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Data has always been the fuel of marketing, but the mix is shifting fast. In this episode of Hard Refresh, host Andrés López-Varela is joined by Andrew Douglas (Hunt Brew), Heather Lansdowne (Australian Bureau of Statistics), and Rene LeMerle (Bonfire) to explore how the role of data is evolving.
From the collapse of Google’s cookie plan to the rise of first-party data, the panel digs into how brands can tell stories through numbers, when gut instinct still trumps dashboards, and whether AI is making it harder (or easier) to know who our audiences really are.
From the collapse of Google’s cookie plan to the rise of first-party data, the panel digs into how brands can tell stories through numbers, when gut instinct still trumps dashboards, and whether AI is making it harder (or easier) to know who our audiences really are.
In this episode:
- Metrics overload VS meaningful insight
Marketers are drowning in dashboards, but often can’t tell what matters. The group argues that clarity comes from asking the right questions, not obsessing over every vanity metric. - Data as storytelling fuel
Heather shares how the Australian Bureau of Statistics turns dry statistics into engaging content, from context-rich graphs to pop-culture tie-ins. Numbers alone bore people, but data in narrative form can spark curiosity and trust. - Gut instinct isn’t dead
Both Rene and Andrew stress that even in a hyper-measurable world, not every impact shows up in the numbers. Billboards, brand awareness, and creativity often work on timescales data can’t capture. - First-party data is back in fashion
With cookies fading, brands are rediscovering the goldmine of their own customer bases. The panel warns that mining this resource well means investing in consent, context, and meaningful use. - The 2045 thought experiment
If AI avatars flood the internet, how can marketers trust their audience data? The panel considers a future where “real” consumers and synthetic personas blur, raising existential questions about responsibility and ethics.
This episode was recorded on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, live at State of Social '25.
Creators and Guests
Host
Guest
Heather Lansdowne
Heather Lansdowne is the Social Media Manager at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), where she has revolutionised the way government does social media. Her team generates 1 million impressions per week, using humour, memes, and engaging content to connect with the public and make data more accessible. She has featured on ABC News Breakfast, Sydney Morning Herald, the Mandarin and Money Matters, among others. Under her leadership, the ABS has won numerous awards, including the IPAA ACT Spirit of Service Award for community engagement, and the APS data award for data storytelling.
What is Hard Refresh?
Discover what’s in store for us in the next 25 years of digital marketing and how the first 25 years of this century shaped our industry (and the world), in Hard Refresh.
This limited 10-episode series from Australia’s best marketing conference, State of Social, looks ahead at what trends, technologies, cultural shifts, and maybe even controversies, will define digital marketing over the next 25 years. Andrés López-Varela (a.k.a. ALV), one of Australia's most experienced marketing educators, is joined by a cast of industry leaders picked from the ranks of this year's State of Social speakers to unearth what's next for digital marketing.
Join them as they press F5 to discover a refreshed perspective on everything from the next evolution in social media to the role of marketing in culture, from the future of digital audio to the changing role of online video, from the era-defining impacts of AI and automation to the brave new world for marketing agencies, and much more.
Hard Refresh is recorded and produced on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people, the Awabakal people and the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.