Marketing teams are eager to scale. More channels, more markets, more automation. But jumping into expansion without a solid data foundation? That’s like building a skyscraper on quicksand.
In this episode of The Undiscovered Metric, Ira Prevalova (Growth Marketing Director, Adverity) and David von Hilchen (Sales Director DACH & France, StackAdapt) dive into what it really takes to scale marketing effectively—and why aligning data, KPIs, and automation is non-negotiable. Read on for key insights, or watch the full episode below.
Scaling isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing it right. Expanding into new channels, markets, or automating processes only works when you have trust in your data. Otherwise, you’re just accelerating inefficiencies. Before marketers can scale successfully, they need a solid data foundation that ensures consistency, accuracy, and integration across all efforts.
David explains, “It all begins with the basis of data. And this database needs to have a certain quality. The better the seed quality of the data—the cleaner it is, with no duplications—the better the outcome when making use of that data."
So, what’s preventing marketers from achieving high-quality data? One of the biggest challenges is integrating data from multiple sources.
Marketers rely on multiple platforms. Email marketing tools, CRM systems, and advertising channels - all of these hold valuable pieces of the puzzle—but these data sources often remain disconnected. “If I have an email marketing platform that stores part of my data and my sales team has a CRM where data is stored, in an ideal world, I can bring that data together in one platform,” says David.
When data is fragmented, its full potential goes untapped. “To make use of that data, it needs to be collected in one spot that allows AI and machine learning to analyze it, make sense of it, and identify patterns to draw the right conclusions,” he adds.
Expanding into new markets isn’t just a matter of translating ad copy or increasing budget - it requires a deep understanding of how different regions engage with brands. What works in one country won’t necessarily resonate in another. David emphasizes, "What I think needs to be true for success when scaling in different markets is having a strong market understanding. Different markets have different cultural aspects, different nuances."
Ignoring local preferences, communication styles, or even small cultural differences can quickly turn a well-intended campaign into a flop. Marketers need to research local behaviors before rolling out expansion strategies.
AI is transforming marketing, but it’s not a shortcut to success—it’s an efficiency booster once a strong data foundation is in place. David explains, "Today, as an individual with the help of AI, I can probably do the work in the same time as two to three people could a couple of years ago. Probably in a couple of years, I may be able to do the work of five to ten people."
AI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s also enabling personalization at scale. Marketers can now dynamically adjust messaging based on audience segments in real-time. For the first time, marketers can personalize ads at scale. AI can help us build and draft the creative messaging and the creative itself.
According to David, one of the biggest mistakes marketers make is misaligning marketing objectives with KPIs. David explains, "The biggest issue we usually see with advertisers is when there's misalignment between the marketing goals and the KPI… When there's misalignment between KPIs and the marketing objective is not clear, this has a negative effect on, for example, deciding which channels I should choose in the first place."
Too often, marketers select KPIs that don’t actually reflect business goals, leading to ineffective channel selection and messaging. If your metrics don’t align with your objectives, you’re essentially flying blind.
Another common pitfall? Inconsistent messaging across channels.
"What we also see on a regular basis is inconsistent messaging across different channels. Let's say I want to market a specific product, and there is one specific aspect of the product I want to market. Then this messaging for that attribute obviously needs to be consistent across all channels so that it really lands," says David.
David emphasizes that the key to ensuring marketers and data teams are aligned is simple: communication.
"I think you can break that down to communication in the end, right? If the communication is there between the creative team and the data team, this is the first step to creating an understanding on both sides of what's important to them," says David.
Collaboration tools, feedback loops, and shared KPIs help bridge the gap, ensuring that marketing strategies are both creative and data-driven.
While marketers often obsess over ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), David argues they shouldn’t do so at the cost of overlooking incrementality - a metric that measures whether ad spend is actually driving new conversions, not just capturing existing demand.
"One metric I encounter more and more in the past - which is overlooked because it's hard to measure - is incrementality… So, if I spend a certain amount of money, how many conversions do I get that would not have happened without that spend,” he says.
With cookie-based tracking fading, incrementality is becoming more important than ever for understanding true campaign impact. Marketers who fail to measure it risk misallocating spend, optimizing for the wrong outcomes, or overvaluing channels that don’t actually drive growth. By shifting focus to incrementality, brands can make smarter investment decisions and scale with confidence.
Scaling marketing isn’t just about pushing more campaigns into more places. It’s about getting the fundamentals right first:
✔ Build a strong data foundation before automating.
✔ Ensure consistent messaging across all channels.
✔ Localize campaigns when scaling geographically.
✔ Use AI to enhance efficiency and scale personalization.
✔ Align KPIs with marketing objectives.
✔ Focus on meaningful metrics like incrementality.
Want to hear more? Listen to more episodes of The Undiscovered Metric wherever you get your podcasts, or watch season two of The Undiscovered Metric on youtube here.