In an August 2012 earnings call, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff made one of his trademark bold statements, vowing that the company’s next billion-dollar business would be marketing technology. Today, he put his money where his mouth is, acquiring ExactTarget for $2.5 billion.
ExactTarget is Salesforce.com’s largest acquisition to date, and its first serious move in the marketing technology space. While the company had previously purchased Radian6 and Buddy Media, the companies were narrowly focused on social media marketing. With brands today needing to integrate and communicate across a variety of channels, Benioff extended the Salesforce Marketing Cloud with ExactTarget’s email marketing engine. Vendors focused on mobile and other emerging channels will likely be gobbled up next.
Given the sheer magnitude of the ExactTarget deal, we had no choice but to update our Marketing Technopoly infographic—even though it was published just two weeks ago on the heels of Marketo’s IPO. That’s a sign of just how fast our industry is moving today. Having been at Neolane for more than two years, it’s been fascinating to watch the vendor ecosystem—not to mention the underlying channels and technology—evolve on what seems like a daily basis.
Sometimes it feels like being inside an inferno. But for a content marketer, the challenge is also the opportunity. There’s a rush and sense of pride working under extremely tight deadlines to produce something as timely and beautiful as the Marketing Technopoly Infographic. I hope it paints a picture of the blisteringly hot market we’re in—and the exciting race underway to dominate the digital marketing industry. Enjoy!
