Sage

NetApp CMO: AI Failures Are Data Problems

Gabie Boko, NetApp’s chief marketing officer and juror on The Drum B2B Awards Effectiveness jury, argues that most AI disappointment in B2B marketing stems from poor data foundations rather than model flaws. Boko, who joined NetApp in 2022 and has more than 25 years’ experience at firms including HPE, SAP and Sage, says marketers should prioritise governed, accessible, trustworthy data and cyber resilience over visible front-end tools. She emphasises that human judgment—knowing which patterns matter to customers—remains the differentiator when tools are widely available. Boko also recommends balancing brand-building with commercial performance and encourages B2B marketers to develop a distinctive voice and technical curiosity to work effectively with data and engineering teams.

Apparel IPOs Are Showing Signs of Recovery

Fashion companies are gradually returning to public markets after a multi-year IPO slump that hit consumer goods, helped by lower tariffs, continued consumer spending, and efficiency gains from AI. Reformation went public on the NYSE on July 30, raising $210.9 million at an $886.1 million valuation. Tailored Brands filed a registration statement to go public, and Shein is reportedly targeting a Hong Kong IPO as early as late August. Industry observers warn that macro volatility, geopolitical tensions and large tech/AI IPOs could crowd the market, making outcomes uncertain for smaller consumer names despite renewed investor appetite for well-scaled DTC brands.

APMA Report: Commercial Models for a Clickless World

The APMA published a three-part report, The New Rules of Discovery: How Affiliate Marketing Can Thrive in the Age of AI, examining how conversational AI and AI-driven search are changing consumer journeys, attribution and commercial relationships in affiliate marketing. Authored by James Bentley (Chair of the APMA AI Taskforce and Founder of Numerical), the report introduces a three-layer AI attribution framework — Retrieval, Citation and Outcome — and highlights publisher concerns about declining organic search traffic. An APMA survey of 67 publishers found 42% reported declines in Google organic traffic and 46% said AI search had negatively affected traffic or earnings. The paper outlines emerging commission structures (fixed fees, licensing, visibility-based rewards, retrieval tracking and hybrid models) and recommends publishers adopt shared definitions, evidence-based attribution and new remuneration approaches as the landscape evolves.