As the digital transformation speeds up, marketing technologies (MarTech) are evolving at an unprecedented pace.

To stay competitive, companies are adopting new technologies in order to redefine their commitment to the customer and to their data strategies. According to a study of marketing directors, the proportion of MarTech expenditures within marketing budgets should increase from 19% to 32% within 5 years.¹

Among our clients and within the marketplace in general, our team of consultants has identified four key elements that let you maximize the effectiveness of your marketing initiatives: composable architecture, privacy, omnichannel orchestration, and generative artificial intelligence (gen AI).

1. The rise of composable MarTech infrastructure

Traditional monolithic MarTech platforms are finally making way for composable, API-driven architectures that offer greater agility and customization. Instead of being stuck with a rigid, all-in-one solution that is often expensive and hard to set up, more and more companies are opting for modular tools that can be added, removed, or replaced without disturbing the rest of their ecosystem.

A few examples:

1. Census and Hightouch: tools adopting a reverse ETL approach that enables the activation of customer data directly from a data warehouse.
2. Braze: a marketing automation platform that enables in-app messages and push notifications, among other things, and easily integrates into an existing CRM and/or CDP. 
3. Algolia: a composable search engine that provides search and recommendation features by API, thereby adding value to a transactional site.
4. Mulesoft: an API integration and orchestration system to connect different applications to each other—ideal for a composable architecture.

2. The integration of generative AI into MarTech

Generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) is transforming marketing operations, from the automation of content creation to ultra-personalized customer interactions. The various tools and platforms on the market increasingly integrate AI features such as MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, Salesforce Einstein, and AI agents.

The latter also represent an advancement in smart marketing automation. As opposed to simple chatbots or programmed voice assistants with set rules, AI agents are able to make decisions, adapt to contexts, and interact proactively with customers and internal systems. Thanks to progress made with LLMs (large language models) and multi-agent architectures, they can orchestrate complex tasks using a number of MarTech tools.

Learn more about AI agents in our article on the subject.

A few examples:

1. OneReach.ai: conversational automation by intelligent agents that are able to connect to an entire MarTech ecosystem, aggregate customer data in real time, and make informed decisions.
2. HumansAI and Cognosys: customizable, multichannel, autonomous agents who can interact with customers on several channels, understand their intentions using natural language, and execute actions.
3. AgentForce (Salesforce): automation of sales and customer service management by orchestrating complex workflows using Salesforce tools to generate faster, more personalized responses.
4. SAP Agents: optimization of loyalty and customer management through the automation of key processes (offers or rewards) for retail and other sectors through a more advanced integration with SAP systems.

3. Privacy-focused marketing 

With the gradual disappearance of third-party cookies and increased regulations on data protection (such as the GDPR and Law 25), marketing experts need to rethink their methods of collecting and using data. The future lies in proprietary data—zero-party and first-party—collected in a transparent manner with the explicit consent of users.

Establishing a rigorous content process has become not just a legal requirement, but also a strategic opportunity: It enables the creation of a sustainable, trust-based relationship with customers and hyper-personalized experiences that don’t compromise privacy, in addition to the ability to make strategic decisions based on facts.

4. Omnichannel approach and customer experience in real time

Whether B2C or B2B, customers today expect seamless experiences that are personalized and synchronized across all their points of contact. To fulfill this expectation, it’s essential to break down technological silos and implement a tight integration of a variety of MarTech platforms (CDP, CRM, marketing automation, customer service, e-commerce, etc.).

Poorly connected tools—such as a CRM disconnected from an automation platform, or a Google Studio dashboard isolated by channel—harm the overall visibility of the customer journey and lead to redundant, incoherent, or contradictory communications. On the other hand, a unified technological ecosystem enables the orchestration of relevant, coherent interactions, irrespective of channel, whether via the web, mobile, social network, or physical point of sale. Companies that invest in a truly omnichannel strategy strengthen not just customer experience, but also their competitive advantage.

Let your MarTech strategy give you a head start

Business leaders who embrace these MarTech trends will gain a competitive advantage in a world that is becoming increasingly digital. By adopting composable architectures, AI automation, privacy-focused strategies, and omnichannel orchestration, companies can create seamless, impactful marketing experiences that generate growth and engagement.

Want to learn more? Get in touch to discover how your organization can get ahead of the pack!

Reference

¹The CMO Survey (Deloitte, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and American Marketing Association), Highlights and Insights Report Fall 2024, 2024