Top 10 Quotes from the September MarTech Conference

The recent MarTech Conference held in September brought together industry leaders from major brands including Adobe, Google, Expedia Group, Ford Motor Company, SAS, and Snowflake for six insightful panel discussions centered on data and artificial intelligence. All sessions from the event are now accessible on-demand, with another conference scheduled for November 4th that will focus specifically on AI and intelligent agents. Here are ten thought-provoking quotes from the September sessions that captured significant attention.

AJ Sedlak, marketing technology and governance lead at Ford Motor Company, emphasized the need for accountability in AI systems. He stated, “We almost require a parallel to employee reviews and one-on-one meetings to hold these AI agents accountable for their decisions. Can they justify the choices they make? Can they clearly explain their actions? As the managers of these virtual team members, we must feel confident in the quality and reliability of their output.” He shared this perspective during the session titled “How to Get Your Organization Aligned for the AI Age.”

Sav Khetan, Vice President of Product Marketing at Tealium, warned against departmental silos. He remarked, “When marketing teams fail to collaborate closely with sales and service departments, especially in coordinating customer engagement strategies, survey methods, key touchpoints, and data aggregation, we commit a huge error. This only deepens the existing divides within the organization.” His comments were part of the discussion “Building a Customer-Centric Culture with Data and AI.”

Jonathan Moran, head of martech solutions marketing at SAS, highlighted a critical readiness gap. He revealed, “Our research indicates that only 7% of companies have a mature governance framework for AI. Just 5% provide adequate training on AI usage, and a mere 9% feel fully prepared for regulatory compliance. This points to a substantial disconnect between how widely AI is being used and how prepared organizations truly are.” He presented these findings in the session “How AI Decisioning Will Change Your Marketing.”

Jiaxi Zhu, head of analytics at Google, advised focusing on incremental improvements. He noted, “Too many organizations invest years developing massive solutions hoping they will fix every problem, yet they ignore the small, practical steps needed to resolve individual customer issues. A gradual, targeted approach often delivers better results than a multi-year transformation initiative.” He spoke during the “Building a Customer-Centric Culture with Data and AI” panel.

Alex Cash, director of strategy for consent and preferences at OneTrust, outlined marketing’s evolving responsibilities. He explained, “Marketing teams are now responsible for data acquisition, consent management, and integrating these signals across various platforms. In today’s landscape, it’s essential for marketing to collaborate directly with privacy and governance teams to ensure they maintain proper oversight.” He also introduced an emerging trend, saying, “We’re seeing the rise of agent-to-agent interaction, where a consumer can delegate tasks to an AI agent. This will fundamentally change how businesses and systems communicate, significantly impacting the marketing data that professionals can gather.” Both quotes came from his participation in “Navigating the Chaos of Consent, Compliance, and Customer Trust in an AI World.”

Anthony Coppedge, an agile marketing executive, described the future skill set for marketers. He predicted, “Tomorrow’s marketer must be part data scientist, part ethicist, and part storyteller. Within the next 18 months, leaders will need to combine expertise in AI tools, a deep understanding of ethical and legal considerations, and the ability to craft compelling human-centered narratives.” He shared this during the same session on consent and trust.

Annette Franz, CEO of CX Journey Inc., cautioned against tool overload. She asserted, “Adding more tools does not automatically improve marketing outcomes. An effective martech stack isn’t about having every available tool, it’s about having the right ones that truly meet your needs.” Her input was part of the “Building a Customer-Centric Culture” discussion.

Ali Schwanke, founder and marketing strategist at Simple Strat, pointed to a leadership evolution. She observed, “We are stepping into not just a new era of artificial intelligence, but a completely new age of leadership.” She contributed this insight to the session “How AI Decisioning Will Change Your Marketing.”

Jessica Kao, director and B2B GTM transformation advisor at Adobe, noted how AI enforces higher standards. She commented, “Artificial intelligence eliminates our ability to take shortcuts. It pushes us to finally implement the best practices we have always advocated.” She participated in the session “How to Get Your Organization Aligned for the AI Age.”

All six panel discussions from the September MarTech Conference are available to watch on-demand. Simply log in or register to access the content free of charge. An AI-generated audio summary of the conference sessions is also available for listeners who want a quick overview.

(Source: MarTech)