I’m thrilled to sit down with Anastasia Braitsik, a global leader in SEO, content marketing, and data analytics. With her extensive expertise in digital marketing, Anastasia brings a wealth of insight into the evolving landscape of enterprise software and relationship marketing. Today, we’re diving into the recent acquisition of Marigold’s enterprise software business by Zeta Global, a move that’s set to reshape the marketing technology space. Our conversation will explore the strategic importance of this deal, the integration of powerful tools into Zeta’s portfolio, the impact on global market presence, and how this acquisition will drive innovation for enterprise brands. Let’s get started.
Can you give us an overview of Zeta Global’s mission and why the acquisition of Marigold’s enterprise software business is such a significant step for your company?
Absolutely. Zeta Global is focused on empowering businesses to build deeper, more personalized relationships with their customers through data-driven marketing solutions. Our mission is to help brands acquire, retain, and grow their customer base with precision and scale. Acquiring Marigold’s enterprise software business is a game-changer for us because it brings a suite of specialized tools that align perfectly with our goals. It strengthens our position in relationship marketing and expands our ability to serve some of the world’s largest brands with even more robust, integrated solutions.
How do the specific tools from Marigold, like Marigold Loyalty and Cheetah Digital, complement Zeta’s existing offerings?
Marigold’s tools are a fantastic fit for us. Marigold Loyalty, for instance, is a powerful cloud-based engine that tracks member behavior and manages rewards in real time, integrating seamlessly with POS and e-commerce systems. This adds a new dimension to how we help clients build customer loyalty. Cheetah Digital, on the other hand, is a cross-channel campaign and messaging platform that unifies data and analytics to deliver personalized engagement at scale. It enhances our ability to create cohesive, impactful campaigns across multiple touchpoints, which is a core part of what Zeta already does. Together, these tools elevate our capacity to drive meaningful connections.
What unique value does Selligent’s omnichannel marketing automation bring to Zeta’s personalization efforts?
Selligent is an incredible addition because it’s all about omnichannel marketing automation. It enables highly personalized campaigns across email, mobile, web, and SMS with real-time segmentation. For Zeta, this means we can take our personalization to the next level by ensuring that every interaction a customer has with a brand feels tailored and relevant, no matter the channel. It’s about meeting customers where they are with the right message at the right time, and Selligent’s capabilities will help us refine that process even further for our clients.
How does Sailthru’s focus on AI-driven personalization align with Zeta’s vision for relationship marketing?
Sailthru is a perfect match for our vision. It’s a relationship-marketing platform that leverages AI to drive personalization, particularly in email marketing and behaviorally informed campaigns. At Zeta, we believe that understanding and anticipating customer needs is the foundation of strong relationships, and Sailthru’s technology helps us do that by delivering content and experiences based on individual behaviors. This acquisition allows us to integrate that AI-driven approach more deeply into our platform, creating even more impactful, one-to-one connections for brands.
With Marigold’s enterprise business serving over 100 global brands, including major advertisers, how does this client base strengthen Zeta’s market position?
It’s a massive boost for us. Marigold’s enterprise business works with over 100 global brands, including 20 of the top 100 advertisers and more than 40 Fortune 500 companies. Bringing these clients into our ecosystem not only expands our reach but also solidifies our credibility as a go-to partner for enterprise-level marketing solutions. It positions us as a leader in the space, capable of handling the complex needs of the biggest players in the market, and gives us a stronger foothold to innovate and grow alongside these influential brands.
This acquisition expands Zeta’s presence in EMEA and opens opportunities in APAC. Can you share your vision for growth in these regions?
We’re incredibly excited about the geographic expansion this deal enables. In EMEA, we see a mature market with a high demand for advanced marketing tech, and Marigold’s established presence there gives us a strong starting point to deepen relationships and introduce our broader solutions. In APAC, it’s more about opportunity and growth potential. The region is rapidly adopting digital marketing strategies, and we aim to be at the forefront by tailoring our offerings to meet the unique needs of businesses there. Our plan is to build local partnerships and adapt to cultural and market nuances to ensure we’re delivering real value.
Zeta has talked about applying its established playbook to Marigold’s customer base with Retain, Acquire, and Grow use cases. Can you walk us through what this playbook entails?
Our playbook is a strategic framework we’ve honed over the years to help brands succeed across the customer lifecycle. It focuses on three key areas: Retain, which is about keeping existing customers engaged and loyal; Acquire, which helps brands attract new customers efficiently; and Grow, which drives expansion by increasing customer value over time. For Marigold’s customer base, which has historically focused on retention, we’ll introduce our Acquire and Grow strategies to help them expand their reach and maximize revenue. It’s about balancing all three elements to create sustainable growth, and we’re confident this approach will bring significant benefits to their operations.
What is your forecast for the future of relationship marketing with innovations like these tools from Marigold now in Zeta’s portfolio?
I believe the future of relationship marketing is incredibly bright, especially with the addition of Marigold’s tools to Zeta’s portfolio. We’re moving toward an era where personalization isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s an expectation. With technologies like AI-driven personalization, real-time content delivery, and omnichannel automation, we’ll see brands building deeper, more authentic connections with their customers. My forecast is that over the next few years, the integration of data and technology will become even more seamless, enabling hyper-personalized experiences at scale. Zeta is positioned to lead that charge, and I’m excited to see how our combined capabilities will shape the industry.
