Adobe Summit 2024 :: The big news (for those of us in B2B)
One of the biggest announcements this year at #AdobeSummit is the planned launch of Adobe Journey Optimizer, B2B Edition. It represents a major step forward for B2B marketers to engage accounts and buying groups as units rather than as "leads" as part of the Adobe Experience Platform.
Here are some of my thoughts:
😀 After seeing demos and talking with folks, the direction Adobe is taking with this technology is the right one. This is a need that B2B marketers have had for a while, to have technology that can organize accounts & buying groups as we see them. The Sales Enablement tools that are planned are also quite impressive.
😀 What we are trying to do here isn't new. ABM is as old as B2B marketing (although the buzzword wasn't coined until recently). However, the capabilities to execute, score, provide true engagement insights haven't existed (Intent is great, but is an account-level metric that isn't person-specific). AJO B2B edition's ability to fill this gap can be a game-changer.
😀 However, as with all technologies, this isn't a silver bullet. Organizations do need to care for their data governance, standardization, and management to make this tool (as with all ABM) successful. Our technologies, outside the core capabilities, are only as good as the process and data that are put into it. Don't fall for the trap that you don't need to invest in resources to manage this platform, as any other platform well.
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And one prediction. Today, AJO B2B edition and Marketo Engage are separate, but integrated offerings. I believe this is necessary today, however, I do envision that the platforms will converge at some point to be a unified offering in the future. Adobe doesn't think so, but I do believe that the need of the B2B marketer and their need to manage a simplified stack will drive the solutions in that direction. Do think I'm right or wrong on this?