In February, SAS was recognized as a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Science & Machine Learning Platforms report. SAS is the only vendor to be a leader in this report for all seven years of its existence. According to us, the topic of the research is at the heart of what SAS does, as well as representing the backbone of what differentiates SAS Customer Intelligence 360.

Wait a minute. What does this have to do with marketing technologies?  Allow me to focus your thinking.

The question I want you to consider is:

Where are all of the martech vendors in this study?

The hype of martech innovation in 2020 is continuing to elevate, and every technology vendor is claiming to bolster the customer experience with AI. As a consultant and practitioner focused at the intersection of data, analytics, and marketing, I believe the results of the Gartner study are intriguing. Is all AI built the same? No. Yet it seems every software company is pitching it. Here's our version of it:

The game is changing. Let me strengthen this argument by sharing two Forrester reports from the second half of 2019. In September of last year, SAS was named a leader in the Forrester Wave™: Cross-Channel Campaign Management (EMSS Modules), Q3 2019. The results are profound!

Per the Forrester report, cross-channel campaign management vendors “provide enterprise customer data management, segmentation and audience tools, marketer-friendly campaign design, and orchestration for a broad range of digital and offline channels.”

Cross-channel campaign management is evolving rapidly. Why is it a priority for brands? Because there's a high expectation for organizations to deliver “individualized, contextually relevant brand experiences." To better address today's diverse marketing requirements, brands need to:

• Deliver a customer data and analytics foundation.
• Excel at cross-channel customer experiences.
• Provide moments-based marketing technology innovation.

One of the key business issues that we've uncovered working with brands in this evolution is the issue of data. Most marketing departments have a customer/marketing data mart that they run their campaign management activities on. SAS is positioned to leverage existing data investments and provide a hybrid cloud architecture that allows brands to query that data where it is, while still leveraging our innovative SaaS environment. Learn more about our approach here.

Also in September of 2019, SAS was named a leader in The Forrester Wave™:  Enterprise Marketing Software Suites, Q3 2019. Per the Forrester report, “Marketers appreciate an enterprise marketing software suite for its ongoing commitment to new and enhanced marketing capabilities, extensive marketing ecosystem support, and alignment of marketing with customer experience initiatives. Brands look to them as the cornerstone of their marketing technology (martech) stack – hoping to maximize functionality, streamline processes, and reduce overhead.”

The enterprise marketing software suite category continues to expand while it rides a wave of escalating solution requirements as B2C marketers adapt to the disruptions caused by demanding consumers, new touchpoints and technologies, and the specter of tightening data and privacy rules.

Across the three research reports, I want readers to have a singular takeaway regarding one question:

Who is the only technology vendor included in and named a leader in the data science research provided from Gartner and the marketing solutions research from Forrester?

To learn more about how the SAS platform can be applied to other marketing and customer-centric use cases, please check out additional posts here.

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Disclaimer:
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms, Peter Krensky, Pieter den Hamer, Erick Brethenoux, Jim Hare, Carlie Idoine, Alexander Linden, Svetlana Sicular, Farhan Choudhary, 11 February 2020.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

As a Leader in Magic Quadrant for Advanced Analytics Platforms 2014  - 2016.
As a Leader in Magic Quadrant for Data Science Platforms 2017.
As a Leader in Magic Quadrant for Data Science and Machine-Learning Platforms 2018 – 2020.