Marketo taps Google AI for new and enhanced marketing tools
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Marketing automation firm Marketo is ready to debut its first product with Google since launching their collaboration back in August. The companies announced Monday AudienceAI, a program that combines Marketo's platform with Google's infrastructure and AI tools to help marketers expand their targeted audiences.
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Marketo, which went private in 2016 in a $1.79 billion buyout with private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, is pitching the platform as a tool for unlocking unused audience segments lying dormant inside data, helping marketers better predict, personalize and perform with AI guidance.
AudienceAI uses Google's data analytics and machine learning smarts to find suitable lookalike audiences within a customer's database that can be used to expand the reach of marketing campaigns across email, web, Facebook ads, and other points.
The idea is to find contacts likely to have a high chance of success in a given campaign, thereby boosting conversions, revenue and ROI. Marketo said the platform can easily scale and doesn't require a data scientist.
"We are thrilled to have Marketo on Google's Cloud Platform and look forward to better serving both them and their customers with secure real-time engagement as only Google Cloud can do," said Diane Greene, chief executive officer of Google Cloud.
"Moreover, we are also working with Marketo to bring our machine learning capabilities into the Marketo platform. We anticipate this being a significant and highly valued part of the next stage of their product offering.
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Last August, Marketo announced that it would migrate its marketing automation products to the Google Cloud Platform as part of a multi-year deal with the public cloud giant. Marketo also signed up to integrate its Engagement Platform with Google's G Suite and data analytics, as well as leverage Google's machine learning capabilities.
In addition to the new platform, Marketo also announced that it's buying Bizible, makers of B2B marketing attribution and planning software. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but Marketo said this is the largest acquisition in the company's history.
"This acquisition doubles down on Marketo and Bizible's shared commitment to providing the most powerful, innovative, and robust marketing software that gives marketers the edge to win in the Engagement Economy. Together, our solutions create an industry-first platform for marketers to plan, engage, and measure by understanding what directly fuels ROI," said Marketo CEO Steve Lucas.
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Marketo to migrate to Google Cloud as part of multi-year deal
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