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MarTech Interview with Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase


Kelly Hopping, CMO at Demandbase catches up with the MarTech Series to talk about the rapidly evolving marketing and mart environment and how the future of marketing will be largely driven by artificial intelligence:

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Hi Kelly, tell us about your time as CMO at Demandbase.

I’ve only been at Demandbase for about 16 months and I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating, building and restructuring key areas. When I started, I focused on getting to know the market, understanding customer sentiment, and clarifying our unique position. This year, I led efforts to rebrand our company, which we unveiled in early October, align our story with our go-to-market (GTM) strategy, simplify our pricing and packaging, and strengthen our team to support our goals. It’s been quite a journey and I’m really proud to have played a role in aligning our organization, refining our strategy and building trust within the team.

What excites you most about B2B Tech as a Marketing Leader?

I’m in a unique position at Demandbase where I get to market to other marketers and actually use our product internally, which gives me authentic insights that shape how I communicate our value. Connecting with other CMOs, hearing about their challenges and constantly using that feedback to improve our approach is gratifying. Every day I am excited to reach out and speak meaningfully to an audience that I understand so deeply.

How common top of mind myths about the goals and roles of marketers in technology that you would like to dispel here today?

A widespread myth about AI in marketing is that it’s about efficiency and cost reduction, which is why so many people fear it will replace jobs, especially in content creation and creative roles. I believe AI should be viewed as a revenue generator, not a job killer. It enables strategic marketers to work more efficiently and allows them to focus on creative thinking and innovation. Rather than replacing roles, AI enhances our ability to make smarter, data-driven decisions, automate mundane, time-consuming tasks, and unlock insights we previously didn’t have access to.

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How have you used martech and AI-based marketing technologies to increase marketing impact in recent years?

At Demandbase, we’ve been using AI for years and use our proprietary platform to automate data analysis and identify signals of intent that drive our GTM strategies. We also focus on automating workflows with AI agents to simplify setup and streamline processes for our customers. Outside of Demandbase, we use tools like ChatGPT to generate outline or transactional content and Jasper to automate content creation workflows across different teams. In addition, we use Clay to augment account data for our SDRs, helping them spend more time interacting with prospects instead of doing manual research.

What are some of the biggest innovation marts you’ve been most excited about in the recent past and why?

I’ve become more excited about the move towards more composable tech stacks. While integrated platforms like Demandbase dominate, I see a growing trend of companies separating these solutions and building their own proprietary stacks by integrating with the best available solutions. Enterprise companies in particular are eager to tailor their stacks to specific needs and work with greater agility, enabling the move to open data, open APIs, and customizable integrations.

How can marketers ensure better marketing cycles in B2B SaaS through 2025? What are your top thoughts and tips to share?

Simply put, marketers need to take a holistic approach to the buyer’s journey to ensure better marketing cycles. Customers enter the funnel at different stages, so the old linear models no longer apply. Marketers should focus on providing content and resources that address specific customer questions at each stage, such as educational content, references or quick how-to videos.

By anticipating customer needs and ensuring a smooth interplay between stages, from SDR to sales to follow-up, marketers can keep prospects engaged and moving forward along the journey, ultimately improving conversion rates. Clean, efficient lead flow management and quick follow-up will make a huge difference in achieving better results.

Do you have a “perfect martech stack” – what would a perfect martech stack mean to you?

Something along the lines of:

Five predictions about the future of AI and marts before we wrap up?

  1. AI agents will optimize workflows: For a while, AI was considered a feature within products, but in the future it will be the basis of workflows that users can activate. This gives marketers more control over how they use AI in their day-to-day operations and decision-making.
  2. Companies are reframing their AI strategy: To thrive, companies need to expand their view of AI beyond their current niche. Those who become end-to-end AI players in their space will have greater growth potential than those who simply attach AI to existing solutions.
  3. Self-service artificial intelligence for customers: As AI agents become more sophisticated, companies will use them internally and allow customers to use AI for their own needs. This shift towards allowing users to create their own AI solutions could become a major trend, especially as many businesses want more control over their use of AI.
  4. Service as software: Instead of just selling SaaS products, we will see the rise of “service-as-a-software” in the future. This model would offer AI-driven services built into software, allowing companies to deliver value through continuous service delivery rather than technology alone.
  5. The role of specialized artificial intelligence will emerge: New specialized roles will be created in organizations such as AI product managers and product marketers that focus on data and AI. These positions will help teams effectively manage and navigate the complexities of AI technology stacks.

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