorable for cycling. We really believe that anybody from, you know, 18 years old until as late as you want to be active in life, could be a customer of ours. But we really try and focus our energies on the ones that we know would be in a position to buy. We don't really believe that we can just create demand for somebody to spend $2,000 on new bikes for their families out of nowhere. We really want to find those customers who are kind of in that funnel, in that interest set already, and then really focus on them. Episode Breakdown:[02:34] Alchemy Unveiled: Simplifying Your Data SandBoxConnor explains how Priority Bicycles moved from tracking endless metrics to focusing on the essentials—purchases and interest.[21:36] Nuggets to Campaign Gold: The Power of Simple CreativeAfter running complex campaigns, Connor found that the simplest message—one bold image and tagline—outperformed everything else. The takeaway: clarity wins.[31:04] Gold Rush: Connor’s Bumper Sticker Advice“Keep it simple.” In a world of dashboards and data overload, Connor argues that clarity is the true competitive advantage. Links & Resources:Connect with Kathryn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynturnoff/Connect with Connor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swegle/Learn more about Priority Bicycles: https://www.prioritybicycles.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

October 1, 202538 min

David vs. Goliath: Precision Marketing with Telematics

Kathryn sits down with Jill Kellett, VP of Product & Marketing and Annie Yang, Senior Director of Data Science of Root Inc. to unpack how a smaller player competes with giants. The dive into ditching the idea of campaigns, leveraging deep telematics, and precision targeting.Guest Quotes: "Don't try to go head to head. If you know that you're in a saturated market and that everybody else is running Facebook ads, you're probably not gonna win, or you might win and it might be really cost prohibitive to win." - Jill "We're not going to win on brand spend. We're not trying to target every customer or show an impression to every person in the U.S. We're much more about precision and discipline in our experimentation approach." - AnnieEpisode Breakdown:[04:20] Alchemy UnveiledTelematics and predictive data: Root leverages information on driver safety from their app and from third parties, to predict LTV of customers and adjust their pricing models. [23:06] From Nuggets to Campaign GoldScaling back can glean insights: If you have to turn off channels or partnerships, view it as an opportunity to expose which partners truly drove impact.[31:14] Gold Rush!Don’t play where you can’t win: if you’re a challenger, be strategic where and how you invest. You need to think differently. Links & ResourcesConnect with Kathryn: LinkedInConnect with Jill: LinkedInConnect with Annie: LinkedInLearn more about Root: joinroot.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

September 17, 202528 min

Follow Your Instincts: Not All Data is The Right Data

In this episode, Kathryn speaks with Sue Beckett, SVP of Marketing & eCommerce at Lovesac. Sue shares insights into how Lovesac leverages first-party data, customer satisfaction surveys, and third-party data to make informed marketing decisions. She also discusses omnichannel strategies and handling attribution challenges.Guest Quote:“It's not just using all parts of data that you have, it's actually what is the right data for what your end goal is? I think companies have just so much marketing data, but not all of it is relevant to what exactly you want to do. And I think in my past I have said to myself, okay, well, the data is just telling me this, so my gut might be telling me maybe that's not right, but let's just go with it. And there is a gut instinct to marketing and that's the art part of it. And I have made that mistake in my past.”Episode Breakdown: [02:15] Alchemy UnveiledNegative customer feedback is an opportunity: Customers made Sue’s team aware that they didn’t have the information they needed after they completed their purchase. Sue’s team leveraged this to build a new website ecosystem that tripled customer account signups. [18:09] From Nuggets to Campaign GoldVirality can’t be the initial goal: While virality is amazing, it can be the starting aim of your campaign. Customers can detect inauthentic and off-brand marketing from a mile away, and the intentions have to be authentic from the start. [23:16] Gold Rush!Not all data is the right data: Consider your end goal and then determine the right metrics to watch. Don’t make the mistake of following the wrong metrics down a path that is aligned with the outcome you are working towards. Links & Resources:Connect with KathrynConnect with SueLearn more about DeluxeLearn more about Lovesac Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

September 3, 202527 min

Mixed Media Modeling: Understanding the Full Picture

In this episode, Kathryn mixes marketing magic with Jennifer Warren, VP of Global Brand Marketing and Creative at Indeed. They discuss the intersection of brand and performance marketing, the challenge of proving the value of brand efforts and Indeed’s experiments with social listening. Guest Quote: “ One of the things that we have done to help build faith in things like media mix modeling is calibrate the model based on different information. So whether it's experiments, clean room experiments that we're doing or using last click data, we use that to look at what we're learning from our model, for example, and say, ‘okay, this is like out of line. So that means we should probe a little bit more on this channel and what the model is telling us’. Last click is a lot simpler to measure, so it's a lot easier to put your faith in that. When I think about performance marketing, that was for a long time the way everything was measured. But as the world has become more complicated, I've had to really work hard at trying to demonstrate that brand and performance are things that work together.’Episode Breakdown: [03:02] Alchemy UnveiledAttribution and proving the value of brand: While last click may be easier to measure, it doesn’t tell the full picture. There is huge value in brand initiatives, even if it is harder to calculate. [17:34] From Nuggets to Campaign GoldListen to the market: Indeed experimented with social listening tools that allowed them to better position and educate their customers, avoiding costly mistakes. [24:24] Gold Rush!Brandformance is the way to go: Brand versus performance is a false dichotomy. The two functions should be in lock-step with each other, driving impact together. Links & Resources:Connect with Kathryn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynturnoff/Connect with Jennifer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferstilleywarren/Learn more about Deluxe: https://www.deluxe.com/Learn more about Indeed: https://www.linkedin.com/company/indeed-com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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