Never underestimate AI: How retailers can predict the unpredictable

From hoarding toilet paper to shops shutting their doors, it’s fair to say 2020 was one of the most disruptive years for retailers. According to the ONS, online sales grew by 46% in 2020, compared to the previous year. With consumer behaviour changing rapidly in response to the pandemic, retailers have had to adapt and keep pace with demand. This has been the perfect use case for automation, which has proved invaluable as retailers navigate a path through disruption.

The...

16 April 2021 | Automation

Three technical trends to consider for your data-driven marketing initiatives

As we look into the future, it’s important to remember that real widespread change happens slowly for such a large industry. People have been talking about assembling customer 360-degree views and utilising “big data” for closing in on 20 years, and articles detailing how effective and popular AI will be in marketing go back close a decade.

Which is not to say change isn’t happening, but that it comes gradually, in fits and starts as industry innovators latch onto a...

14 April 2021 | Advertising Technology

Two key marketing automation tools you may be missing for your eCommerce clients

More and more, eCommerce companies and online shops are tapping digital marketing agencies to help them advertise their products online - on not just one, but multiple marketplaces. Whether you are adding eCommerce clients to the agency portfolio for the first time or working with these clients - there is a need to break through the noise by advertising on marketplaces.

Successful ad campaigns for eCommerce call for high-quality PPC ads, banner ads, text ads (expanded and simple),...

26 March 2021 | Automation

How AI can build a more empathetic future for marketing

The desire for companies to connect with the emotions of their customers is by no means a new phenomenon. For marketers, the ability to understand the emotional sentiments behind consumer behaviour has been a priority for decades. Yet it has been notoriously difficult to track these sentiments accurately over time.

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a solution to this problem. Consumers today expect a tailored experience and AI has unique capabilities to help marketers by...

2 March 2021 | Automation

Why marketing automation remains the missing piece of the optimisation jigsaw puzzle

Organisations are operating in a world where everything is optimised. Look around and think about the current journey to work for many remote-based marketers in modern-day society as an example.

It might only be a few steps to the home office, but in that same breath, commuter time has been slashed dramatically and, in turn, that’s ‘given back’ vital time to the employee to get on with their daily tasks. Optimisation has taken place and it’s not even 9am!

From a...

25 February 2021 | Advertising Technology

Influencers vs. copyright for music beds: Why AI could be the solution

If you find the topic of music copyright confusing then you’re not alone. It’s complicated, disjointed and expensive. But for content creators it’s an integral part of their process and necessary to achieve success.

All content creators understand the value that music adds by providing a layer that sets emotion, fun and enhances the experience for the viewer. But the practical application isn’t as straightforward as adding your favourite track to your...

18 February 2021 | Automation

Thriving in 2021: The top six trends for sales and marketing leaders

The impact of 2020 was far-reaching, especially for sales and marketing teams. With business and consumer spending habits having dramatically changed due to uncertainty, as we move forward into 2021, how can businesses overcome this challenge, especially in the wake of three national lockdowns, a furlough scheme and a general lack of organisational spending?

One positive outcome from the pandemic has been the realisation for businesses of the importance of technology to keep them...

2 February 2021 | Automation

Three key predictions for marketing orchestration technology in 2021

If there is one thing that 2020 taught us, it is to expect the unexpected. Businesses faced unprecedented challenges this year - and many marketers had to change plans on a dime to accommodate for emerging trends. As 2021 approaches, many marketers are left wondering: what can we expect for this next year?

According to the State of MarTech report, 84% of marketers stated that investing in new technology was a priority for 2021. However, 69% predicted that they would have fewer...

6 January 2021 | Advertising

John Mellor, CSO, Domo: The lesson learned from Adobe CEO Narayen which shaped my thinking on strategy

John Mellor, chief strategy officer at cloud business intelligence (BI) platform provider Domo, learned a valuable piece of advice on strategy from his former CEO at Adobe, Shantanu Narayen. The tip has stayed with him ever since.

"We were doing a strategy presentation one year and I had these beautiful slides I was so proud of," Mellor tells MarketingTech. "It was a good half hour, 45 minute conversation, everybody was engaged, and we got to the end and [Narayen] said 'okay, so...

16 December 2020 | Attribution

Scott Brinker: “Times are stressful, but this is the state of modern marketing now – let’s just embrace it”

The Marketing Technology Landscape, the ultimate who's who of the martech space from social to data and everything in between, is otherwise known as the Martech 5000. Yet that moniker, while memorable, soon became a touch mistaken as ever more companies joined the party. For the 2020 edition, published in April, there are now 8,000 vendors listed.

There was, however, plenty of interest between the lines. Data vendors saw a 25.5% growth since 2019, while management platforms saw a...

2 December 2020 | Advertising Technology