Cloud vs. Open Platform Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide

This past Sunday, while watching Mad Men (love that show!), I saw a commercial for Adobe’s Marketing Cloud. Being a newcomer to digital marketing and SEO, I immediately began to wonder what exactly cloud marketing even is.

I mean, I know what a cloud is in digital terms, but how is cloud marketing different from not – cloud marketing? So I did a little poking around online, and since I imagine I can’t be the only one a little confused by the idea, I’m sharing my findings with you.

Prix Fixe and A La Carte

Cloud marketing and open platform marketing are both intended to do the same thing: make the best use of digital channels and tools to promote brands and reach consumers (internet marketing is part of this, but digital marketing also makes use of channels and tools that don’t require internet access). The difference between them lies in how they are each packaged, and the perceived benefit of that package.

A handy way to illustrate this is with food:
Think of cloud marketing as a prix fixe meal: all of the courses are pre-decided and presented as a whole for one fixed price. Now think of open platform marketing as a la carte; a meal comprised of courses priced and selected individually.

So, Which is Better?

It may seem that cloud marketing is the ultimate digital marketing solution, since you have everything you need all in one tidy package, but it has its limitations. One of the biggest setbacks is that cloud platforms struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing environment that is the internet.

Stand-alone platforms, that focus on one aspect of digital marketing like search analytics or social media, strive to stay on top of things because they have to; they’re competing for business in a very specialized field. It’s also a lot less difficult to maintain the resources needed to focus on one area of digital marketing than it is to maintain the resources to focus equally on every area at once.

Open platforms aren’t without their own limitations though. It’s better for your business if you can pick and choose the best stand-alone platforms for all of your marketing needs, but the task of seeking out the best platforms one by one can be daunting, hence the appeal of the cloud’s simplicity.

Why Not Have Both?

The best solution would be a conveniently integrated cloud platform, that can also be customized. So it’s no surprise that things seem to be moving in that direction.

Some of the bigger companies are already attempting cloud marketing with third party integration options, but for the most part, cloud platforms remain closed platforms. This makes them a good option for smaller companies, but businesses with more complex needs are best served by an option that allows them at least some measure of customization.

So, what are your thoughts on the cloud marketing vs. open platform marketing, now and in the future? Let me know in the comments.