Partner Marketing at Scale: Insights from 23,000 SAP Partners

The opening segment discusses how the structure of partner ecosystems has undergone a foundational shift. Two decades ago, vendor-partner relationships were largely linear, often revolving around a simple sell-implement-support cycle. Today, ecosystems are complex webs of collaboration, co-creation, and shared execution. SAP’s partner framework now accounts for VARs, GSIs, ISVs, and technology enablers—each bringing distinct value propositions. Many partners function in multiple categories, requiring marketing and operations teams to think beyond static partner types. Orchestration now involves dynamic capability mapping instead of just contractual tiers.

The SAP model is driven not by one-to-one partner relationships but by multi-role alignment. For example, an ISV may be a go-to-market partner in one market and a service provider in another. These layered roles require SAP to build systems that adapt to partner behavior across customer journeys. The company's partner orchestration approach is rooted in modularity, integration, and localized execution.

The discussion also explores how SAP’s position as an application-layer leader directly influences the ecosystem design, in contrast with Microsoft’s platform-layer ubiquity. SAP focuses on mission-critical business applications—ERP, supply chain, and procurement—meaning its partners must specialize in high-trust deployments. This influences partner segmentation, the depth of enablement, and customer expectations. The shift from transactional execution to collaborative solutions is central to how SAP defines its ecosystem today.

This section explores SAP’s "Power of Three" strategy. In this distinctive approach, SAP partners with both a service integrator (like Accenture) and a cloud infrastructure player (like Azure) to deliver integrated solutions. This model strengthens credibility and accelerates deal velocity. Each party has a clear role in these arrangements: SAP provides the application logic, the SI manages deployment and customer transformation, and the hyperscaler delivers infrastructure. Such multi-party collaboration requires deep marketing orchestration—shared metrics, unified content tracks, and aligned branding.

SAP uses joint planning, attribution modeling, and layered content development to make the Power of Three work. Instead of treating campaigns as events, they are treated as ecosystems—measured through demand waterfall metrics and partner-influenced pipelines. Each partner must identify themselves in the story. This shared narrative and campaign ownership are central to making joint GTM successful.

The discussion also highlights SAP’s use of a Partner Marketing Maturity Index to tier partners and provide scaled support. SAP provides toolkits to high-maturity partners to run independent campaigns and offers concierge-level support to lower-maturity partners. AI is beginning to streamline content delivery, message alignment, and campaign execution—democratizing marketing capabilities for even the smallest partners. This section reinforces that co-marketing isn’t just about sharing logos—it’s about co-owning pipeline, performance, and outcomes.

This section outlines the seismic shift in how B2B buyers make purchasing decisions. Committees of 10–20 cross-functional stakeholders now make enterprise purchases rather than a single executive decision-maker. Many of these stakeholders are digital natives who demand frictionless access to product information, peer reviews, support forums, and demos—before engaging in sales. The implication? Partner marketing must become content-driven, omnichannel, and insight-led.

SAP is adapting to this trend by front-loading value into digital touchpoints. The team empowers partners with the tools and content necessary to reach buyers early and often—before the sales cycle begins. This includes interactive demos, role-based content, and nurture flows designed to appeal to influencers in finance, procurement, IT, and beyond. The shift from transactional to experiential marketing is not optional—it’s foundational for ecosystem success.

The section also dives into how SAP integrates buyer behavior analytics to inform partner execution. Data signals from webinars, eBooks, product pages, and sales interactions help marketing teams identify buying intent and equip partners with real-time campaign adjustments. In this era, partner marketing is as much about data intelligence as it is about messaging. Modern buyers demand relevance, and SAP trains and equips its partners to meet that expectation.

This segment offers a compelling lens into leadership development within large organizations. It highlights how time spent in strategic roles helped build the skill of "managing through the noise," refining priorities, and executing against high-complexity objectives. These experiences fostered the ability to turn strategy into action and action into repeatable processes—a skill now central to SAP’s partner marketing leadership.

A key leadership insight emphasized is the importance of finding one’s voice. In matrixed organizations, success often comes not from positional authority but from influence, storytelling, and clarity. The journey includes challenging legacy thinking, building cross-functional alliances, and earning partner trust by simplifying complexity. These leadership experiences directly shape how SAP structures its GTM teams, partner communications, and marketing enablement layers.

The conversation also reflects on the evolving definition of marketing leadership itself. No longer confined to creative execution, today’s marketing leaders must be fluent in data, analytics, AI, and operations. They must inspire teams, align across regions, and deliver against brand and pipeline goals. This segment offers powerful takeaways for marketers and any leader trying to scale through partnerships, frameworks, and influence rather than command.

The final section turns to the future—particularly the role of AI in transforming partner marketing at scale. SAP’s vision positions AI as an enabler, not a replacement. For example, AI is helping generate co-branded content, recommend campaign tracks, and automate routine reporting tasks for partners. This unlocks efficiency for top-tier partners while leveling the playing field for long-tail partners who lack large marketing teams.

Personalization at scale is a key theme, with SAP using AI to analyze partner performance and dynamically recommend enablement materials. AI allows SAP to serve partners with context-specific guidance, whether a new ISV in the Nordics or a seasoned GSI in North America. This shift changes the role of field marketers from manual doers to strategic advisors.

The episode closes with a reflection on what’s next. The next phase of partner marketing will be even more data-driven, persona-led, and experience-centric. With AI at the core and ecosystems growing in complexity, the companies that succeed will be those that build platforms—not just programs. SAP’s playbook provides a forward-looking model for others to follow.