Observed Signal · Oct 15, 2025 · Research/Survey · Source: Adzine · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Brands Must Adapt to New Consumer Engagement Demands
The article argues that consumer goods brands must move beyond relying on brand image as consumer behavior shifts toward engagement and data-driven personalization. Based on a Deloitte-backed study, 67% of German consumers say the brand is not important if the product meets their needs, pressuring brands to rethink marketing. It introduces an 'Engagement Era' driven by digital transformation, where personalization is often missing due to data silos and fragmented customer-engagement tools. Only seven percent of brands are currently in the Engagement Era, while 93% lag behind. Key gaps include only 26% of brands delivering personalized content and just 32% believing they can personalize campaigns based on customer data; 74% of marketers acknowledge their communications approach must change in 2025. The piece also notes rising private-label usage (64%) and a perceived equivalence in quality (65%), underscoring the need for value, service, sustainability, and authentic, data-informed customization.
Industry-wide shift toward engagement and data-driven personalization highlighted by a Deloitte-backed study.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 67% of German consumers say the brand is not important if the product meets their needs.
- Only 7% of brands are currently in the Engagement Era, with 93% lagging behind.
- 26% of brands currently produce personalized content.
- 32% of brands believe they can personalize campaigns based on customer data.
- 74% of marketers say their communications approach must change in 2025.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Personalization Still Falls Short of Expectations
The article argues that many brands' personalization remains surface-level recognition (names, past purchases) rather than true context-aware understanding. It cites a Q1 2025 Adobe-Forrester survey showing that nearly three-quarters of consumers and B2B buyers expect companies to understand when, where, and how they want personalized interactions, while only half of personalization decision-makers prioritize fully understanding customer context. The author outlines four elements required for individual-feeling personalization—behavioral segment, context, history, and preferences—and emphasizes that data architecture, process, governance, and cross-functional work are necessary to scale meaningful personalization. Healthcare is highlighted as a sector where failures in personalization can erode trust and have critical consequences.
CX Gap Persists After 20 Years Despite Billions Invested
Despite decades of investment in customer experience (CX) programs, a persistent disconnect remains between how companies perceive their CX and how customers actually experience it. Bain & Company's 2005 study found 80% of executives believed they delivered superior CX, while only 8% of customers agreed. Subsequent research by Capgemini (2017) and SAP (2026) shows similar gaps. The article argues that this 'delivery gap' is not a technology problem, but an accountability and culture issue. Root causes include measuring what's easy to report rather than actual experience, decorative feedback loops, and employee experience being deprioritized. As AI-driven CX investment surges, the author warns that automation without cultural and accountability fixes will merely scale the existing disconnect.
LinkedIn says don't treat leads as finish in B2B
At LinkedIn's B2Believe event in its new Empire State Building space, executives and practitioners called for a shift from lead-centric B2B marketing to a 'full journey' approach that links signals, targeting, creative, full journey, and measurement. Jae Oh, senior director of product management, revealed that fewer than 10% of upper-funnel audiences make it into bottom-funnel campaigns, urging marketers to connect awareness with demand capture. Research from LinkedIn's B2B Institute with eMarketer showed 77% of marketers say they no longer target individuals, yet only 31% have a playbook for activating audiences down the funnel. Practitioners from Canva, SAP, Mastercard, and others shared examples of aligning marketing and sales on common signals. LinkedIn also outlined a product roadmap focused on cost-per-opportunity targeting, multi-format campaigns, agentic workflows, and incrementality forecasting.
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