How to Scale Digital Experiences for Long-Term Growth
- Article
- 5 MIN READ
- Oct 24, 2025
-
Apply DigitalStaff
Summary
As digital channels mature, growth no longer comes from scale alone — it comes from relevance. In How to Scale Digital Experiences for Long-Term Growth, Gabriel Dillon, Personalization Lead at Contentful, and Scott Michaels, Chief Technology Officer at Apply Digital, explored how personalization, experimentation, and AI are redefining how brands deliver connected, high-impact digital experiences.
Dillon made the case that personalization has become the most powerful lever for business value. When top-funnel traffic tightens, every visit must work harder — and every moment of engagement must deliver measurable impact. Personalization transforms passive interactions into purposeful ones, helping users meet their goals faster while deepening brand affinity.
He emphasized that success doesn’t start with sweeping transformation. It begins with small, visible, measurable efforts that prove value and build organizational momentum. When personalization is paired with continuous testing, it forms a feedback loop — one where every iteration reveals what truly resonates.
AI as a Creative Multiplier
If personalization defines direction, AI delivers velocity. Michaels shared how brands are scaling content creation responsibly, using automation to accelerate creativity rather than replace it.
For Kraft Heinz, Apply Digital developed TasteMaker, an AI-powered content platform that reimagines how ideas become campaigns. What once took eight weeks — creating a new product brief — now takes just eight hours. AI-generated, brand-accurate imagery has replaced costly photo shoots, saving the company millions while maintaining full compliance with brand and cultural standards.
But automation wasn’t the only breakthrough. TasteMaker hides AI’s complexity behind a simple, CMS-like interface, empowering non-technical creators to experiment confidently. Human oversight remains integral, ensuring every image and asset meets the brand’s quality bar. As Michaels put it, “You don’t get in trouble for using AI if you hit the quality bar. You do if you miss it.”
By freeing creative teams from technical friction, Kraft Heinz could scale personalization across 100+ brands and deliver tailored, one-to-one content experiences — all while maintaining creative integrity and speed.
Composability and control
Scaling personalization sustainably requires an architecture that can adapt in real time. Dillon described how Contentful’s API-first, composable framework empowers teams to build, personalize, and optimize experiences without leaving the platform.
Activating real-time data from customer data platforms and other sources enables brands to dynamically tailor experiences to user context, creating relevance at scale. Composability allows these systems to remain flexible, integrating seamlessly with diverse front-end frameworks and tech stacks.
The shift is as strategic as it is technical. It’s no longer about how quickly brands can publish content, but how effectively they can measure its value. When personalization performance is tied directly to revenue, satisfaction, and retention metrics, it transforms marketing from an expense into an engine of growth.
Operational rigor builds trust
The power of personalization and AI means little without operational discipline. Michaels explained how Apply Digital, Contentful, and their clients work in close partnership to automate the manual, from approvals and publishing workflows to compliance and rights management.
By involving legal and compliance teams early, organizations prevent late-stage friction and ensure transparency in how AI-generated content is used and governed. Building this trust doesn’t slow innovation; it accelerates it. When teams are confident their systems protect both brand and audience, experimentation becomes safer, faster, and more ambitious.
Scaling personalization the right way
For digital leaders, the takeaway is clear: personalization at scale is not a project — it’s a capability. AI and composable architecture make it possible, but culture, governance, and measurement make it sustainable.
Start with moments that matter. Prove value quickly. Measure relentlessly. And keep people — creators, customers, and stakeholders — at the center of the experience.
The brands that combine speed with sensitivity — scaling responsibly, measuring continuously, and designing intentionally — will define the next era of digital growth.
For a closer look at this approach in action, explore how Kraft Heinz’s Tastemaker redefined personalization and content creation with Apply Digital: Kraft Heinz Tastemaker.
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