Customer data platforms (CDPs) are among the most buzzworthy topics among marketing technology users and enthusiasts in recent years. Lots of companies have already invested in a CDP, and many that haven’t are looking to do so in the near future.

Still, there’s confusion in the marketplace about what problems CDPs alleviate and what the real definition of a customer data platform should be. That’s part of what martech guru David Raab, founder and CEO of The CDP Institute, set out to clarify.

In this episode of IN GEAR, India Waters and co-host Danielle Profita Briner chat with David to break down:

• What exactly is a CDP, and what problems does it solve for marketers?
• How CDPs and other marketing tools will evolve as online commerce stays at the forefront of how business is done
• Whether duplicative capabilities from other tools (data warehouses, multichannel marketing tools, campaign management solutions) pose a real threat to standalone CDPs