It’s been a whirlwind start to the summer, and we feel like we’re just getting started! The Iterable team kicked off the month right with Activate Tour London, where our community of innovative marketers explored how to turn customer interactions into meaningful moments.
There were so many strategies, frameworks, and lessons shared directly from some of our top customers, but in case you missed it, we’ve got the recap for you.
When it comes to marketing to a global audience, here are our top takeaways.
Want an even deeper dive into Activate London? Listen to our latest episode of Let’s Chat Global Marketing.
Top Global Marketing Takeaways From Activate London
1. Localisation is more than translation.
“While four-fifths of consumers are comfortable with personalised experiences, two-thirds have encountered personalisation that was inaccurate or intrusive, leading them to disengage from the brand.” (Boston Consulting Group)
During a session on mastering personalisation and localisation, Sophie Phillips, CRM Lead at Butternut Box, a fresh dog food delivery service, explained how to leverage data to fuel retention and re-engagement and drive tangible impact.
Global consumers appreciate tailored experiences, but they don’t want to be marketed to in ways that feel invasive or superficial. Sophie discussed how the levels of personalisation are a spectrum: Her team uses a personalisation matrix to assess whether an idea is performative or actually fosters engagement.
One tool that helps with Butternut Box’s personalisation is Iterable’s Handlebars, which allows messages to be customised with highly specific data, which, in Butternut Box’s case, is pet data—like name, age, breed, and dietary quirks (e.g., “fussy eater”).
True localisation goes beyond merely translating messages into different languages. Local Butternut Box teams help tailor tone and content to reflect regional attitudes toward pets and food preferences, ensuring that messages resonate on a deeper level.
Key Takeaways:
- To create purposeful personalisation, build a matrix to evaluate which elements are relevant and impactful for your audience segments.
- Localise with nuance by engaging regional teams to adapt content for cultural context and tone—not just language. This shows that your brand deeply understands your customers across markets.
2. AI is redefining customer engagement in EMEA.
“62% of European generative AI users are concerned about the misuse of personal data, and only 51% trust businesses to use AI responsibly.” (Deloitte)
Given the more stringent regulations in EMEA around AI and consumer privacy, we hosted an executive panel on how AI is reshaping the future of customer connection. This session included three industry visionaries: Grant Bailie, Head of CRM at Secret Escapes, Nedko Geshev, Head of Marketing at ActivTrades, and Devina Seth, Acting VP of Digital Commercial at BBC Studios.
These marketing leaders revealed how their brands are using artificial intelligence—from Grant’s team leveraging AI to match high-intent customers with the right holiday deals, to streamlining execution on what their brands are already doing.
When asked by an audience member whether there’s anything the leaders guide their teams not to use AI for, Nedko and Grant prescribe few limitations, other than maintaining human oversight and protecting their company’s sensitive information.
Key Takeaways:
- Promote the responsible use of AI by defining guardrails and mapping out which tasks will be AI-enhanced (e.g., targeting, optimization) vs. human-led (e.g., creative direction).
- Encourage teams to use AI for speed, not as a substitute for strategic thinking, to preserve your brand’s originality.
3. Burnout is a brand concern too.
“58% of UK-based marketers reported feeling overwhelmed and 56% felt undervalued in the past year—symptoms of a profession in need of cultural change.” (MarketingWeek)
Despite what it may feel like sometimes, marketing shouldn’t involve screaming into the digital void. In a candid conversation on boundaries and balance, brand consultant Lauren Spearman discussed how to thrive at work and avoid the pitfalls of burnout.
Lauren shared a pragmatic approach to preventing burnout, reframing self-care as a growth strategy. Her tips included advocating for shorter, more purposeful meetings to reduce Zoom fatigue and creating a “rainy day” folder for positive feedback when you need a pick-me-up.
However, burnout isn’t just a personal issue, but a business one, so Lauren explained the importance of managers leading by example and allowing their teams flexibility to do their best work.
Key Takeaways:
- Encourage teams to design their workdays to protect their focus time and minimize fatigue.
- Embed wellbeing into the operating culture by empowering managers to lead with empathy and adapt to team needs across time zones and personal contexts.
4. Iconic brands are built one brick at a time.
“84% of global consumers say they must share values with a brand to purchase from it.” (Edelman)
The one question that businesses should ask themselves, according to global brand strategist Sara Riis-Carstensen, is: “What would the world miss if our brand disappeared tomorrow?”
In her keynote on building iconic brands, Sara draws on her extensive career experience crafting brand strategies for industry leaders, including LEGO, De Beers, and the Lufthansa Group.
Her striking question around what customers would miss the most is how LEGO achieved clarity and revived its brand from near-bankruptcy. By shedding product bloat and refocusing on the company’s beloved bricks, LEGO reignited emotional connection and brand loyalty.
Sara’s playbook emphasized trimming complexity and pairing customer data with storytelling to earn executive buy-in. By defining the emotional space they occupy, brands can deliver meaning, not just messages.
Key Takeaways:
- Recognize that building a resilient, authentic brand in global markets requires a long-term investment.
- Act like a small business, even as you scale, to stay true to your values and remain scrappy while thinking big.
5. Use each channel with clear intention.
“Brands using three or more channels in a campaign see a 287% higher purchase rate compared to single-channel marketing.” (Forbes)
Customer journeys tell a story, just like the family trees that Phil Singer, Head of CRM at Findmypast plays a role in building. In his session on cross-channel communication, Phil discussed how the brand shifted from a one-size-fits-all model to a priority-based journey framework.
To ensure users receive the most relevant information—not being blasted from all directions at once—Phil’s team defined clear channel roles. Email adds depth to important updates, mobile push is great for reminders and nudges, and embedded messaging provides timely context.
It’s not enough to add channels to your CRM strategy; marketers need to prove their value. Findmypast confirmed their approach by holding out 10% of their audience as a control group to show clear, comparative impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Assign a purpose to each communication channel (e.g., nurture, notify, re-engage) to avoid message overlap and exhaustion.
- Don’t overlook mobile–extend your strategy to internationally preferred channels, like WhatsApp.
Campaigns Are Out. Moments-Based Marketing Is In.
One common thread tying together all of these sessions at Activate London was the stark reality that the traditional campaign calendar is outdated. The future is moments-based marketing, where customer experiences are triggered by real-time behavior and context—not scheduled sends.
As Iterable’s COO Jeff Samuels explained during the opening keynote, this evolution reflects Iterable’s shift in product vision toward responsive, AI-assisted, customer-centric marketing strategies.
Experience Activate London On-Demand
As you can tell, there were tons of valuable insights at Activate Tour London—too many to cover in this recap!
To experience the magic for yourself, watch the sessions on-demand and find out where we’ll be traveling next on our Activate events page. We hope to see you soon!
