Note to buyers

Even as you read this, you don’t want more marketing technology.

Marketers want technology like sick people want medicine. They don’t want medicine (read: tech); they just want things to work correctly, without pain or friction.

So in 2015, when the Customer Data Platform (CDP) hit the scene, promising marketing-made-easy with first-hand access to clean data, it was as cool as keto. Tons of companies have since raised their hands to claim the title of CDP.

Whenever a hot new tech category emerges, the number of companies claiming to fit the category spikes. While these companies hustle to fit a narrow, commentariat-defined category, they’re often less focused on solving specific, dire use cases.

For this reason, this CDP Buyer’s Guide will focus on the real-world use cases that are most valuable to marketers looking to both gain data-driven insights and put them to immediate use while reducing their dependence on in-house tech resources.

In this guide, we will:

1. Define the capabilities of a CDP
2. Illustrate the value a CDP can offer your business
3. Provide tools for choosing the right solution for your business

Chapter 2: What is a customer data platform?