This episode of Let's Talk Marketing explores the art and science of data-driven marketing. Host Katya Allison interviews Brook Shepard, founder of Mason Interactive, about the role data plays in modern marketing strategy and execution. Brook shares how he's stayed hands-on as a CEO, the challenges of balancing intuition with analytics, and why an overemphasis on efficiency can backfire. The conversation dives deep into the importance of understanding ROI in context, defining clear customer acquisition goals, and the “halo effect” of brand awareness. Brook also reflects on personal growth, mentorship, and the lessons he’d share with his younger self—offering a candid look at both the strategic and human sides of marketing.

Listeners will walk away with insights on:

• Data should inform, not dominate, long-term customer acquisition strategy.
• ROI-focused marketing often leads to over-serving existing customers.
• Successful brands define clear new customer acquisition goals monthly.
• Brook encourages running Meta ads despite higher CPL due to halo effects.
• CEOs and interns alike need to align on the meaning of key data metrics.
• Attribution models like last-touch are often misleading without context.
• Creative decisions benefit from intuition, but performance must be data-led.
• Mason Interactive balances scale with personalized client engagement.
• Smaller DTC brands often misuse “brand feeling” to block effective ads.
• Marketing without new customers leads to long-term decline.