Zero Data in the Age of AI Search: Why Lead Generation Is the Only Way Forward for Sports Brands

Marketing as we know it is undergoing a radical transformation. In an AI-dominated world where Google answers everything instantly and data privacy rules tighten, the old ways of collecting leads and nurturing customers are falling apart. Traffic is evaporating. Cookies are crumbling. And the pipelines that once seemed automatic? They’re running dry.

Welcome to the Zero Data era.

As brands face disappearing third-party data and a steep drop in website visits due to AI-generated “zero-click” search results, one thing is clear: the only way to build a reliable marketing strategy now is by earning every interaction. Zero data doesn’t mean no data – it means starting from scratch, offering experiences so valuable that users want to share their information.

A recent Bain & Company study found that roughly 80% of consumers regularly use AI search summaries, leading to a 15–25% decline in website traffic. Worse, 60% of searches now end without a single click to any brand website. If your business relies on blog visits or digital ads to capture leads, you’re already losing ground.

Meanwhile, third-party cookies are vanishing. This isn’t just a technical update. It’s a reset. Retargeting is fading, and buying data from brokers is becoming obsolete. What you have left is what you can earn yourself: first-party and zero-party data. That means your CRM – and the quality of what you put into it – becomes your biggest competitive advantage.

In this environment, lead generation is no longer just a tactic. It is the foundation. And in the endurance sports world, iRewind is proving how powerful that foundation can be.

iRewind’s solution transforms every race finish into a moment of emotion, celebration – and most importantly, connection. By delivering personalized finisher videos, they create a natural, joyful opportunity for athletes to engage. These moments generate direct, opt-in data at scale.

Think about that: in a world where most people won’t even click a link, thousands are not only watching and sharing their iRewind videos – they’re giving their contact information to do so. They’re joining communities. They’re becoming leads.

This isn’t just clever marketing. It’s a new model. And it works.

So if you’re wondering how to thrive in a zero data world, the answer is simple: create something people want to engage with. The rest will follow.

And iRewind? They’re already several strides ahead.