Anatomy of a Decision: Why Cohere Health Chose AdRoll ABM (Formerly RollWorks) for Account-Based Marketing

B2B marketing is undergoing a recalibration. The days of chasing MQLs as the north star are giving way to strategies rooted in precision, orchestration, and meaningful engagement across entire accounts. For Brianna Miller, Director of Demand Generation at Cohere Health, this evolution isn't theoretical. It's personal, practical, and rooted in years of frontline experience leading ABM initiatives in healthcare technology.

As account-based marketing (ABM) continues to gain traction, many GTM leaders face the same challenge: how do you operationalize ABM at scale without overloading your team or overspending on tools? Amid tightening budgets and growing pressure to prove marketing’s revenue impact, ABM must walk a fine line between sophistication and simplicity.

When Brianna joined Cohere Health, the company was already exploring account-based marketing platforms. Several demos had taken place, and well-known vendors like 6sense and Demandbase were under consideration. But the final decision to go with AdRoll ABM was shaped not just by capabilities, but by a sharp understanding of organizational readiness, budget constraints, and a repeatable track record of success.

This is the story of why one demand gen leader chose not the most expensive or feature-rich tool, but the right-sized one. It was a platform that matched her company’s GTM maturity, empowered her sales team, and delivered measurable impact without overwhelming the team or the budget.

Right-Sized Tech: Choosing the Tool That Matches the Team

The first major inflection point in the decision came down to strategic fit. Cohere Health has a defined total addressable market, approximately 100 to 150 payer accounts at any given time, and a lean team spanning marketing and sales operations. The sophistication of the ABM tool needed to reflect that reality.

“I could have used my entire budget on Demandbase or 6sense… or I could use a different tool and also be able to do other things,” Brianna said. This became the defining lens through which all vendor options were evaluated.

That tradeoff wasn't just about saving money. It was about ensuring balance. A budget-heavy platform might check boxes on features, but it can also strain internal resources, delay ROI, and create friction with adjacent teams like sales ops or IT.

AdRoll ABM and Propensity emerged as the final two contenders. Both offered the core capabilities needed: account-based advertising, job title targeting, Salesforce and HubSpot integrations, and intent data. But AdRoll ABM edged out its competitor thanks to a slightly more intuitive interface and a major advantage, familiarity.

Crucially, Brianna also recognized that more complexity doesn’t equal more value, especially for a team without dedicated ABM headcount. “As cool as some of the AI features were in the more expensive platforms, we weren’t going to use those. They’d just sit there.”

In Brianna's words, the priority was getting “a good simpler” tool, one that was powerful, yes, but also implementable. AdRoll ABM' out-of-the-box integrations with HubSpot for marketing and Salesforce for sales operations allowed the team to avoid long implementation delays and cumbersome workarounds.

By focusing on what the team could actually use, not just what was technically possible, she protected more than her budget. She protected adoption, velocity, and downstream performance.

The right-sized decision also enabled more flexibility. Because she didn't exhaust her budget on platform licensing alone, Brianna retained enough resources for digital ad spend, campaign testing, and internal support programs.

Another critical factor was AdRoll ABM’s’ implementation timeline. “They told us we could be up and running in about a month, and that turned out to be accurate,” Brianna shared. In contrast, other platforms projected three to six months before the first campaigns could launch. “For a startup moving at our pace, that kind of delay just wasn’t going to fly.” The ability to activate quickly meant the team could begin testing, learning, and delivering results within the same quarter.

💡 Analyst Insight: In our conversations with GTM leaders across the industry, this “right-sized tech” mindset has emerged as a leading trend. Teams aren't necessarily seeking the most powerful platforms; they're seeking solutions that align with their operating capacity. The future of successful ABM may not be found in more tools, but in more strategic deployment of the ones that get used.

The Power of a Repeat Buyer: Trust Earned, Trust Reinvested

This wasn’t Brianna’s first ABM rollout. At her previous company, she had led a successful implementation of AdRoll ABM, which influenced how she viewed the platform’s ability to drive real outcomes.

“We got down to Propensity and AdRoll ABM. What tipped it? I had used AdRoll ABM before, and both my team and Sales Ops agreed it would be easier onboarding.”

That experience wasn’t just anecdotal. At her previous company, Brianna saw an 86% acceleration in deal closures and a 42% increase in win rate on opportunities influenced by ABM efforts powered by AdRoll ABM.

“That kind of outcome sticks with you,” she explained. ”When I saw a similar opportunity at Cohere Health, I knew what was possible.”

Still, she didn’t rely on nostalgia. She ran demos with each vendor, brought in her Senior Digital Marketing Specialist to evaluate day-to-day usability, and looped in Sales Ops when it was clear the integration with Salesforce would be critical.

“It wasn’t a one-woman decision. But I had conviction because I’d seen what worked.”

AdRoll ABM reinforced that trust by tracking Brianna’s move and following up with insights from her previous account, showing continuity and attentiveness from their sales team.

That experience of seeing the vendor take the initiative, do their homework, and speak to past use cases made Brianna feel like she wasn’t starting from scratch. In a world where onboarding timelines and adoption hurdles can drag down even the best-intentioned investments that confidence is invaluable.

Choosing a vendor you already trust doesn't mean bypassing diligence. It means carrying forward the lessons you've already learned and giving your team a head start.

💡 Analyst Insight: Repeat buyer behavior is often an overlooked signal in SaaS purchasing. When GTM leaders bring a vendor into multiple organizations, it reflects not just product satisfaction but real-world performance under pressure. In the ABM space, where activation timelines and sales team alignment are notoriously tricky, the confidence of a repeat buyer speaks volumes.

Proving Marketing’s Impact: Showing Influence with Real Data

Choosing the right-sized platform wasn’t just about upfront cost. It was about what it could do once live. For Brianna, one of AdRoll ABM’ most valuable features was its Revenue Impact Reports, out-of-the-box dashboards that visualize ABM’s effect on deal velocity and win rates.

“That report was gold. It showed the value of marketing, increased speed to close, and higher win rates. It’s exactly the kind of data sales and execs want.”

This reporting capability wasn’t just useful internally. It helped align Sales and Marketing around shared signals. For example, the “spike reports” that AdRoll ABM sends to reps gave them easy-to-digest insights into account activity and keyword intent.

“Sales loved it. Simple, in their inbox, actionable. That’s what they need. Don’t make it complicated,” she said.

AdRoll ABM’s' integration with Salesforce and HubSpot also allowed Brianna’s team to create account-based scoring models and segmented campaigns. They could target accounts by stage, product, or even by renewal timing. This flexibility enabled both net-new acquisition and customer marketing strategies.

“We could target current customers whose renewals were coming up or accounts showing intent for competitor keywords. It was easy to set up and fast to activate.”

The platform's impact wasn’t just visible in campaign results. It helped shift the perception of marketing internally. For the first time, demand gen efforts could be directly linked to pipeline movement, win rates, and deal velocity. These are all metrics the executive team already cared about.

That shift toward accountability was part of a larger evolution at Cohere Health.

“We finally had a way to say: here's what we're doing, and here's the impact. That helps marketing earn its seat at the revenue table.”

Final Thoughts: Why This Decision Matters

For Brianna Miller and Cohere Health, choosing AdRoll ABM was a decision shaped by experience, context, and confidence. It wasn’t about chasing the shiniest feature set or having the longest onboarding plan. It was about impact, usability, and scale.

She didn’t just pick a tool. She picked a partner that matched her stage, her strategy, and her speed.

In a landscape where GTM teams are being asked to do more with less, this story is a reminder that the smartest decisions aren’t always the flashiest. They’re the ones that drive adoption, align teams, and accelerate outcomes.

ABM doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. With the right strategy, the right internal champions, and the right technology match, it can be both practical and powerful. That’s what Brianna Miller has proven twice.

Lessons for GTM Leaders:

• Prioritize tools your team can realistically implement and adopt
• Don’t be afraid to favor platforms you’ve successfully used in the past
• Show impact early and often to align internal stakeholders

This is what right-sized, results-driven ABM looks like in practice.

Discover How AdRoll ABM Can Help You Generate Pipeline and Grow Revenue

With AdRoll ABM, you’re not just running campaigns, you’re refining ABM by leveraging deep buyer insights and actionable recommendations for precise targeting and tangible results.

This approach simplifies the complexity of pinpointing and engaging with high-value accounts, ensuring your marketing efforts are laser-focused on those with the most significant revenue potential. To learn how AdRoll ABM can help you generate pipeline and grow revenue, schedule a demo.