On The Verge Of Convergence

How long have we been talking about the coming convergence of ad tech and mar tech? It feels like forever.

There is AdExchanger articles from 2015 which speaks to how we are on the cusp of creating a more unified customer journey – and yet progress is slow.

But it’s finally starting to happen, and the time couldn’t be more ripe, says Heather Macaulay, president of product consultancy MadTech, on this week’s episode of AdExchanger Talks. (The penultimate module of 2024!)

Customer expectations are “higher than ever,” says Macaulay, and to meet them, companies need an integrated approach to advertising and marketing data.

Convergence is being accelerated by three interrelated factors, he says.

One factor is the shift from third-party signals to first-party data. The second is the rise of cloud platforms that allow data to flow more easily between different parts of the organization. And third, customers have less than zero patience for bad experiences.

“I think it was. Scott Brinker who said, ‘Customers measure the greatest brand experience they’ve had and subconsciously compare all their other experiences to it,'” says Macaulay.

When customers are bombarded with emails or redirected to a product they’ve already purchased, they don’t know—or usually don’t care—why it’s happening. They are not sympathetic to the fact that, say, there may have been a platform failure, or that the various technology tools are not talking to each other. They just remember a less than stellar interaction.

“It’s just frustration and annoyance for the average consumer,” says Macaulay.

So will 2025 finally be the year of the convergence of ad tech and mar tech? Probably not. There is still a long line to hoe. But the stage is set, he says, and the technology is there.

“There is no excuse for us not to speak up more and for platforms not to communicate as smoothly as they need to,” says Macaulay.

Also in this episode: Don’t underestimate the importance of data connectivity, what it means to be a product-focused consultancy — “Organizations don’t just need strategy,” says Macaulay, “they need practical development” — and New Year’s resolutions for the ad industry. Plus: Support of small, family-owned regional wineries.