The rush to embed AI into every layer of business software has created a new reality for enterprise buyers: AI is now a line item — and an expensive one. Software that once enabled work now promises to perform it. The pitch sounds irresistible. Vendors cite multitrillion-dollar productivity gains and talk of a “new super …
Read more “AI productivity gains, like vendors’ AI surcharges, are hard to find”
Local businesses are asking more questions than ever about connected TV — and for good reason. After years of seeing CTV as something only big brands could afford, many SMBs are starting to explore what it might do for their marketing. In conversations with business owners and marketers across the Cleveland area, the same questions …
Read more “4 questions every SMB should ask before testing CTV”
Salesforce officially launched Agentforce 360 today, its new AI-driven platform that embeds virtual agents across its ecosystem — including Slack. Announced just ahead of Dreamforce, the rollout aims to automate routine work and unify data, people and AI within Salesforce’s “trusted platform.” For marketers, the debut marks a turning point in how AI interfaces with …
In MarTech’s “MarTechBot explains it all” feature, we pose a question about marketing to our very own MarTechBot, which is trained on the MarTech website archives and has access to the broader internet. Q: What are the top skills marketers should develop as we enter 2026? As we approach 2026, the marketing landscape continues to evolve …
Read more “What are the skills marketers should develop as we enter 2026?”
I recently spoke with a prospect who knew they had a problem. Sales were slowing, retention was slipping and lifetime value barely stretched past six months. On paper, the near-term numbers looked fine — but only because they’d been manipulated to hide the decline. When I asked what they were doing about it, they said, …
Read more “You’re paying your sales and marketing teams to sabotage each other”
For years, marketers measured digital success through impressions, backlinks and clicks. If you ranked high in search results and won the click, you had visibility and control of the funnel. But that landscape is already shifting. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity are rapidly becoming the first place decision-makers go for …
Read more “AI KPIs: Turning mentions Into strategy in the age of LLMs by Brightspot”
Zeta Global introduced a natural language AI agent this week, personalizing the digital workspace for marketers using the Zeta platform. Known as Athena by Zeta, the company calls it a “superintelligent” agent with access to Zeta’s data cloud and contextual intelligence. Athena adapts to users’ goals, style and decisions and removes the friction between marketers …
Read more “Zeta Global unveils ‘superintelligent,’ natural language AI agent”
MarTechCharts regularly highlights data of interest to marketers and marketing operations professionals. Agentic AI is rapidly changing the face and feel of shopping for both retailers and consumers, according to a report on agentic commerce from management consultancy firm Kearney. The report, “Agentic Commerce: From Brand Loyalty to Bot Logic,” found 73% of consumers are …
Read more “60% of shoppers expect to use AI agents in the next 12 months”
“RIP SaaS, hello AI” has become a popular refrain online, implying AI will replace SaaS. That framing, however, overlooks how martech stacks actually work. The debate between SaaS and AI has sparked endless speculation: Will one overtake the other? Will software vendors fade as AI matures? Those questions sound bold, yet they overlook the real …
Read more “Martech stacks evolve through capabilities, not tools”
In B2B marketing, ideas that shift perspective are currency. They inspire people to think differently, trust more deeply, and make more confident choices. That’s why thought leadership matters more than ever — and why events remain one of the most underappreciated ways to bring those ideas to life. At one of my team’s annual events, …
Read more “Why it’s time to rethink your B2B thought leadership strategy — especially around events”