As key players in the thriving industry of marketing technology, we all have a great deal to celebrate in 2022. The first annual International MarTech Day marks how everyday marketing operations for global brands have been transformed by talented and innovative SaaS teams worldwide.
Worth 122 billion dollars, the MarTech landscape is growing at a rate of 22% each year. With 8,000 different solutions identified in the 2020 State of MarTech report by Scott Brinker – the ‘Godfather of MarTech’ and natural co-founder of this new annual celebration – companies find themselves spoiled for choice.
Brands have never had so many options to help create a satisfying stack of MarTech solutions. As product providers challenge one another to raise the bar in their offerings, a seemingly endless number of solutions can pose a problem. In the short-term, the people in charge of the marketing budget decisions must find the combo of the right solutions that bring true long-term value.
Helping brands land immediate strategies is an essential role all MarTech should play. The next step is to provide solutions that empower brands to advance future ambitions. This next phase is a call to action for visionary leaders to emerge in the industry, creating a clearer picture of the must-have solutions to be included in any MarTech stack.
MarTech must offer a bird’s-eye view in 2022
Every brand is in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Solutions must serve brands in a way that supports activating brand identity and maintains a consistent, positive customer experience. Marketing teams must remove workflow barriers to attract new prospects, whilst nurturing the cycle of trust of existing loyal relationships.
As a brand gets bigger, the production bottlenecks, duplications of work and costly miscommunications can increase. This blocks a clear and unique brand encounter from being fully experienced with target audiences – customers, employees, stakeholders or the wider public. There is also a clear time, energy and cost drain here. The best people need to stay onboard to help a company stay on-brand. Giving individuals the right tools to thrive in their roles has never been more important.
Today provides an opportunity for all brand leaders and MarTech teams to ask if the technologies on the table truly support the longevity of a brand. So-called ‘solutions’ must genuinely contribute to:
A positive ecosystem for talent
Every tool must positively support brand strategy and organisational goals. Less systems that do more could be the answer, as a brand’s MarTech should be working to serve its people – not the other way around.
Improving workflows to support better communication, data-gathering and targeted messaging creates more space for individuals to thrive in their roles. As a result, the employer brand is elevated when a company creates these conditions for its people. Teams are more likely to attract and retain employees devoted to such a brand.
Complete consistency and brand governance
Achieving a bird’s-eye view over the entire brand identity must be a constant goal for every brand. How teams are using implemented systems must be monitored to confirm the value they give. Uncomplicated approval processes across every location should always support strategy.
For example, consider a Brand Activation Management (BAM) plan of action – the cross-channel approach to create the awareness, engagement and overall experience for potential and existing customers. Access to clear brand guidelines is essential. Pre-defined material for on-brand asset creation with swift sign-off procedures helps deliver the brand experience fast and with flexibility and transparency. Every person must be empowered to champion the brand. Every piece of MarTech must support its people in doing so at every level, with no compromises.
An investment in relationships that deliver ROI
Off-the-shelf solutions can make immediate impacts. Yet considering the ambitions of both brands – the customer and the MarTech solution – being a collaborative extension to each other’s team is better. The customers meet their goals by the solution provider taking action on identified needs. Something only a close relationship can provide for the best results.
Simply put, ‘shiny new object syndrome’ must be overcome to improve ROI. Prioritising positive relationships with expert collaborators creates a sense of longevity. After all, the success of both brands are interdependent – a mutual relationship where both teams win (or lose) together.
As we think about these key points, it’s clear the ‘must-haves’ in future MarTech stacks will be those solutions that demonstrate such leadership. Supporting the creation of deep, long-term foundations. Confidently building brands’ ability to reach greater heights.
Leading the way within MarTech
In order to stand out in MarTech, standing still is not an option. If you keep doing the same thing for too long – no matter how well you do it – someone will overtake you. Being inspired by competitors, not being afraid to make mistakes and constantly innovating products from lessons learned are essential survival skills. This likely means we will see more partnering of MarTech brands whose visions align.
Papirfly Group has been empowering brands for over 20 years, preceding Scott Brinker’s first report by over a decade. Having recently brought the powerful MarTech brands of Papirfly and Brandmaster together – and other dynamic, aligned solutions – we also began this year with new growth-investment partners. Awarded the title of Best Growth Manager at the PE Wire European Awards 2022, Verdane brings expertise, support and a common belief in our potential.
This is excellent news for IBM, Unilever, Coca-Cola and the 200+ brands we are proud to serve. Our Product Marketing Manager, Frank Tommy Brotke, offers some insights which help outline why the one-stop-shop solution of BAM is becoming an essential inclusion within the MarTech stacks of forward-thinking brands:
BAM is a must-have solution for any brand’s MarTech stack
Tools that contribute to a positive ecosystem give everyday value and unleash team potential. The emergence of Brand Activation Management as a category has seen Papirfly Group’s own talent excel. Our product experts and customer success teams regularly innovate and evolve our service offerings – supporting customers to build their unique brands in a better way than ever before.
A brand portal as a hub for all identity guidelines. A platform for pre-approved templates for asset creation. A home for approval processes that contribute to a governing aerial perspective. As proud leaders in this category, our all-in-one BAM software leads the competition in providing these essential solutions.
A digital asset management system where locked-down brand media are stored and shared is taken one step further. Working closely with our customers we create predefined templates. Every employee can deliver the assets they need in a short space of time. Now, on-brand assets such as images, videos, emails, POS and print material can be created within minutes. All inside one cloud-based solution so reviews, revisions and sign-offs can be actioned swiftly.
Costs and time-drains of dealing with agencies are eliminated, as are bottlenecks. In fact, no specialist design experience is needed. No single-point asset creator is required. The fully internal approval process adds the flexibility to respond to events, whether within a brand’s industry or the wider world.
Our global reach has taught us the demands of different regions. The intuitive interface of our templates sets us apart, as it gives flexibility to serve every location. Culturally relevant imagery and language translation is no longer a problem. Creating hyper-local messaging for retail, employer brand or corporate communication purposes is simple. Our BAM solution truly serves the long-term future of brands globally. And, like many MarTech brands, we have the innovation of the industry to thank for pushing us to reach our potential.
A year is a long time in MarTech…
It’s difficult to predict exactly what the landscape will look like on the next International MarTech Day. We fully intend to remain leaders in Brand Activation Management, whilst we’ll respectfully be looking over our shoulder at our competitors.
Like all MarTech businesses, we welcome the challenge to constantly raise the bar. We should all be a voice in a rallying call for MarTech companies to take the lead and unleash their creativity and potential. In doing so we can inspire one another to deliver the changes that will ensure all brands can create strong foundations for many years to come.
This attitude will mean that those of us that continue to thrive will deservedly keep raising a glass to one another at this time, every year.
With a skål from our home in Scandinavia – Happy International MarTech Day everyone!