Devora Rogers, Chief Strategy Officer at Alter Agents, recently sat down with Ryan Alford on the Right About Now podcast, the #1 marketing business show on Apple Podcasts. In this wide-ranging conversation, Devora shared her perspective on some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s marketers and offered sharp, research-backed insights on how to adapt.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the conversation:

1. Consumers are more promiscuous than ever

Today’s shoppers have unprecedented access to options and loyalty is increasingly hard to earn, let alone keep.

“The bad news for brands is that consumers have more options than ever before. We call it shopper promiscuity… If I had four amazing suitors outside my house every day, it’d be hard to stay loyal.”

This promiscuity is reflected in the data. Devora notes that brand loyalty stair-steps down significantly by generation, with just 17% of Gen Z expressing brand loyalty.

2. Most brand tracking is brand narcissism

Many marketers are still relying on brand tracking as their core research strategy, but Devora says it’s time to rethink that approach.

“It’s narcissistic. Imagine going out with a friend and all I talk about is myself: my hair, my sweater, my other friends. That’s how brands treat their research.”

Rather than asking people to reflect on their feelings toward the brand, Devora advocates for research that focuses on context, decision-making, and behavior—real-world inputs that drive real growth.

3. You can’t skip brand building – but don’t stop at awareness

Performance marketing may get quick wins, but it can’t replace long-term brand building. Still, Devora says the solution isn’t just swinging between extremes—it’s about building the middle.

“The center space is where we really see the opportunity for brands. Tell them about your products and what they do and why they’re better and why people should believe in you.”

She notes that shoppers are more informed than ever, and increasingly open to advertising; as long as it’s useful, transparent, and speaks to their actual needs.

4. Human research > synthetic respondents

While some in the industry are exploring AI and synthetic respondents to reduce costs, Devora is clear on the value of real human conversations.

“Nothing reveals opportunities and challenges in the way that talking to humans does. It just doesn’t.”

Even for small businesses, she encourages founders and marketers to go into the field and ask questions directly—where did the shopper come from, what influenced them, and what made the difference?

5. Attention is emotional – not just visual

Brands looking to understand media performance should look beyond eye tracking or viewability metrics. At Alter Agents, we often turn to agile neuroscience to help our clients understand emotional engagement.

“You can be attending something without looking at it. Or looking at something and not attending it at all. What we want to look at is how emotionally engaged folks are.”

By tracking indicators like heart rate variability, researchers can see what moments resonate—and which ones don’t move the needle.

6. The funnel isn’t dead – but it’s not linear either

Devora doesn’t discount the need to guide people from awareness to consideration to purchase. But she challenges the idea that consumers move through that path in any predictable order.

“Our research shows that less than 5%, and actually less than 1%, ever do things in the same order in the same way. There’s just too many things, too many variables.”

Instead, she likens modern decision-making to a room full of balloons, each rising and falling in influence depending on the person, moment, and context.

Whether she’s explaining the flaws in traditional research or encouraging marketers to embrace nuance, Devora’s conversation with Ryan Alford is a masterclass in cutting through complexity. Brands don’t need more noise—they need clarity, focus, and the willingness to ask the right questions.

You can listen to the full Right About Now episode: https://www.ryanisright.com/navigating-shopper-promiscuity-challenges-in-todays-market-with-devora-rogers/