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Highlights, Insights, and Recommendations from Adobe Summit 2024

Tue, 07 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective is a collaborative effort that highlights many of the key announcements, topics, and themes from Adobe's 2024 Summit event.

"As expected, the primary topic at Adobe's 2024 Summit was GenAI," said Alan Webber, program vice president, Digital Platforms and Ecosystems at IDC. "But there was so much more on how AI is shifting the whole customer engagement and customer experience landscape, including in advertising, marketing, content creation, services, and so forth."

Microsoft's Release of Phi-3 Expands Developer Options for the Use of Foundation Models for Edge-native Use Cases and Resource-constrained Devices

Arnal Dayaratna — Tue, 07 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Meta's Release of Llama 3 Is Set to Catalyze Generative AI Innovation as Developers Embrace a Best-in-Class Open Large Language Model

Arnal Dayaratna — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

On April 18, Meta announced the release of Llama 3, the family of large language models that constitutes the successor to the Llama 2 family of models that Meta released in July 2023. This release of Llama 3 is defined by 8B and 70B parameter models that include pretrained and instruction fine–tuned versions for each. This document reflects on the significance of Llama 3 as a developer tool that enables the development of bespoke digital solutions that leverage a foundation model. As such, the document examines Llama 3's differentiators and implications for developers, software development, and the start-up community.

Generative AI–Enabled Martech Adoption Trends Across SMB Organizations

Roger Beharry Lall — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey presentation analyzes responses from line-of-business leaders with martech responsibilities in organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees (i.e. small and medium-sized businesses — SMBs). This IDC QuickPoll Survey on AI-enabled marketing focuses on SMB organizations' current plans, challenges, and expectations regarding the utilization of generative AI (GenAI).

Conducted online during March 2024, the survey (n = 103) gathers information about SMBs' perceptions and strategies concerning generative AI enablement of the martech stack. These findings shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities SMBs currently face as they enter the AI everywhere age.

State of Sales Technology

Michelle Morgan — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey is based on a March 2024 web-based survey conducted in the United States among line-of-business (LOB) professionals responsible for making sales technology purchasing decisions. This document provides an analysis of select questions drawn from IDC's State of Technology Survey. This survey delves into organizations' preferences and obstacles influencing their present utilization of sales technology and their considerations for future purchases.

March 2024 QuickPoll of Marketers at Large U.S. Enterprises About Their Plans for Generative AI Adoption

Gerry Murray — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Survey summarizes the results of an IDC QuickPoll of large U.S. enterprises and their current plans, challenges, and expectations for using Generative AI.

It was conducted online during March of 2024.

Oracle Ushers in a New Era for Oracle Database Users with Generative AI

Carl W. Olofson — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Note summarizes key capabilities of new AI-related features of Oracle Database 23c and considers how these features can revolutionize data access for their users. It discusses Oracle Autonomous Database Select AI and Oracle Database 23c AI Vector Search in some detail and offers suggestions regarding the benefit of their use.

"Oracle Database has had key generative AI features to serve the needs of DBAs, developers, and end users since September 2023. A number of key new functions are included, a few of which are discussed herein," says Carl Olofson, research vice president, Data Management Software research, at IDC. "These capabilities deliver on a dream of database technologists for decades: that of providing nontechnical users the ability to find and access any data anywhere in the enterprise, including both content files and databases, without needing to know a data access language, and without even having to know what files or database to examine."

Streamlining Sales Performance: A Guide to Seamless Integration of AI and Automation

Jan Burian — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Perspective features an interview with Dave Sarge, systems process manager at Grosfillex. Grosfillex is a multinational manufacturer based in France that is known for its wide range of resin products. Dave Sarge provides insights into Grosfillex's successful initiatives that have enhanced customer management efficiency and increased revenue and productivity. These improvements have been achieved through the strategic implementation of automation and the leveraging of AI-powered product recommendation technology.

"Numerous organizations continue to grapple with disjointed workflows, manual tasks, and the escalating complexity of products and sales-related data. Some of these entities may hesitate to enhance their processes through digital technology due to constraints such as insufficient internal capabilities and/or the limited bandwidth (size) of internal IT teams. Nevertheless, Grosfillex has demonstrated that collaboration with an appropriate technology partner can yield solutions that deliver substantial value to any company's bottom line, even companies with small IT teams." — IDC Associate Vice President Jan Burian, Manufacturing Insights EMEA.

Copilots, Concierges, and Super Agents: The Coming of Autonomous Marketing for Autonomous Markets in the Intelligent Economy

Gerry Murray — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

This IDC Market Perspective introduces the concept of AI-powered super agents running on next-gen, AI-powered smartphones. They will enable consumers to programmatically control the way they purchase goods and services as easily as media streaming services. This represents a new model in which both buyers and sellers have intelligence and automation capabilities that will make markets more efficient for both. Markets powered by super agents will monetize transaction commissions, not ad impressions. Some of the expected challenges and opportunities for SaaS providers, ad networks, publishers, influencers, brands, and consumers are presented.

"AI is going to replatform the economy," said Gerry Murray, research director, Enterprise Marketing Technology at IDC. "Super agents running on the next generation of AI-powered smartphones will give consumers the ability to automate much of their shopping and deal discovery. Super agents will function as intermediaries between brands and buyers and will therefore create new challenges and opportunities for martech vendors, ecommerce platforms, ad networks, and marketing practitioners."

2024 is a Year of Choices for S4 Capital and Media.Monks, After Growth Disappears in 2023

Douglas Hayward — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Media.Monks owner S4 Capital posted 2023 revenue down 7.8% in like-for-like terms at £1,012 million (just over $1.2 billion) in 2023, with net revenue excluding direct costs down 4.5% at £873 million (just under $1.1 billion). With its former high growth suddenly gone and no indication of its return in 2024, Media.Monks may have to consider some radical alternatives if it is to return to growth and become a more strategic and more transformational partner to CMOs.