Digital Agencies Are Partnering with Salesforce to Help Brands Build Digital, Customer-Centric Engagement Strategies

By Stephane Viallet, VP of Salesforce Global Alliances – Agencies

The days of traditional advertising and marketing agencies leading with creative are coming to an end. The agencies of the future are significantly reinventing themselves to focus on data, technology and creativity, in order to meet client needs and ultimately consumer demands for better experiences. [Click to Tweet]

Salesforce is is the world’s #1 CRM provider according to IDC, and agencies are turning towards our industry-leading solutions to marry creative with data and technology. Top agencies, including Publicis, WPP-Wunderman, Dentsu Aegis, IPG-MRM, IBM iX, Accenture Interactive, Deloitte Digital, Lyons Consulting Group (part of the Capgemini Group), among others, are choosing Salesforce to deliver intelligent, connected customer experience strategies for their clients. In fact, digital agencies have grown their Salesforce practice capacity 84 percent year-over-year — these agencies are a critical extension of Salesforce’s partner ecosystem and are a key pillar for customer success.

Agencies Innovating with Salesforce

Here are a few examples of new partnerships and innovations:

• Merkle, a Dentsu leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, announced the launch of CRM 4.0, a Salesforce Fullforce solution for retail, consumer goods, consumer electronics and other industries to help navigate the shift to digital-first experiences. Merkle’s CRM 4.0 solution integrates with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, including Salesforce DMP and Advertising Studio, and with Salesforce Commerce Cloud.

• Pierry Inc., a Wunderman company, announced the availability of its exclusive data solution, Omni-Cloud 4.0, a Salesforce Fullforce solution that drastically improves the way retailers connect with their customers. The brand-new solution leverages third party data from disparate systems into a central repository, making it compatible with many Salesforce products, including Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud and Service Cloud. With this cross-cloud compatibility, retailers will have a holistic view of their customer, allowing them to deliver precise, customized campaigns.

• Publicis.Sapient, part of Publicis Groupe, is collaborating with TQI Ventures (TQI) to bring to market Sapient.i7, a newly formed consulting company that offers an extensive set of Salesforce services to enable digital transformation for large enterprises in Europe.

New Integrations Between Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Google Analytics 360 Transform Marketing Effectiveness

Agencies are looking forward to tapping into the benefits of the integrations between Marketing Cloud and Analytics 360 to empower marketers to deliver meaningful consumer experiences, powered by the world’s #1 marketing platform and Google’s market-leading web analytics solution. Both industry-leading offerings provide valuable insights that are vital to understanding the consumer. Now, agencies can work with their clients to more efficiently bring those insights together without IT involvement, empowering them to build more effective marketing campaigns around every consumer.

For example, Dentsu Aegis Network agencies Isobar and Cardinal Path are joining forces to bring the network pillars of innovation and collaboration to organizations wanting to realize benefits of this recently announced integration. For more on Marketing Cloud and Analytics 360, read this post: https://sfdc.co/cmqGZX.

Agencies Acquiring Salesforce Practices Across the Globe

Digital Agencies have been building and acquiring Salesforce practices around the globe. Agencies understand the speed to value and innovative thinking Salesforce brings to customer demands:

• Publicis.Sapient acquired Vertiba, a Salesforce Consulting Partner specializing in the delivery of Salesforce cloud solutions for data-driven marketing, sales and customer service.

• Wunderman, a WPP company, acquired a majority stake in Pierry Inc, an industry-leading marketing software integration and solutions company specializing in optimizing campaigns on the Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

• Dentsu Aegis acquired blue-infinity, an EMEA Salesforce consulting partner specializing in the delivery of Salesforce cloud solutions for data-driven marketing, sales and customer service and Bluecom, a Salesforce Commerce Cloud consulting partner in APAC.

• MRM//McCann acquired Optaros, a Salesforce Commerce Cloud partner, in North America.

In this Fourth Industrial Revolution of intelligence, agencies know that Salesforce offers an edge to stay ahead, exceeding customers’ expectations.

Salesforce Connections 2018: The Digital Marketing, Commerce and Customer Service Event of the Year

Taking place in Chicago, IL at the McCormick Center from June 12-14, thousands of marketing, commerce and customer service leaders and decision makers from top brands will come together to learn about how to create personalized customer experiences at every touchpoint.

For more information:

• Click here for more information on Salesforce Connections 2018

• Click here to attend Salesforce Connections via webcast

• Click here to learn about the Salesforce Partner Program on Trailhead

• Follow SalesforceNews on Twitter and Salesforce on Facebook

  We’re publishing a series of articles focused on the future of customer experience in conjunction with Connections, June 12-14 in Chicago. For more insight, check out this 5-point checklist for exceptional customer experience; this article on why customer experience begins with understanding human nature; and this interview with Glen Hartman of Accenture on the power of empathy in creating personalized customer experiences.