26/05/2026
Up for renewal in the next 12 months?
Most brands choose a Martech platform the same way they run a quick procurement exercise.
Watch a few demos.
Get 3 quotes.
Go with whoever pitched best.
And that is how you end up locked into a contract that does not fit, and overpaying for it.
Across the RFP processes we have run with brands across Asia and Europe, the same failure patterns show up again and again:
→ Requirements built around today's stack, not tomorrow's needs
→ Vendors shortlisted before evaluation criteria are even defined
→ No independent benchmark on what pricing should actually look like
→ Migration costs missing from the ROI
→ Final decisions made on feature lists, not ex*****on reality
Platform decisions are not procurement exercises.
They are 3 to 5 year commitments.
On paper, everything looks reasonable.
In reality, teams spend the next 2 years working around the decision.
And this is where most teams get it wrong:
They only start thinking about this when renewal is in sight.
By then:
→ Vendors are shaping the narrative
→ Timelines are compressed
→ Internal alignment becomes reactive
By the time vendors are in the room, most of the decision has already been shaped.
The brands that get this right do one thing differently:
They start earlier.
Not because it is “nice to have”
But because it gives them control of the process before vendors shape it.
Because the real question is not:
“Which platform should we choose?”
It is:
“Do we actually understand what we need this platform to deliver over the next 3 to 5 years?”
If that clarity is not there, no RFP process will fix it.
Whether your contract expires in 3 months or 18, the principle is the same:
the sooner you act, the more control you have over the outcome.
If your renewal is coming up, reach out.
We can help you assess your options and create more flexibility before decisions are locked in.
And if your timeline is already tight, that does not mean you’ve missed the window.
One of the first things we can explore is whether a short-term extension creates the space to do this properly.
