Demand Gen Report

While not specifically mentioning continued integration with Salesforce.com, Oracle and Eloqua officials pledged ongoing support for multiple CRM systems in a joint statement issued after shareholders approved the deal on Feb. 8. Eloqua users had previously expressed concern about continued integration with Salesforce.

“The open Eloqua platform will continue to support multiple CRM systems,” according to a statement by Joe Payne, CEO of Eloqua, and Steve Miranda, EVP Application Development for Oracle, posted on Eloqua’s It’s All About Revenue blog. “Users will be able to maintain existing integrations without disruption, and keep business running as usual.”

Revenues of B2B marketing automation vendors will grow 50% to reach $750 million in 2013, according to Raab Associates’ just-released B2B Marketing Automation Vendor Selection Tool (VEST). While the growth rate is slightly lower than the 2012 rate of 54%, the dollar increase – $250 million vs. $175 million – is substantial.

“B2B marketing automation continues to grow at a very healthy pace,” said VEST author David M. Raab. “But some of the larger firms are reporting a lower growth rate, and, unlike previous years, we haven’t seen enough growth by industry challengers to raise the industry total.”

Influitive has acquired Engagio, a social web platform for searching, discovering and monitoring social conversations. As part of the acquisition, all Engagio employees will join the Influitive team. Influitive will also integrate Engagio’s suite of social technologies into AdvocateHub, it’s well-known advocate marketing platform.

Influitive helps companies manage and mobilize their advocates, fans and evangelists, driving more of the references, referral leads, success stories and social media interaction, according to an Influitive press release.

 “Over the next ten years, IBM will sell more to the CMO than to the CTO.”

That’s a direct quote from Ginni Rommety, CEO of IBM, and there might be no better illustration of the change that is sweeping the art and science of marketing. The company that has built more than 100 years of technology sales is leading the shift toward marketing technology and automation.

ONTRAPORT, a provider of business and marketing automation technology, launched an integrated business and marketing automation platform designed to address the challenges and needs of entrepreneurs and small businesses.