The CDP soap opera: Data, drama, & big decisions

Welcome to Looped In, a monthly newsletter that features tips, POVs, best practices, and memes all about marketing and data.

Here we are, 2025. Are you ready for another year of groundbreaking AI and martech? We are.

To kick things off, we have a few of our most-read pieces looking into the crystal ball of AI and CDPs. And don’t forget to check out our favorite social posts from the last month.?

?? 3 thoughts around the future of AI and CDPs

Customer data platforms are changing, fast. We can thank a combination of consumer expectations, martech consolidation, AI, and the rising importance of first-party data.

2025 is going to be a wild ride for those of us in the martech and CDP space. We’ve already seen big acquisition news and it’s only January.?

Here are three thoughts on what’s shaping the industry.?

1. “CDPs are having an identity crisis”

That’s a direct quote from GrowthLoop Co-Founder, Chris Sell, who argues that customer data platforms (CDPs) must evolve to meet marketers’ needs.?

Citing research from Gartner, IDC, and Salesforce, Chris dives into the current market sentiment around CDPs and how the tech will soon change to better serve marketing teams and consumers.

2. AI and the data cloud will bring unprecedented personalization

Today, “personalization” in marketing is often limited to the basics: emails with your name in the subject line, recommendations based on previous purchases, or maybe a geo-targeted social ad.

But we’re just scratching the surface here. What could the future of personalization look like with centralized data and an AI engine? GrowthLoop CEO Chris O’Neill explores the possibilities of true 1:1 personalization using AI with the data cloud.?

P.S. Dig more into the how and why of using AI on the data cloud, with advice from Chief Data Strategy Officer Anthony Rotio.?

3. Retailers will make big $ leveraging a composable architecture??

Retailers notoriously battle razor-thin margins. But there’s revenue potential sitting in their first-party data, and a composable approach helps retailers maximize dollars from that data through retail media networks (RMNs).?

Learn more about the value of an RMN strategy and why composability is the key to your RMN opportunity.?

?? GrowthLoop IRL

A roundup of in-person events we’ll be hosting or attending in the next month.

We ushered in 2025 with a stacked calendar. This month, the GrowthLoop team has been busy attending CES and NRF, connecting with clients and industry leaders to discuss AI, the data cloud, and retail media networks.?

If you missed us at one of these events, it’s not too late to catch up. Book time directly with our team here.

?? 3 LinkedIn posts to save for later

Bookmark these or share them with your coworkers.

Until next time! ?? See you in February.