Why Are Brands Still Texting Us Like It’s 2012?
We’ve all experienced it: you buy a pair of running shoes, and for the next three weeks, ads chase you around the internet begging you to buy the exact same shoes you are already wearing. It’s clunky, it’s laggy, and it’s embarrassing for the brand.
Most enterprise marketing tech was built for desktop computers and batch emails it has a massive memory, but terrible reflexes.
That is why Salesforce just acquired Braze in a $5.7 billion all-cash deal.
While Salesforce is the heavyweight champion of customer data, its marketing and commerce suites have plateaued to low-single-digit growth against stiff competition from Adobe, Oracle, and Microsoft. Meanwhile, Braze has been charging ahead with 26% year-over-year revenue growth, a 110% net retention rate, and nearly 2,800 enterprise customers.
By combining forces, Salesforce and Braze are solving modern marketing's biggest headache: making deep corporate data move at the speed of a live human conversation.
The "Braze Effect": Reflexes Over Memory
If Salesforce is a company's memory, Braze is its reflexes. Born mobile-first, Braze doesn't wait for overnight data batches. It powers the hyper-timed notifications you get from apps like Canva, Instacart, and Venmo reacting instantly to your live behavior.
Why This Matters for Creative Leaders
In digital marketing, timing is the creative. Here is what changes now:
- No More Waiting: Creatives can stop waiting on data teams for static lists; content is triggered instantly by live actions.
- Fluid Storytelling: Instead of siloed campaigns, you can design a singular narrative arc that passes the torch seamlessly from SMS to push to in-app alerts.
- Smart AI Optimization: Braze tests copy and layouts on the fly, delivering the winning asset at the exact minute the user is ready.
The Bottom Line
Salesforce buying Braze at a modest ~5.3x forward revenue multiple signals the end of lagging, repetitive marketing. For creative teams, our ideas will finally live in the exact same moment as our audience.