The Activation Series - Q&A Special on Rethinking Activation in Regulated Markets

How Brands in Regulated Industries Can Turn First-Party Data Into Responsible, Real-Time Action.

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As industries such as iGaming and financial services evolve, first-party data has become one of the most valuable assets brands hold. But activating that data effectively and responsibly is not always straightforward. Highly regulated sectors face an additional challenge: how to deliver relevant customer experiences while maintaining strict governance, compliance and customer protection.

To explore how organisations can navigate this balance,Nicola Webb, Client Partner for Sports and Gaming at AUDIENCES, spoke with Alex O’Shaughnessy, Partner at Good Place Partners and former CMO of William Hill,WorldRemit & ClearScore, about the opportunities and realities of data-driven marketing in regulated industries.

Nicola ‘The role of first-party data has grown significantly in recent years. From your experience, how has its importance evolved for marketing teams? Alex “We’ve seen a clear shift away from third-party targeting towards building and activating owned customer relationships, with first-party data giving us a much more accurate understanding of real customer behaviour rather than inferred signals. That shift has driven a stronger focus on customer value and lifecycle marketing over short-term acquisition, and, increasingly, data now sits at the core of not just marketing, but product and CRM decisions, acting as a central driver of both growth and overall customer experience.”

Nicola ‘Many organisations invest large sums of money in expensive tech stacks and CDP platforms that make their owned and operated channels tick. Why do you believe these platforms provide such a blocker to Marketing teams and the ability to use first party data in marketing decisions?’ Alex“Despite significant investment in tech stacks and CDPs, these platforms can often become a blocker because data remains fragmented across multiple systems and teams, making it difficult for marketing to access timely, actionable insights. Traditional approaches that rely on moving data between platforms add complexity and slow everything down, which is a real challenge in an environment where speed and operational simplicity are critical. On top of that, the cost of activating data across these systems can be high, limiting the ability for marketing teams to fully leverage first-party data in every day decision-making.”

Nicola ‘In sectors like gaming and financial services, responsible marketing and customer protection are critical. What role does data play in ensuring brands communicate appropriately with their audiences? Alex“Data plays a critical role in enabling responsible marketing, particularly in sectors like gaming and financial services, by using behavioural signals to understand when engagement is appropriate and when it’s not. It helps brands avoid over-messaging or potentially harmful targeting. More broadly, data enables more responsible and context-aware customer experiences, underpinned by strong compliance and governance frameworks that ensure marketing activity meets regulatory expectations and prioritises customer wellbeing. In sports betting & gaming, ensuring the timely suppression of customers who choose to self-exclude is essential for effective protection.”

Nicola ‘Speed is increasingly important in marketing. How important is the ability to activate customer intelligence in real time, particularly in industries driven by events and changing behaviour, such as sports? Alex “In industries like sports betting and gaming, where activity is driven by live events, the ability to activate customer intelligence in realtime is critical, as customer behaviour can shift rapidly, from opting in, placing particular bets or playing types of games, customer behaviours can occur within very short windows. This makes timely, relevant communication essential. Without the ability to act on data instantly, brands risk missing key moments to deliver value, drive engagement, or respond appropriately to changing customer needs.”

Nicola ‘Looking ahead, what do you think will define successful data-driven marketing strategies in regulated sectors over the next few years? Alex “Successful data-driven marketing strategies in regulated sectors will be defined by a stronger emphasis on first-party data and the ability to maintain clear control over how that data is used across the organisation. We’ll see much closer collaboration between marketing, compliance and data teams to ensure activity is both effective and aligned with regulatory expectations, alongside investment in infrastructure that enables secure, flexible data activation. Ultimately, the brands that succeed will be those that prioritise more responsible, transparent customer engagement, using data not just to drive performance, but to build trust.”

Nicola ‘In a world where big providers like Google are making changes to their permissions on using first party data; how would you advise high-performing marketing teams to take full advantage and ensure efficiencies? Alex “As platforms continue to evolve their permissions around first-party data, high-performing marketing teams need to focus on strengthening their own data foundations and reducing reliance on external ecosystems. That means investing in robust first-party data strategies, ensuring direct access to and control over customer data, and building infrastructure that enables seamless activation and experimentation across both owned and paid channels. With the significant opportunity to reduce inefficient media spend through better use of first-party data, alongside the cost efficiencies unlocked by solutions like Audiences, the case for prioritising this internally should be clear and compelling.

Nicola: At AUDIENCES we work with brands to help them activate first-party data directly within their own cloud environments, allowing them to maintain full control and governance while accelerating activation. From your perspective, how important is it that organisations retain control of their customer data infrastructure? Alex “Retaining control of customer data infrastructure is becoming increasingly important as trust and governance move to the forefront of data-driven marketing. By keeping data within their own environments, businesses can reduce unnecessary data movement, which not only improves efficiency but also minimises risk.Crucially, it allows marketing teams to access and activate data more effectively, while still operating within strong compliance frameworks, striking the right balance between agility and control.”

 To close..

As brands embrace a more privacy-focused and regulated marketing landscape, the ability to activate first-party data responsibly and efficiently is becoming a key competitive advantage. Conversations like this highlight an important shift across the industry: organisations are no longer just collecting data they are looking for ways to turn customer insight into meaningful, responsible action. For sectors such as gaming, fintech and sports, the organisations that succeed will be those that can connect insight, governance and activation in a way that builds long-term customer trust.

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