The second assembly of the Mosaic Challenge, a consortium of promoting expertise leaders, occurred in London in Could 2025. Organised by Clevertouch Consulting and chaired by Professor Rob Angell of College of Stirling, the suppose tank introduced collectively executives from main B2B organizations throughout a number of sectors to debate urgent points within the martech house and determine actionable insights for advertising and marketing professionals.
Ten Key Issues for Efficient Martech Utilization
Primarily based on the discussions and insights shared through the Mosaic Challenge assembly, listed below are ten crucial issues for entrepreneurs looking for to make the most of martech successfully immediately and plan for higher implementation sooner or later:
1. Handle the “AI Paradox” with Sturdy Foundations. What Rob Angel termed “the AI paradox” – the strain between enthusiasm for AI’s potential and the numerous challenges round implementation – requires entrepreneurs to give attention to fundamentals first.
Whereas AI capabilities are more and more embedded in martech platforms, their effectiveness is proscribed by knowledge high quality and system integration. Analysis offered confirmed solely 40-60% of core methods are at present built-in, creating important limitations to realizing AI’s potential.
“AI can energy stuff, however it could’t remedy the elemental points of what’s your corporation technique and what’s your advertising and marketing technique,” famous one senior advertising and marketing expertise govt.
2. Prioritize Knowledge High quality Over Knowledge Amount. Members emphasised that organizations ought to give attention to understanding crucial knowledge factors relatively than making an attempt to handle overwhelming volumes of data.
As one participant put it: “Let’s not take a look at all the information and give attention to the breadth of information that we have now, however perceive these crucial knowledge factors inside our methods that allow us to measure extra successfully.”
This centered method permits entrepreneurs to construct AI implementations on probably the most worthwhile knowledge components first, gaining confidence and demonstrating worth earlier than increasing.
3. Consider Vendor AI Claims Critically. The assembly revealed scepticism round main distributors’ latest AI bulletins. One participant outlined one vendor’s idea of “B2B 3.0,” which represents a mindset shift towards specializing in shopping for teams relatively than simply leads or accounts.
“They’re actually speaking about it as one other object to exit and market and goal – these contacts, accounts, and shopping for teams,” they defined.
Nonetheless, members warned about unclear pricing fashions. One participant famous: “The issue is that they’re nonetheless saying, ‘Proper, how a lot is it going to value?’ And also you’re like, ‘Effectively, is it double, or is it triple or quadruple?’ It’s in all probability triple or quadruple.”
4. Be Strategic About Platform Migration. Analysis findings indicated that 70% of organizations have migrated their core martech platform within the final three years, up from 51% a yr in the past. This acceleration is essentially pushed by the need to raised combine methods and leverage AI capabilities.
Nonetheless, members emphasised that migrations ought to be pushed by clear enterprise goals relatively than concern of lacking out.
Adam Sharp, from CleverTouch, famous that many corporations are utilizing AI as a catalyst for platform migration – however that they shortly felt they need to first deal with overdue system integration and knowledge remedial work.
“Individuals relatively than simply asking ‘what’s AI occurring?’ are wanting ahead to it within the platforms… however they understand they’re additionally going to be uncovered by the extent of integration or high quality of the information the AI is working with.”
5. Measure ROI Past Marketing campaign Stage. The information confirmed growing confidence in martech’s enterprise influence, with 72% of organizations now measuring ROI past simply marketing campaign stage – a major improve from earlier years. This shift from tactical to strategic measurement is crucial for securing continued funding.
Adam emphasised: “If marketeers simply keep on speaking about campaigns and click-throughs, then they’re irrelevant to the board. If they begin speaking concerning the influence on the enterprise of both making a living, saving cash, or driving perception… then they’re going to have everybody’s ear.”
6. Handle Rising Expertise Gaps. A recurring theme was concern about how entry-level entrepreneurs will develop elementary expertise in an more and more AI-driven surroundings. Whereas AI may speed up output, the problem lies in evaluating outcomes and understanding underlying ideas.
“The method of attending to an output might be enhanced, however the high quality or path received’t be understood to critique. And I feel that’s the concern,” noticed one participant.
Organizations ought to develop coaching applications that guarantee entrepreneurs perceive each the strategic ideas and technical capabilities of their martech stack, relatively than simply changing into instrument operators.
7. Reframe Martech as a Enterprise Enabler, Not a Advertising Device. Members confused the significance of positioning martech investments when it comes to enterprise outcomes relatively than as marketing-specific instruments. One senior advertising and marketing chief advised:
“We have to get away from calling it Martech as a result of it’s enabling the enterprise to do the work. Put Martech in entrance of the CFO or the IT guys, they go, ‘that’s advertising and marketing.’”
Wealthy from CleverTouch famous that this reframing helps construct collaborative relationships with different departments: “It’s not the ability between gross sales and advertising and marketing. It’s gross sales and advertising and marketing versus IT.”
8. Put money into Cross-Useful Collaboration. The group mentioned the evolving relationship between advertising and marketing, gross sales, and IT departments, with a number of noting a shift in energy dynamics round knowledge possession and expertise choices. Profitable martech implementations require robust partnerships throughout these capabilities.
One participant emphasised the necessity for partnership: “Advertising knowledge, client knowledge cuts over so many alternative components. There can’t be a single proprietor. There’s acquired to be a partnership of possession and understanding.”
9. Set up a Structured Evaluation Framework for Steady Enchancment. The dialogue highlighted the significance of creating a structured framework for assessing martech maturity and efficiency over time. This method permits organizations to determine functionality gaps, monitor progress objectively, and align groups round shared enchancment priorities.
“Totally different groups throughout the identical group usually have vastly completely different perceptions of their martech capabilities,” famous one participant. “With out an goal evaluation framework, it’s tough to have productive conversations about the place to focus enchancment efforts.”
Members emphasised that evaluation shouldn’t be a one-time exercise however relatively a cyclical course of that drives steady enchancment.
Common analysis in opposition to a constant framework helps organizations measure the influence of their initiatives, modify priorities based mostly on altering enterprise wants, and keep momentum throughout longer-term transformation efforts.
It additionally helps bridge notion gaps between completely different departments about present capabilities, making a shared understanding that facilitates cross-functional collaboration.
10. Combine Change Administration into Martech Implementation. A number of members highlighted that change administration is chronically underinvested in martech tasks, contributing to implementation failures. One senior marketer famous:
“Nothing transformational or integrative inside martech might be completed with out change administration. It’s so underinvested in, and that’s generally why tasks don’t work.”
Profitable martech initiatives require not simply technical implementation however elementary shifts in how groups work, how they measure success, and the way they collaborate. Constructing change administration capabilities ought to be a precedence for organizations looking for to maximise martech ROI.
Wanting ahead
Because the Mosaic Challenge dialogue concluded, members acknowledged that martech has reached a crucial inflection level. Whereas AI presents important alternatives to boost advertising and marketing effectiveness, organizations should tackle elementary challenges round knowledge high quality, system integration, expertise improvement, and cross-functional collaboration to totally understand its potential.
The group at CleverTouch will proceed to construct on these insights via the MarTech IQ platform and additional analysis, with the following Mosaic Challenge assembly scheduled for September 2025.
The Mosaic Challenge is a consortium led by Professor Rob Angel of the College of Stirling in partnership with CleverTouch, bringing collectively business leaders to debate martech developments, challenges, and alternatives. The group goals to create a repository of papers, analysis, and new alternatives that profit the martech house.
