GlaxoSmithKline has selected a cloud-based digital marketing platform from Indian IT outsourcer Infosys.

The platform, named ‘Digital Marketing Platform’, is designed to allow users to manage the entire online marketing process, from creating content to launching campaigns and analysing their success.

GSK will use the platform to support a new shared service called ‘Global Digital Services’. “We recognise that our customers, consumers and other external stakeholders increasingly want to engage with us on-line," said Phil Benton, GSK’ vice president for the new division. "Global Digital Services will enable us to provide globally standard processes, scalable assets and advanced analytics to support better and more efficient engagement with these external audiences."

Infosys’ platform was developed in partnership with Fabric Worldwide, a division of advertising and marketing services group WPP. The two companies are integrating various technologies to create GSK’s platform, and Infosys will maintain and platform in future.

Fabric’s digital marketing platform consists of a Hadoop-based data management framework and what it calls a ‘marketing operating system’, a development environment that allows customers to build functionality on top the data framework.

When that platform was launched in November last year, Fabric claimed that is "is designed to provide a flexible way for the CIO and [chief marketing officer] to work together to deliver on the demands of marketing to an ever faster-moving digital consumer."

The company cited a report from analyst company Forrester Research which asserted that "marketing must take a new approach to technology. Splintering touch points and the growing torrent of data force marketers to build up investments in technology to keep up with customers."