In this episode of Hello $Firstname, I’m joined by Nikolaj Skarbye from Scratcher.io for a deep dive into what might be the most overlooked shortcut to personalization: asking people directly - while making it fun.

At the heart of our conversation is zero-party data: the kind of willingly shared data that can include preferences, intentions, interests - even motivations. And instead of waiting for transactional behaviour to build up, gamification offers a way to collect this data early in the journey, at scale, and in ways that engage rather than interrupt.

The twist? If done well, gamification doesn’t just capture data - it builds emotional connection with the brand while it’s at it.

• Beyond Spin-the-Wheel: From preference quizzes to product advisors and loyalty re-engagements, the real power of gamification lies in how it's designed, branded, and contextualized - not just the mechanics.
• Short-cut to Smart Segmentation: You don’t have to wait for purchase data to personalize. Interactive experiences can surface intent and profile data long before a sale.
• Data That Feeds the CX Layers: Zero-party data connects the Content Layer, Data Layer, and Personalization Layer - bridging marketing, CRM, and even call centre scripting.
• Creative Use Cases: From Penguin knowledge tests for NGOs to Whopper giveaways at Burger King, and B2B IT assessments - Nikolaj shares cases that go well beyond e-commerce.
• The Incentive Myth: Big prizes don’t always mean better participation. Smaller, brand-relevant rewards often lead to higher redemption rates and better lead quality.
• From Collecting to Activating: We explore how zero-party data gets mapped, enriched, and activated across CDPs, ESPs, web personalization, and even in-store experiences.

📺 Watch the full video 🎮 Check out Scratcher

This episode is part of Season 2 of Hello $Firstname, based on the book Hello $Firstname – Profiting from Personalization and the Content Crisis Manifesto.

📘 Buy the book 📄 Get the abstract 🎧 Listen to the audiobook 🖼️ Download the models & illustrations 🎤 Book Rasmus for a keynote or workshop

What happens when the Content Crisis meets AI creativity?

In this episode of the Hello $Firstname podcast, I sat down with Villads Leth, CEO and Founder at Alvas.ai, to explore what fully individualised, AI-written email content looks like in practice. And why it’s forcing marketers to rethink what content is, how it’s created, and what it means to personalise at scale.

🎯 Here’s what makes this conversation so relevant:

Villads and his team are enabling brands to go far beyond segmentation. They’re generating email content that’s 100% unique—based not just on the products in a customer’s basket, but also their behavioural history, preferences, and context. It’s 1:1 communication, built in real time by AI.

But this isn’t just a story about scale.

It’s a story about what happens when content creation becomes decisioning—and when marketing teams have to shift from writing to prompting, from planning to QA.

• The Two Modes of Content Production:
  • Hyper-individualised 1:1 emails for triggered flows
  • Efficiently produced, semi-personalised content for broader segments and campaigns
• Prompting ≠ Briefing: Why marketers need to learn to talk to machines—and teach them to speak brand.
• Content QA at Scale: What internal processes are needed to safely roll out GenAI-driven content.
• When Not to Personalise (or at least individualise): Yes, really. Villads makes a strong case for restraint when intent is fuzzy.
• The New Content Pipeline: How GenAI transforms not just what content gets made—but how, when, and by whom.

Villads also reflects on how fast things are moving: 🧠 The cost of content creation with AI has dropped by a factor of 200. ⚠️ But trust is fragile—one bad AI-generated message, and the damage is done. 💡 That’s why they’re big on guardrails, education, and starting small.

📺 Watch the full video here 📥 Download the CX Layers & Content Crisis Manifesto

• The book 'Hello $Firstname – Profiting from Personalization'
• The Content Crisis Manifesto

📘 Buy the book 📄 Download the abstract 🎧 Get the audiobook (free) 🖼️ Download all illustrations & models 🎤 Book me for a talk or workshop