Your Guide To Transforming Marketing With AI: Chats with Majken

Can you tell us a bit about your role at Salesforce and what you do?

“Yes. So, I’m Majken Nielsen, and I lead the marketing efforts across Northern Europe at Salesforce. I’m sure most of you have interacted with Salesforce already, maybe without knowing it. You might have received a personalised message from Booking.com, bought something during a Black Friday sale at Adidas, or gotten music recommendations from Spotify.

All these companies are using Salesforce technology to connect with their customers. We are a cloud-based software company with headquarters in San Francisco. I lead the marketing for the North region, which is very diverse. We have eight countries and 10 languages spanning Scandinavia and the Benelux region. My main responsibility is to set the marketing strategy for the region and ensure successful execution. As the regional leader, I act as a bridge between headquarters and the local markets, making sure that we use HQ content that resonates best with our local markets.”

 

You mentioned the northern region is very particular and extremely diverse, both in terms of culture and languages. How does this diversity affect the way that you design your campaigns?

“I would say there are some common denominators across the region. In a situation where we have limited resources, I need to find those denominators. The region is very digitally advanced, so when you work in a B2B software business, it’s actually an advantage to sell to companies that are digitally advanced. We have seen a lot of growth across the region by focusing on areas where these companies can be more efficient and drive growth.”

 

What is your main marketing focus at the moment?

“Yeah. Here I would again say AI and what we call an aentic enterprise. So it was also a new word for me, but it’s all about uh, how to use these AI agents. So in my personal life or in our personal lives, we’re used to using ChatGPT and other AI tools to make our lives more uh easy and efficient. So we use them for booking travel or gift ideas. Now we are approaching the holidays, but if we could, Salesforce is pioneering this shift in business life. So really using this technology to also make the work life easier and more efficient, and using the data points to create these personalised uh messages.

So, for me as a marketeer, I have two main roles, I would say. Internally, it’s about the internal transformation and making sure that we use the technology we have. We call it being customer service, or I like to say drinking our own champagne. But externally, it’s about finding these customers who are using the technology and market them because I believe the best way to really showcase the technology is to find customers and share the success through them.”

 

How do you define success in marketing?

“So at Salesforce again we have all these frameworks, but we have a very successful framework that our CEO and founder 26 years ago came up with, and it’s a framework where we define the vision, our values, the methods, obstacles and measurements. So across the whole company, it works as our north star, and it’s guiding how we work together, and it’s also a way to agree on what metrics we should be measuring. So at Salesforce, it’s clear that we are not just a supporting function, and we are accountable for a set of outcomes, and for us, it’s about pipeline and progression. So that’s how we are successful in marketing at Salesforce.”

 

What do you see as the biggest challenges marketers face today, especially given how success is measured?

“Heat.  I’m personally what keeps me awake at night, or what I think is a big change, is this uh, the way we move away from traditional search because now we’re in an environment that’s dominated by these large language models and AI. So in the near future, I’m quite sure we will be marketing and selling to AI agents.

So how do we really make sure that we have a strategy that answers this paradox, but on the same at the same time, of course, we need to make sure that we’re innovative and we create these memorable experiences or customer experience. But I think it’ll be a huge challenge for us as well to really make sure that we understand the large language models and how we will appear in the search results.”

 

What is the most successful or engaging event that you feel you have hosted or organised in the past

“So it’s great that you mentioned our flagship event, which had just taken place. When we launched this new technology, Agent Force, a year ago, we worked with a Danish customer—I’m from Denmark, a globally known Danish jewellery brand, Pandora. They not only adopted our solution but also agreed to be part of a global brand campaign.

We featured them on posters in major airports and train stations worldwide, sharing their story to show all our customers how they are achieving success with our Salesforce technology. Since this was my campaign, I’m extremely proud that they are now part of the main stage at Dreamforce, showcasing a story that originated from our region. For me, that made me very proud, and I would say it’s one of the most successful campaigns I’ve done.”

 

What career advice would you give to someone who is just starting or looking to start in the marketing industry?

“I would say, maybe number one, be curious. Really understand the company you’re working for, what it is selling, and who the buyers are. Understanding these two things is key to knowing what you need to market. Second, and especially now that we’ve talked a lot about technology, I would encourage new marketers to embrace technology and innovation. There is so much happening in tech, but also look at other industries, see what they’re doing and find inspiration to enhance what you’re doing in your own industry.

Finally, and actually the most important, is to find out what brings you joy and excitement. It’s important to keep this in mind because we can get so caught up in work that we forget what really drives us and makes us excellent. I truly believe that if you find something that brings you joy and excitement, you will excel at whatever you do.”

 

What would you say are the advantages that marketers and marketing directors have today that may not have been available in the past? 

“I am also in a tech company, and I would say we now have the technology to really build teams where humans or the people and what we call agents or the technology, work hand in hand. I think that is a huge advantage, as you can outsource or let the agents handle some of the repetitive tasks, ensuring you fully leverage the data you have to personalise, while humans focus on what adds extra value, creativity, innovation, and creating these memorable experiences. I think it is a really exciting time to be in, but of course, it also requires a lot of change and transformation.”

 

How would you describe your journey as a marketer in 2025?

“I would say it has been about transformation, really making sure that we internally leverage the technology we have available, but also externally changing the messaging, making sure that our customers are highlighted. So it has been a big year of transformation for us, but I think it’s also very exciting. I’m quite confident that 2026 will be equally exciting. It has been a year of significant transformation.”

 

What do you think or what would you say is going to be top of your list for 2026? What will be your main focus?

“I would say again, I have two priorities. One is work-related, and one is private. For the work priority, I would say it is to continue the transformation of my team, leading the way and hopefully also inspiring the larger organisation at Salesforce on how we can work together with this new technology. Privately, I would say it is catching some waves. My family and I learned how to surf, and it is something that really excites me. I love that it requires focus and drive, and for me, that is the best way to recharge. I also want to catch a couple of waves in the new year.”

How would you describe the role of a marketing director or marketing leader in a single word, and why?

“Uh, I think I would stay in the maritime world and say an octopus because first, an octopus is adaptable. It shifts colour, texture, and changes its shape to fit the environment. I believe that marketing leaders need to do the same, adapt to market-changing technologies, shifting customer expectations, and business priorities.

They are also curious. I’ve been told they explore, test, and investigate everything around them. I believe the best marketing leaders should have the same mindset. Finally, I would call it empowered autonomy because I’ve learned that the arms of an octopus can act independently while staying aligned to one brain. Great marketing leaders build teams the same way. The teams can move fast with ownership and make smart decisions, while the leader stays focused on the vision and not micromanagement. So, octopus would be my word.”