The essential Customer Data Platform reading list

Author: Kelly Liyakasa

Publication: adexchanger

In this post, adExchanger’s Kelly Liyakasa explains what a Customer Data Platform is and distinguishes CDPs from comparable technologies, such as Tag Management Systems and Data Management Platforms. Liyakasa then proceeds to list notable companies that have identified themselves as CDPs and evaluates how well they match the definition.

Author: Martin Kihn

Publication: Gartner (blog)

In this Gartner blog post, Martin Kihn discusses the genesis and rapid evolution of the CDP market, the CDP vs DMP debate, and where Tag Management Services fit into the mix.

Author: Kelly Liyakasa

Publication: adexchanger

In this post, AdExchanger’s Kelly Liyakasa chronicles the evolution of the CDP market and spotlights two significant customer use cases.

Author: David Raab

Publication: chiefmartech.com

In this guest post for chiefmartec.com, CDP Institute founder David Raab defines what Customer Data Platforms are and discusses the value that the technology can add to marketing organizations. Additionally, Raab continues to analyze the CDP market and how it will impact the larger martech ecosystem.

Author(s): Julien Boudet, Brian Gregg, Kathryn Rathje, Kai Vollhardt

Publication: McKinsey & Comparny

This McKinsey article discusses the importance of personalization initiatives, the ways that a business can develop a strategic personalization model, and how customer data platforms provide a foundation for success.

Author: Andy Whyte

Publication: LinkedIn

In this LinkedIn publication, Poq’s Head of Sales, Andy Whyte, presents a comparative analysis of DMPs and CDPs, identifying the ten advantages that a CDP provides over a DMP.

Author: Benjamin Bloom

Publication: Gartner (blog)

In this post for Gartner, Benjamin Bloom explains that disruptive technologies often arrive at just the right moment. Customer Data Platforms, he states, promise a “generational and procedural shakeup of enterprise marketing,” and he believes multi-channel marketers will love them.

Author: Miles Pritchard

Publication: LinkedIn

In this LinkedIn publication, Miles Pritchard, Head of Data & Technology strategy at Annalect, describes what CDPs are and why they matter given the state of data driven marketing today. Additionally, Pritchard provides a brief guide of questions that can be used to determine if a Customer Data Platform is the right solution for your organization.

Author: Ian Skinner

Publication: Merkle (blog)

In this blog post for Merkle, Head of Data Science Ian Skinner discusses the value of Customer Data Platforms and identifies four reasons why the CDP deserves to sit at the top table in the marketing ecosystem.  

Author: Chitra Iyer

Publication: Martech Advisor

In this article, Martech Advisor Editor in Chief Chitra Iyer explains what Customer Data Platforms are and why they should be seen as the “central nervous system” of the marketing tech stack.

In this post, Gartner's James Meyers discusses how CDPs play a critical role in democratizing data across the organization.

Author: Cory Treffiletti

Publication: MediaPost

In this article for MediaPost, former BlueKai CMO Cory Treffiletti discusses the value that Customer Data Platforms provide for paid media programs and attribution efforts. Additionally, Treffiletti identifies the type of organizations that are best suited for investing in a CDP.

Author: Yuyu Chen

Publication: Digiday

This Digiday article addresses several pressing CDP questions:

• What is a CDP?
• Do CDPs have anything to do with advertising and digital marketing?
• Are CDPs taking of DMPs’ duties on advertising?

Chen also discusses the challenges that true CDP vendors face now that the market is evolving.

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