Marketo

Marketo
Name	Marketo
Developer	Phil Fernandez, Jon Miller, David Morandi
Released	0 2006
Operating system	Cloud-based
Genre	Marketing automation, Customer relationship management
License	SaaS

Marketo. Marketo is a leading cloud-based platform for marketing automation and B2B marketing, designed to help organizations manage and measure engagement across the entire customer lifecycle. Founded in 2006, it became a central product for executing, managing, and analyzing digital marketing campaigns, particularly known for its strength in lead management and email marketing. The company was a significant independent player before its notable acquisition by Adobe Inc. in 2018, integrating it into the broader Adobe Experience Cloud.

Overview

Marketo provides a comprehensive suite for demand generation, account-based marketing, and customer marketing, operating primarily as a software as a service model. Its platform enables marketers to automate complex processes, personalize communications, and measure the impact of their efforts on revenue. Competing with platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo distinguished itself with a strong focus on the needs of B2B and enterprise software companies, offering deep analytics and robust integration capabilities. The system is built to align sales and marketing teams by providing a unified view of prospect and customer interactions.

History

Marketo was co-founded in 2006 by Phil Fernandez, Jon Miller, and David Morandi, with early backing from institutional investors like Battery Ventures and Storm Ventures. The company launched its first product in 2007, quickly gaining traction among technology companies in Silicon Valley. It filed for an initial public offering in 2013, becoming a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ under the ticker MKTO. In 2016, the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners acquired Marketo and took it private. This period of private ownership was short-lived, as Adobe Inc. announced its acquisition of Marketo in September 2018 for $4.75 billion, a move that significantly expanded Adobe's offerings in the digital experience market.

Features and functionality

Core capabilities of the Marketo platform include advanced email marketing, lead scoring, behavioral tracking, and campaign management. A key feature is its Marketing Nation community, which fosters user collaboration and education. The platform's analytics engine provides detailed reporting on metrics like return on investment, customer acquisition cost, and lead conversion rates. Tools for dynamic content personalization, social media marketing, and mobile marketing are also integral, allowing for multi-channel engagement. Its revenue attribution modeling helps organizations trace closed deals back to specific marketing initiatives.

Integration and ecosystem

Marketo is built with an open API architecture, facilitating integrations with a wide array of business systems. It connects seamlessly with major customer relationship management platforms, notably Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365, to synchronize lead and account data. The platform also integrates with web analytics tools like Google Analytics, advertising networks, webinar services such as Zoom, and content management systems. This extensive ecosystem allows it to function as a central hub within a company's marketing technology stack, enabling data flow between sales, marketing, and customer service operations.

Acquisition by Adobe

The acquisition by Adobe Inc. was completed in October 2018, with Marketo becoming the cornerstone application for B2B engagement within the Adobe Experience Cloud. This strategic purchase allowed Adobe to compete more directly with Oracle and Salesforce in the enterprise marketing space. Post-acquisition, Marketo's capabilities have been deeply integrated with Adobe's own technologies, such as Adobe Analytics, Adobe Audience Manager, and Adobe Campaign. The combined offering provides a powerful suite for managing cross-channel customer journeys, leveraging Adobe's strengths in creative software and data management.

See also

* Adobe Inc. * Marketing automation * Lead management * Account-based marketing * Salesforce Marketing Cloud * HubSpot * Customer relationship management * Digital marketing

Category:Adobe software Category:Marketing software Category:Cloud computing Category:Software companies established in 2006