As a chief marketing officer, I’m obsessed with creating a great customer experience. From the moment someone discovers our brand, and hopefully continuing through a lifetime of loyalty, I want to build a unique, exceptional relationship with each of our customers. That’s never been easy. But these days it’s more challenging than ever because the digital marketing tactics we relied on just a few years ago to attract, engage, and retain customers are losing their impact. Third-party cookies, for example, have been dying a slow death. Search engine optimisation has become a frustrating, time-consuming battle with opaque algorithms. And ad retargeting? Not only is it easily thwarted, but, candidly, it creeps people out. Meanwhile, customers are becoming ever more savvy—and skeptical. All day long, they’re bombarded with unwanted offers, ads, and spam. It’s information overload, and they’re tuning it out. They’re also growing more concerned.