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IBM Watson Campaign Automation vs SAP Marketing Cloud vs Salesforce Marketing Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Marketing Automation category, the mindshare of IBM Watson Campaign Automation is 1.6%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Marketing Cloud is 11.9%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Marketing Cloud is 2.3%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Marketing Automation Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Salesforce Marketing Cloud11.9%
SAP Marketing Cloud2.3%
IBM Watson Campaign Automation1.6%
Other84.2%
Marketing Automation
 

Featured Reviews

it_user701487 - PeerSpot reviewer
Marketing Administrator and Member Web Support at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Valuable features include creating and using defined templates. I would like to see reporting capabilities and graphing reports.
We are currently planning to switch at the end of this year to a different ESP. One reason was that, with IBM's takeover of SilverPop, we did discover that customer care and our relationship/sales manager were no longer responsive or as caring as they had been in the past seven or eight years. The feeling is very different. We had never felt ignored because we are not super-users, but now, we do feel that way.
GauravSingh2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Targeted email journeys have boosted campaign insight and now need better data access and support
I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have something more physical. With data extensions, you can view them directly, but for data views, it is very difficult as you can only send it out or load it into data extensions. Improvements can also be made in the connections to different external tools such as Azure or AWS. Customer support can be improved in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, as sometimes it is not clear what the issue is or how to approach solving it, and it also takes time to resolve issues.
Abhijit Misra - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Integrates well with master data but user experience and integration need improvement
Predictive Analytics in SAP Marketing Cloud is effective, but it requires two essential elements. The data should be correct and sufficient enough to run Predictive Analytics, and the right algorithms need to be included in the marketing decision-making process. In Predictive Analytics, certain algorithms can be used, but it has limited use because it does not cater to the complete business needs of the client. The solution is easy to customize, but it requires having the right data model attached to the dashboard. If the data model is correct, the data on the dashboard can be manipulated very easily. However, if the data model is incorrect and does not bring in the right elements of KPIs and dashboards, upgrading the data model becomes a challenging exercise. SAP's user interface from a user story point of view rates six to seven out of ten. The user experience could be improved, but in terms of flexibility, it functions adequately when data is available. Without available data, none of the dashboards can function.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"I love their tech support; they have not been needed frequently, but when needed, they are quick and very knowledgeable."
"Marketing Cloud has improved our productivity and our team enjoy using it."
"I like that I can constantly add leads to Salesforce Marketing Cloud and look at accounts there. I also like that the solution lets me set up meetings."
"We have found the solution stable, the performance is good, there are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze."
"It is easy to use."
"The Salesforce ecosystem is more powerful than Siebel.Salesforce is fully integrated."
"The most valuable features of Salesforce Marketing Cloud are the ease of use of the basic features."
"The solution is completely scalable, the sky really is the limit, and if a company needs to expand it, it can do so as much as it wants."
"Salesforce Marketing Cloud has helped the organization by having centralized management capabilities."
"Segmentation and campaigning are very important features."
"SAP Marketing Cloud integrates effectively with the SAP data, ensuring all the master data gets aligned effectively with marketing."
 

Cons

"One reason was that, with IBM's takeover of SilverPop, we did discover that customer care and our relationship/sales manager were no longer responsive or as caring as they had been in the past seven or eight years."
"If someone wants to implement a best-of-breed solution, I'm uncertain whether Salesforce Marketing Cloud will be able to work, fit, or integrate smoothly."
"In terms of improvements, it would be beneficial to enhance the Copilot actions. The issue lies with the internal language setup."
"The solution can have a better UI. Salesforce Marketing Cloud should consider making its solution more robust for error handling."
"We would like an improvement to the 'Einstein Engagement Frequency'; the optimal range of emails that our subscribers will engage with."
"The main action I want to do in Salesforce Marketing Cloud is to export data into Excel and use it. My company may have that feature locked down, or if the Excel data exporting function still isn't available in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, that's the feature I want."
"The dashboards should be more intuitive, as there are far too many items on them. You're not always sure what you're looking for."
"The technicality of the solution can be streamlined."
"The data extension tools are not very user-friendly."
"Email response could be improved."
"Integration with third-party solutions is challenging with SAP Marketing Cloud."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Its licensing is on an annual basis. Customers are okay with its licensing cost, and they don't find it expensive."
"My company pays to use this solution."
"Salesforce has different versions of the solution and some are more suitable for smaller clients. However, Salesforce is expensive."
"We have two types of licensing. We have a yearly license for end users and we have a concurrent login for selling."
"This solution is priced in the medium to high price range."
"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a highly expensive solution, it needs to be less expensive. We are on an annual license to use the solution."
"Salesforce Marketing Cloud is affordable, considering the significant improvements it brings to our campaign results."
"I don't know if my company pays for Salesforce Marketing Cloud monthly or yearly. It's a SaaS, so it's a recurring cost, but I have no information on its price."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
12%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Healthcare Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise31
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Datorama is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, which is quite a valuable feature that provides customer analytics.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
I did not work on any pricing or implementation aspects but learned on my own when dealing with Revenue Cloud products.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
I feel that Salesforce Marketing Cloud can be improved in how the data views are accessed; it would be better to have...
What needs improvement with SAP Marketing Cloud?
There are three main areas for improvement in SAP Marketing Cloud. The user experience side needs enhancement to impr...
What is your primary use case for SAP Marketing Cloud?
My clients mainly use SAP Marketing Cloud for campaign management, sales force effectiveness, and marketing analytics...
 

Also Known As

IBM Marketing Cloud, IBM SilverPop
ExactTarget
SAP Hybris Marketing Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The King Arthur Flour, Stonyfield, InsideOut Development, Moosejaw, Big Scary Cranium, Paper Style
American Express, Financial Conduct Authority, KPN, Merck KGaA, Peterborough City Council, The Chapar, ADP, Financial Times, Stanley Black & Decker, SureFlap, Western Union, Philips
PT XL Axiata Tbk, Lenovo, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Sailing Team Germany, CHIO Aachen, Danone, Evoshield, Mohawk Industries, FC Bayern Munchen AG, D. SWAROVSKI KG, WeissBeerger, Groupe SAMSE, Cox Communications Inc.
Find out what your peers are saying about Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe and others in Marketing Automation. Updated: March 2026.
885,789 professionals have used our research since 2012.