Five Top Takeaways from Marketo Summit 2017

After a year in Las Vegas, the Marketo Summit returned to San Francisco in 2017.

100+ marketing sessions, 6,500+ marketers, and a whole bunch of parties made this event one to remember. Here are some of my top takeaways.

Watch the official recap video below.

1) New Management Leading Marketo

Since Vista Equity partners took over, most of the management team has turned over. The revamped team is lead by industry veterans Steve Lucas (CEO) and Greg Wolfe (COO) who bring a ton of energy. I loved watching Lucas running around high fiving the audience during the Train concert and taking selfies with customers.

I know a lot of you would love to hear from Lucas directly so I put in a video interview request. He literally got back to me within about 4 minutes but he was booked during the filming window. We’ll hopefully get him on for next year’s Summit.

Marketo’s new mission is bold: Grow 3X over the next several years. Let’s see how that plays out as the market expands.

Let me tell you about Steve Lucas…… he is awesome and that is all!!#MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/H0RgJX6NzM

— E.K. Rene’ (@kuhnerika_10) April 26, 2017

@tobewonkenobi and me… With Steve Lucas of #MKTGNATION. Awesome event, @marketo !!! pic.twitter.com/2QKYR0oa5d

— Stacie King (@StacieKing) April 26, 2017

2) A Shift in Focus: Engagement Economy

Marketo’s vision for the future is bigger than the historical thought of “marketing automation.” Personally, I find that term very limiting as it implies that there is some technical “easy button” that makes marketing easier. The term also sounds very technical when working with the executive team (I’ve experienced this directly).

Marketo has shifted this vision to something bigger that it is calling the “Engagement Economy” that shows the business value of what solutions like Marketo can bring. I think that if anyone from Marketo mentioned the “marketing automation” term at the Summit, they would get banished to Siberia.

What is the Engagement Economy? It’s what CMOs and CEOs care about–driving brand and customer experience, and impacting revenues.  It’s about creating customer relationships with more relevant messaging in a measurable and repeatable way. Companies can accomplish this through the use of the Marketo platform and open ecosystem of partners.

In this new world, customers don’t buy products, they buy experiences. Chandar Pattabhiram, CMO, Marketo  MarTech Today

Only time will tell if the term Engagement Economy catches on. If you have any better terms, feel free to note that below.

3) Speakers were Awesome

This year, James Corden and Queen Latifah spoke about building relationships with their audiences. I specifically liked how Corden talked about building his show so it could be consumed by anyone at any time to reflect the digital world we now live in. Yes, the show airs late but he pays more attention to the internet ratings than the TV ratings.

Queen Latifah on stage. “Be fearless and don’t be afraid to fail”. Words of wisdom #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/Lwl246CV6v

— Lisa Buenzli (@lbuenzli) April 25, 2017

Authenticity and honesty is all people want- James Corden on personal or show brand #MKTGnation pic.twitter.com/kqlOjtS4Rf

— Devlyn Coelho (@DevlynCoelho) April 24, 2017

4) The Marketo Summit Parties Rocked

To blow off a little steam, there was plenty of post session activity. This year, there were 5+ parties marketers could attend on night one. The second night was all about Marketo’s featured party with Train.

Featured Event with Train

Marketo went a different avenue this year and brought in a band to rock out the nation. Train was solid playing all the hits and performing some great covers including Dream On by Aerosmith and Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin. The venue wasn’t exactly memorable (Back to the Convention Center) but the audience enjoyed the show.

Patrick Monahan and @train killed it @Marketo Summit. #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/We0tnkr4va

— Kim Brater (@KimBrater) April 26, 2017

When you’re trying to get the selfie right while you #PlayThatSong@train at #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/aDXjxAORrw

— Rob Glickman (@Robissimo) April 26, 2017

The Hottest Party–The Tiki Experience

RevEngine Marketing kicked off festivities by co-hosting the hottest party at the Marketo Summit at the Pagan Idol along with Knak, Path to Scale and LeanData. With the popularity of last year’s ice party, this year’s party was at capacity within about 20 minutes. Thanks to everyone who attended and we’ll try to get a bigger place for next year.

See the Official Party Recap and Pics

Wha wha!! @RevEngineMarket party at pagan idol is happening! #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/VTKQb3RHtU

— Dan Pacifico (@danpacifico) April 25, 2017

AdRoll Party at Spin

Fantastic @AdRoll party at @spinsf tonight!#MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/CI2V3XKKAD

— Jessica Cross (@JFayeSF) April 25, 2017

Engagio Party

At the @Engagio/@mintigo party last night #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/O05a0wconc

— Jay(r) Wild (@JayArrWild) April 25, 2017

Marketo Customer Appreciation – Purple Select

Katie pope selfie at the #MKTGNATION #purpleselect party #ispurpleselectthemarketostrainofweed pic.twitter.com/JZ2Hwt5WGb

— Dan Pacifico (@danpacifico) April 25, 2017

5) Hot Technology and Marketo Trends

Here are a few trends I saw that you might want to keep an eye on for the next year.

  • Marketo Makeover – Look for an updated interface for improved usability from Marketo over the next year.
  • Analytics and Insights – If there is a big gripe among companies in the Marketo space, it’s how to gain better insights from the platform. Marketo is planning to address this head on with numerous reporting and dashboard capabilities geared towards both the executive and every day user.
  • Account-based Marketing – Marketo is continuing to invest in the ABM space as this market continues to evolve.

The geekiest thing I’ve seen all day… Web Insights dashboard tracks #allthethings! 🤣 #MKTGNATION pic.twitter.com/O7nYOH0mV3

— Heather Hurley (@HeatherMayumi) April 24, 2017

Shout out to Cheryl Chavez @marketo #MKTGNATION Best Session of the Day! ❤️ the new UX, Ad Bridge, Analytics feature functionality 👏🏼👏🏼pic.twitter.com/quSQyKHAOO

— Bhavisha Ruparel Oza (@BhavishaOza) April 25, 2017

Ready to commit to Marketo Summit 2018?

The Marketo Summit returns to San Francisco April 29 – May 2, 2018.

Over the next few months, look for video interviews with industry leaders and marketing practitioners like Ryan Vong and Elliot Lowe. Make sure to sign up for blog updates to get insights on the latest marketing trends.

If I missed anything, please make sure to comment below. See you next year.

The post Five Top Takeaways from Marketo Summit 2017 appeared first on RevEngine Marketing.

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