What separates top performers from everyone else is always an interesting question to ask, although it’s often not clear whether the answers reflect causes or effects.  This CMO Council report finds marketers making the best use of data have more adaptable systems, make more use of AI, and can access more data more quickly.  Just over one-third of all respondents (38%) have high confidence in their data systems.

One causal relationship that’s pretty clear is better customer experience leads to better financial performance – at least where monopolies are not involved.  This report from Qualtrics’ XM Institute proves the point yet again, showing that companies with a high CX rating at the start of the pandemic substantially outperformed their peers during 2020.  The authors argue that companies with better CX were more agile, which let them adapt more effectively to pandemic challenges.

Procrastinators of the world can throw a party whenever they get around to it: Google has once more pushed back complete third-party cookie deprecation.  The new target is “early next year.” Reasons for the delay include concerns expressed by U.K. data regulator Information Commissioner’s Office, an ongoing inquiry by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and widespread discontent in the advertising ecosystem.