What if everything you thought you knew about being “data-driven” was wrong?
In this episode of Playbook Broken, Philip Armstrong, SVP and go-to-market head of insights and analytics at Truth in Data (and formerly of Nike) discusses about why most dashboards fail, how to overcome data paralysis and why AI might be breaking more playbooks than it’s fixing.
Philip unpacks how fear of better options (FOBO) shapes customer behavior, why no one truly “owns” the customer journey and how generative AI is changing the meaning of intelligence inside organizations. Together, we explore what it takes to rebuild a playbook that actually helps people buy.
This conversation dismantles the illusion of perfect data and exposes why “being data-driven” so often means pretending to be. Philip’s pragmatic approach — treating data as an informed opinion rather than a command — offers a smarter, more human path forward for marketing, analytics, and AI adoption.
Episode guide
00:00: Introduction: Meet Philip Armstrong — ex-Nike data leader redefining customer intelligence at Truth in Data.
02:00: Fear of Better Options (FOBO) — How decision paralysis sabotages conversions and why incentives must target emotional reassurance.
05:00: What’s Broken — Why throwing money at tech stacks doesn’t create adoption, and why dashboards rarely inspire action.
08:00: Ownership Crisis — Who really owns the customer journey (spoiler: no one), and how silos kill accountability.
12:00: AI’s Double-Edged Sword – Machine learning’s untapped potential vs. generative AI’s hallucinations, blind spots and the danger of “average” insights.
18:00: Personalization Limits — Why 1-to-1 marketing still fails, even for Netflix and Amazon.
24:00: Metrics That Lie — Open rates, attribution models and other vanity KPIs that marketers cling to.
27:30: New Rules — Why smaller qualitative insights often beat massive data sets and how to find meaning on the edges.
31:00: When Data Meets Creativity — Inside Nike: how Philip learned to frame data as a “seat at the table,” not the only truth.
36:00: Takeaways — Redefining data-driven decision-making for the AI era and connecting with Philip online.
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About the author
Marc Sirkin is a former CEO, CMO, and digital transformation leader known for driving growth, innovation, and exits at iconic brands including Microsoft, PwC, and Autism Speaks. As Founder of Marc Sirkin Consulting and host of the “Playbook Broken” podcast, he helps executives navigate existential change by integrating AI, aligning teams, and accelerating outcomes. He led the integration of Third Door Media into Semrush post-acquisition by preserving editorial independence while transforming virtual events and launching AI-powered products.
