Martech
From 200 tools to 30 capabilities
Legacy martech estates grow by accident. Every campaign, region and agency adds a tool. Few are ever switched off.
Start with capabilities, not vendors
Map what the business actually needs to do, then map tools against it. Overlap becomes obvious.
Consolidate in waves
Retire low-risk duplicates first to fund the bigger migrations.
Govern what remains
A small design authority stops the estate from sprawling again.
How do you consolidate a martech stack?
Map the capabilities the business needs, map every tool against them, retire low-risk duplicates first to fund bigger migrations, then set up a small design authority so the estate does not sprawl again.
In practice
Tim Buchanan led a digital transformation across a legacy estate of 200+ marketing applications, consolidated to 30 core capabilities, as part of a global operating model change. Find out how an interim CMO can lead this kind of programme.
FAQs
Why do martech stacks grow so large?
Every campaign, region and agency adds a tool, and few are ever switched off.
Where should martech consolidation start?
With capabilities, not vendors. Once you map tools to capabilities, the overlap becomes obvious.