Why CMOs Are Betting on Dark Social

Episode notes

In Episode 39 of The CMO Podcast, Lucas and Luna unpack the growing trend of dark social - the untraceable sharing of links via messaging apps, email, and private communities. They explore why brands like Glossier and Airbnb have leaned into dark social strategies for years, and why 2026 is seeing a surge in CMOs allocating budget to track and influence these invisible channels. The hosts discuss a Gartner study showing that 84% of outbound sharing now happens via dark social, and how companies like Pinterest are building tools to reclaim attribution. Lucas argues that dark social represents the last frontier of genuine word-of-mouth marketing, while Luna questions whether brands can influence private conversations without breaking trust. The episode closes with a practical framework for measuring dark social without surveillance. #DarkSocial #MarketingStrategy #CMO #Attribution #WordOfMouth #Glossier #Airbnb #Pinterest #Gartner #PrivateSharing #MessagingApps #WhatsApp #Signal #MarketingROI #UntraceableTraffic #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheCMOPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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