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The rise of data platforms was inescapable, as their total addressable market is estimated to reach tens of billions of pounds. For those of us who have been closely tracking and actively shaping the ascension of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), the significance of two giants, Adobe and Salesforce, in this space cannot be overstated. This spurred us to
delve deeper into their offering for customers, the implications of their rivalry on the industry at large and provide our view of which comes out on top.
Marketing clouds encompass a collection of specific solutions, including CRM, content management, email service providers, DMP, and workflow management in a single martech solution. Its core objective is to enable seamless campaign management – so that Marketers can deliver sophisticated campaigns and personalised messages to consumers.
Engineered to function as the central hub of the martech stack, CDPs serve as the definitive source of truth by assimilating and structuring data from a diverse array of systems. CDPs craft a unified view of each customer, fostering operational efficiency by increasing organised data access for teams.
The shortcomings of CDPs become apparent when they lack the necessary infrastructure to synchronise data across various channels seamlessly, proactively identify customers, eliminate duplicates, and empower marketers to observe and enhance customer experiences throughout their journey seamlessly. The efficacy of a CDP system hinges on its ability to provide automated and personalised brand interactions. Below, in this article, we will delve into the features of Salesforce Data Cloud and Adobe CDP to gain insight into their limitations and determine which platform may be better suited for sustainable enterprise growth.
| Salesforce | Adobe | ||
| Identity Management | Salesforce Data Cloud uses persistent ID, with additional deterministic matching capabilities. It harmonises identities by employing an overarching ID through advanced resolution capabilities that establish connections between data, to construct integrated profiles. | Adobe CDP delivers persistent ID, with deterministic and probabilistic data matching. Identity-resolved data assets are loaded into a centralised profile repository which is designed to cater to a range of use cases. | Both Salesforce Data Cloud and Adobe CDP’s use persistent ID and deterministic matching capabilities prove invaluable for enterprises. This approach tackles the common challenge of fragmented customer data by harmonising identities through advanced resolution techniques. This ensures a comprehensive view of each customer, enabling informed decisions, personalised marketing strategies, and enhanced customer experiences. This unified customer data foundation becomes essential for driving impactful business strategies in a complex digital landscape. |
| Omnichannel engagement | With realtime message delivery across channels, Salesforce Data Cloud excels in omnichannel engagement. | Adobe CDP has realtime activation in all channels. | Realtime omnichannel engagement offered by both Salesforce Data Cloud and Adobe CDP is vital for enterprise customers. It ensures consistent and personalised interactions across various channels, enhancing brand loyalty, customer satisfaction, and adapting strategies promptly based on realtime customer behaviours. This capability empowers enterprises to deliver dynamic and seamless customer experiences, contributing to their overall success in a competitive market. |
| Scalability | Salesforce’s AppExchange is a marketplace with over 7000 tools for users to use. Salesforce Data Cloud has native connectors and open access to the marketplace apps and can use custom integrations too. | Adobe CDP uses API’s or custom out-of-the-box integrations. | Salesforce’s AppExchange presents a clear advantage to enterprises. Offering native connectors, app integrations, and customisation options, it streamlines operations and empowers teams to tailor setups. Both CDP’s capitalise on custom integrations, unlocking limitless integration possibilities to leverage. |
| Compliance | Salesforce has a patented governance framework and is GDPR compliant (EU) with consent management | Adobe CDP has GDPR and CCPA compliant practices with consent management. | Both Salesforce and Adobe CDP’s compliance with key data protection regulations is highly advantageous for enterprise customers. These compliance measures demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding customer data and adhering to legal standards, which is of paramount importance in today’s data-driven landscape. The presence of comprehensive consent management within their frameworks ensures that customer data is handled transparently and ethically, instilling trust and fostering positive relationships. |
| Personalisation | Salesforce Data Cloud automatically categorises all products and content, along with their accompanying metadata, to fuel machine-learning recommendations and personalise experiences. | Adobe CDP leverages people and accounts with realtime streaming data to personalise interactions across all channels and environments. | Both Salesforce and Adobe contribute to delivering meaningful and individualized interactions, which are essential for building customer loyalty, increasing customer satisfaction, and driving business growth. The combination of these features enables enterprises to stand out in the competitive landscape by creating experiences that resonate with customers on a personal level. |
| Peer community | Salesforce has a vast community of users and forums for support and outstanding response times from Salesforce | Adobe CDP has a growing community for support and good response time from Adobe | While both platforms promise responsive support, Salesforce Data Cloud’s extensive and established community may offer an advantage for enterprise customers, as it could potentially lead to faster troubleshooting response times and ultimately enhance the support experience for enterprises. |
Adobe CDP facilitates the aggregation of customer data from various sources, whether CRM, online interactions, or offline touchpoints. This consolidation leads to a single customer view, allowing marketers to gain comprehensive insights into each individual’s behaviour, preferences, and purchase history. Adobe’s AI technologies further enhance this potential at the profile level, empowering marketers to unlock more profound levels of understanding.
While Adobe CDP is effective in consolidating customer data and offering valuable insights, Salesforce Data Cloud takes data integration to the next level. It harnesses Mulesoft’s vast library of connectors and APIs to seamlessly join data from various channels, including e-commerce, service interactions, and IoT devices, creating a comprehensive customer profile. This panoramic view enables more informed decision-making and the crafting of personalised engagements.
Data Cloud can be applied to integrations in healthcare institutions that are essential for gathering patient information. Clinical data comes in diverse forms from a variety of sources, so standardising is very powerful and allows you to isolate patient segments. Once harmonised, health trends in the patient population can be surfaced effectively.
David O’Connell
Senior Consultant
What sets Salesforce Data Cloud apart is its robust capabilities and limitless integration opportunities, offering businesses a holistic approach to customer data management. In our opinion, Salesforce Data Cloud’s ability to break down data silos and leverage Salesforce Einstein for predictive and AI-driven insights positions it as the superior choice for businesses seeking comprehensive customer data management and engagement. It empowers organisations not just to understand but also predict and proactively cater to customer needs, setting it apart in the CDP landscape.
When scaling marketing efforts, Salesforce Data Cloud exhibits remarkable prowess. As businesses expand, seamlessly integrating new data sources and adapting to changing demands becomes critical. Genie’s architecture is built for growth, allowing businesses to add new data streams, channels, and customer touchpoints without disrupting operations. This scalability ensures that marketing efforts remain agile and relevant, regardless of the pace of expansion.
With the AppExchange, Salesforce’s vibrant marketplace of integrated applications extends the power of Salesforce Data Cloud to drive unparalleled scalability and integration, propelling marketing strategies to new heights.
Together, Salesforce Data Cloud and Salesforce AppExchange’s 7000+ apps provide marketers with an arsenal of tools and resources essential for success in today’s dynamic landscape. The two propel marketing excellence by seamlessly integrating diverse data sources and scaling effortlessly to meet evolving demands, helping businesses achieve greater engagement, increased ROI, and lasting customer loyalty.
In contrast to this remarkable capability, Adobe CDP emerges as an alternative option that, while commendable, doesn’t quite attain the robustness of Salesforce Data Cloud regarding seamless scalability and integration prowess. While Adobe CDP excels in data source integration and adaptability, it may not offer the same level of responsiveness for rapid and seamless expansion seen in Salesforce Data Cloud. As businesses strive for a marketing infrastructure that can weather expansion and excel within it, the decision becomes evident: Salesforce Data Cloud stands out as the definitive choice, guaranteeing unwavering agility, unmatched scalability, and unparalleled integration capabilities.
Salesforce Data Cloud derives its strength from being part of the larger Salesforce ecosystem. This interconnectedness empowers marketing teams with a unified platform integrating Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Marketing Automation, and CDP capabilities. The result is a cohesive marketing approach that breaks down departmental silos, fosters cross-functional collaboration, and drives consistent messaging across all customer journey stages.
The expansive Salesforce ecosystem provides a unified platform and unparalleled support through its vibrant community forums and resources. This robust network of experts and enthusiasts ensures that users of Salesforce Data Cloud have access to a wealth of insights, troubleshooting guidance, and best practices. Whether it’s seeking answers to technical queries, brainstorming innovative strategies, or simply sharing experiences, these forums serve as valuable hubs for knowledge exchange. This collaborative environment empowers marketing teams to leverage the integrated capabilities of Salesforce Data Cloud and tap into a collective wisdom that accelerates their understanding and utilisation of the platform. With a readily available community to assist and inspire, Salesforce Data Cloud users gain a competitive edge by staying ahead of trends, refining their strategies, and continually enhancing their marketing efforts.
Adobe Marketing Cloud has email support, a knowledge base, and 24/7 live chat support. However, with a modest user base compared to Salesforce Marketing Cloud, its online community support and forums are not as large and globally available as those for Salesforce users.
In the realm of customer data, trust is paramount. Salesforce’s legacy of innovation and security extends to its CDP offerings. With Salesforce Data Cloud, businesses can rest assured that their data is handled with the utmost care, adhering to the industry’s highest standards. This foundation of trust provides the peace of mind required to forge long-term partnerships.
Adapting to evolving customer expectations and technological advancements is a hallmark of success in marketing. Salesforce Data Cloud embraces this philosophy, providing businesses with a platform built for the future. As new technologies emerge and consumer behaviours evolve, Salesforce Data Cloud’s architecture remains primed for adaptation, ensuring that marketing strategies remain relevant and effective.
In conclusion, the comparison between Adobe CDP and Salesforce Data Cloud reveals a nuanced understanding of their capabilities and benefits. However, the realtime insights, scalability, and integration prowess of Salesforce Data Cloud make it the ultimate choice for marketing excellence. As the digital landscape evolves, Salesforce Data Cloud offers a future-proof solution that empowers marketing teams to remain agile, relevant, and customer-centric.
As businesses embark on their journey to maximise the potential of Salesforce Data Cloud, the expertise of a trusted implementation partner becomes invaluable. Pracedo, with its proven track record of guiding businesses toward Salesforce success, stands as the premier choice. Our team of skilled experts possesses an in-depth understanding of Salesforce Data Cloud and its seamless integration within the broader Salesforce ecosystem. By collaborating with Pracedo, Marketing Directors, CMOs, and Marketing Managers can harness the full power of Salesforce to drive their marketing strategies with unparalleled precision.
Ready to unlock the full potential of Salesforce Data Cloud for your marketing strategies? Contact our team of expert Salesforce consultants at Pracedo today. Let us guide you on the journey to elevate your marketing efforts and drive unparalleled success with Salesforce Data Cloud.
Are you considering the implementation of Salesforce Data Cloud as part of a broader digital transformation or change management effort? As a subsidiary of Collabera, we are well-positioned to execute complex cross-departmental digital transformation projects that propel your ROI. Contact us today to get started.
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Pracedo is an award-winning Summit (Platinum) Salesforce Consulting Partner that delivers innovative Salesforce implementations to forward-thinking customers.
With over a decade of experience focused on Salesforce, we work with our customers to unlock the platform’s power through tailored implementations that facilitate achieving business goals and ambitions. Our talented team of over 80 Salesforce professionals globally means that Pracedo offers a boutique consultancy experience, delivered locally to you, with the breadth and depth of knowledge earned from delivering over 1000 projects across our locations in London, Melbourne, Brisbane, Amsterdam, and Belgrade.
Implementations and customisations include: Salesforce Sales Cloud, Salesforce Service Cloud, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement, Salesforce Revenue Cloud, Salesforce Experience Cloud and Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud.
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