Scott Brinker
Scott Brinker
Scott Brinker is the president & CTO of ion interactive, a leading provider of post-click marketing software and services. He writes the Conversion Science column on Search Engine Land and frequently speaks at industry events such as SMX, Pubcon and Search Insider Summit. He chairs the marketing track at the Semantic Technology Conference. He also writes a blog on marketing technology, Chief Marketing Technologist.
2026 Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic: Peak Martech Achieved! (Maybe)
The martech landscape effectively stopped growing this year, up just 0.79% to 15,505 products. But underneath that flat headline, the market is churning fiercely.
In 2020, I made 5 predictions about marketing and martech for this decade. Here’s how they’re going…
Five years ago, Jason Baldwin and I published Martech 2030, a report predicting five major trends that would shape marketing and martech. How are those…
Buyer-side agents are the real disruption (a sneak preview of our Martech for 2026 report)
It’s almost here! We’re launching our in-depth Martech for 2026 report on December 2, and you can be among the first to see it....
Close encounters with zombie martech automations and AI agents — just in time for Halloween
The lights are on but nobody’s home. The engine’s running but no one’s driving. The wheel is spinning but the hamster is dead. Pick...
The first generation of gen AI use cases in marketing are streaking through the Hype Cycle
Ah, the Hype Cycle. No other curve is both so revered and reviled. When it comes generative AI’s Hype Cycle, especially its application in marketing,...
1967 was the Summer of Love; we will remember 2025 as the Summer of Vibes
Are you feeling the vibes yet? “Vibe” has become the latest AI buzzword. Even more than “agentic,” which is saying a lot. While both terms...
2025 Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic: 100X growth since 2011, but now with AI…
tl;dr The martech landscape grew again since last year, up 9% to 15,384 solutions. While new AI natives continue to blossom, the previous generation...
Beyond AI assistants: how AI is being more deeply embedded in marketing and martech stacks
This is a short excerpt of data from The State of Martech 2025 report that will be released on May 6, 2025. You can...
Complicated to Complex: AI Agents and Managing a Dynamic Martech Stack
The following is a short excerpt from The State of Martech 2025 report that will be published on May 6, 2025 — #MartechDay. Sign...
Meet the new martech stack: systems of context and systems of truth
For years, martech was divided into systems of record and systems of engagement. Systems of record stored the “master” versions of data. CRMs and CDPs...
Despite financial pressure — or because of it? — tech stacks are actually expanding again
If you predicted that tech stacks would shrink in 2024, it was probably a good bet. After all, the trend line had been headed in...
AI agents are the new iPaaS and the next frontier of intense competition in digital ops orchestration
Welcome to 2025! It’ll be the Year of AI Agents in martech, in word and deed. Here’s what I think that means… From the moment...
Martech for 2025: A brand-new, 108-page report on AI use cases, stack foundations, and market structure
Happy holiday season, ye merry marketing maestros! Here’s a marvelous way to get prepped and psyched for the New Year that’s right around the corner....
The state of marketing operations professionals is OK, but it’s going to get much, much better
Last week, Mike Rizzo and team at MarketingOps.com hosted their annual MOps-Apalooza event with 400+ marketing ops people. I was honored to be one...
Companies are replacing more martech, focused on integrations and APIs, and still expanding their stacks
I have two surveys for you that I think you’ll love. The first is one that I’m asking you to take: a cut-through-the-BS survey on...
Will AI in martech make buyer experiences better or worse? It depends…
How do you know you’re at the peak of a Hype Cycle? When means outweigh ends. Martech professionals and marketing ops leaders are being driven...
Blueprint for a hypothetical martech “holding company” for a world where aggregation beats consolidation
For 13 years of the ever-expanding martech landscape, conventional wisdom has predicted that our industry would consolidate. That conventional wisdom has failed spectacularly. Or more…
The new data layer in martech has taken hold as the foundation upon which marketing AI will be built
In our recent State of Martech 2024 report — which is free and now fully ungated — Frans Riemersma and I analyzed a ton...
APIs are “very important” to martech buyers today, but they’ll be crucial for the coming wave of AI agents
Take a guess at filling in the blank here: _______ is to AI Agents as Data is to AI Models The answer, as you likely…
3 counterintuitive surprises about composable martech stacks in The State of Martech 2024 report
For years, the conventional wisdom in martech has been: the fewer apps in your stack, the better. It’s obvious, right? By reducing the number...