SAS Experts Reveal Top Trends Shaping the Future of Marketing Technology
As we approach 2025, the marketing technology (MarTech) landscape is poised for significant transformation. Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a driving force, but the way marketers leverage AI is evolving. Experts from SAS, a leader in data and AI, have unveiled their top predictions for 2025, highlighting shifts in AI adoption, responsible marketing, and the resurgence of traditional strategies.
1. Marketers Will Aggressively Adopt Traditional AI (and GenAI Too)
Key Insight: In 2025, marketers will move beyond basic generative AI applications to embrace advanced AI technologies that drive competitive advantage and revenue growth.
• Embracing Advanced AI Tools:
• Adoption of synthetic data and digital twins.
• Increased use of established AI technologies like machine learning.
• Balancing Innovation with Privacy:
• Delivering personalized experiences while respecting customer privacy.
Jennifer Chase, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at SAS, notes:
“Marketers will go beyond large language models (LLMs) and embrace GenAI tools like synthetic data and digital twins, as well as established AI technologies like machine learning, to deliver personalized experiences and effective campaigns while respecting customer privacy.”
2. Responsible Marketing Will Accelerate
Key Insight: There’s a growing emphasis on responsible marketing approaches that build customer trust and loyalty.
• Use of MarTech Solutions:
• AI-based tools help organizations act responsibly with customer data.
• Providing relevant information, timely offers, and agile support.
• Building Trust:
• Customers who trust a brand are more likely to share personal data.
• Enhanced data fuels hyper-personalized marketing efforts.
Mike Blanchard, Vice President of MarTech Solutions at SAS, emphasizes:
“Responsible marketing builds customer trust and loyalty. When customers trust a brand and see value in their interactions with it, they will more readily share personal data that powers hyper-personalized marketing efforts.”
3. The GenAI Hype Balloon Will Spring a Leak
Key Insight: The overhyped focus on generative AI will diminish as organizations recognize its limited immediate applications.
• Current Statistics:
• 90% of organizations plan to invest in GenAI for marketing in 2025.
• 90% of CMOs do not fully understand GenAI or its potential impact.
• Shift in Focus:
• Renewed emphasis on traditional AI technologies.
• Increased use of natural language processing, text analytics, sentiment analytics, speech-to-text AI, and predictive analytics.
Jon Moran, Head of MarTech Solutions Marketing at SAS, observes:
“In 2024, the GenAI hype machine was in overdrive. In 2025, we’ll see a softening of interest in and hype around GenAI, and a renewed focus on more traditional AI technologies, particularly for front-end customer experience applications.”
4. Campaign Management Will Be Back in Vogue
Key Insight: Traditional campaign management will experience a resurgence as organizations recognize its value in customer segmentation and personalization.
• Evolution of Marketing Campaigns:
• From campaigns to customer journeys, but segmentation remains crucial.
• Cloud Data Strategy:
• Movement towards cloud data strategies brings campaign management back into focus.
• Buyer Beware:
• Not all vendors deliver on promises of segmentation capabilities.
Kate Parker, Director of Markets and Growth for Global Customer Intelligence Practice at SAS, warns:
“While many vendors promise customer segmentation capabilities, they aren’t living up to the promise of delivering the segmentation, scalability, and performance to truly power customer personalization.”
5. For CDPs, It Will Be Composable or Bust!
Key Insight: Composability will radically reshape the Customer Data Platform (CDP) market in 2025.
• What Is Composability?
• Ability to access and use data where it lives, such as in a cloud data warehouse.
• Avoids the need to move or copy data into separate marketing clouds.
• Benefits:
• Helps unbundle non-foundational capabilities of a CDP, like data activation.
• Enables marketers to use only the capabilities they need.
• Industry Insights:
• Forrester identifies the composable data warehouse as a top differentiator.
• Gartner predicts data sharing with cloud data warehouses will be disruptive.
Lisa Loftis, Principal Product Marketing Manager for Customer Intelligence at SAS, explains:
“Composability is the latest CDP trend that will radically reshape the CDP market in 2025. It enables marketers to only use the capabilities they need.”
6. The Rise of Co-Creation
Key Insight: Brands will increasingly involve customers in product development using AI and GenAI tools.
• Customer Engagement:
• Sharing product ideas and prototypes with customers.
• Encouraging customers to use AI-powered tools to develop ideas.
• Benefits:
• Gains valuable insights into customer wants and needs.
• Leads to improved campaigns, communication, and better products.
Mike Turner, Principal Business Advisor for Customer Intelligence at SAS, highlights:
“In the next year, more brands across industries will share product ideas and prototypes with customers and ask them to use tools like AI-powered image generators to further develop them.”
7. Organizations Will Embrace GenAI-Powered Customer Service or Fall Behind
Key Insight: GenAI-powered customer service will become essential for delivering exceptional customer experiences efficiently.
• Enhancing Customer Control:
• Customers retrieve instant answers at their convenience.
• Reduction of tedious queues.
• Cost-Effective Solutions:
• Chatbots and self-service channels augment support professionals.
• Brands provide exceptional service without breaking the bank.
Mari Nilsson Björkman, Global Marketing Lead for Telecom Industry at SAS, predicts:
“In 2025, more organizations will turn to GenAI-powered customer service. Customers will gain more control, retrieving instant answers at their convenience without tedious queues.”
8. Marketers Will Go Beyond “Zero Copy Data” Hype
Key Insight: Marketers will approach “zero copy data” with caution, recognizing potential limitations and confusion it may cause.
• Understanding Zero Copy Data:
• Systems designed to avoid data duplication by accessing cloud-based data directly.
• Challenges:
• Most MarTech still requires storing certain types of data.
• Blurs the lines between native data warehouse strategies and the CDP market.
• Critical Examination:
• Importance of assessing how well zero copy data minimizes duplication.
• Evaluating its ability to deliver real-time insights.
Jennifer Pearson, Customer Intelligence Product Marketing Manager at SAS, advises:
“While zero copy data seems promising on paper, it’s important to examine how well it can truly minimize data duplication and deliver real-time insights. As the saying goes, your results may vary.”
Embracing the Future of MarTech
The predictions for 2025 indicate a dynamic shift in the marketing technology landscape, with AI technologies taking center stage but also a return to some traditional strategies. Key takeaways include:
• Aggressive AI Adoption:
• Marketers will leverage both traditional AI and GenAI tools for personalization and efficiency.
• Responsible Marketing:
• Building trust through responsible data use will be paramount.
• Shifting Focus from Hype:
• A balanced approach to AI technologies, moving beyond the GenAI hype.
• Revival of Campaign Management:
• Recognizing the enduring value of segmentation and audience creation.
• Innovation in Customer Engagement:
• Co-creation and GenAI-powered customer service enhance customer relationships.
• Critical Evaluation of New Trends:
• Marketers will scrutinize new concepts like zero copy data for practical viability.
Statistics and Insights
• 90% of organizations plan to invest in GenAI for marketing in 2025.
• 90% of CMOs do not fully understand GenAI or its potential impact.
• Responsible Marketing:
• Organizations focusing on responsible marketing will see increased customer trust and data sharing.
• Composable CDPs:
• Identified by industry analysts as a significant trend reshaping customer data strategies.
Conclusion: Navigating the MarTech Landscape in 2025
The MarTech industry is at a pivotal point, where innovation and traditional strategies converge. Marketers must:
• Embrace Advanced AI Technologies: Leveraging AI for personalization while maintaining customer privacy.
• Build Trust through Responsible Practices: Prioritize customer data protection to foster loyalty.
• Stay Grounded Amidst Hype: Focus on practical applications of AI rather than succumbing to overhyped trends.
• Reinvest in Proven Strategies: Recognize the enduring value of campaign management and customer segmentation.
• Critically Assess New Technologies: Evaluate the practical benefits and limitations of emerging concepts like zero copy data.
By aligning technological advancements with responsible marketing practices, organizations can enhance customer experiences, drive growth, and maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving MarTech landscape.
This blog is furnished with the content from https://www.sas.com/.
For more insights on the latest trends and forecasts in marketing technology, visit betamind.com.
