12 Best Alternatives to Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Key Takeaways

1. Salesforce Marketing Cloud struggles with high churn and security issues and lacks support for offline data capture and experiential ROI tracking.
2. Digital alternatives like Braze, HubSpot, and Adobe excel in online engagement but cannot manage physical events or connect in-person experiences to retail sales.
3. AnyRoad’s experiential-first platform captures 69% more guest data with FullView, analyzes feedback with PinPoint AI, and drives 36% revenue uplift through conversion tools.
4. Brands like Proximo Spirits, Diageo, Absolut, and Sierra Nevada achieved measurable ROI, including 16-point NPS gains and 85% brand conversion rates with AnyRoad.
5. Transform your experiential marketing with proven ROI measurement. Schedule an AnyRoad demo today.

How Leading SFMC Alternatives Handle Digital vs Experiential Journeys

The market offers many alternatives to Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and each targets different aspects of customer engagement. Braze focuses on mobile-first engagement, HubSpot specializes in inbound marketing automation, and Adobe Experience Cloud supports enterprise omnichannel experiences. Iterable, MoEngage, and Oracle Marketing Cloud provide additional options for teams that prioritize digital campaigns.

Braze excels in real-time personalization and mobile app engagement, while Adobe Experience Cloud provides comprehensive data unification for enterprise teams. HubSpot’s AI-powered Breeze offers revenue attribution that connects marketing spend to closed deals, which appeals to B2B marketers who need clear ROI measurement.

Comparison Table: Digital-Heavy vs Experiential Fit

These platforms perform well in digital marketing but share a critical limitation for experiential brands. They cannot capture first-party data from in-person events or measure offline-to-online ROI. Braze offers strong in-app engagement but limited support for omnichannel journeys that include physical touchpoints. HubSpot Marketing Hub centralizes customer data for digital automation but lacks capabilities for in-person event data capture.

Why AnyRoad Is the #1 Experiential-First Alternative to SFMC

AnyRoad stands apart as an AI-powered Consumer Engagement Platform built specifically for experiential marketing. Traditional alternatives focus on digital channels, while AnyRoad turns physical experiences into revenue-driving data sources. The platform delivers this through four integrated pillars: Experience Manager, Guest Experience, Atlas Insights, and Lifetime Loyalty.

Experiential Features That Connect Offline and Online

AnyRoad’s FullView technology captures first-party data from every event attendee, not just the booking contact. Proximo Spirits discovered they were missing contact information for more than 66% of their guests before using AnyRoad. After deployment, they collected 69% more guest data and 34% more NPS responses.

PinPoint AI automatically analyzes thousands of open-text feedback responses and surfaces key themes, sentiment drivers, and actionable suggestions in real time. Diageo used these AI insights to customize flavor profiles across its $185 million distillery portfolio and achieved a 16-point increase in NPS scores.

Purchase Conversion Tools connect offline experiences to retail sales through cashback rebates, punch card experiences, and sweepstakes entries sent via SMS. Absolut used this functionality to increase guest revenue per visit by 36% and unlocked new streams of revenue and loyalty from premium experiences.

Transform your experiences into measurable revenue. Schedule a demo to see how AnyRoad’s experiential-first platform drives results.

Comparison Table: AnyRoad vs Leading SFMC Alternatives

Experiential Case Studies That Prove ROI

Leading CPG and alcohol brands use AnyRoad’s experiential-first approach to achieve measurable results. Founders Brewing Co. eliminated manual processes and justified greater investment in tours and experiences. Lead Education Ambassador John Gautraud highlights how operations became seamless for both staff and visitors.

Anheuser-Busch uses AnyRoad data to make smarter programming decisions, understand brand loyalty, and influence purchase behavior, according to Glenn Cox, Head of Brewery Experiences Marketing. Comprehensive analytics support data-driven improvements to experiential campaigns.

Sierra Nevada achieved an 85% brand conversion rate after events. Director of Guest Experiences Gentry Power explains that AnyRoad’s insights uncovered and solved problems the team did not know existed. Traditional digital-focused platforms cannot reach this level of feedback analysis.

The broader industry confirms the impact of experiential marketing. Seventy-seven percent of marketers rank live experiences as their most effective marketing channel. AnyRoad helps brands capitalize on this channel with complete data capture and ROI measurement.

FAQs: SFMC Alternatives for Experiential and Event Marketing

Is HubSpot better than Salesforce Marketing Cloud for experiential marketing?

HubSpot excels at inbound marketing automation and CRM integration but lacks native capabilities for managing physical events. It cannot capture first-party data from in-person attendees or measure offline-to-online ROI. HubSpot’s Breeze AI connects marketing spend to closed deals, yet it does not track the journey from a brand activation or tasting room visit to a retail purchase. Experiential brands need specialized platforms that support booking management, on-site operations, and post-event conversion tracking.

How does Braze compare to SFMC for experiential brands?

Braze offers stronger mobile engagement and real-time personalization than SFMC, with BrazeAI for behavioral predictions and Canvas for visual journey building. The platform focuses on app-based interactions and digital touchpoints. It cannot capture complete first-party data from physical events, manage in-person check-ins, or prove ROI from offline experiences such as tours, tastings, or brand activations that matter to CPG and alcohol brands.

What is the best SFMC alternative for capturing first-party event data?

AnyRoad’s FullView technology is built to capture first-party data from every event attendee, not only the person who made the booking. This capability closes a critical gap that digital-focused platforms cannot address. Proximo Spirits collected 69% more guest data immediately after implementing AnyRoad, which shows the platform’s superior data capture compared to tools that rely only on digital touchpoints.

Which customer experience platforms work best for CPG brands?

CPG brands need platforms that connect physical brand experiences to measurable business outcomes. AnyRoad delivers proven results with major CPG companies. Diageo achieved a 16-point NPS increase across its distillery portfolio, and Absolut improved guest revenue per visit by 36%. The platform captures experiential data, analyzes feedback with AI, and drives post-event conversions, which makes it a strong fit for CPG brands that invest in experiential marketing.

What are the top SFMC competitors in 2026?

The competitive landscape includes Braze for mobile engagement, HubSpot for inbound marketing, Adobe Experience Cloud for enterprise omnichannel, and specialized platforms like Iterable and MoEngage. For experiential marketing, AnyRoad leads the category as a platform built from the ground up for physical experiences. Other competitors focus on digital channels, while AnyRoad turns in-person events into revenue-driving data sources with proven ROI measurement.

Conclusion: Use AnyRoad to Turn Experiences into Revenue

Salesforce Marketing Cloud and its main alternatives excel in digital marketing automation but fall short for experiential brands. These brands must capture first-party data from physical events and prove offline-to-online ROI. AnyRoad’s AI-powered Consumer Engagement Platform fills this gap and enables CPG and alcohol brands to turn every experience into measurable revenue through complete data capture, real-time feedback analysis, and post-event conversion tools.

Leading brands such as Absolut, Diageo, and Sierra Nevada have already achieved significant results with AnyRoad’s experiential-first approach. Their success shows that the right platform can drive both operational efficiency and revenue growth. As experiential marketing remains a top channel for brand building and customer acquisition, choosing a platform designed for physical experiences becomes essential for competitive advantage.

Ready to prove ROI from your experiential marketing programs? Schedule a demo and see how AnyRoad turns experiences into revenue for leading brands.