The Lowdown

Lockr’s Alternative Identity Manager (AIM) is a unified container for identity and data management.

Back-Of-The-Box Details

AIM helps publishers seamlessly integrate and activate alternative IDs such as authenticated traffic solution, unified ID 2.0, ID5 and more.

Who It’s For

Publishers are already suffering from resource constraints, given their dwindling teams, re-directed engineering teams and development cycles based on guesses where the most demand will be.

What It Solves

AIM offers a complimentary, comprehensive and self-service solution for publishers to test and deploy several identity solutions, clean rooms and CDPs simultaneously to maximize revenue in the evolving digital advertising landscape.

What Makes It Special

AIM seeks to prioritize publishers’ control and secure ownership of the data. Offering unparalleled flexibility and control over their first-party data, the records can be conveniently pushed to publishers’ platforms of choice, such as cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform or CDPs. AIM works seamlessly with industry-standard platforms, including Google Ad Manager, Prebid, Amazon Publisher Services and more, to ensure compatibility and ease for publishers.

Contact

Lockr

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But marketers haven’t jumped in with both feet yet, as a staggering 67% question whether their company’s data setup is equal to the task. While large datasets offer massive opportunities for marketers, they also present huge data privacy risks, and not every company has the vendor partnerships and technology they need to keep customer data safe.

Think of generative AI as a brand-new Lamborghini Huracán. Do you have the license and driving skills to handle such a powerful machine safely? Do you have a destination mapped out? Because if you don’t, you could spin out of your lane and end up facing oncoming traffic.

It’s a dilemma because there’s a sense of urgency. Revenue officers are expecting huge results, customer expectations are high and it’s imperative to take customer data privacy seriously. But there’s also no time to lose because 2024 is the year gen AI will finally make it possible to create omnichannel journeys and personalized experiences in the moment. So, as you buckle up and get ready for the ride of your life, keep the following tips in mind.

1. Define The Perfect Customer Journey

You wouldn’t take a long road trip without a destination in mind, and the customer journey is no different. The old rules of the road don’t apply in the age of generative AI because there are so many functions you couldn’t perform just a couple of years ago that are now possible, such as:

• Real-time creation of highly personalized outreach like product offers; and
• Recommendations delivered via text messaging and email marketing.

According to research cited by Forbes Advisor, personalized experiences like these encourage 46% of customers to buy more. So, it’s time to create an omnichannel journey for your customer that perfectly matches your product set and the brand values you believe in. Now that gen AI is here, it’s ready to help you deliver the perfect customer journey.

2. Get Your Data & Tech Stack Right

Are you confident about the origin of all your customer data? Did the customer share it, did it flow into your company via APIs or did you buy it? Are you sure you have customers’ permission to use it? Has the chain of custody been secure? Are you sure your cybersecurity policy covers martech data mishaps?

A terrifyingly high number of data exchanges still happen via email, and processes are only as safe as the personal workarounds people create, such as spreadsheet downloads. Cross-reference your customer journey against your existing vendors and tech stack to make sure you have the expertise and platform you need, including secure and compliant data management that answers all these questions.

3. Start Your Engine & Drive

Marketing technology is moving so fast that you don’t have the luxury of waiting until everything is perfect to rev up campaigns and customer outreach with generative AI. Get on the road as safely (and quickly) as you can and start anticipating customer needs and personalizing messages at scale as only generative AI can. You can start now and build your capabilities at the same time, perfecting your tech stack, vendor relationships and datasets while you’re underway.

Remember how data was going to change everything? To be fair, it did. But until the advent of generative AI, marketing technology was merely scratching the surface of what’s possible with data.

Now the moment marketers have been waiting for is here, so it’s time to start executing on your biggest and boldest brand vision — safely and imperfectly. With generative AI and the right vendors and technology to handle your data, you can make it happen.

Welcome to 2024 — it should be a fun ride.

Tara Kelly is the Founder, President and CEO of SPLICE Software, a customer engagement company that specializes in using big data, small data and AI to create messages that drive customer engagement and the desired call to action.      

The post 3 Ways To Rev Up 2024 Marketing With AI While Avoiding Data Privacy Pitfalls appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

But before practitioners can start executing their 2024 strategies, they need to understand the data that’ll most benefit their business, as well the results they want to see from each dataset.

“There are so many different pieces of intent data — there’s first-party, there’s data from pools and there’s your own data,” said Sarah Sehgal, Director of Growth Marketing at business training platform OpenSesame. “Marketers first need to define what they want their data to look like, and then understand why they want their data to look that way. It’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed, so you need to focus on your KPIs, what you’re trying to do with your business and pull in the data that will help drive that.”

This report will analyze the current trends in database and contact acquisition strategies, with a specific focus on the increasing role first-party data plays in the current climate. Leveraging new research, specific topics of discussion will include:

• The steps organizations are taking to get ahead of the third-party cookie “apocalypse;”
• How practitioners are bridging the gaps in their database strategies to ensure more accurate and actionable intel;
• The most popular places to store data and the departments that (should) have access to it;
• The top challenges marketers face with all aspects of data, with commentary on the factors impeding data strategies; and
• The specific areas where practitioners are investing to improve their database strategies and contact acquisition.

Preparing For The Upcoming Cookie Demise

With about five months until the privacy hourglass runs out of sand, just 17% of marketers no longer rely on third-party cookies — meaning that the 83% still leveraging that data source are in for a rude awakening. Despite the complexities associated with third-party alternatives, the shift toward opt-in collection processes will ultimately benefit both sides of the buying journey.

Manu Mathew, CEO and Co-founder of brand customer network and engagement platform Cohora, explained that third-party data often restricts brands from interacting with customers meaningfully, because that data is often given to marketers in segments instead of at the individual level.

{loadposition GIAA}“By and large, when a consumer allows third-party data gathering through cookies, they don’t know what they’re consenting to or how their data might be used,” said Mathew “Eighty-six percent of consumers care about data privacy, demanding transparency and control over how businesses use their data, and 47% of the respondents have switched companies due to poor data policies and practices. Because of this, brands are now pushed to find ways to access zero- and first-party data sources that foster a transparent relationship between brands and consumers.”

With that in mind, 61% of practitioners plan on slightly to greatly increasing their budget allotment toward database strategies to onboard more first- and zero-party sources. When asked their top reasons for investing in better data collection processes, survey respondents pointed to:

• Better insights to personalize content and messaging;
• Better data coverage of target accounts for ABM initiatives;
• Deeper intelligence to tie intent signals to specific contacts; and
• Better data to expand total addressable markets and identify new prospects.

Using Alternatives To Generate Better Data

In the current tumultuous work environment, data is at high risk of decaying or growing stale — specifically, 64% of respondents said their No. 1 data challenge in maintaining database quality is old or outdated data.

Other challenges included lack of time and resources to implement an effective process, no standard operating procedure for marketing/sales to keep data up-to-date and not enough data on current customers. To help remedy struggle No. 3, the most effective tactics for acquiring prospect and customer data included:

• Website-based registration forms;
• In-person events and trade shows;
• Content download/offer forms on dedicated landing pages; and
• Subscription databases.

With opt-in information becoming the new currency for marketers, zero- and first-party data will be the cashflow that supports practitioners’ initiatives. Although these data sources might be more difficult to collect — as they require more cooperation from the buyers themselves — it’s ultimately more valuable.

“Direct ownership of zero- and first-party data allows a company to have a much more personalized and intimate relationship with their customers, since they have insight into an individual customer’s interests and preferences,” said Mathew. “In turn, this enhances the overall customer experience by personalizing every step of the journey, not just the initial offer.”

Arguably, the most structurally sound method of ensuring data is easily accessible and useful is to create a single source of truth that both sales and marketing teams can access.

“You need to create a culture of open and honest communication,” said OpenSesame’s Sehgal. “When there are issues with data, you want everyone to feel comfortable to ask those questions and create the space where you can acknowledge, ‘Hey, it’s not all perfect — how do we work together to figure out the nuances and work this out?’”

Conclusion

By exploring these innovative approaches, organizations can harness the power of willingly shared information to build more personalized and ethical customer relationships. Establishing cohesive communication and collaboration among different departments ensures a unified approach to data management, maximizing the effectiveness of database strategies. The integration of alternative sources and internal alignment will remain foundational for success in leveraging databases for sustainable growth and enhanced customer experiences.

The post State Of Database Strategies In 2024: Practitioners Restructuring Data Collection To Prioritize ‘Opt-In’ Methods appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

But it would be a mistake to conflate email’s reliability with stodginess. As marketers encounter technological changes and evolving customer expectations, email marketing can adapt, becoming more personalized, timely and reflective of consumer desires.

Throughout 2023, no technological development has rocketed into prominence more than artificial intelligence (AI). As generative AI platforms for public use rolled out last year, marketers and customers alike have expressed interest in the technology’s capacity to improve buying experiences.

Buyers are particularly interested in AI’s ability to help them navigate purchase and return experiences, gain insight into products and take advantage of personalized recommendations and promotions. What better channel to showcase AI’s benefits while building on the consistency and accessibility email already provides?

AI’s Power To Optimize Messages

AI’s transformative power in email marketing is undeniable. In this digital age, capturing attention and fostering engagement demands resonant emails. That’s where AI steps in, revolutionizing how we connect with customers.

Today’s consumers crave personalization and richer experiences. In fact, more than 70% of global consumers believe AI can elevate their customer journey, with Millennials and Gen Z waxing even more enthusiastic (80% and 83%, respectively). Generative AI is the answer, empowering marketers to craft emails that hit the mark for every individual. And the results speak for themselves: Nearly all (95%) marketers who’ve embraced Gen AI find it “effective,” with more than half declaring it “very effective.”

{loadposition GIAA}The magic of AI lies in hyper-personalization and relevance. Imagine emails that whisper directly to each subscriber, speaking to their unique needs and interests. This laser focus translates to higher open and click-through rates.

Gen AI assists marketing teams by:

• Producing first drafts of headlines and email copy for marketers to edit and refine;
• Facilitating better engagement testing with rapidly generated subject line variants;
• Providing alternative copy in various tones to more closely match brand voice and campaign goals;
• Offering suggestions to improve a marketer’s copy for greater effectiveness with customers; and
• Translating copy into multiple languages for greater messaging inclusivity.

While free, accessible consumer-facing models have catapulted Gen AI into the spotlight, its potential to transform the email experience for marketers and consumers extends far beyond content generation. Predictive models will evolve beyond merely crunching marketing data to generate insights — they’ll actively suggest ways to elevate your email marketing strategy and tactics. AI’s near-future uses include:

• Customized email templates for specific audiences and campaigns, with the power to suggest images, layouts and calls-to-action for the best possible performance;
• Activity and attribute-based subscriber clusters, facilitating dynamic subscriber segmentation to improve the impact of email campaigns;
• Customer feedback analysis identifying pain points and surfacing subscriber sentiment to make messages more relevant; and
• Predictive insights based on past email performance and subscriber rates to help marketers pinpoint send times and frequency.

Other Emerging Technologies

While AI is undoubtedly making waves in improving marketing emails, it’s not the only player in the game. Email clients, for example, constantly evolve, often with little warning. These updates can wreak havoc on carefully crafted emails and templates, leading to a frustrating user experience.

Think about it: With email volume tripling in recent years, marketers are spending more and more time testing emails to identify issues and manage (often costly) fixes. Meanwhile, email remains a vital channel for delivering positive brand experiences, and customer expectations are higher than ever.

A whopping 85% of customers have said that just two negative experiences can make them ditch a brand, even one they love. The potential loss of subscribers (and missed revenue) resulting from broken emails or ineffective personalization is no small matter.

The right technology automatically monitors email to notify marketers about unforeseen changes. By reviewing frequently used templated and automated sends, marketers can mitigate problems and retest emails quickly and efficiently to maintain a high-quality user experience.

Brands must invigorate their approach to email marketing, acknowledging email as a leading omnichannel force to offer a unified brand experience bolstered by ever-improving personalization and interactivity. Brands that ignore these technological advancements — and the critical customer experience enhancements they provide — do so at their own peril.

Cynthia Price is the SVP of Marketing at email marketing platform Litmus. Her team grows and supports the Litmus and email community through content marketing, demand generation and events. She has been in the email marketing industry for more than 10 years, and was previously VP of Marketing at Emma, an email service provider. She’s passionate about creating authentic communications and harnessing the power of email — the heart of the marketing mix.

The post How Email Marketing Innovations Will Impact Brand Strategies appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

“Historically, brands have relied on third-party data like cookies to track website visitors, improve user experience and collect data for personalization techniques in their marketing efforts,” said Manu Mathew, CEO and Co-founder of brand customer network and engagement platform Cohora. “For better or worse, this is simply how it’s been done for years. Stringent legislation promoted by privacy concerns have left major browsers to phase out support, leaving publishers to face potential losses of more than $10 billion, as reported by the Interactive Advertising Bureau.”

As Chrome plans to extend those restrictions to 100% of users by Q3, only 8% of marketers feel fully prepared to adapt to the changes, while 22% indicated they are mostly prepared. For the 70% who haven’t prepped their alternate strategies, the clock is quickly ticking.

“Marketers may feel unprepared for the phase-out of third-party cookies for various reasons,” explained Carol Howley, CMO of email signature management platform Exclaimer. “The heavy reliance on these cookies for tracking user behavior, targeted ads and campaign measurement is a huge challenge. A lack of familiarity with alternatives adds to the sense of unpreparedness, as some marketers struggle to understand and implement new technologies or strategies.”

The Impact Of The Phase-Out On Marketers & Buyers

With about five months until the privacy hourglass runs out of sand, just 17% of marketers no longer rely on third-party cookies — meaning that the 83% still leveraging that data source are in for a rude awakening.

“The phase-out will have significant implications for marketers, especially those still heavily reliant on tracking user behavior for advertising and analytics purposes,” said Howley. “This will have potential impacts on advertising, analytics, personalization and privacy efforts. It will become more difficult for advertisers to track users across different websites, limiting the precision of targeted ads. Additionally, tracking and attributing conversions will become more complex.”

Despite the complexities associated with third-party alternatives, the shift toward opt-in collection processes will ultimately benefit both sides of the buying journey. Mathew explained that third-party data often restricts brands from interacting with customers meaningfully, because that data is often given to marketers in segments instead of at the individual level. On the flipside, prospects and customers benefit from more control and ownership over their purchasing process.

“By and large, when a consumer allows third-party data gathering through cookies, they don’t know what they’re consenting to or how their data might be used,” said Mathew. “Eighty-six percent of consumers care about data privacy, demanding transparency and control over how businesses use their data, and 47% of the respondents have switched companies due to poor data policies and practices. Because of this, brands are now pushed to find ways to access zero- and first-party data sources that foster a transparent relationship between brands and consumers.”

Analyzing The Alternative Data Sources

As first- and zero-party data bubble up to take the wheel, marketers need to increase the incentives and benefits of information sharing for prospects. Because of this move toward alternative data sources, marketers will be forced to become more creative and in-touch with their customers.

“Marketers need to look for alternatives and create a plan that will move the needle for their business,” said Howley. “This is an incredible opportunity to shake up marketing and do better by your customers and prospects.”

She continued that marketers can explore the possibilities around AI and machine-learning as effective third-party stand-ins. She continued that predictive analytics and customer behavior models built from on-site interactions can replicate the personalized experiences that once hinged on cookies. However, leveraging these tools requires tight internal alignment.

“Collaboration will become an indispensable tool for marketers,” explained Howley. “Strategic partnerships will create paths for shared benefits and strengthened brand identity while preserving user privacy. Marketers will see that the best way to foster trust will be 1:1 communication.”

How To Leverage Alternative Resources For Increased Personalization

With opt-in information becoming the new currency for marketers, zero- and first-party data will be the cashflow that supports practitioners’ initiatives. Although these data sources might be more difficult to collect — as they require more cooperation from the buyers themselves — it’s ultimately more valuable.

“Direct ownership of zero- and first-party data allows a company to have a much more personalized and intimate relationship with their customers, since they have insight into an individual customer’s interests and preferences,” said Mathew. “In turn, this enhances the overall customer experience by personalizing every step of the journey, not just the initial offer.”

Additionally, Howley explained that content-driven strategies will be marketers’ biggest support in their strategy for collecting first-party data. In fact, 62% of marketers plan to increase their database investments in the new year. When it comes to the top reasons for investing in data collection and enrichment practices, 73% of practitioners want to generate better insights to personalize content and messaging.

“We’re now in the era of focusing on creating a strong human-centric brand and the personalization of content at scale,” Howley. “We need to craft every message, every campaign with the individual in mind. The future belongs to brands who adapt and venture down new paths in data management and customer engagement. Marketers have an opportunity to not just adapt, but to thrive and redefine the marketing playbook in a post-third-party cookie era.”

The post Analyzing The Impact Of Google Chrome’s Third-Party Cookie Phase-Out appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

The General Data Protection Regulation ushered in a new era of consumer rules and regulations regarding the processing of personal data. Since its adoption in 2018, a dozen states have enacted privacy legislation — with some such as Montana and Oregon set to take effect later this year, while those in Tennessee and Delaware will be enforced beginning in 2025. Several other states across the nation have introduced — but not yet passed — similar bills.

In addition to navigating this complex patchwork of privacy legislation, marketers are now grappling with the “death of third-party cookies.” On Jan. 4, 2024, Google started to phase out third-party cookies and plans to roll out the restrictions to all its users in the second half of the year.

In response, many marketers are turning to first-party intent data as a primary method for gathering deeper intelligence on prospective customers. These insights can provide real-time updates into buyer engagements with the company website, content assets and other marketing materials. According to the “2024 State Of Database Strategies & Contact Acquisition Report,” companies plan to ensure data compliance by:

• Becoming more transparent regarding data privacy;
• Enforcing limitations and more protection around the information they collect from customers;
• Training employees regarding data privacy;
• Updating data protection programs as instructed; and
• Using state-of-the-art encryption methods.

To keep up with the modern B2B landscapes, marketers need to deliver highly personalized content that buyers can peruse at their own pace while also keeping abreast of ever-changing privacy rules and regulation.

The post Protecting Privacy: Understanding The Role Of Data Restrictions In B2B appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

According to the company, there are two key features of Performance Center:

• Identifying gaps in buying groups and gaining insight into buying group behaviors to help identify the accounts that have the most/best buying group coverage; and
• Leveraging big data and machine learning to create Integrate’s proprietary trust and reliability score for media partners, which is based on an algorithm running on millions of data points that track media partner campaign performance.

“B2B marketers are faced with doing more with less, and doing it faster, and everyone is looking to AI to raise the threshold of what’s possible and accelerate decision-making and productivity,” said Aaron Mahimainathan, Chief Product Officer at Integrate, in a statement. “With millions of data points passing through our platform each month, we’re building AI capabilities from the ground up into our product to enable B2B marketers to make informed decisions so they can deliver more meaningful impact to pipeline, revenue and business outcomes.” 

The release of Performance Center is hot on the heels of the debut of Pipeline360, Integrate’s new media arm that seeks to offer an all-in-one integrated media solution for content syndication, enhanced account intelligence and digital advertising.

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This leads to what we call “analysis paralysis,” or the inability to derive insights from the information available to marketers due to the sheer volume of data being presented. We need to reckon with the fact that truly effective data-driven marketing strategies are not powered by simply having the data at our disposal — we need the right data to reach customers early in the buyer journey.

Let’s explore the phenomenon of analysis paralysis and how go-to-market (GTM) teams can pare back the noise to focus on the information that really matters.

Quality Over Quantity

For years, we’ve been operating in a world where we believed more data meant better insights. As the current artificial intelligence (AI) craze has given algorithms and AI-powered tools a vast array of data sources to pull from, it’s emerged as a strategy to combat systemic data bias. This is why AI exists in the first place: To process extensive amounts of data more efficiently than humans ever could.

But now that data-driven strategies have become the standard and most business is conducted digitally, it’s well past time to pivot to a quality over quantity mindset. More data does not necessarily mean more accuracy or better insights; if anything, it leads to the potential for more conclusions being drawn, all of which are up to interpretation, and many of which may be ineffective or irrelevant.

Let’s say your marketing team is using a tool that ingests third-party data with the aim of telling you where a prospect is in their buyer journey and what next steps are best to move them through the pipeline. Destination and source (i.e., website visited and the information collected) aren’t necessarily the best indicators of influence — what matters more is the behaviors that took place before your prospect landed on that site.

There’s no value in capturing anonymous behavioral traffic because that information isn’t indicative of a future purchase. Ambiguity won’t get you anywhere — data-driven insights will only be as valuable as the data itself. When there’s too much data to consider, marketing teams wear themselves out trying to craft a compelling story, but this uncertainty and guesswork can lead to imprecise conclusions.

The right tools will limit the number of different interpretations teams can make from the data available by using only the most viable authoritative sources.

Peer-To-Peer Interaction

Today’s B2B buyers are heavily influenced by their peers. As such, some of the most vital information marketers can tap into lives within prospects’ online interactions with their trusted colleagues and professional counterparts.

These conversations can prove even more valuable than third-party content analytics, as buyers are more likely to dive into specifics like their unique pain points and the solutions they’re considering with their peers. Forums like social media groups, review platforms, virtual conferences and more are a gold mine for teams looking to develop a keen understanding of their audience.

By leveraging tools that grant visibility into a potential buyer’s peer influences, revenue teams can hone their strategies and serve up the right information at the right time. This ultimately leaves them better equipped to deliver highly personalized and relevant content that’s more likely to resonate and lead to conversions.

This information also helps teams segment their target account list, devote energy and resources to leads most likely to convert and predict future purchases — an absolute must for those striving to scale reliable strategies in our persistently turbulent economic climate.

Guesswork Begone

Today’s GTM teams have mountains of data at their fingertips. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they have mountains of quality insights to guide their campaigns. Instead of trying to interpret every single click and keystroke a prospective buyer makes, revenue teams must zero in on the behaviors that actually matter — namely, prospects’ online interactions with their peers.

The right technology will eliminate analysis paralysis by identifying true signals of buyer intent from only the most viable sources, taking guesswork out of the equation and ensuring teams are able to meet prospects where they are in their unique buyer journey.

Kevin Green is the President and CMO of Truent, a revenue intelligence platform. He is a growth-focused marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience building and leading diverse teams across marketing, product and sales at companies like Dell and T-Mobile before Truent.

The post Using The Right Data To Beat Analysis Paralysis appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

Snowflake

Previously, Burns served as CCO at Salesforce and brings two decades of experience providing communications counsel to executive teams. Prior to Salesforce, Burns was AT&T Communications’ SVP of Corporate Communications.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brad to the Snowflake team,” said Denise Persson, CMO at Snowflake, in a statement. “With a wealth of experience from highly successful enterprises, Brad brings a strategic approach to communication and deep understanding of the dynamic technology landscape. His expertise will play a crucial role in elevating Snowflake communications as we scale the data cloud to $10 billion and beyond.”

The post Snowflake Appoints Brad Burns As Chief Communications Officer appeared first on Demand Gen Report.

By blending Jifflenow’s and iCapture’s technologies with its own platform, Cvent seeks to streamline post-event follow-up and enable sales and marketing professionals to capture, qualify and convert leads more efficiently. Specifically, the company plans to:

• Leverage Jifflenow’s technology to book qualified appointments at events to convert leads into business opportunities; and
• Use iCapture’s universal lead capture solution to facilitate more intelligent and efficient lead capture onsite.

“Over the past nearly 25 years, we’ve helped power global meetings and events programs, and these acquisitions highlight our continued commitment to innovation and delivering the best-in-class solutions our customers need to drive their businesses forward,” said Reggie Aggarwal, CEO and Founder of Cvent, in a statement. “We’ve known and respected Hari [Shetty, CEO and Founder of Jifflenow] and Brady [Roberts, President and Co-founder of iCapture] since the inception of both Jifflenow and iCapture, and we are extremely excited to welcome their teams to Cvent.”

Cvent’s enhanced trade show and conference solutions will be showcased at the company’s user and industry conference, Cvent CONNECT 2024, which take place June 10-13 in San Antonio, Texas.

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