MarTech is experiencing a bullish trend: Sanjay Krishnamurthy

GALE India is a martech company and a global business agency that is a part of the Stagwell Group US. It is known for complementing brand storytelling with business insights across diversified channels. Its expertise areas are Customer Data Platforms, Marketing Technology, CRM, and Business Strategy and it results in  the creation of marketing communications and systems to help businesses grow. GALE is currently embarking on an ambitious expansion plan in India. GALE believes in the power of movement in the journey towards real growth in life.

In conversation with Adgully, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, President, GALE India, discusses about the strategic focus of GALE in setting up a tech team in India for developing AI-powered martech solutions such as Alchemy, how the combination of marketing and technology play an important role in devising personalized marketing strategies. He also sheds light on how businesses leverage martech for competitive advantage, his observations on the increasing trend around in-game integration, and how GALE is helping its customers with its expertise in metaverse brand activation, the trends, challenges, opportunities in India’s martech ecosystem, and more.

Could you shed light on GALE’s strategic focus in setting up a tech team in India to develop AI-powered MarTech solutions such as Alchemy?

India has been a strategic driver for GALE’s global business and innovation, especially in developing cutting-edge technology solutions. Recent advancements in AI have seen India play a crucial role in creating Alchemy.Ai, a significant upgrade to our award-winning Customer Data Platform, Alchemy. This development has helped GALE maintain its leadership position in the highly competitive data-driven MarTech landscape.

How does the amalgamation of marketing and technology play an instrumental role in devising personalized marketing strategies?

Personalization is the key to winning customers in today’s crowded marketplace. As customer behaviours and interests constantly evolve, marketers are innovatively leveraging new-age technologies to foster more profound levels of engagement, which have become essential for brands. Technology is a significant enabler for bringing personalized experiences to scale for such conversations. From automating repetitive tasks to analyzing patterns for the future, technology aids marketers to focus on core responsibilities. Central to this fusion of marketing and technology is data. Today, customer data platforms are the engines for integrating data from various customer touchpoints and providing insights enhancing personalization efforts.

Could you share insights into how businesses leverage MarTech for competitive advantage?

The marketing landscape is rapidly shifting due to rapid digitization and the integration of advanced MarTech solutions. This blending is leading to increased productivity gains across marketing functions. According to a recent McKinsey report, Gen AI could contribute up to $4.4 trillion in annual global productivity, with marketing and sales expected to capture 75% of that value. AI and ML technologies allow marketers to streamline marketing strategies by processing vast data. They enable a better understanding of customer behaviors, needs, and preferences, facilitating the creation of compelling campaigns. Businesses are also increasingly using MarTech to glean granular audience insight, generate marketing content, etc.

What are your observations on the increasing trend around in-game integration, and how is GALE helping its customers with its expertise in metaverse brand activation?

Brands are increasingly turning to gaming platforms to tap into their vast potential, especially the GenZ audience’s presence. Sandbox gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite are gaining popularity, which allows brands to create games or integrate brand elements into the games seamlessly. Over the years, this has helped brands increase product sales, enhance awareness and consideration, and reach an audience beyond traditional channels.

At GALE, adding value is at the core of our strategy towards activation. Our core philosophy is immersion over impression regarding in-game brand activation. Achieving true immersion will have a significant impact on the brand’s success. Partnering with Moonrock, we have delivered successful campaigns for clients such as Bomb Pop, MilkPEP, and H&R Block. Compared to passive content consumption on other platforms, the opt-in engagement of gaming yields remarkable results. For instance, in our campaign for H&R Block, each player was exposed to the logo 900 times. Yet, the response from gamers remained overwhelmingly positive, a response not typically seen in social or digital campaigns.

How is GALE harnessing the power of data and leading the change with analytics and AI?

At GALE, we take an audience-first and data-driven approach to everything we do, from strategy to brand storytelling to media and technology. Our business strategy is guided by our strong data capabilities, offering a comprehensive 360-degree view of our client’s customers. Leveraging Alchemy, our Gartner-ranked Customer Data Platform (CDP), we rapidly organize first-party data, including customer transactions, interactions, and behaviours. We enrich this information with third-party data, such as location and census information, to create a more detailed customer profile. These insights enable our clients to craft valuable loyalty journeys, enhance acquisition and retention efforts, manage churn, and deliver exceptional end-to-end customer experiences.

Alchemy.Ai is our significant product update to the Alchemy platform. This AI-led platform enhances efficiency across all disciplines, from strategy and audience insights to media planning and CRM, by democratizing data.

How do data-driven technologies reshape marketing functions?

In the current marketing landscape, the evolution of data-driven technologies has shifted away from traditional “spray and pray” strategies. Marketers now prioritize reaching the right users at the right time and place. Precision targeting through data has become essential, leading brands to utilize innovative tools to achieve specific objectives. The convergence of technology and data transforms campaign approaches and fosters more dynamic and strategic engagements with target audiences.

According to a Salesforce study, more than 50% of the audience expects tailored brand experiences. This significant shift over the years has compelled brands to adopt technology at scale to keep up with changing trends. AI and ML capabilities empower marketers to deliver contextual experiences during every customer-brand interaction, leading to longer engagement, increased loyalty, and more robust advocacy, ultimately resulting in better ROI for brands.

What collaborations and partnerships has GALE formed to stay at the forefront of MarTech innovation?

Brands today are looking for innovation across their lifecycle – not only from the agency side, but also from the business strategy side. We strategically partner and collaborate with leading industry players to drive this innovation, combining our domain expertise with our partners' strengths. This approach allows us to deliver solutions that effectively address client challenges and propel their growth.

We have partnered with Antavo Loyalty Cloud to combine our expertise in loyalty-managed services with Antavo’s advanced loyalty technology solutions, where we are delivering better customer experiences and loyalty programs. GALE has also collaborated with Moonrock Labs to integrate advanced gaming solutions into the client’s marketing approach, enhancing immersive and interactive experiences. These partnerships demonstrate GALE’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovative strategies to drive growth for its clients.

How was 2023 for GALE, and what are the growth projections and expansion plans for 2024?

2023 was a milestone year for GALE, winning accolades and pushing the creativity envelope for the industry and our clients. We made significant strides by consistently championing the pivotal role of data in marketing to understand audiences, facilitate optimization, and enhance storytelling. 2024 began with a landmark development ushering in a new era for the Agency. We revolutionized our offerings with artificial intelligence at the core and launched Alchemy.Ai, a private enterprise AI cloud platform built to transform how we work and democratize data across all teams. This transformative platform is trained on all aspects of data used at GALE, reducing the time spent on critical tasks for almost 800 employees to work more efficiently and effectively.

At GALE, our unwavering commitment to forward-looking and data-backed strategies has positioned us as a leader in the ever-evolving marketing landscape. This commitment ensures that we consistently deliver top-notch and innovative solutions for our clients, setting us apart from the competition and paving the way for our future success.

What are the trends, challenges, and opportunities in India’s MarTech ecosystem?

New trends continually emerge yearly in the dynamic marketing technology landscape, reshaping the marketing space. Some of the key current trends are:

Increased Investment: According to studies from Mirum, MarTech is experiencing a bullish trend, with 88% of respondents planning to significantly increase their MarTech spending over the next three years. This reflects a growing recognition of MarTech’s potential to generate ROI.

Strategic Implementation: As investment in MarTech rises, there will be a shift towards more strategic implementation. Companies will move away from impulse purchasing and opt for tools that address specific needs and integrate seamlessly with existing systems.

Data-Driven Marketing: MarTech is becoming increasingly crucial for businesses that leverage data for customer personalization, campaign optimization, and performance measurement. Marketers will rely more on these insights to make informed decisions and deliver tailored experiences.