Article

NRF 2026: Microsoft and Adobe are Partnering to Advance Marketer AI

by Jason Gumpert
Editor, MSDynamicsWorld.com
NRF 2026
Source: National Retail Federation

MSDW Insight: Microsoft and Adobe hope that showing off marketing AI scenarios at a global scale can sell more retailers on its strengths.

In the quest for enterprise AI wins, the marketing department’s pain points offer plenty of opportunities. 

Microsoft brought its new tagline “Return on Intelligence” to NRF 2026 this week and hosted a discussion with customer Coca-Cola and partner Adobe about the multi-national beverage company’s efforts to streamline global marketing and brand management initiatives. The companies have worked together on marketing tech like a CDP strategy, content creation, and brand identity management.

Improving marketing at scale

Marketers shouldn’t be made to feel that AI is taking away the work that they enjoy, said Shekhar Gowda, VP of global marketing technology at The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola has been working with Microsoft and Adobe to identify the highest priority projects where the tech vendors’ AI offerings can be deployed. They have landed on brand guidance, content creation at scale, and gaining better control over Coca-Cola's consumer data for over a billion consumers around the world.

The goal, Gowda explained, was to increase workflow automation that allows marketers to focus on creativity. “At end of day have to feel that they are doing what they want,” he told the NRF audience. 

Through the work with Adobe and Microsoft, Gowda described three areas of AI-focused technology at Coca-Cola: 

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About Jason Gumpert

As the editor of MSDynamicsWorld.com, Jason oversees all editorial content on the site and at our events, as well as providing site management and strategy. He can be reached at jgumpert@msdynamicsworld.com.

Prior to co-founding MSDynamicsWorld.com, Jason was a Principal Software Consultant at Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), where he implemented solutions, trained customers, managed software development, and spent some time in the pre-sales engineering organization. He has also held consulting positions at CSC Consulting and Monitor Group.

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