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martech Article

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/eric-feige">Eric Feige</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/dan-drapeau"> </a>is Managing Director, Strategy at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vshift.com/">VShift</a> and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> Digital transformations are about business reinvention. Success requires aligned leadership, cultural adaptation, implementable strategy, and constant evolution. Disconnect between functional leaders (e.g., CFOs, CIOs, and CMOs) and their consultants, systems integrators, and agencies is a key reason why digital transformations fail.Often, we find that organizations are unable to quickly launch new sites or digital products required for growth and prioritized as urgent by leadership. Their content supply chain is bottlenecked and incapable of supporting personalized content experiences. And their customer data is just not usable despite years of marketing technology investment. If only there were a magic cure that could turn back time and ensure that strategies are implementable, digital technologies flexible, and campaigns effective – and able to drive growth at scale.Strategies created by management consultants with little to no digital program implementation experience yield “pie in the sky” roadmaps. Digital ecosystems implemented by global systems integrators and shaped by outdated IT principles deliver monolithic technologies that make business stakeholders dependent on vendor-certified consultants. Go-to-market (GTM) campaigns deployed by marketing specialists can only be launched by using non-enterprise MarTech (aka “shadow tech”) that circumvents blockers. Many organizations struggling to execute are increasingly self-aware that misalignment and lack of integration between strategy, technology, and marketing have left them with what developers call “a ball of mud” – a mess of an operating model that is hard to understand, difficult to maintain or evolve, and resistant to change.Can AI magically address organizational and third-party consultant dysfunction? Could a team of skilled AI agents, instead of humans, possess enough depth of specialized knowledge to seamlessly develop implementable strategies, flexible digital platforms, and winning GTM campaigns? No. AI will not be a magic cure – particularly if it is divorced from people, culture, and processes. That said, AI-enabled and integrated strategy, technology, and marketing will deliver business reinvention outcomes and will help course-correct transformations that have gone awry. <h3 id="ai-enabled-organizations-will-lead-the-way">AI-enabled organizations will lead the way</h3>According to IDC, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://my.idc.com/getdoc.jsp/?containerId=prUS52305724">$3.9 trillion will be spent</a> on digital transformation by 2027. Now is an opportune time to utilize AI – along with the right team of associates and consultants – to AI-enable and align key aspects of digital strategy, technology, and marketing so these four key issues are addressed:<ol><li>Lack of leadership support </li><li>Ineffective cross-functional governance</li><li>Stakeholders not being “on the same page”</li><li>Expanding the scope broadly rather than narrowing the focus</li></ol>Instead of executing a traditional management consultant strategy, AI-enabled organizations can shorten expensive multi-month strategy projects into mere days by systematically conducting competitive analysis, by ingesting stakeholder feedback and other relevant input into large language models, and by leveraging synthetic users for CX research and solution validation. Furthermore, AI tooling can render transformation roadmaps along with solution models to help stakeholders and cross-functional governance team members develop a common, aligned vision.<h3 id="the-benefits-of-a-composable-ai-approach">The benefits of a composable AI approach</h3>Rather than putting all your IT investments in a single vendor's digital technology, AI tools can help compose and intelligently assemble diverse digital experience modules. This way, the aligned vision can be progressively launched into production, with the more important aspects of the roadmap taking priority. Modularity and componentization are key in this new world of AI-supported development and integration. GTM leaders can more easily and flexibly trial-run digital technology using AI while platforms are not yet in production – a clever way of eliminating “shadow” systems.Lastly, by using AI to match customer profiles and critical needs, creative team members can more quickly fill the content supply chain with relevant copy/messages, images, videos, and tools to increase open rates, click-throughs, time-on-page engagement, and ultimately campaign conversion. AI can bridge the divide between strategy, technology, and growth, which are currently major impediments to successful digital transformation. By integrating AI enablement into these domains, sustained business reinvention is made possible while rewarding functional leadership for collaboration and for driving innovation and reinvention forward. <hr /><h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Aligning and Integrating Strategy, Technology, and Market Growth with AI

eric-feige

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanghan11/">Yang Han</a> is the Co-Founder and CTO at StackAdapt and a CMS Critic contributor. <hr /> Marketers are drowning in tools but starving for connection. Over the past decade, martech stacks have ballooned, crammed with platforms for everything from email automation to customer journey mapping. Yet instead of making teams faster and smarter, too many disconnected tools create workflow silos, data inconsistencies, and signal loss. Context gets scattered, collaboration slows down, and customer experiences suffer.Tool fragmentation isn’t just inconvenient—it’s a serious barrier to marketing performance. Integrated ecosystems make it possible to connect signals across channels, deliver more cohesive customer journeys, and move faster in an increasingly real-time world. Below, I explore why reducing tool overload is critical for long-term success and offer practical strategies for unifying fragmented martech stacks without throwing everything out and starting from scratch.<h3 id="understanding-the-problem:-what-is-‘tool-fragmentation’?">Understanding the Problem: What is ‘Tool Fragmentation’?</h3>Martech tool fragmentation happens when companies use too many isolated technologies that don’t easily connect. Instead of working as a streamlined system, the stack becomes a patchwork of apps, platforms, and databases. Each tool might serve a purpose, but without integration, they create more friction than flow.In practice, fragmentation leads to disjointed workflows, inconsistent customer data, and campaign delays. Teams scramble to manually move data between systems, while insights stay trapped in silos. Over time, strategies drift, decision-making stalls, and customer experiences feel disconnected.The problem is widespread. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe</a>, the average enterprise now uses over <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://business.adobe.com/blog/perspectives/rationalizing-your-marketing-technology-stack-an-imperative-for-it-leaders">130 different marketing technologies</a>. Rather than boosting performance, this bloated ecosystem often drags teams down, making it harder to stay agile, personalize effectively, or see the full customer journey.<h3 id="why-integration-matters-more-than-ever">Why Integration Matters More Than Ever</h3>In a world where marketing moves at the speed of the customer, integration has shifted from a nice-to-have to a must-have. When tools work together, teams gain stronger signal continuity with fewer blind spots across channels and customer touchpoints. Unified systems make it easier to deliver consistent messaging and personalized experiences that feel seamless rather than stitched together. Integration also cuts down the hours wasted on manual syncing and patchwork reporting, giving marketers faster access to the insights they need to make smarter decisions. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.stackadapt.com/resources/blog/how-to-prepare-for-ai-strategy">With AI</a>, automation, and real-time personalization becoming core parts of marketing strategies, a connected martech stack sets the foundation for the agility and innovation that today’s brands demand.<h3 id="key-strategies-to-tackle-fragmentation">Key Strategies to Tackle Fragmentation</h3> <h4 id="1.-audit-your-martech-stack">1. Audit Your Martech Stack</h4>The first step toward solving fragmentation is understanding where you stand. Create a full inventory of every marketing tool in use, from major platforms to niche plugins. Assess each tool's core purpose, how often it’s used, and whether it integrates smoothly with other systems. Pay close attention to redundancies—tools that overlap in function—or technologies that don't "talk" to the rest of your stack. A clear view of your ecosystem will make it easier to spot what’s helping and what’s quietly holding you back. <h4 id="2.-prioritize-integration-first-solutions">2. Prioritize Integration-First Solutions</h4>When evaluating new technologies, integration should still be non-negotiable, but smart integration matters more than sheer volume. Too many loose or flawed connections within the same martech stack can create just as many issues as isolation. Focus on platforms that offer open APIs, strong native integrations, and robust partner ecosystems, but also think beyond marketing. Look for tools that connect seamlessly to adjacent areas of your business, like finance, CRM, and sales systems. While integration within martech is critical, overloading your stack with patchy internal connections can lead to complexity without real gains. Unified platforms can offer a better foundation, as long as they are strong enough not to compromise on capability. <h4 id="3.-build-an-integration-roadmap">3. Build an Integration Roadmap</h4>Once you know what needs fixing, map out a plan. Set clear goals for which connections matter most to your workflows—whether that's syncing customer data between your CRM and email platform or aligning analytics across paid media channels. If direct integrations aren’t available, consider middleware like Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) tools, which can act as the connective tissue between systems. A phased approach will make integration manageable instead of overwhelming. <h4 id="4.-train-teams-to-work-across-systems">4. Train Teams to Work Across Systems</h4>Even the best-integrated stack can fall short if people aren’t trained to use it effectively. Integration isn’t just a technical problem; it’s a collaboration challenge. Run cross-team workshops to show how tools are connected, why certain processes are in place, and what best practices to follow. Developing clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) helps teams move more confidently across platforms and reduces the risk of knowledge gaps dragging down performance.<h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>Fragmentation isn’t just a tech issue—it’s a barrier to marketing success. A disconnected martech stack slows down workflows, scatters customer insights, and weakens every campaign's impact. Small, practical steps like auditing your tools, choosing integration-first solutions, building a clear roadmap, and training teams to work across systems can make a big difference. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="looking-for-guidance-on-stackadapt?-talk-to-an-expert.">Looking for guidance on StackAdapt? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/contact">Talk to an expert.</a></h4><hr /> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:33.07%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/05/contentcon25-logo-1747412490394.png" /><h4 id="contentstack-contentcon-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.contentstack.com/contentcon">Contentstack ContentCon 25</a></h4>June 3-5, 2025 – Chicago, USAThe future of digital is waiting for you! Contentstack presents ContentCon, the premier event for digital teams and industry leaders who are reimagining the future of digital experiences. Join us for two days of transformative presentations and workshops designed to help you put personalization and AI strategies into action. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://contentcon2025.site.zuddl.com/">Register today! </a> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaWe are delighted to present the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Tackling Tool Fragmentation for Martech Success

yanghan

Painting by numbers: Where CMS fits in the 14,106 products on the 2024 Martech Supergraphic

matt-garrepy

At the end of May, Janus Boye and his <a href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/martech-briefing2023">Boye &amp; Co organized two meetups</a> in Europe with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjbrinker/">Scott Brinker</a>, the famous author of the <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2023/05/2023-marketing-technology-landscape-supergraphic-11038-solutions-searchable-on-martechmap-com/">Marketing Technology Landscape infographic</a>, Editor at <a href="http://chiefmartec.com/">chiefmartec.com</a>, and VP Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot. Janus also invited some other speakers to showcase the reality of martech development in different types of companies. Since Kentico was sponsoring the event, I was lucky to attend both of them and can summarize the most interesting takeaways.
<h2>MarTech Supercollision</h2>
Let’s start with Scott Brinker's presentation, “<a href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/martech-briefing-hamburg-2023">MarTech Supercollision</a>,” covering several marketing technology topics. He discussed companies' varying levels of maturity with marketing technology, emphasizing the need for investment in people in addition to technology. Scott also explored the concept of composability in marketing, including its importance in creating personalized customer experiences. He analyzed the three different trends in MarTech, calling it “Supercollision” because each would be big enough to shake the industry. Still, they are now happening all at the same time: data, composability, and AI.
Scott has been exploring the MarTech landscape since 2011. There has been a 7,258% growth in the number of martech solutions in the last 12 years. The 2023 infographic contains 11,038 solutions – that’s an 11% increase from 2022, even though there was a 7% churn rate.
And as we discussed during the event, we can expect an even bigger influx of new niche solutions since the development of AI has completely shaken and democratized software development. It’s unexpectedly easy to brief an AI tool to create the right app for your needs and put it to the market.
In my insightful interview with Scott after the event, the conversation also revolved around the rapid influx of tools and innovations in the market and how companies can embrace these changes. Scott emphasized the importance of maturity in utilizing MarTech, stating there's a wide distribution in how mature companies are with leveraging marketing technology. He referred to Avinash Kaushik's 90/10 rule, where 90% of the investment should be in people and only 10% in technology. Scott stressed the importance of investing in people, not just in terms of individual skills training but also in evolving the organization to support what those people want to do.
We also discussed the concept of composability in martech. Scott explained that while there are different levels of composability, most companies are currently at a stage where they are composing relatively lightweight but very useful things. He emphasized the importance of creating a supportive culture that encourages people to experiment with applying these tools. He also highlighted the need to adjust processes to remove some friction, making it easier for people to use these tools.
I found Scott’s analogy of composability to LEGO clever for explaining it to non-tech marketers. However, I argued that in many cases, companies do not need to buy thousands of small bricks to build a LEGO ship. They can use pre-built sets, put them together, and have fun with the result instead of spending hundreds of hours sitting with the most expensive building kits. Sure, there are people who love to spend this time building it from scratch, and it’s fine. It’s just not the majority.
<img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/06/scott-brinker-lego-analogy-1024x502.png" alt="Buy, build, adapt composable images from Scott Brinker's presentation" />
<h2>What about people?</h2>
I already mentioned that Scott emphasized the importance of people during our interview, but there was also another presentation called “The hidden success factor behind MarTech” by <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelika-gust-5a4192205/">Angelika Gust</a>, Head of Marketing at S-Bahn Berlin, focusing on this.
Angelika argued that martech should actually be called “Communication Technology (CommTech)” since it should help anyone in the company, not just marketing people, communicating with the customers. And very often, she said, these hidden champions, employees with direct or indirect customer touchpoints, are not digitally native and savvy.
To maximize the potential of MarTech, companies should focus on transforming these employees into enthusiastic MarTech users. Angelika underscores the need for roles like Data Translator and MarTech Operationalizer, who can bridge the gap between MarTech specialists and other employees. She also highlighted the importance of addressing fears like job loss due to AI advancements.
<h2>The digital experience maturity journey</h2>
The journey towards digital experience maturity is a shared endeavor, as evidenced by the contributions of our own Kentico partners and customers at these two events. Co-founder of <a href="https://www.actumdigital.com/">ACTUM Digital</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/janhavel/">Jan Havel</a>, along with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/delfinvassallo/">Delfin Vassallo</a>, Marketing Director at <a href="https://www.actumdigital.com/cases/uponor-case-study">Uponor</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/roelkuik/">Roel Kuik</a>, Kentico Practice Lead at <a href="https://www.avivasolutions.nl/">Aviva Solutions</a>, alongside <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-van-dijk-b176b611/">Michael van Dijk</a> from APS IT-diensten, all shared their unique experiences of re-platforming.
The key takeaway from these presentations is the vital importance of ensuring that technology is in harmony with the specific needs and objectives of the business. By doing so, companies can optimize their technology solutions for the greatest impact. This alignment boosts operational efficiency and enriches the user experience and satisfaction, improving engagement metrics.
Furthermore, these insights highlight the necessity of flexibility and the courage to shift towards different goals and strategies when needed. Whether it's crafting a user-friendly interface for content editors, establishing a unified component library, or tackling industry-specific challenges in B2B e-commerce, the capacity to adapt and pivot is crucial.
In summary, these insights reinforce the mantra of "Listen to understand." Companies can make well-informed decisions about their technology implementations by attentively listening to the needs of the business, the users, and the industry. This approach, combined with a commitment to employee satisfaction and a willingness to embrace change, can substantially enhance business performance and user experience.
<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/critics/jenda-perla/">Jenda Perla</a> is VP of Marketing at Kentico, and a CMS Critic contributor.

Scott Brinker's "MarTech Supercollision" and Key Takeaways from the Boye & Co Briefings in Europe

jenda-perla

Martech supercollision of text and background moving towards center of light

<a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/">Siteimprove</a>, the enterprise SaaS company with solutions for improving website governance and performance, <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/company/press/siteimprove-s-enterprise-platform-delivers-275-return-on-investment/" target="_blank">announced</a> the findings of a new Forrester TEI study – demonstrating that their platform delivered a 275 percent return on investment (ROI) over three years for a composite organization. 
The study also suggests that the Siteimprove investment could be paid back in less than six months – an impressive ROI by any measure and a testament to the accessibility leader's value across the digital stack. 
Despite being known for their best-of-breed <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/accessibility/" target="_blank">accessibility scanning and monitoring solutions</a>, Siteimprove also offers a robust <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/seo/" target="_blank">SEO platform</a> with a range of powerful enterprise features, including enhanced search capabilities. 
Siteimprove has also added two new tools to their ecosystem – <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/ads/" target="_blank">Siteimprove Ads</a> and <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/performance/" target="_blank">Siteimprove Performance</a> – which help simplify Google Ad management and make website performance data more understandable and actionable. This <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/" target="_blank">combined suite</a> provides marketers with greater control and insight across their martech stack. 
"Siteimprove's performance-with-a-purpose optimization allows marketers to spend more time on efficient, effective content creation that truly impacts revenue," said Shane Paladin, CEO of Siteimprove. "The Forrester [TEI] analysis validates our core mission: helping marketing teams consistently deliver the most accessible, inclusive, relevant, discoverable and usable content."
<h2>Making sense of TEI and ROI</h2>
TEI, short for Total Economic Impact, is a methodology developed by <a href="https://www.forrester.com/policies/tei/" target="_blank">Forrester Research</a> that's been used by technology consumers and businesses for over 20 years. TEI provides business value justification analysis to help organizations understand the financial impact of a technology investment. It consists of four components for evaluating the impact of an investment: cost, benefits, flexibility, and risk. 
The Siteimprove TEI study included clients from across North America and Europe that are focused on providing a more consistent and elevated digital experience for their customers. Based on the findings, prior to using Siteimprove, the interviewees noted how their organizations lacked the necessary capabilities to deliver cohesive, high-quality digital experiences across their websites. 
By using Siteimprove to identify errors and performance issues within their digital experiences, participants in the study were able to:
<ul>
<li>Refine their site design and UX, leading to nearly $415,000 in savings: With Siteimprove, users were able to methodically apply an insights-driven approach to page redesigns, content creation, and marketing campaign spending. This led to an increase in site visits, higher registrations, and a reduction in marketing spending.</li>
<li>Improve accessibility, resulting in almost $179,000 in savings: By addressing key accessibility concerns such as readability and inclusivity, companies enabled website visitors with disabilities to interact with their brand more effectively. In addition, customers were able to expand their audiences by offering a more seamless experience to a broader base of users. </li>
<li>Automate monitoring and workflow capabilities, leading to more than $75,000 in savings: By leveraging Siteimproves's automated tools and resources, organizations were able to reduce the average time spent on error detection and content monitoring by 90%.</li>
<li>Bolster traffic from SEO, leading to nearly $110,000 in savings: Through web content optimization – primarily the identification and remediation of technical, content, user experience (UX), and mobile issues – Siteimprove users were able to enhance their website content, improve search engine rankings, and drive more traffic. </li>
</ul>
<h2>What customers had to say in the Forrester TEI study</h2>
TEI has become an invaluable resource for many organizations – and with the Forrester name behind it, the quality goes well beyond other independent research sources.
Still, there's no better indicator of success than the voice of the customer. To that end, the study also featured comments from interviewees that codified the benefits of Siteimprove. Here's one from the head of web marketing for an information technology company:
"We have multiple in-country based [sic] websites, all with different teams. I needed a solution that could help us centrally understand the quality of these sites and provide them with easy-to-understand actions to rectify the identified problems."
And another from a marketing analyst in the education field:
“I spend more time now planning optimizations and providing insights to the business. Previously, I was spending a lot of time collecting and manipulating data and not as much time learning from the data. Siteimprove definitely helps with that.”
There's more to glean from the full TEI study. Siteimprove provides a <a href="https://siteimprove.com/en-us/tei-of-siteimprove/" target="_blank">free copy</a> on their website.
<h2>About the Forrester TEI Study</h2>
Total Economic Impact ™ (TEI) is a methodology developed by Forrester Research that enhances a company's technology decision-making processes and assists vendors in communicating the value proposition of their products and services to clients. The TEI methodology helps companies demonstrate, justify, and realize IT initiatives' tangible value to senior management and other key business stakeholders.
<h2>About Siteimprove</h2>
Siteimprove's enterprise platform transforms content into the foundation of winning customer experiences that drive revenue. Marketing teams using Siteimprove's data-driven approach to consistently deliver content that meets strict digital accessibility requirements and is optimized for SEO, and marketing campaigns. Siteimprove works alongside DXPs, giving marketing and web teams end-to-end visibility throughout the content lifecycle. By automating time-consuming tasks, Siteimprove empowers marketers to deliver highly optimized content faster. Over 7,500 companies use Siteimprove to transform their content into revenue and is regularly recognized as a G2 leader across the board.

New Forrester TEI Study: Siteimprove Enterprise Platform Delivers 275% ROI

paris-tuzun

Image of Siteimprove logo with graphic showing ROI and payback of less than 6 months

If there's one company that's cornered the market on intuitive names, it's <a href="https://gathercontent.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GatherContent</a>. 
As their moniker suggests, they are a platform that brings together, well... content. But along this journey, they're also connecting the people, processes, and technologies that make "<a href="https://review.content-science.com/what-is-content-operations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Content Operations</a>" a real phenomenon. 
And let's face it: with so much content distributed across an expanding array of sources and endpoints, their role as the "gatherer" has never been more apropos. 
Now, GatherContent is making it easier for customers to streamline their martech stack experience. The company just announced a new set of integrations with <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/gatsby-unveils-v3-0-cloud-hosting-and-more-at-gatsbyconf-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gatsby</a> and <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netlify</a>, and deepened their existing integrations with <a href="https://www.adobe.io/apis/experiencecloud/aem.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)</a>, <a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drupal</a>, <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/cms-monthly-recap-salesforce-completes-acquisition-of-slack-contentsquare-accelerates-ml-capabilities-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Slack</a>, <a href="https://vercel.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vercel</a>, and <a href="https://zapier.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zapier</a>.
Currently, GatherContent allows customers to seamlessly integrate their product with their own technology stack through these <a href="https://gathercontent.com/integrations" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrations</a>, as well as APIs and headless capabilities. This gives users a great deal of flexibility when it comes to multi-channel publishing and connecting GatherContent to production and project management workflows.
According to Gartner’s <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3992875" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2020 Marketing Technology Survey</a>, marketers only use 58% of their martech stack’s full breadth of capabilities because they have trouble with cross-functional collaboration compounded by a “sprawling array” of platform solutions. This is all validated by the eponymous <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2020/04/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brinker Diagram</a>, which illustrates the flood of technologies available to marketers – including CMS. 
“GatherContent is the glue that connects these other platforms together,” said Angus Edwardson, Co-Founder and VP of Product of GatherContent. “Our goal is to allow GatherContent to easily slide into existing marketing workflows with as few barriers as possible.”
In addition to their new and enhanced integrations, GatherContent has expanded its API – including JavaScript helper libraries that use the popular <a href="https://www.cmscritic.com/top-jamstack-static-site-generators-for-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JAMstack</a> as a backbone. This makes it easier for developers to build on top of GatherContent and create seamless integrations with their existing martech stack that includes CMS, CRM, SEO tools, and more. 
“Marketing technology stacks are getting more cluttered," said Edwardson. "But when connected together in a way that makes sense, the result is better content, produced faster and with reduced risk.” 
<h2>About GatherContent</h2>
GatherContent is a Content Operations platform that brings together people, process, and technology. GatherContent has helped thousands of businesses save time and money, improve content quality, and reduce regulatory risk. The platform replaces the broken status quo of docs, spreadsheets, shared drives, and emails. These tools weren’t designed to manage high volume content production and workflow when many stakeholders are involved. Recognized as a Content Distribution Leader, Creation High Performer in G2’s Summer 2021 report, GatherContent is free to try, quick to set up, and very easy to use. Learn more at <a href="https://gathercontent.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://gathercontent.com/</a>.

GatherContent Adds New Integrations to Help Streamline Martech Stacks

In yet another active week for technology movers and shakers, Nordic Capital has signed a deal to become the majority shareholder in Danish-based <a href="/siteimprove-seo-provides-all-in-one-capabilities-for-enhancing-search-performance/">Siteimprove</a> – an enterprise SaaS company with solutions for improving website governance and performance.
Founded in 2003, Siteimprove has been focused on web usability, providing an all-in-one, cloud-based Digital Presence Optimization (DPO) platform. Their suite of tools and services help organizations enhance their digital accessibility, data privacy, compliance management (such as <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/">GDPR</a>), content quality and search engine optimization.
<h3 id="leaders-in-website-accessibility">Leaders in Website Accessibility</h3>
Siteimprove has built a strong reputation around their industry-leading accessibility solutions, helping websites deliver an equitable digital experience to people with disabilities. 
One key to Siteimprove’s growth has been an elevated demand for accessibility scanning and monitoring, as websites in places like the U.S. have been under fire for <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/ada-website-litigation-likely-to-increase">ADA compliance litigation</a> – particularly in the public sector. As accessibility awareness has grown, Siteimprove has also matured its training and partner programs, and developed integrations with content management systems (CMS) to help accelerate adoption.
Additionally, Siteimprove’s SEO and analytics tools are powering digital marketing programs and helping brands to enhance their overall website performance. As more businesses pivot to digital transformation in a COVID-19 world, the value of search and website health are becoming more critical than ever.
<h3 id="why-did-nordic-capital-decide-to-invest-in-siteimprove">Why did Nordic Capital Decide to Invest in Siteimprove?</h3>
Nordic Capital stated that Siteimprove has significant long-term growth potential, driven by increasing market penetration, expansion in key customer segments, and past investments in product development and platform solutions. Their goal is to fund Siteimprove’s continued innovation and expansion while elevating awareness for their social mission.
“We have long admired Siteimprove as one of the top SaaS companies globally, with great potential for further growth due to its world-class product offering, strong customer base, and expanding market coverage,” said Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology &amp; Payments, <a href="https://www.nordiccapital.com/">Nordic Capital Advisors</a>.
“Nordic Capital will draw upon its significant experience and success in developing technology companies, working closely with the management team to continue Siteimprove’s journey as a strong and sustainable company. We are impressed by the Company and how its products reduce inequality in society by helping people with disabilities gain access to a digitalized world and drive growth across essential digital disciplines.”
<h3 id="more-acquisitions-and-outside-investment">More Acquisitions and Outside Investment</h3>
The last few years have certainly seen a “buying spree” across the digital experience and eCommerce landscape, with Adobe <a href="https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2018/Adobe-Completes-Acquisition-of-Marketo/default.aspx">acquiring Marketo</a> <a href="https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2018/Adobe-Completes-Acquisition-of-Magento-Commerce/default.aspx">and Magento</a>, Acquia <a href="/acquia-launches-new-open-digital-experience-platform/">receiving a major investment from Vista Equity Partners</a>, and Episerver recently <a href="/episerver-to-acquire-optimizely-the-worlds-leading-experience-optimization-platform/">announcing</a> its plans to acquire Optimizely. 
In a fierce race to acquire customers and compete against commoditization, leading platforms are relying on M&amp;A and outside equity to grow their market value. Leading enterprise platforms – from CRM to email marketing – also appear to be consolidating, offering more all-in-one solutions in a monolithic manner. MailChimp, ConstantContact, and <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/">Salesforce</a> are just a few platforms that are now offering digital marketing, CMS, and other capabilities all in one place.
With this recent announcement, it appears Siteimprove is the latest player to enter the investment game in a world gone digital.
<h3 id="about">About</h3>
<a href="https://siteimprove.com/">Siteimprove</a> offers the world's most comprehensive cloud-based Digital Presence Optimization (DPO) software. The Siteimprove Intelligence Platform provides eye-opening insights that empower more than 7,500 teams to create higher quality content, drive better traffic, measure digital performance, and work towards regulatory compliance – all from one place. They also offer best-in-class technical support, academy courses, services, and technology integrations.

Nordic Capital Invests In Siteimprove, Plans International Expansion and Development

In another dramatic shift to the content management and digital experience landscape, Episerver <a href="https://www.episerver.com/company/press-room/episerver-to-acquire-optimizely-the-worlds-leading-experience-optimization-platform">has announced</a> its plans to buy Optimizely. 
Episerver, the customer-centric digital experience platform, is recognized as a leader in the <a href="https://www.episerver.com/reports/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms">Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms</a>. With the acquisition of Optimizely, an innovator in experience optimization, Episerver appears to be ramping up its competition with enterprise DXP players like <a href="https://www.adobe.com/marketing/experience-manager.html">Adobe</a>, <a href="/acquia-launches-new-open-digital-experience-platform/">Acquia</a> and <a href="/sitecore-updates-experience-platform-and-experience-commerce-releases-new-sitecore-content-hub/">Sitecore</a>.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/gartner-magic-quadrant.png" alt="Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/09/gartner-magic-quadrant.png 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/09/gartner-magic-quadrant.png 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/09/gartner-magic-quadrant.png 1432w" /><figcaption><a href="https://www.episerver.com/reports/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms">Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms</a></figcaption></figure>
In today’s data-driven market, experimentation has become essential. Today's brands need to adapt to consumer changes faster than ever and create more personalized experiences based on data. By combining Episerver’s content and commerce capabilities with Optimizely’s experimentation and optimization, marketers will now be able to build custom digital experiences that get smarter over time and drive more purchases and conversions. 
<h3>Better control of layouts, logic and more</h3>
Together, Episerver and Optimizely will enable organizations to run better experiments across both frontend layouts and backend logic with easy-to-use, tailored recommendations. According to Episerver, the combined power will give organizations the ability to optimize the entire experience across multiple touchpoints while increasing revenue, improving productivity, and realizing cost savings. 
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/layouts-and-logic.png" alt="Layouts and Logic" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/09/layouts-and-logic.png 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/09/layouts-and-logic.png 785w" /><figcaption>Layouts and Logic</figcaption></figure>

<h3>Improved Outcomes</h3>
A/B testing has long been an established practice for marketers, helping teams to develop more unique, highly targeted digital experiences for each customer – while scaling to thousands. These "experiments" can help drive transformation, enhance customer engagement and improve brand differentiation.
Embracing a culture of experimentation is driving improved outcomes for many brands, particularly those leveraging the enhanced capabilities of a digital experience platform. Leading platforms like Adobe and Sitecore have integrated deep personalization and analytics into their offerings, and testing has become a key pillar of the experience optimization stack. 
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/outsized-results.png" alt="Measure the outcomes of every action" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/09/outsized-results.png 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/09/outsized-results.png 785w" /><figcaption>Measure the outcomes of every action</figcaption></figure>
That said, companies are no longer limiting their experiments to A/B testing, and instead are expanding their efforts (A/B, C/D and so on) across all aspects of the digital experience. Episerver's move to incorporate Optimizely into their platform demonstrates a growing demand for more insight around consumer data, as well as greater speed and control over adapting the digital experience. 
<h2>Optimizely: A Proven Platform</h2>
Optimizely is a leader in experimentation and progressive delivery. Founded in 2009, it became synonymous with A/B testing, subsequently building a broader suite of testing tools for marketers. Its proven platform has run over 2 million experiments across the user journey to optimize the customer experience for some of the world’s most prominent brands like Peloton, Nike and Uber.
The union of Episerver and Optimizely will combine an advanced set of customer-centric digital experience capabilities with more freedom to experiment, enabling digital teams to replace guesswork with evidence-based outcomes.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/dLMqzpXcZNNUoM1_OxXHAQW1ztCKyaZL4aVhaJAVs1_UVxT0KktqrmanWkG0uW0SU0QF346MtL2UJUhVp2dv5XCrDERdCgK9E-lUEC6ns7owJUTODlJOOsATD1DccyehEvOnINOn" /></figure>
<h3>About Optimizely</h3>
<a href="https://www.optimizely.com/">Optimizely</a>'s leading platform offers a complete set of digital experience optimization technologies – including AI-powered personalization and experimentation – which encompasses A/B testing, multivariate testing, and server-side testing. Optimizely enables brands to deliver more relevant experiences driven by data, including Gap, StubHub, IBM, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. To learn more, visit optimizely.com.
<h3>About Episerver</h3>
<a href="https://www.episerver.com/">Episerver</a> empowers businesses to scale through the most customer-centric approach to digital experiences. Its Customer-Centric Digital Experience Platform™ features best-in-class content management and robust commerce, both backed by AI-powered data and personalization solutions. The platform has consistently earned industry, analyst, and media recognition for its vision, capabilities, and customer commitment. Episerver’s 900+ partners and 825+ employees in offices around the globe are proud to help more than 8,000 brands enrich their customer lifetime value, increase revenue, and grow their brands.

Episerver To Acquire Optimizely, Adding Experimentation And Optimization To DXP

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If you’re a digital marketing professional, you’re probably familiar with the <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2020/04/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000/">Martech 5000 “Supergraphic”</a> that’s published annually by Chiefmartec.com. It depicts the complete landscape of marketing technologies across a range of categories such advertising, content management, eCommerce, and more – all with tiny, painstakingly positioned logos.
Now, if you haven’t seen this graphic before, consider yourself warned: you’ll never look at digital marketing technologies the same way again.
The 2020 edition of this mindboggling compilation was released a short while ago, and while the persistence of COVID-19 has consumed every facet of the daily news cycle, it’s worth a hard look. Why?  Because once again, the field of technologies has ballooned at an unimaginable pace.
According to Martech Conference Chair Scott Brinker (the “Chief Martec” and creator of the graphic), the entire landscape grew by 13.6% to a total of 8,000 tools. In addition, 1 in 5 of the solutions were new to the diagram since last year, which is nearly the equivalent of the entire 2015 Martech landscape.
Perhaps the most compelling metric? Since 2011, the landscape has swelled by a remarkable 5,233%.
Brinker also reported that the churn rate – which might include a technology being acquired, sunset, or going out of business – was 8.7%. 615 tools were removed since last year’s 7,040 count, but even with that, the growth of net new tools was 24.5% with 1,575 new tools added.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1600/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 1600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w2400/2020/06/martech-landscape-2020-martech5000-slide.jpg 2400w" /></figure>
What’s New in the 2020 Martech 5000 Supergraphic
Let’s start with the obvious: for the first time, the graphic looks like a piece of abstract art. Or maybe even a map of the Kingdoms of Westeros.
Regardless of your interpretation, this new design is a marked departure from the previously structured compositions, which accentuates the organic nature of the ecosystem. It also reflects how fluid and amorphous the industry has become, and how the shape is constantly shifting.
The concept of a map is perhaps the best metaphor, with the technology logos being organized compactly into six “continents” with a number of sub-categories as “countries.” These include:
<ul>
<li>Advertising &amp; Promotion: SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and Social Media Advertising</li>
<li>Commerce &amp; Sales: Sales Automation, Customer Support, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management)</li>
<li>Content &amp; Experience: CMS (Content Management Systems), SEO, and Marketing Automation</li>
<li>Data: Data Analytics and Web Analytics</li>
<li>Management: Project Management Software and Communication Software</li>
<li>Social &amp; Relationships: Social Media Management</li>
</ul>
The other big change is where the growth is happening across these categories. Below is how much each has grown since last year:
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech-category-growth.jpg" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/06/martech-category-growth.jpg 1600w" /></figure>
While stalwarts like Advertising and Promotion appreciated modest gains, Data lead the way with double-digit growth. Specific areas such as Data Governance and Privacy, Video Marketing, Conversational Marketing and Chat, and Project and Workflow management saw the highest percentages of change, signaling that companies with mature stacks are now focused on harnessing their data assets and optimizing their investments.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Martech
Brinker’s 2020 research was collected before most of the world had ever heard the word “coronavirus.” The Supergraphic was published in the thick of the COVID-19 lockdowns – and while many areas of the world have reopened, resurgences in places like the U.S. continue to stir uncertainty in the markets.
In his article supporting the 2020 Supergraphic, Brinker taps his crystal ball, forecasting that the marketing technology industry will remain strong despite the effects of COVID-19. While he believes there will be short-term damage, the long-term outlook is positive.
While the future is always a little foggy, the pandemic has further obscured the prospects for the Martech landscape. First and foremost, companies may be more risk-adverse, pushing off digital transformation projects to meet budget cuts. Additionally, venture capital investment may be more difficult to secure, putting more pressure on startups.
On the bright side, this challenge has forced brands and organizations to pivot their operations to digital. Consider <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21232401/zoom-300-million-users-growth-coronavirus-pandemic-security-privacy-concerns-response">Zoom’s jump from 10 million daily users to over 300 million</a> since the beginning of the lockdown; this ripple effect was felt across many categories as a direct result of the crisis. As companies continue to embrace digital operations – from collaboration to eCommerce to service – Martech may continue to experience broad growth.
An Interactive Martech 5000 Database
Including 8,000 logos inside a graphic is not an easy task. And if you’re trying to decipher the various players from a printed page, you might need a magnifying glass.
The good news is the Martech 5000 Supergraphic also comes in the form of an interactive database, making it easier to browse the companies along with their domain names, year founded, headquarter location, and even their Linkedin and Twitter handles if available.
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/martech5000-database.png" srcset="/wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w600/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 600w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/size/w1000/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 1000w, /wp-content/themes/cmscritic/img/cmscritic/content/images/2020/06/martech5000-database.png 1209w" /></figure>
You can sign up to see the database <a href="https://martech5000.com/about">here</a>. To read the Chiefmartec article and download the Supergraphic in all of its glory, <a href="https://chiefmartec.com/2020/04/marketing-technology-landscape-2020-martech-5000/">click here.</a>
About Chiefmartec.com
<a href="https://chiefmartec.com/">Chiefmartec.com</a> is a leading online authority for marketing technology. Started in 2008 by Scott Brinker, the blog offers deep insights on strategy, management, and culture – as well as articles and interviews with Martech leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Scott also serves as VP platform ecosystem at Hubspot.

Marketing Technology Landscape Grows 13.6% in 2020, Supergraphic Now Features 8,000 Tools

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