From Consent to Conversion: Building a Smarter Data Strategy

Why Marketers Are Losing Control Over Their Data

Marketers are under pressure. A recent study by Gartner found that 80% of marketers are expected to abandon personalisation efforts by 2025 due to lack of ROI and data challenges.

With the death of third-party cookies, tighter POPIA and GDPR enforcement, and platforms like Apple and Google changing how user data is collected, the traditional data-driven marketing playbook is breaking down. Many businesses are scrambling to maintain performance while staying compliant—often with unclear strategies and inefficient systems.

The question now is: how do we rebuild our strategy on a foundation of consent, trust, and performance?

The Future Belongs to First-Party Data

In the new privacy landscape, companies that thrive are those who own their data. First-party data—gathered directly through CRM, website forms, user behaviour, and email engagement—offers the clarity and control marketers need to personalise experiences, optimise campaigns, and prove ROI.

But gathering the data is only the beginning. To truly scale, businesses must:

• Collect data ethically and transparently
• Automate the organisation of this data into usable segments
• Activate the data across platforms like Google and Meta with intelligent targeting

Digitlab has helped dozens of companies across sectors like fintech, hospitality, and e-commerce implement this kind of ecosystem—and in this session, we’ll show you how.

What You’ll Learn

• How to build a high-performance first-party data strategy: Learn how to collect the right data points, align them with intent signals, and integrate them across your marketing stack.
• POPIA/GDPR compliance made practical: What you need to know to stay safe without slowing your team down.
• Behavioural segmentation in action: See how to use real-time signals like page views, email opens, and product interest to create dynamic audience segments.
• Niche targeting on Google and Meta: Learn to activate your first-party data through tools like custom audiences, lookalike models, and server-side tracking.

Who Should Attend

This session is designed for:

• Marketing managers and digital strategists
• CRM leads and HubSpot administrators
• Business owners looking to build or overhaul their database marketing systems
• Agencies and consultants helping clients navigate compliance and performance

You might be building your first zero-party form strategy. Or, you may already be running ads and workflows in HubSpot and looking to optimise. Either way, this session will give you the tools to scale. or already running ads and workflows in HubSpot, this session will give you the tools to scale.

Why This Matters Now

Google is set to eliminate third-party cookies from Chrome by the end of 2025. Consumer expectations for privacy are growing, and brands that fail to adapt will lose visibility, leads, and credibility. The time to act isn’t next year—it’s right now. This webinar gives you a roadmap that aligns privacy with performance.

About the Host 

Mike Saunders is the CEO of Digitlab, a consultancy helping companies grow by connecting data, strategy, and digital tools. A TEDx speaker and one of the Top Global Digital Marketing Experts, Mike’s approach bridges the gap between business goals and digital execution. He recently spoke at the Marketing Indaba 2025, where he unpacked the intersection of AI and customer experience for an audience of South Africa’s leading digital professionals. His team has helped scale strategies for companies in tech, retail, and finance—always with a focus on human connection and measurable results.