Welcome to ExtraMile by KnowledgeNile, where we bring you candid conversations with industry leaders shaping the future of marketing, tech, and business growth.
Today, we are thrilled to feature Raffaele Apostoliti, the CEO of Expandi Group, a global leader in B2B MarTech and AdTech. The company was recently recognized as the number 1 leader in account-based marketing (ABM) by Frost & Sullivan.
From co-founding Expandi in 2000 to launching game-changing platforms like Jambo, Cyance, and B2B Stars, Raffaele has been at the forefront of data-driven marketing innovation.
In this interview he shares how Expandi’s intent data, AI-powered insights, and GDPR-compliant targeting tactics set the firm apart in a crowded market. Further, he shares insights on why hyper-personalization and cross-channel ABM are the future of B2B sales. Also, he gave lessons from two decades of industry transformation and what CMOs should prioritize today.
Whether you are a marketer, sales leader, or tech enthusiast, this conversation is packed with actionable insights. Let’s dive in!
Hello Raffaele, great to have you with us!
Expandi Group has grown into a global leader in B2B and marketing solutions under your leadership. What inspired you to enter this field? How has your initial vision transformed with the evolution of the industry?
Raffaele. After an initial working experience in Finance in the Oil industry (Eni Group, 1991-93), I spent five years (1995-2000) in HP’s European marketing and sales division. During this time, I developed a strong understanding of B2B Marketing and Digital Marketing through several management roles. In my last position in HP as E-business Marketing Manager I launched Europe’s first E-commerce platform for HP PCs and negotiated innovative partnerships with several leading Internet portals. The interest in technology and market changes as well as partnership creations have been a key point of interest for me since then.
I then left the company to co-found Expandi in April 2000. The company became quickly the first Global B2B Marketing Agency and then a major international B2B Adtech & Martech vendor internationally.
I am a strong believer in the adoption of disruptive technologies for data-driven and performance-led marketing firstly selling mainly marketing services and since 2015, mainly using martech and adtech solutions. After multiple acquisitions in September of 2024, we launched B2B Stars with the aim of making the platform of choice for companies looking for effective company searches, unique business insights and trustworthy B2B reviews.
The company competes in a saturated AdTech and MarTech market. What differentiated strengths do platforms such as B2B Stars, Jabmo, and Cynace provide that others can’t match, particularly in intent data and ABM?
Raffaele. Here’ what we believe are our stronger differentiators:
Buyer Intent Analytics
Our Cyance intent data platform, fully integrated in Jabmo, is more powerful than any other intent data platform, because:
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- We collect intent data from 30,000 websites, while the WW leader is collecting intent from 5,000 websites across the globe
- While the majority of intent providers uses mainly digital media sources for intent, we use all customer touch points both for 3rd party and 1st party data (social media, emailing, telemarketing, events, etc.)
- We have more than 20,000 Keywords for identifying the right intent taxonomies, the WW leader is using 10,000 KWs
- We localise all the above KWs in all major European languages while any other WW intent provider is using only English (so any intent they collect is related to content in English)
B2B Data – B2B Stars
Unlike any other ABM platform, our clients can access our proprietary firmographic database which include more than 3 millions companies across Europe, US and the rest of the world. Such data are based on local chambers of commerce and official public organisations and not from social media or other not qualified sources.
Email Outreach
Unlike any other ABM platform, our client can access our proprietary database of Emails, fully GDPR compliant, to activate campaigns targeting more than 2 million decisions makers across Europe and Unites States. They can target them by corporate departments and seniority (C-level, Second level Management, Others).
Audience Builder
Unlike any other ABM platform, our client can use our Audience Builder dashboard to immediately understand their Total Addressable Market and, by adopting our firmographic, demographic, technographic and behaviour selection criteria, they can build their own Ideal Customer Profile for US, Europe and the rest of the world.
Account Based Advertising Platform
Our award-winning Account-based Advertising platform (from Accountinsight) is fully integrated in Jabmo. Based on customer feedback we understand that only Demandbase has a comprehensive offer like ours. We can target thousands of accounts (if required) within one campaign set up and optimise campaign results daily by account or by clusters of accounts. All the above will leverage the largest proprietary database of IPs (among ABM platforms) to activate the right accounts
Business model
Instead of charging heavy license fees, our business model is to price clients on the modules they actually need (data, analytics, emailing, programmatic advertising, personalisation, etc.) making the model much more affordable for small and mid market accounts
You create €1 billion in sales pipelines each year for clients. What are the most important metrics to measure when demonstrating ROI, and could you give an example of a campaign where your method significantly sped up a client’s outcome?
Raffaele. Bottom line, all our clients still consider pipeline and sales as the main KPI even when they run a branding and awareness campaign.
We spend lot of time explaining that metrics need to be aligned with objective and tactics uses. On top of impressions, clicks and engagements what proves strong ROI is the correct usage of intent signals. The integration of our multi-language intent signals in all strategies from the creation of target groups , to ABM strategies, digital advertising has proven much higher ROI. We close the loop of our activities with tele follow up and the majority of SQL detected had shown intent throughout the journey demonstrating better value for the client.
With increasing data regulations, how does the company help clients achieve precision targeting while maintaining trust and compliance?
Raffaele. Being a European company, we understand privacy regulations such as GDPR very well. Our technology and services are proud to be privacy-first. Our technology and marketing services support clients in the creation and targeting of high-performing targets. Targets are based on our company database which includes over 3million companies with infographic information, contact details, multi-language and multi-channels intent signals and IP data and technology tracking for better targeting. The database has been built putting data privacy and consent-driven engagement at its cornerstone. It contains IP-based intent data IP identification and mapping technology that allow cookieless advertising. We do not sell contact details but run activities on behalf of clients on our database because we believe in privacy-first.
Strategic acquisitions (such as Jabmo) and partnerships (such as Kompass) have driven the company’s expansion. How do you assess compatibility when adding new technologies or teams to your ecosystem?
Raffaele. Throughout over 20 years in business we have acquired many companies and technologies. Assessing compatibility hasn’t just been a tech stack checklist. To make it a success we need technical, operational, cultural, and strategic alignment, sometimes it works well, sometimes it just doesn’t.
In Strategic partnerships, the strategi alignment is key. What I asses is mission and vision fit with the long-term direction of the company, product/service overlap and market positioning.
We then assess technical compatibility and the complexity of the integration.
It has not to be underestimated the cultural and organizational fit in terms of values and work style and decision-making structure. A non-cultural fit will cause key talents to leave the organisations.
With GDPR and growing data privacy issues, how do you maintain compliance while providing high-performing targets for clients? Is cookieless tech, such as IP-based intent data, the future?
Raffaele. Being a European company, we understand privacy regulations such as GDPR very well. Our technology and services are proud to be privacy-first. Our technology and marketing services support clients in the creation and targeting of high-performing targets. They are based on our company database which includes over 3million companies. The data base has been built putting data privacy and consent-driven engagement at its cornerstone. It contains IP-based intent data IP identification and mapping technology that allow cookieless advertising.
AI, predictive analysis, and hyper-personalization are revolutionizing B2B strategies. Where do you envision the next giant leap, specifically for mid-market and enterprise markets?
Raffaele. AI, predictive analysis, and hyper-personalization have started to revolutionize the market, but they are still not used widely as there are still barriers such as lack of internal skills and a market full of still evolving providers. On the mid term we see these as important evolutions:
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- Intent Data Integration: Integrating intent data into ABM platforms is becoming increasingly important for identifying active buyers and prioritizing target accounts with the highest purchase intent. Intent data, showing when prospects are actively researching specific topics or solutions, allows marketers to tailor their messaging and prioritise efforts based on real-time buying signals. The most important trend today is the merger of first party intent data with third party intent data to generate stronger predictive models and ultimately higher ROI.
- Cross-Channel Orchestration: Modern ABM platforms are evolving to provide comprehensive cross-channel orchestration capabilities, enabling marketers to deliver consistent and personalized experiences across multiple touchpoints. Integrating ABM with channels such as email, social media, advertising, and website personalization allows marketers to engage target accounts at various stages of the buyer's journey, maximizing impact and conversion rates.
- Integrating with existing marketing automation, CRM, and other technologies, the new Jambo platform enable marketers to orchestrate personalized campaigns across multiple channels, including email, social media, programmatic advertising, website personalization, events, and so on.
- Advanced Personalization Capabilities: Enhanced personalization features will be crucial for attracting users in the future. ABM platforms should offer advanced targeting and segmentation capabilities, allowing marketers to deliver highly personalized content and messaging tailored to the specific needs and preferences of individual accounts. This includes dynamic content creation and account-based website personalization based on buyer behavior, firmographic and demographic data.
With decades of experience in B2B marketing, what’s one key lesson you have learned on leading through industry transformation? What would you advise CMOs to invest in ABM today?
Raffaele. Over the last two decades, industries have been upended by digitalization, globalization, and societal shifts. Here’s what I have learned and what I try to apply:
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- Transformation Is Constant and much faster than in the past so we must embrace and adapt very quickly.
- Stay focused: In high-disruption environments, a clear mission keeps teams aligned and focused.
- Act quickly: In fast-changing markets, a go-fast approach outperforms waiting for a flawless product.
- Anticipate and go with changing customer needs.
- Focus on Partnership as transformations often require ecosystems—alliances, suppliers, and even competitors working together.
I always advise the CMOs of our clients and prospects to start with a strong ABM strategy, make sure there is alignment between marketing and sales on the direction to take and the accounts to focus on and then select the right partner and ABM platform to successfully implement the strategy. A platform that is flexible both in the functionality and business model and that offer strong cross-channels intent signals functionalities as speed of engagement with the hottest prospects is key in this competitive environment.
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