“Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.” – Groucho Marx

Time is of the essence. For many people, instant gratification takes too long. You win when you give customers a meaningful win faster than the competition. The metric for that, Time to First Value, is essential, and most companies don’t know it exists. Annette Franz explains what it is and, just as importantly, how to find it. 

On a much less important note, Sergey Brin says threatening AI gets better results. AI, which learns quickly, is now threatening to blackmail anyone trying to turn it off. Details here.

Constantine von Hoffman
Managing Editor

Customer experience

Time to First Value: The CX metric you can’t afford to ignore

Time to First Value is the critical but often overlooked moment that defines whether customers will keep going or give up. slip away.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

How to effectively measure ecommerce using GA4

Google Analytics 4's event-based model can provide the metrics and track the customer behavior that will drive revenue.

Email marketing

Bulk email restrictions from Google, Yahoo and Microsoft: What you need to know

We've updated our story on bulk email restrictions with Google's guidelines for email display names.

Email marketing

36X ROI: Why email still outperforms every other channel

Despite the hype around new channels, email continues to outperform—with an average return of $36 for every $1 spent. This white paper from AtData explores why email remains vital for B2C marketers and how clean, connected data powers smarter campaigns.

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

The latest AI-powered martech news and releases

Sergey Brin says threatening AI gets the best results. AI is fighting back with threats of blackmail. So, maybe stick with "please" and "thank you."

Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)

7 tips for getting started with AI agents and automations

AI-powered automation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are actionable tips to start small and scale thoughtfully.

MarTech webinar

Drive smarter marketing—with data that leads

Learn how to prove marketing value even in uncertain conditions and why data standards are key to ROI visibility and resource optimization.

Marketing technology

Why ‘head of marketing’ is the most misunderstood title in startups

Startups love to give flashy titles to hungry marketers — without mentorship, power or a seat at the table. This costs everyone.

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MarTech research

• NEW! Get the 2025 State of Your Stack Survey report by downloading the PDF, flipping through a carousel, listening to a discussion of the results or watching the keynote session from the Spring 2025 MarTech Conference — all without registration.

MarTech Intelligence Reports are in-depth, independent and indispensable. They’re designed to help marketers navigate the martech landscape with questions to ask during the buying process, vendor profiles and more.

Download your Intelligence Report today:

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What they're saying

• “In an era of instant gratification and eroding patience, your product or service isn’t judged by what it can do, but by how fast it delivers something meaningful. Customers don’t just buy products, services or subscriptions – they buy solutions to problems; they buy outcomes.” – Annette Franz in Time to First Value: The CX metric you can’t afford to ignore.

• “GA4 is more than an upgrade. It’s a decision-making engine. Turning data into insight and insight into action connects marketing activity to revenue and long-term value.” – Dan Taylor in How to effectively measure ecommerce using GA4.

From Search Engine Land