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Posts by Matthew Niederberger

Why the next five years of data strategy will make the last look easy

Why the next five years of data strategy will make the last look easy

Season 2, Episode 4 of Couch Confidentials with Tealium’s Zack Wenthe

When Zack Wenthe from Tealium told me, “the next five years of data strategy will make the last look like child’s play”, I felt both intrigued and uneasy. Intrigued because Zack has been around long enough in the CDP world to know what he’s talking about. Uneasy because if the last few years already left most teams exhausted, what’s coming next?

We circled around two big forces → privacy and AI. Not in the shallow “AI will optimize your campaigns” sense, but in the way these forces are already reshaping human behavior. Zack made the point that customers

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The CDP RFP Dating Game

The CDP RFP Dating Game

How agencies, vendors, analysts, and executives hide behind the smiles

On paper, a Request for Proposal (RFP) looks like the fairest way to choose a Customer Data Platform, or anything else for that matter. I am sure if my wife had known about RFPs when we met, I would have been on the receiving side of one. Good thing she didn’t. An RFP is an attempt to make sense of vastly complex and different products through structure, neutrality, and vendor A vs vendor B data in neat columns. But if, like myself, you’ve been in this business for a while, you know the truth 👇🏻

Most RFPs are wired
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When the customers speak, even Gartner listens

When the customers speak, even Gartner listens

Hightouch’s Strong Performer nod shows how Voice of the Customer reshapes the CDP debate

Gartner released its 2025 Voice of the Customer report for CDPs at the end of August, and, well, I don’t want to say I told you so, “this was identified early on as a likely outcome”.

Memedroid on X: "I told you so #memes #professional #learning #itoldyouso  #funny https://t.co/IRPCi2lj1x" / X

As I suggested in my earlier pieces on Gartner and the CDP market, where, based on Peer Insights, I generated a ‘review-driven’ alternative quadant, Hightouch scored a ‘Leader’ position compared to being completely excluded from the original report.

Based on the newly published official ‘review-driven’ quadrant, Hightouch has now earned a Strong Performer recognition. It’s always interesting when predictions line up with

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From economics to Martech: Ana Mourão on wins, governance, and positivity

From economics to Martech: Ana Mourão on wins, governance, and positivity

Small wins, strong processes, and the human side of Martech

I had such a pleasant conversation with Ana Mourão on Couch Confidentials. She has this rare combination of sharp Martech expertise and an optimistic outlook, even when talking about the messy side of digital transformation.

What struck me most was how Ana sees Martech not just as a stack of tools, but as a system of people and processes where small wins can make a huge difference. From building 7 million profiles globally to navigating the “Groundhog Day” of transformation projects, she’s found ways to stay positive and drive impact.

Thanks again, Ana, for sharing your experience and your

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The real Martech ROI equation

The real Martech ROI equation

Revenue minus stack costs does not equal a return on investment, so what does?

Have you ever seen this quote:

“The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn't bother you anymore.”

If you are reading this article, you might be inclined to think that this quote is from some notable Martech leader describing your Martech stack. Nothing is further from the truth. The quote is

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From psychology to Spryker: Guido Jansen on community, automation, and AI in B2B

From psychology to Spryker: Guido Jansen on community, automation, and AI in B2B

Spryker’s Global Business & Technology Evangelist, Guido Jansen, discusses community, vibe coding, and the reality of AI in the enterprise.

In this episode of Couch Confidentials, I sit down with Guido Jansen, Spryker’s Global Business & Technology Evangelist, and someone with one of the longest job titles I’ve ever introduced on the podcast. Guido’s path is unusual: a background in applied cognitive psychology, years building the Magento community, and now leading community and customer success efforts at Spryker.

We discuss what it means to build ecosystems that last and how feedback loops from hackathons and developer meetups inform Spryker’s product direction. Guido also shares his experiments with n8n, vibe coding, and MCP integrations, as well as

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