MarTech Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Singapore – Martech agency EternityX has formed a partnership with DJM Consulting founded by Deric Wong under a shared vision of actionable strategies that integrate innovation and cultural intelligence. With this, Wong joins the agency as its chief business officer.

It has also named Jean Kniss Loh as chief marketing officer, and Max Lee as global partner for China media integration as part of new senior hires for EternityX. This move aims to drive its rapid global expansion across APAC, Europe, and the Middle East.

The collaboration reflects DJM Consulting’s philosophy, “Don’t Judge Me”, and EternityX’s focus on connecting East and West through advanced marketing solutions tailored to complex markets.

As chief business officer, Wong will oversee business strategy, partnerships, and performance, aligning corporate objectives with a sustainable growth approach. With decades of experience, including leading Dentsu China and Omnicom Media Group Hong Kong, he is recognised for his innovative strategies and operational excellence.

Meanwhile, Jean brings over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, crafting narratives for global companies in her roles with FTI Consulting, Burson-Marsteller, FleishmanHillard, Ogilvy and KPMG. As CMO, she will spearhead EternityX’s global branding and thought leadership efforts, ensuring the company’s continued relevance in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Lastly, Max brings over 15 years of extensive experience in global advertising and media agencies including Carat, Mindshare, MediaCom, and PHD. Max bridges global ambitions with China’s intricate media landscape, creating culturally relevant campaigns that resonate with local audiences. His expertise enhances EternityX’s ability to stand out in competitive markets, delivering tailored solutions that drive meaningful impact.

Speaking about the partnership, Wong said, “This partnership aligns with the evolving global landscape, where business empowerment begins with unlocking new growth potential. At DJM Consulting, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. From challenging conventional thinking to evolving business models, we help companies rewrite their future potential. With deep expertise in strategic marketing, advertising, and corporatisation, DJM Consulting empowers companies to expand into high-growth markets with EternityX, while strengthening their media presence and brand positioning.”

He added, “Success in global marketing today demands collective intelligence and the seamless collaboration of diverse expertise, to achieve a shared goal. Drawing from my experience of leading international creative, advertising, and media organizations, I’ve witnessed how agility, collaboration, and innovation – when paired with a deep understanding of markets – drive transformative outcomes. Our partnership represents an opportunity to push boundaries further, leveraging advanced technology to shape future-ready solutions. Collaborating with Charlene Ree, a trailblazer in AI-driven marketing, we are redefining how businesses, agencies, and industry peers unlock growth in an ever-evolving global marketplace.”

Meanwhile, Charlene Ree, CEO of EternityX, highlights the importance of this collaboration, commenting, “At EternityX, our vision has always been to empower brands to reach their full potential by connecting them with the world’s most dynamic audiences. Partnering with DJM Consulting is a pivotal step forward and enables us to scale our expertise and adapt to the unique needs of global markets. By combining DJM Consulting’s expertise with EternityX’s advanced technology, we’re empowering brands to thrive globally and setting a new benchmark in an interconnected and rapidly evolving world. Together, we are creating enduring value for clients and agency partners through innovation and cultural understanding.”

She added, “For businesses, this partnership paves the way for strategies that connect globally and locally. For agency partners, it offers the tools to enhance capabilities. And for industry peers, it sets a benchmark for navigating the rapidly evolving global marketplace. Together, EternityX and DJM Consulting are shaping the future of global marketing.”

India – Netcore Cloud has announced the expansion of its partnership with Google Cloud to elevate its product discovery, AI-powered search, merchandising and customer engagement marketing platforms. Engineered using Google Cloud’s generative AI technologies, Netcore’s offerings will help brands deliver more impactful hyper-personalised experiences that boost customer retention and revenue growth.

By combining Google Cloud’s expertise in data analytics and generative AI with Netcore’s deep experience across sectors like ecommerce, banking, finance, securities, insurance, and travel, Netcore wants to create solutions that ensure every brand touchpoint delivers maximum value and enhances the overall customer experience.

Moreover, brands will benefit from Google Cloud’s AI technologies alongside Netcore’s product discovery and marketing solutions, robust data sets, and AI-powered tools that deliver superior customer engagement and, ultimately, drive revenue growth.

The collaboration aligns with Netcore Cloud’s strategic goal of doubling its ARR by 2027 and expanding its footprint across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

The partnership enhances Netcore’s ability to provide deeper insights into consumer behavior by integrating tools like Google Analytics, BigQuery, and Ads Data Hub. These connections allow for enriched customer intent data analysis and sentiment evaluation of product catalogs, empowering brands to better understand and address consumer needs.

Google Cloud’s enterprise search tools will also optimize search relevance and product recommendations on Netcore’s platform, enabling precision handling of complex queries. Additionally, AI-driven conversational agents will streamline customer journeys, guiding users to desired products efficiently and improving conversion rates.

Kalpit Jain, Group CEO at Netcore Cloud said, “With our sights set on doubling our ARR, this partnership forms a critical part of our growth strategy. By creating such powerful synergies we are confident about unlocking new growth opportunities collectively thereby redefining customer engagement and delivering exceptional value to our clients worldwide. Together with Google Cloud, we are building the future of customer engagement, one where every interaction creates value, fosters loyalty, and drives sustainable growth for brands.”

Meanwhile, Siddharth Gopalkrishnan, chief operating officer at Netcore Cloud, commented, “Our partnership with Google Cloud has evolved tremendously over the years, and with this new chapter, we are doubling down on our commitment to unlock unprecedented value for our customers. We are excited to leverage this strengthened collaboration to rapidly scale our presence across SEA, the Middle East, and the US, driving growth at an accelerated pace.”

The partnership also enhances Netcore Cloud’s Co-Marketer platform, delivering powerful scenario planning tools to forecast key metrics such as purchase frequency, average order value (AOV), and replenishment cycles. Additionally, the platform provides insights into the relationship between online and offline behaviour, empowering brands to build seamless omnichannel strategies that enhance engagement across every marketing touchpoint.

Bikram Singh Bedi, vice president and country MD at Google Cloud India, stated, “Netcore Cloud and Google Cloud have been collaborating over the past few years, exploring various avenues for customer and product data enrichment to drive personalised experiences. The expanded partnership deepens this collaboration, with Netcore integrating Google Cloud’s generative AI technology, powered by state of the art infrastructure, into its product discovery and customer engagement solutions.”

One of the biggest misconceptions customers have when it comes to building a solution in house is that it will be cheaper. The prospect of saving on licensing costs is attractive to businesses and this is often reflected by technology decision makers when they look to deploy.

However, going down the in-house route often means months—sometimes even years—of development time. As teams undertake a solution build, it’s not uncommon for companies to need to invest heavily to shore up their resources: hiring additional developers, training existing staff, and paying for costly software tools and development environments.

Furthermore, the initial build is just the beginning. What follows is the ongoing costs of refining and updating the solution as new technologies and threats emerge. Off-the-shelf solutions come out of the box ready to go with the latest features and updates. Let’s take a look at other added benefits of buying a ready made solution.

Maintenance and Security

Maintaining a homegrown solution is like trying to hit a moving target. It’s not just about keeping things running smoothly; it’s about adapting to a constantly changing landscape of security threats and technological advancements. Companies often underestimated the sheer volume of work involved in keeping their solution up-to-date and secure.

And it’s not just the work; it’s the specialised knowledge needed to understand and implement the latest security protocols. Established and trusted solution providers will have this already.

For example, digital marketing platform Eagle Eye AIR invests 5% of its revenues back into security every year. This investment delivers a return on security up to five times higher than the same investment made by an enterprise retailer running a single program on their own homegrown solution.

Opportunity Costs and Time to Market

The concept of opportunity cost in another conversation that regularly comes up among teams contemplating building their own tools. Building a solution in-house doesn’t just tie up financial resources—it also ties up the time and energy of skilled staff.

Every hour that a team spends on development is an hour not spent on strategic initiatives that could be driving a business forward.

Extended development cycles can be a big trap that cause organisations to miss crucial market opportunities. Technology moves quickly, and the market could potentially move on before the build is complete, blunting an organisation’s competitive edge.

With an out-of-the-box product, organisations get a ready-to-deploy solution that gets them to market faster. That speed translates into immediate benefits, whether it’s staying ahead of competitors or quickly responding to customer needs.

Indirect Cost Add Up

When organisations build in-house, they are not just paying for development and maintenance. They are also absorbing the costs of project management, internal meetings, testing, and troubleshooting.

There’s also the morale and productivity impact on teams. Nothing drains energy faster than endless debugging sessions or feature roadmaps that never seem to get shorter. It’s easy for teams to get bogged down in the minutiae of development, losing sight of their core competencies and what truly drives value for their customers.

All these indirect costs are minimised when choosing a turnkey solution. Robust, supported platforms allow teams to focus on what they do best—serving customers and growing the business. This not only saves money on development and maintenance; it also preserves team energy and creativity for the tasks that matter most.

Expert Support and Continuous Innovation

The value of having access to expert support and continuous innovation can’t be overstated. When building a solution in house, it falls on the development team to handle every challenge that comes their way. If something breaks or if there’s a need for a new feature, developers are on the hook to figure it out. This often leads to burnout and frustration, especially when resources are stretched thin.

With a professional, prebuilt solution, support teams are there to assist whenever help is needed. Regular updates and new features will also mean the best tools are always available.

Predictable Costs and Budgeting Confidence

Let’s face it: one of the most appealing aspects of deploying a market-ready product is the predictability of costs. With an in-house solution, costs can spiral out of control quickly. Unforeseen challenges, feature creep, and the need for additional resources can blow budgets wide open.

Starting with a seemingly reasonable development budget, only to arrive in a financial quagmire months down the line as costs blow out, is a very precarious position for solution buyers to be in.

Commercial products offer clear and predictable pricing structure. This not only makes budgeting easier but also allows organisations to plan finances with confidence, knowing that the investment will yield a strong return without the risk of unexpected costs.

Focus on Core Business Objectives

Ultimately, the most compelling reason to choose an off-the-shelf solution over building an in-house solution is that it allows teams to focus on core business objectives. Every business has a unique mission, and time and resources are best spent pursuing that mission, not getting bogged down in building and maintaining complex solutions.

Freeing up teams to focus on what they do best, whether that’s providing exceptional customer service, innovating new products, or expanding into new markets. Is often far more preferable to organisations than having teams locked up in long development cycles.

The last 10% takes 90% of the time

According to Melanie Mitchell, computer scientist and Professor of Complexity at the Santa Fe Institute argues that “the first 90% of a complex technology project takes 10% of the time and the last 10% takes 90% of the time”.

Just because some teams have exceptional product owners, product managers, engineers and more, all of whom might be capable of building a bespoke solution for loyalty, promotions and personalisation, it may not be the best use of their time.

However, building that sort of technology is the core focus of the right solution provider. Finding an expert in all the aspects that constitute that last 10% will be a gamechanger.

The Smart Choice for Reducing TCO

The decision to deploy a ready-made solution versus building an in-house solution can often confound technology decision makers, but the benefits of doing the former are clear.

Considering all the factors—development time, maintenance, security, opportunity cost, indirect costs, and the ability to focus on core business objectives. Choosing the right packaged loyalty, promotions and personalisation solution not only reduces total cost of ownership for an organisations, but also positions them for long-term success.

When it comes to loyalty and personalisation suites, many customers make this choice with such solutions. The peace of mind, the reduced costs, and the ability to stay agile and competitive in a fast-paced market are all powerful advantages to benefit from.

It’s not just about saving money; it’s about making a strategic investment in a business’ future.

This thought leadership is written by Aaron Crowe, Regional Director, Eagle Eye, Asia

The insight is published as part of MARKETECH APAC’s thought leadership series under What’s NEXT in Marketing 2024-2025, a multi-platform industry initiative which features marketing and industry leaders in APAC sharing their marketing insights and predictions for the upcoming year.

India – Global martech company Netcore Cloud has recently announced the appointment of Siddharth Gopalkrishnan as its new chief operating officer. In his new role, Siddharth will focus on building next-generation propositions around customer engagement, retention, and personalisation while refining the company’s go-to-market strategies.

He will also work to enhance operational efficiency and foster strategic partnerships to further expand Netcore Cloud’s presence in global markets.

His recent appointment underscores Netcore Cloud’s ambition to double its revenue in the next three years and expand its global footprint.

An IIM Bangalore alumnus, Siddharth brings over 16 years of experience from McKinsey & Co., where he led transformative digital initiatives across multiple sectors including e-commerce, automotive, financial services, healthcare, and consumer goods.

His deep understanding of both B2B and B2C business models, combined with his hands-on experience in creating and scaling digital-first businesses, uniquely positions him to lead Netcore Cloud’s next phase of innovation toward achieving US$200m ARR, while continuing its “Proficorn” track-record.

Speaking on his appointment, Siddharth said, “With Netcore Cloud’s exceptional product suite and AI-powered innovations, we have a unique opportunity to not just lead the martech space but redefine it. Having seen this space from a user’s perspective for many years, I see immense untapped potential for brands to leverage platforms like Netcore. I look forward to working closely with the very talented leadership team at Netcore, to build on the current platform and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the realm of customer experience.”

Meanwhile, Rajesh Jain, founder at Netcore Cloud, commented, “With our sights set on scaling to $200M ARR, Siddharth’s leadership will be instrumental in refining our global strategy and enhancing our brand’s value proposition. His dual expertise in consulting and business building is exactly what we need to navigate the next chapter of growth.”

Lastly, Kalpit Jain, group CEO at Netcore Cloud, also echoed his excitement about Siddharth’s appointment, stating, “Apart from being a dynamic leader, Siddharth’s deep understanding of what it takes to build profitable D2C brands, and leading tech-enabled transformations across sectors where Netcore already has a strong presence, will be invaluable to our journey going forward, as we look to expand our global footprint and deliver exceptional value to our clients and partners.”

Australia – It’s officially ‘martech awards season’, with these awards aimed at recognising ‘knockout’ innovation in global marketing technology. The latest raft of martech awards are rigorously independent, with all entrants being subjected to rigorous judging–including of the TMW 100 Awards.

“The TMW 100 Awards aren’t awards that can be gamed, especially by larger companies with lavish budgets and industry clout. If you win a TMW 100 Award, it’s because you’ve done something impressive and richly deserve recognition,” Juan Mendoza, CEO and founder at TMW.

Mendoza also argues martech purchasers have long been poorly served. “Businesses often spend up big on martech solutions that are then under-utilised. The main reason that happens is because there is not nearly enough reliable data out there. These awards are designed to be a useful data point.”

Meanwhile, Billy Loizou, area vice president for APAC at Amperity is delighted that experts and martech-buying execs will now have a handy list of the most highly-rated solutions released over the last year.

He encourages all those passing judgment to understand that martech leadership is about “offering solutions that address key use cases such as increasing customer retention, boosting conversion rates, or improving campaign ROI, all with the ultimate goal of driving meaningful, measurable outcomes.”

Sarah Jarvis, communication and propositions director at Eagle Eye, says, “The TMW 100 Awards are a fantastic place to showcase what we have delivered in collaboration with our customers. Merit-based awards are super important and especially great when your company ranks highly! Eagle Eye did that last year and got greater brand exposure. It was also something for our team to be proud of and celebrate.”

India’s Vishnu Vankayala, the CEO of CustomerLabs, says of last year’s event (where CustomerLabs took out first prize), “TMW 100 was fair and transparent. It helped us to get a lot of recognition and it acts as a strong validator for our current and future customers. Looking forward to winning the TMW 100 again!”

Remi Morault, CEO of Desygner, (which nabbed the runner-up spot in 2023), says, “One of the standout aspects of TMW 100 was the international exposure it provided, which was invaluable for us at Desygner. The honour has undoubtedly helped in strengthening our brand reputation and opening new doors for collaborations and opportunities.”

As well as being one of Nairobi’s most respected e-commerce and growth-marketing consultants, Fiona Ngaruro is a TMW 100 Awards judge. “There are so many great martech solutions out there that people don’t know about,” she says. “The superpower of the TMW 100 Awards is to create a level playing field for innovators across the world.”

Anna Ambrozevich, founder of the CRO & Personalization Academy, agrees, saying, “I’m excited about the innovation we’ll see this year, especially the synergy of composability and AI. But as the director of a ‘women and tech’ chapter, what I dream about is seeing more females founding martech companies and entering these awards.”

MARKETECH APAC is also currently submitting submissions for its Marketing Technology Awards 2024. With 45 carefully selected categories, these categories represent the diverse and dynamic landscape of the modern marketing ecosystem. Submit your entries before August 28 by clicking HERE.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Marketing transformation agency GrowthOps Asia and martech company Anchora have joined forces to complete three significant projects for Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent company of Malaysia Airlines and FlyFirefly. These projects have improved MAG’s marketing capabilities, enabling a more personalised and data-driven customer experience.

Under the direction of Ivan Gan, digital transformation senior manager, and Sambhav Jain, director of martech at Anchora, the collaboration focused on unifying customer data, migrating to advanced marketing platforms, and streamlining marketing automation.

The partnership implemented the Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (RT-CDP) for MAG, consolidating data from sources such as loyalty programs, CRM systems, booking portals, e-commerce platforms, third-party platforms, websites and mobile apps. This integration eliminated data silos across applications within the organisation, providing a comprehensive view of each customer.

Moreover, the partnership also led one of the first migrations to Adobe Campaign Managed Cloud (ACMC) v8 for MAG. Despite the complexity of the transition, close collaboration with Adobe and MAG ensured a smooth migration.

The third project completed by the partnership was the successful migration of Firefly from Insider to Adobe Campaign Managed Cloud, ensuring continuity in marketing campaigns. This migration streamlined MAG’s marketing technology stack and enabled Firefly to utilise ACC’s advanced capabilities.

“Our goal was to ensure MAG could deliver targeted campaigns based on comprehensive customer insights. By unifying their data, we enabled MAG to execute personalised campaigns seamlessly across channels, which is already paying dividends in terms of efficiency and accuracy for their marketing team,” Jain said.

Clarence Lee, group chief digital officer at MAG, commented, “The collaboration has significantly advanced our digital capabilities, enabling us to better understand and engage with our customers, thereby driving long-term business success. The successful delivery of these projects underscores our commitment to innovation and strategic digital transformation.”

Simon Dale, vice president for Asia at Adobe said, “Today, travellers across the world demand seamless and tailored experiences across multiple touchpoints, whether digital or over the counter. At Adobe, we’re proud to enable Malaysia Aviation Group in their mission of delivering hyper-personalized and real-time travel experiences through Adobe Experience Cloud and Real-Time Customer Data Platform. It is exciting to see this collaboration lead the way for the industry on digital transformation and standout traveller experiences.”

Luke Evans, founder of Anchora, concludes, “Partnering with Malaysia Aviation Group on these three projects has been a pivotal experience for Anchora. These initiatives highlight our commitment to leveraging advanced martech solutions to drive customer engagement and business growth. Working closely with MAG and GrowthOps Asia has underscored the importance of collaboration in navigating complex technological transitions and achieving impactful results.”

These projects illustrate Anchora’s commitment to leveraging martech solutions to enhance business potential. Through this partnership, MAG is now positioned to offer a more unified and enriched customer experience, fostering greater customer engagement and loyalty.

Tng Boon Keong, regional head of consulting for GrowthOps Asia, stated, “By leveraging the strengths of GrowthOps Asia and Anchora, we have significantly enhanced our martech infrastructure offering. This collaboration has empowered us to execute complex marketing initiatives with greater precision and effectiveness, ultimately driving better results for Malaysia Aviation Group and enriching our customer experience.”

The promise of martech has never been more enticing. From customer relationship management (CRM) systems to advanced analytics and automation tools, martech solutions offer the potential to enhance customer experiences, offer ‘mass personalisation’ and drive customer acquisition and business growth.

However, the Arktic Fox 2024 Digital, Marketing & eComm in Focus study reveals a troubling reality: many marketers are struggling to make full use of the martech tools now at their disposal.

According to the study, many marketers are struggling with data management in general and martech in particular. Billy Loizou, Asia Pacific area vice president at Amperity, isn’t surprised many marketing and marketing-adjacent professionals feel under growing pressure. “Marketers want to take advantage of the available tools, but they are struggling to execute,” he notes. “This is hardly a new situation, but when you add in factors such as the rise of Gen AI, imminent reforms to the Privacy Act, flat marketing budgets, and Google changing its mind on deprecating third-party cookies, it’s not surprising so many CMOs are nervous.”

You’ll need martech’s to hit your KPIs

Marketers’ focus unsurprisingly remains on business growth – 77% of respondents said it was a key strategic priority.

Growth is tied to customer acquisition, which came in second (48%) on the list of priorities.

So far, so unsurprising. But subsequent priorities reveal marketers hope to fatten the bottom line by leveraging technology. The third most common priority (42%) was “Building our customer data strategy and better utilising our first-party data”, and the equal fourth (36%) was “Digital transformation”.

The study also revealed marketers and digital leaders remain focused on achieving goals that are only feasible with martech tools. Personalisation was classified as “important” or “very important” by 72% of respondents, who were also firmly committed to CX management (87%), online sales and lead generation (77%) and martech utilisation (76%).

In other words, if they don’t have the right martech tools and staff who understand how to use those tools, most marketers won’t be able to achieve their business goals.

Man vs machine
There’s a consensus that marketers and digital professionals aren’t making the most of martech solutions, but there’s debate about why that’s the case.

The easy explanation for the underutilisation of martech is the much-discussed skills gap. It’s certainly the case that martech can be challenging to master and often requires a solid understanding of data analytics, customer segmentation and automation workflows.

For marketers who lack a technical background, navigating these complexities can be daunting. Plus, as new tools and platforms emerge, marketers must continually update their skills to stay relevant.

But the problem seems to run deeper than a lack of staff capable of using increasingly sophisticated and powerful technological tools, Loizou argues. The first point he makes is that confusion continues to exist around what different marketing technologies are used for.

“The study showed that CRMs and marketing automation platforms still get most of the attention and investment,” Loizou says. “But those aren’t tools that solve the ‘messy data’ issues that so many businesses still confront. It’s Consumer Data Platforms (CDPs) that do that and provide an enterprise-unified view, which can solve many of the other challenges businesses now face.”

The need for a CDP ties into another issue Loizou argues the study highlighted – CMOs having spent big on tech stacks that have subsequently failed to meet expectations.

The rise of best-of-breed solutions

“To grossly oversimplify, the approach in the past was to buy the equivalent of a turnkey, off-the-shelf, full-stack solution from a big-name tech company,” Loizou says. “Given that 80% of respondents in the 2024 study reported their utilisation of martech was ‘average’, ‘low’ or ‘very low’, that doesn’t seem to have worked out well. The understandable but ill-advised reaction is to devote fewer resources to martech and martech staff training. That’s happening to some extent, with only 12% of respondents reporting they plan to increase their martech budget over the next 12 months.

“But the noteworthy development is the declining popularity of single-vendor solutions. When asked about their plans for future martech investments, 14% said they were leaning towards a single vendor, 29% claimed they were open-minded, and a whopping 57% stated they were leaning towards ‘best-of-breed’ solutions.”

All that noted, Teresa Sperti, the founder and director of Arktic Fox, says organisations usually have plenty of room for improvement regarding training. “When we undertake digital training sessions or partner with clients on strategy, it’s not uncommon for us to explain where the organisation’s data resides and help them connect the dots around their martech ecosystem,” she says. “Brands that have built strong internal capabilities and robust foundations in data and tech are thriving, while others are finding it difficult to shift gears.”

Don’t fall for ‘shiny new toy’ syndrome
“In recent times, we’ve seen around a 1000 new martech ‘solutions’ hit the market every year, and there are now more than 11,000 of them out there,” Loizou notes. “With so many tools available, each touting benefits more remarkable than the last, it can be tempting to fall victim to ‘shiny new toy’ syndrome. But my advice is to prioritise simplicity and integration and focus on what’s most important – delivering the kind of industry-leading CX that will keep your existing customers loyal and attract plenty of new ones.”

Consolidation, co-option and communication
At the launch of her report, Sperti expanded on why she believed there had been a downward trend in martech utilisation in recent years. After reiterating the point that less than one in five marketers reported that their martech utilisation is currently “strong” or “semi-strong”, Sperti noted, “More than 80% believe that they have average, low or very, very low utilisation. And we are spending a lot of money on this as an industry, so that should create a few alarm bells for people. So why is this occurring?

“There are a few causes. The first is a stack creep issue. I buy a few platforms and then providers’ product roadmaps evolve. As a result, I end up with a whole lot of features and functionality that I already have in another platform or that I simply don’t need.

“And the second cause is more around gaps in skills and capability of team members. ‘martech strategy and implementation’ was identified as the third biggest skill gap across the country within teams for the second year running. So, of course, we have a gap in our ability to effectively utilise the tech.”

Deena Coleman, group general manager, digital & marketing at Accent Group, backed up Sperti’s argument, pointing to the centrality of (well-utilised) martech at her organisation.

“As we’ve been reviewing our strategic business goals and how we’re going to get growth over the years, for us, it’s been looking at: OK, have we got the right technology? And have we got the right data foundations?

“We need to get that data foundation right, get the customer view right, and make sure that it’s really clear across the business and within the brands because we are a complex business… So, bringing on a new customer data platform and getting that at the crux of everything we do, then building everything out around it, is very important for us.”

Coleman had the following advice for those marketers struggling to win over corporate decision-makers. “I always take the approach of, ‘What is keeping executives – or anyone I need to bring along on a journey – up at night?’ Once you hone in on that point, you can get them aligned to what you’re doing from a digital transformation point of view. [You focus on how digital transformation] will help them do things such as hit their EBIT numbers.”

Coleman also recommends keeping it simple. “Remove the tech jargon because sometimes if you overcomplicate it in that space, you lose people along the way. So it’s about education, the alignment with what they’re trying to do, and bringing people along on the journey.”

If you’re reading this article, you’ve surely already Googled or ChatGPTed, ‘What’s a composable technology architecture?’. You’ve no doubt also been researching SaaS platforms to integrate with the dream of creating an ideal architecture that will solve all your problems and convert all your customers.

While this might sound too good to be true, it’s now within reach with proper planning, thorough research and some common sense. (I’ve spent years both buying and selling software, so I believe I’m qualified to express an opinion on the issue.)

Before diving into the nitty gritty of composing a martech stack, let’s sketch out what ‘composable’ means and how it relates to things such as MACH and Event-driven martech.

What is MACH?
MACH stands for Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless. These four principles can guide organisations in selecting and implementing technology in a way that facilitates flexibility and scalability.

Microservices: Microservices architecture means breaking down applications into smaller, independent services that can be developed, deployed and scaled independently. This approach allows businesses to add or update features without disrupting the entire system.

For instance, if you’re a loyalty platform provider, you might need a system that allows you to add new loyalty programs or features as your business evolves – without overhauling the entire platform.

API-first: An API-first approach means designing software so that APIs are the primary way of interacting with the system. This promotes integration and modularity, allowing different systems to communicate and work together seamlessly. APIs enable you to call on specific components and services as needed, supporting a staged approach to building your tech stack.

Cloud-native: Cloud-native technologies leverage cloud computing frameworks to ensure scalability, flexibility and resilience. Whether you use AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud, the key is that your services are always accessible and can scale according to demand. Cloud-native applications are designed to take advantage of the cloud’s capabilities, offering enhanced performance and reliability.

Headless: Headless architecture separates the back end from the front end, allowing developers to manage content and functionalities independently of the user interface. This means you can update back-end services without affecting the customer-facing parts of your application. In a martech context, headless systems enable you to deliver personalised experiences to customers while maintaining the flexibility to adapt and evolve your back-end systems.

How to go about your due diligence
Now that we’ve defined the MACH principles, let’s cover how to research, assess and buy the most appropriate martech solutions for your organisation.

Step 1: Research
You’ve built a strategy, pitched it to your senior leadership team (SLT), and received approval and a budget. Your first step is, of course, to thoroughly research potential vendors and platforms. You may wish to consult reports from the likes of Forrester and Gartner. Such reports are usually of some value, but you should keep in mind the companies behind these reports may have conflicting financial incentives.

Focus on the four pillars of lifecycle marketing: Acquisition, Data/Analytics, Activation and Retention. For each pillar, identify 3-5 top vendors. Look for vendors that align with your organisation’s strategy and that can deliver the capabilities it needs.

When evaluating vendors, consider the following:

API library: Does the vendor provide a comprehensive API library that allows easy integration with your existing systems?
Event-driven: Can the platform respond to real-time events and trigger actions based on customer behaviour?
Composable: Can the platform be easily integrated and adapted to fit into your overall architecture?
Customer references: Ask for references from customers in your region who have used the platform. This will give you a better understanding of its real-world applications and performance.

Step 2: Assess
Once you have whittled down your shortlist, the next step is to assess vendors’ suitability based on your specific needs and user journeys. Instead of jumping straight into demos, focus on defining the customer experiences you want to achieve. Outline the user journeys critical to your strategy and provide these to the vendors. Ask them to showcase how their solutions can support and enhance these journeys.

A trustworthy vendor will be able to demonstrate their capabilities in the context of your specific use cases. They should be able to provide case studies and examples that show how their technology can solve for each step in the customer journey.

Step 3: Buy
One of the most common mistakes organisations make during the buying process is focusing solely on price without considering the long-term value and alignment with their strategy. Price is important, but it should not be the sole determining factor.

When negotiating with vendors, consider the following:

Scalability: Does the vendor’s pricing model scale with your success? Ensure that the cost structure supports growth and doesn’t become a burden as you expand.
Budget: Does the pricing model fit within your budget constraints? Understand this early in the process to avoid surprises later.
Procurement involvement: Involve your procurement team early in the process. They bring a neutral perspective and can help ensure that the terms of the deal are fair and beneficial for both parties.
IT involvement: Involve your IT team heavily when assessing the technical integrity of the vendor’s solution. In-house staff can help identify potential issues and ensure that the technology aligns with your IT strategy.

Key takeaways
To summarise, here’s the five-step process I recommend if you are planning on buying any martech this financial year:

Define your strategy based on customer journeys: Start with a clear understanding of the customer experiences you want to create and use this to guide your decisions.
Adhere to a set of clear principles: Whether it’s a lifecycle marketing lens or a MACH architecture lens, apply clear principles to your strategy to ensure coherence and alignment.
Take your time: Building a successful martech stack is a long-term investment, so it’s worth investing time and effort in researching, assessing and buying the right solutions. The more you rush the process, the more risk there is you’ll make a suboptimal choice.
Be transparent: Share your vision and requirements with potential vendors. Transparency helps build trust and ensures that both parties are aligned in their goals.
Don’t hesitate to get guidance: If you’re out of your depth, seek guidance from the experts who specialise in this kind of thing. (You’ve undoubtedly got enough on your plate without needing to do a deep dive into the latest developments in martech solutions.)

It’s really not as hard as you think
By following the principles of the MACH architecture and focusing on customer journeys, your organisation can build a martech stack that’s flexible, scalable and future-proof. (Or at least as future-proofed as is feasible.)

Always remember that the goal is to compose a well-orchestrated system that enhances your ability to engage and retain customers. With the right approach, you could well reach a state of ‘martech stack nirvana’ and drive long-term success for your business.

This thought leadership is written by Miles Toolin, Leading Enterprise Solutions APAC at Eagle Eye

Singapore – Marketing Technology Awards, MARKETECH APAC’s latest initiative to recognise the groundbreaking achievements in marketing technology within the region, has officially unveiled the first roster of its official jury panel for its upcoming awards ceremony.

Composed of a wide variety of seasoned and leading marketing professionals in the Asia-Pacific region, the panel embodies a wealth of expertise and experience to carefully evaluate submissions in every category.

The first lineup of jury members includes:

Dibin Raj, Global Head of Marketing Technology and Operations at Broadridge
Prashant Sukhwani, VP for Marketing at Burger King India
Bea Atienza, Marketing Director, Impactful Brand Experience at Colgate-Palmolive
Stanley Toh, General Manager, Customer Engagements and Communications at Cycle & Carriage
Jason Huan, Chief Marketing Officer at Endowus
Rochelle Vandenberghe, Chief Marketing and Digital Business Officer at FWD Insurance
Raymund Villanueva, Chief Marketing Officer at GoTyme Bank
Nausicaa Charrier, Marketing and Communication Director, Singapore & Malaysia at Moët Hennessy Diageo
Tiffany Tang, Marketing Director of Health & Hygiene – Malaysia, Singapore & Vietnam at Reckitt
Jyane Quek, Global Head, Marketing Strategy for Consumers, Private and Business Banking at Standard Chartered Bank
Neha Bhasin, Regional Director of Marketing and Communications at ZALORA Group

There are 45 curated and enterable sub-categories under the four main categories; brand collaboration, martech, industry leader, and team. The categories guarantee comprehensive coverage and highlight specific specialisations within the realm of marketing technology.

The ‘Brand Collaboration Categories’ invite submissions from brands that have showcased exceptional utilisation of technology to drive successful marketing campaigns. Martech agencies boasting platforms with robust technological capabilities are encouraged to submit under the ‘Martech Categories’.

Simultaneously, the ‘Industry Leader Categories’ welcome leaders who have demonstrated outstanding contributions, influence, and impact on their respective industries. The ‘Team Categories’ recognise tech teams that have seamlessly merged technical expertise with innovation to deliver exemplary solutions.

Aside from enterable categories, the Marketing Technology Awards also feature three ‘Grand Prix’ awards that are not for entry. Winners for the following awards will be determined by cumulative points that show their consistent excellence across the awards program.

The judging criteria for the awards are as follows:

Brand Collaboration: Objective (10%), Tech Selection Process (10%), Tech Implementation (30%), Results (50%)

Martech: Tech Capabilities (25%), Innovation (30%), Case Studies (45%)

Industry Leaders: Business Contributions (40%), Leadership (40%), Industry Influence (20%)

Teams: Team Culture (30%), Business Innovation (30%), Team Performance (40%)

The Marketing Technology Awards is an inaugural event that aims to shine a spotlight on brands, agencies, and martech companies that have played a transformative and innovative role in shaping the marketing landscape.

This year, MARKETECH APAC is bringing the awards ceremony to the place where tradition and innovation converge in a vibrant melting pot, Singapore.

Joven Barceñas, founder and CEO of MARKETECH APAC, said, “What inspired the creation of the Marketing Technology Awards was the genuine desire to acknowledge and celebrate the role of tech in the marketing industry. The Marketing Technology Awards strives to represent each of the key markets in the Asia Pacific. The composition of the grand jury reflects a commitment to diversity, ensuring that perspectives from various regions and sectors are represented in the judging process.”

“There will be 5 judging groups: 2 for the Brand Collaboration categories, 2 for the MarTech categories, and 1 for the Industry Leaders and Team categories. We made sure that each region in the Asia Pacific is well represented in each judging group. Each group will be composed of a head of jury and 6 jury members. The head of jury will audit the results and ensure impartiality and integrity in the judging process,” he added.

Key dates related to the awards ceremony this 2024 are as follows:

Entry Submission – until June 28, 2024

Judging Period – July 8-19 2024

Gala Dinner and Awarding Ceremony – September 27, 2024

The nomination fee is US$249 (early-bird rate), applicable until April 30, 2024. After which, the standard fee of US$349 applies.

Head over to the official event site for the complete details. Interested parties can contact MARKETECH APAC’s team about the nomination process and sponsorship opportunities at [email protected].

A recent survey reveals that CMOs around the world are optimistic and confident about Gen AI’s future ability to enhance productivity and create competitive advantage. In fact, seventy per cent are already using Gen AI and 19 per cent are testing it.

However, for many consumer brands, the divide between expectations and reality looms large. Marketers envisioning a seamless, magical customer experience must recognise that AI’s effectiveness depends on high-quality underlying data. Without that, the AI falls flat, leaving marketers grappling with a less-than-magical reality.

What AI-powered marketing with poor data quality looks like

Let’s take a closer look at what AI-powered marketing with poor data quality could look like. Say I’m a customer of a general sports apparel and outdoor store, and I’m planning for my upcoming annual winter ski trip. I’m excited to use the personal shopper AI to give me an experience that’s easy and customised to me.

I need to fill in some gaps in my ski wardrobe, so I ask the personal shopper AI to suggest some items to purchase. But the AI is creating its responses based on data about me that’s been scattered across the brand’s multiple systems. Without a clear picture of who I am, it asks me for some basic information that it should already know. Slightly annoying… I’m used to entering my info when I shop online, but I was hoping the AI upgrade to the experience would make things easier for me.

Because my data is so disconnected, the AI concierge only has an order associated with my name from two years ago, which was actually a gift. Without a full picture of me, this personal shopper AI is unable to generate accurate insights and ends up sharing recommendations that aren’t helpful.

Ultimately this subpar experience makes me less excited about purchasing from this brand, and I decide to go elsewhere.

The culprit behind a disconnected and impersonal generative AI experience is data quality — poor data quality = poor customer experience.

What AI-powered marketing with clean data looks like

Now, let’s revisit this outdoor sports retailer scenario, but imagine that the personal shopper AI is powered by accurate, unified data that has a complete history of my interactions with the brand from first purchase to last return.

I enter my first question, and I get a super-personalised and friendly response, already starting to create the experience of a one-on-one connection with a helpful sales associate. It automatically references my shopping history and connects my past purchases to my current shopping needs.

Based on my prompts and responses, the concierge provides a tailored set of recommendations to fill in my ski wardrobe along with direct links to purchase. The AI is then able to generate sophisticated insights about me as a customer and even make predictions about the types of products I might want to buy based on my past purchases, driving up the likelihood of me purchasing and potentially even expanding my basket to buy additional items.

Within the experience, I am able to actually use the concierge to order without having to navigate elsewhere. I also know my returns or any future purchases will be incorporated into my profile.

Because it knew my history and preferences, Generative AI was able to create a buying experience for me that was super personalised and convenient. This is a brand I will keep returning to for future purchases.

In other words, when it comes to AI for marketing, better data = better results.

So how do you actually address the data quality challenge? And what could that look like in this new world of AI?

Solving the data quality problem

The critical first element to powering an effective AI strategy is a unified customer data foundation. The tricky part is that accurately unifying customer data is hard due to its scale and complexity — most consumers have at least two email addresses, have moved over eleven times in their lifetimes and use an average of five channels (or if they are millennials or Gen Z, it’s actually twelve channels).

Many familiar approaches to unifying customer data are rules-based and use deterministic/fuzzy matching, but these methods are rigid and break down when data doesn’t match perfectly. This, in turn, creates an inaccurate customer profile that can actually miss a huge portion of a customer’s lifetime history with the brand and not account for recent purchases or changes of contact information.

A better way to build a unified data foundation actually involves using AI models (a different flavour of AI than generative AI for marketing) to find the connections between data points to tell if they belong to the same person with the same nuance and flexibility of a human but at massive scale.

When your customer data tools can use AI to unify every touchpoint in the customer journey from first interaction to last purchase and beyond (loyalty, email, website data, etc…), the result is a comprehensive customer profile that tells you who your customers are and how they interact with your brand.

How data quality in generative AI drives growth

For the most part, marketers have access to the same set of generative AI tools, therefore, the fuel you input will become your differentiator.

Data quality to power AI provides benefits in three areas:

Customer experiences that stand out — more personalised, creative offers, better customer service interactions, a smoother end-to-end experience, etc.
Operational efficiency gains for your teams — faster time to market, less manual intervention, better ROI on campaigns, etc.
Reduced compute costs — better-informed AI doesn’t need to go back and forth with the user, which saves on racking up API calls that quickly get expensive

As generative AI tools for marketing continue to evolve, they bring the promise of getting back to the level of one-to-one personalisation that customers would expect in their favourite stores, but now at a massive scale. That won’t happen on its own, though — brands need to provide AI tools with accurate customer data to bring the AI magic to life.

The dos and don’ts of AI in marketing

AI is a helpful sidekick to many industries, especially marketing — as long as it’s leveraged appropriately. Here’s a quick ‘cheat-sheet’ to help marketers on their Gen AI journey:

Do:

Be explicit about the specific use cases where you plan to use data and AI and specify the expected outcomes. What results do you expect to achieve? 
Carefully evaluate if Gen AI is the most appropriate tool for your specific use case. 
Prioritise data quality and comprehensiveness — establishing a unified customer data foundation is essential for an effective AI strategy.

Don’t:

Rush to implement Gen AI across all areas. Start with a manageable, human-in-the-loop use case, such as generating subject lines.

This thought leadership piece is written by Joyce Gordon, Head of Generative AI, Amperity.