Snowflake and Acxiom have joined forces to create a cloud-native marketing solution powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Their goal is to dismantle the conventional “black box” model that dominates agency-brand data relationships by integrating Acxiom’s tools directly into brands’ Snowflake environments.
This collaboration allows brands to retain full control of their first-party data without moving it, addressing privacy and competitive risks. It also increases transparency in data usage and marketing operations, building on a longstanding partnership between Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), Acxiom’s parent company, and Snowflake, which serves over 11,000 clients worldwide.
The joint solution targets key marketing challenges including security and compliance, real-time insights, refined audience segmentation, advanced personalization, and a robust AI activation framework. Jarrod Martin, CEO of Acxiom and Kinesso, emphasized the growing importance of first-party data amid evolving digital landscapes.
The partnership counters limitations posed by tech giants like Google and Meta, enabling brands to maintain consistency across platforms rather than adapting to each platform’s unique environment. Martin highlighted that brands seek unified identity and strategy instead of fragmented approaches dictated by social platforms.
A central feature of the collaboration is integrating IPG’s Interact platform into Snowflake via the Snowflake Native App Framework. Interact, launched in 2023, is a marketing engine that manages data flow throughout campaign lifecycles. Its integration enables the use of Snowflake’s collaborative data clean rooms, preserving data privacy.
Powered by Snowflake Cortex, the Interact platform offers AI capabilities to optimize campaigns, forecast performance, and deliver personalized content. Denise Persson, Snowflake’s CMO, noted the advantage of applying AI directly to marketers’ own data combined with external sources for enhanced outcomes.
The partners also plan to establish a joint incubation hub for developing new solutions and upskilling teams at IPG and Acxiom, providing clients with early access to advanced data and AI innovations.
Existing efforts from the partnership include IPG Mediabrands adopting an ongoing investment strategy with a global toy manufacturer, Kinesso analyzing multi-million-dollar ad spends for media mix modeling, and Acxiom supporting financial institutions in modernizing martech infrastructure.
Privacy-safe identity resolution remains a priority following Google’s decision to retain third-party cookies. Acxiom’s RealID, introduced in October 2023, plays a pivotal role in the collaboration. It enhances media reach and CPM premiums by offering improved identity solutions integrated within Snowflake’s data clean rooms.
RealID facilitates comprehensive identity management across enterprise campaigns, enabling consistent sequential messaging vital for cumulative marketing gains. The solution also strengthens IPG’s appeal in securing large integrated media accounts, exemplified by recent wins including Paramount’s U.S. streaming media account.
Martin illustrated how connecting data assets can reveal high-value customers previously underestimated, enabling brands to command better price premiums. This reinforces the collaboration’s impact on both transparency and monetization strategies.