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mbcc: halfway point

6 months in, 6 months out

Author

Melanie Kinney
June 13, 2025

retention in 2025: EML, SMS, and AI

We’re halfway(ish) through 2025, so I took a minute to look back—and think ahead. Here’s the short version:

  • Retention is harder this year.

  • Email metrics are shifting (again).

  • The real impact happens after the inbox.

  • AI is speeding things up and changing the game.

  • And, I’m still learning.

⧫ what I’m reading

Mapping Great Lifecycle Marketing Journeys

MARKETING • Verbose Marketing

These brand audits show how powerful a well-connected, consistent customer journey can be—across CX, brand, and growth.  Read → 

Think Twice Before You Click ‘Unsubscribe’

EMAIL • Wall Street Journal

It's not everyday email makes the news so when I saw this, I had to read it. 1 in 644 links go to shady sites. That’s worth being aware of. But let’s not throw the whole unsubscribe process under the bus. Read →  

⧫ in case you missed it

RGE + mbcc: ESP Migration 101

ESP migrations are messy but they’re also full of opportunity if you handle them right. I teamed up with RGE to break down the strategy behind a successful move: how to prep, what to watch for, and how to turn it into a retention win.

culture fit vs culture add

“Culture fit,” at best, is about shared values and alignment. At worst, it becomes an unconscious checklist of “people who are like us”—same backgrounds, same perspectives, same way of working. Enter: Culture Add.

⧫ what’s been on my mind

Change is the only constant.

I’m a planner—Type A, through and through. I like when things have a clear path, and I’ve been known to get anxious or frustrated when there are sudden shifts or last-minute changes.

But with time, I’ve learned to meet change with a little more ease. I still get frustrated, and I still want to understand the why. But I’ve also found a steady calm in it.

Priorities shift. Needs evolve.
Sometimes, that’s all there is to it.

plants from my trip to Tampa