Segmentation Isn’t Dead (It’s Just Gotten Really Lazy) + Industry News and Insights
Field Tips is a biweekly email series bringing you the latest marketing trends and topics directly to your inbox. Covering everything from digital marketing and social media to content strategy and more, we curate the industry’s top stories and present them as easily digestible insights. The content contained within this post comes directly from our October 22, 2025 issue. If you’d like to receive Field Tips, subscribe to our email or on LinkedIn.
Marketers love to chase the next big, shiny thing (looking at you, AI). But while we’ve been busy focusing tools, we’ve quietly ignored one of our most powerful strategies: segmentation.
Segmentation hasn’t lost its impact. We’ve just lost our discipline.
Real segmentation goes beyond surface-level filters like job title or industry. Real segmentation is about delivering building connections by aligning what we say with what our audience actually cares about.
Here are a few ways to bring your segmentation strategy back to life:
- Revisit your data. Go beyond basic demographics. Look at behavior—what people click, what they ignore, how often they engage.
- Build micro-audiences. Instead of broad lists, create small, intent-based segments. For example: “People who watched our demo but didn’t convert.”
- Speak to where they are in the journey. Someone learning about your brand for the first time shouldn’t get the same message as a long-time user.
Is there a segment you’ve been ignoring that’s ready for a comeback? We’d love to hear about it.
Google’s Privacy Playbook Just Changed
WHAT’S HAPPENING. Google has confirmed that it is phasing out its privacy‑initiative Privacy Sandbox for the Google Chrome browser, effectively shelving a six‑year project to replace third‑party cookies with less invasive tracking methods. Instead of eliminating tracking cookies, Google is now admitting that tracking persists and that the “balance” between user privacy, advertising needs and regulation was not found.
WHY IT MATTERS. For marketers, this shift is significant because it means the ad‑ecosystem and browser tracking rules we were anticipating are changing (or not changing) in major ways. If Google keeps third‑party cookies in place longer than expected — or without a solid alternative — it influences how we measure campaigns, how we target audiences, and how we comply with privacy rules. The timing and transparency of this change will affect media planning, attribution models, and the trust brands build with consumers.
Say Goodbye to Clear SEO Rankings
WHAT’S HAPPENING. SEO reporting is becoming less transparent as search engines like Google remove access to certain data, such as full search result pages and long-tail keyword visibility. With new AI-driven features and evolving ranking systems, marketers can no longer rely on traditional SEO tools to track rankings and performance accurately.
WHY IT MATTERS. Marketers can’t count on precise keyword tracking and traffic data the way they used to. That means reporting must shift toward broader visibility metrics, like brand presence, authority and mentions across platforms. To stay relevant, marketers need to rethink how they measure success and communicate value in a world where clear data is harder to come by.
Research Finds Half the Internet’s New Articles Are AI‑Generated
WHAT’S HAPPENING. New research from Graphite shows that as of May 2025, around 52 percent of new English‑language articles were likely generated (at least 50 % of content) by large‑language models or AI tools. The analysis sampled 65,000 articles from January 2020 to May 2025 and found a rapid increase in AI‑written content starting in late 2022, but now the growth appears to be plateauing. It also notes caveats: pay‑walled sites (often more likely human‑written) may be under‑represented, and AI‑detector tools used have known accuracy issues.
WHY IT MATTERS. For marketers, this is a significant shift in the content ecosystem. If over half of new articles are AI‑generated, it affects how audiences perceive authenticity, how search engines evaluate content quality, and how brands must compete for attention. It also raises questions about content saturation, differentiation, and whether “human‑written” will become a meaningful signal. Marketers may need to rethink content strategy, invest more in unique human insight or voice, and be aware that AI‑generated content might flood their niche or complicate SEO.
More To Explore
Wikipedia Traffic Down As AI Answers Rise
Traffic to Wikimedia Foundation’s Wikipedia is down around 8% year‑over‑year as the foundation attributes the drop to better bot filtering and users getting information via AI‑powered search and social platforms. Discover how this shift affects content strategy and what it means for marketers — read more on Search Engine Journal.
How ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout Could Reshape the Retail Environment
ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout is cutting steps from the buyer journey—turning search, discovery, and purchase into a single conversation—which could shift how and where customers choose to shop. Get the scoop on what this means for your funnel on eMarketer.
X Is Launching a Marketplace for Inactive Handles
X (formerly Twitter) is launching a new “Handles Marketplace” that allows Premium users to bid on or purchase inactive usernames—turning digital identity into a potential asset that marketers should keep on their radar. See how your brand can stake its claim before someone else does; read more on The Verge.
ChatGPT Performs a Search in 31% of Prompts, New Data Reveals
ChatGPT now triggers a web search in 31% of prompts, using longer, more specific queries—meaning it’s becoming a key touchpoint in the buyer journey before users ever hit Google. Learn how this shift is changing SEO strategy on Search Engine Land.
Is AI Effective for Editing Blog Content?
AI editing is catching up—24% of marketers say it’s just as effective as using multiple human editors for blog content, making it a legit option for scaling quality. See what the data says about AI’s role in content workflows on MarketingProfs.
About the Author
A prominent marketing strategist and nationally recognized thought leader, Grant A. Johnson is president and CEO of Responsory. He is a sought-after public speaker, direct marketing trainer, copywriter, award-winning author and the creator of Direct Branding℠, Responsory’s method for producing sure-fire measurable results.
