The Digital Marketing Podcast

What happens when a global brand hands over its creative control to unfiltered customer feedback? In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles speaks with Emily Barfoot, Head of Dove Beauty at Unilever, about a bold and unconventional campaign built on Reddit conversations. At a time when trust in polished marketing is eroding and AI is reshaping how content is discovered, Dove leaned into one of the internet's most unpredictable platforms. By amplifying genuine, unedited user reviews, both positive and negative, the brand not only drove awareness but also delivered measurable commercial impact. This episode explores how marketers can rethink control, embrace transparency, and tap into community-driven credibility. In This Episode How Dove identified an organic Reddit conversation and turned it into a multi-channel campaign Why Reddit's "unpolished" nature makes it a powerful platform for trust and insight The strategy behind publishing the first 50 real user reviews without editing or filtering How Dove balanced positive and negative sentiment to build credibility The role of social listening in shaping campaign direction and optimisation How Reddit content was extended into out-of-home, influencer, and experiential marketing Why transparency and respecting platform culture were critical to success How the campaign delivered over 260 million impressions and triple-digit growth in the product category The importance of many-to-many marketing in modern brand building How Reddit insights fed directly into product innovation and development Key Takeaways Authenticity is not a tactic. It is a strategic commitment that requires letting go of control User-generated content can outperform traditional creative when it reflects real experiences Reddit is not just a media channel. It is a rich source of customer insight and product feedback Brands must respect platform norms and community expectations to earn participation Balanced sentiment, including negative feedback, increases trust and credibility Social listening should be continuous and actionable, not just observational Experiential marketing can amplify digital engagement when it creates shareable moments AI-driven discovery makes community-led content more valuable than ever Strong products and existing brand trust are essential before taking transparency risks Marketing success increasingly depends on enabling conversations, not controlling them 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/reddit-marketing-case-study-with-dove-turning-real-reviews-into-real-growth

As AI rapidly reshapes how customers discover, evaluate, and engage with brands, marketers are being forced to rethink the fundamentals of the customer journey. In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles speaks with Rachel Thornton, CMO of Adobe Enterprise, to explore what this shift really means in practice. Recorded just ahead of Adobe Summit, Rachel shares exclusive insights into Adobe's latest thinking, product direction, and how enterprise marketers should adapt to an increasingly AI-driven landscape. From evolving user expectations to the rise of AI as the primary interface, this conversation goes beyond the hype to examine the real implications for strategy, data, and customer experience. In This Episode How AI is transforming the traditional linear customer journey into something far more dynamic and unpredictable Why discovery and consideration are being reshaped by AI-powered interfaces and assistants What Adobe is announcing at Summit and how it reflects broader industry shifts How CMOs should rethink customer engagement in an environment where AI intermediates interactions The growing importance of first-party data and real-time personalisation How enterprise organisations are adapting their tech stacks to support AI-led experiences The challenges of maintaining brand consistency when AI is part of the customer interface What marketers often misunderstand about AI and where to focus instead How internal teams and workflows need to evolve to keep pace with change Key Takeaways The customer journey is no longer linear. It is fluid, fragmented, and increasingly influenced by AI-driven touchpoints AI is becoming the primary interface between brands and customers, which changes how influence and trust are built Marketers need to prioritise high-quality, structured data to enable effective AI-driven personalisation Speed and adaptability are now critical competitive advantages in digital marketing Organisations must rethink not just tools, but also teams, processes, and skills There is a growing need to balance automation with authentic brand voice and human oversight Experimentation is essential. Waiting for certainty in AI adoption is likely to result in falling behind 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/the-changing-customer-journey-in-an-ai-first-world-insights-from-adobe-cmo

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles is joined by Kendall Breitman from Riverside for a practical conversation about how marketers can use video without needing a full production team, a huge budget or a complicated workflow. Together, they explore why video has become so central to modern marketing, how brands can use it to strengthen SEO and answer engine optimisation, and why authentic, human-led content is outperforming overly polished corporate production. The discussion also dives into practical ways to build a video strategy from webinars, podcasts, customer conversations and expert interviews, then repurpose that long-form content into clips, blog posts, newsletters and more. It is a useful episode for any marketer looking to make video simpler, smarter and more sustainable. In This Episode Why video is becoming essential for SEO, AI overviews and discoverability across search and social platforms How authentic, human-centred video is replacing overly scripted and expensive marketing production Why social media works better when brands behave more like people than polished corporate entities How marketers can use customer interviews and user conversations as both research and content Why webinars, podcasts and expert interviews can become the foundation of an entire month of content How long-form content can be repurposed into medium-form YouTube videos, short-form social clips, blogs, newsletters and gated assets Why medium-form video is often overlooked, despite being highly effective for search visibility and website engagement The most common mistake brands make with video: failing to record valuable conversations and insights in the first place How video testimonials and advocacy content can support trust, social proof and brand visibility Where AI is genuinely helping video production, from transcripts and clips to editing support and audio clean-up Key Takeaways Video works best when it feels useful and human, not overly produced. A single long-form recording can power a much broader content strategy than a series of disconnected short-form posts. Customer conversations are valuable twice over. They generate insight for the business and content for the brand. Video strategy should be tied to business goals, whether that is awareness, education, trust or loyalty. Searchable, practical content such as straight-to-camera answers and product walkthroughs can deliver strong SEO and AEO value. AI should support storytellers, not replace them. The best use of AI is reducing friction so people can create more authentic content. Brands that build confidence in video now will be better placed as the format becomes even more central to digital marketing. The future of video is likely to be more accessible, more efficient and more human, not less. 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/practical-video-marketing

What happens when you combine practical digital marketing experience with behavioural science? In this episode, Daniel Rowles is joined by Phil Agnew, host of the Nudge podcast and a specialist in behavioural science, to explore eight psychology experiments and principles that can help marketers create more effective campaigns, stronger customer experiences and more persuasive messaging. Phil shares the original studies behind concepts such as social proof, loss aversion, anchoring and the peak-end rule, then shows how they can be applied in real marketing scenarios, from Reddit ads and SaaS websites to loyalty programmes, pricing pages and customer journeys. The result is a highly practical episode for marketers who want to sharpen their thinking and make better decisions in a world full of noise, automation and increasingly generic content. In This Episode Social proof: why it still works, why specificity matters, and why implying popularity can be more powerful than simply claiming it Loyalty and endowed progress: how giving customers a sense of momentum can make them more likely to complete a journey and stay engaged Loss aversion: why messages framed around what people stand to lose can outperform those focused only on gains The pratfall effect: how showing a flaw, when paired with clear competence, can make a brand or person more likeable Distinctiveness: why standing out matters even more in an AI-saturated content landscape Anchoring: how the first number, comparison or frame people see can radically shape how they judge value The peak-end rule: why customers often remember the emotional high point and the ending of an experience more than everything in between Visible effort: why people value products, services and content more when they can see the work behind them Real examples from digital marketing: including Reddit ad testing, website messaging, social proof banners, pricing psychology and travel search UX Key Takeaways Behavioural science is most useful when it is translated into practical tests, not treated as abstract theory Social proof works best when it feels natural and contextual, rather than overly promotional Small shifts in wording can have a major effect on click-throughs, conversions and retention Customers do not always judge experiences rationally. They remember moments, contrasts and endings Showing some humanity or imperfection can make brands feel more credible and relatable Distinctive positioning is becoming more valuable as AI makes average content easier to produce at scale Helping customers feel progress, momentum or visibility into effort can improve engagement and loyalty Marketers should revisit core psychological principles before chasing every new platform or tool 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/8-psychology-experiments-for-marketers

What happens when clicks get harder to earn, paid media gets more expensive, and audiences spend less time engaging with static content? In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles explores why gamification is moving from a nice-to-have tactic to a serious strategic opportunity for marketers. This episode is split into two parts. First, Daniel sets out the business case for gamification in today's digital landscape, where AI overviews, rising cost per click and declining organic reach are all putting pressure on traditional marketing performance. Then he is joined by Luke Santamaria from PlaySpark, a specialist in branded interactive games, to look at how brands are using mini-games, playable ads and reward mechanics to build attention, loyalty and conversion. In This Episode: Why gamification is becoming more relevant as search, social and paid media become less predictable How owned engagement can become a stronger asset than rented attention What gamification really means in a marketing context, beyond simply making things fun How progress tracking, reward loops, challenge and achievement create stronger audience engagement Why quizzes, assessments, calculators, onboarding journeys and email programmes can all benefit from gamified thinking How interactive content can outperform static pages on engagement, return visits and conversion Why the rise of AI tools and vibe coding has made it far easier to create interactive experiences at lower cost How branded mini-games can support both loyalty and acquisition strategies What Luke Santamaria from PlaySpark has learned from building interactive campaigns for retailers, hospitality brands and loyalty programmes Why prizes and rewards can dramatically increase participation and completion rates How playable ads work across platforms such as Meta and mobile gaming environments What marketers should measure when testing gamified campaigns, from play rate and completion rate through to redemption and sales How personalisation could shape the next phase of gamified marketing experiences Key Takeaways: Gamification is not just about entertainment. It is a structured way to design more engaging marketing experiences. As AI overviews and no-click behaviour reshape digital marketing, brands need to offer experiences that search engines and summaries cannot replicate. Interactive content can help improve conversion efficiency, especially when traffic is harder or more expensive to acquire. Simple mechanics such as progress bars, unlockable content, rewards and challenges can strengthen repeat engagement. Gamification can work across B2C and B2B environments, particularly when the incentive is meaningful to the audience. Mini-games and playable ads can hold attention for longer than traditional ad formats and create more active brand involvement. Measurement matters. Success should be judged using both game metrics and commercial outcomes. New AI-assisted creation tools are lowering the barrier to entry, making experimentation far more accessible for marketing teams. The biggest opportunity may be in combining gamification with owned channels such as email, apps, learning platforms and loyalty programmes. Brands that start experimenting now may benefit from a genuine early-mover advantage. 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/gamification-for-digital-marketing