FEATURED: AUDIENCES In Conservation with ExchangeWire - Hugh Stevens

We're pleased to share a new interview with ExchangeWire featuring AUDIENCES' MD EMEA, Hugh Stevens.

First-party data has sat at the centre of marketing conversations for years, but the industry is now hitting a critical turning point. With cloud infrastructure becoming the default home for customer data, brands are starting to rethink not just what they activate, but where that activation actually happens. The result? A shift away from the old world of data movement, duplication and disconnected tools  and a move toward cloud-native activation that is cleaner, faster and dramatically more effective.

It’s a shift we see every day in our work with clients, and it’s accelerating. But while the signs are clear, the path forward isn’t always obvious. What does “cloud-native activation” really mean in practice? Why are so many brands exploring it now? And what changes when you move from siloed tools to activating data directly inside your cloud environment?

These are exactly the questions Hugh dives into in his latest Q&A with ExchangeWire. In a candid and forward-looking conversation, Hugh unpacks the forces driving this change, the practical benefits for teams working across marketing, media and technology, and why brands don’t need perfect datasets or heavy rebuilds to start unlocking impact.

If you’re exploring what the next chapter of first-party data activation looks like or wondering how to cut through the noise and actually make progress, this interview is a must-read.

Read the full interview here on ExchangeWire.