Martech entropy: why stacks decay into cost

The Martech Stack you bought twice

Unused features cost nothing. A second contract for a capability you already own costs what the invoice says, and no utilization survey will find it.

Just like my previous article, and most because of the fast moving pace of Martech, I revisited some early work.

Back in July I went at whether AI closes the gap in Martec's Law, and part of that piece dealt with the Gartner utilization number. 58% of stack capability in use in 2020, 42% in 2022, 33% in 2023, with the 2025 reading climbing back toward 49% under a slightly different question. Directional rather than gospel, as I put it at the time.

I still think that's right.

What I didn't do is ask why the dead

Extending Martech’s Law: why growth leads to decay

Martech stacks rarely fail. They decay. Over time, more human effort is required just to keep the same outcomes. This article explores why ROI erodes quietly, how entropy shows up in real stacks, and why I built the Second Law of Martech scan.

When I wrote The real Martech ROI equation, I was trying to articulate a frustration I kept hearing, and feeling myself. On paper, the business case made sense. The tools were implemented. The dashboards existed. The licenses were paid. And yet, the return felt harder to realise year after year.

Not because the technology stopped working, but because everything around it seemed to require more effort.

That article stayed with me longer than I expected. Especially one unanswered question: if the investment is already sunk, why does value still feel like it’s slowly leaking away?

The answer I kept

The real Martech ROI equation

Revenue minus stack costs does not equal a return on investment, so what does?

Have you ever seen this quote:

“The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn't bother you anymore.”

If you are reading this article, you might be inclined to think that this quote is from some notable Martech leader describing your Martech stack. Nothing is further from the truth.

Posts tagged with Martech entropy