marketing automation

Fluency plans to invest its new funding into AI and engineering to bring more automation into the platform.

There’s a paradox at play in how marketers are adopting artificial intelligence.

Eighty-seven percent of US advertisers say they plan to increase AI usage over the next 12 months. But only 45% feel confident in their understanding of how AI-powered technologies work. That 42-point gap is an indicator of early friction in AI adoption.

As the digital advertising industry enters a new phase of maturity, so does its relationship with data. Going into 2026, marketers’ long-standing obsession with scale is giving way to something more grounded: a push for smarter, actionable, owned data.

When used strategically, AI can produce content on par with the quality of marketers’ work. What does that mean for the job market?

Marketers didn’t sign up to be spreadsheet jockeys or calendar coordinators; they came to craft stories, shape brands and drive growth. But in reality, campaign deployments have become code for chaos: fighting fires, fulfilling last-minute requests and executing the same plays under slightly different subject lines.

Marketing has evolved dramatically – from one-size-fits-all tactics to today’s hyper-personalized, data-driven strategies. But now we’re reaching another inflection point. For years, marketing teams have invested in turning data into insights. Yet a persistent problem remains: The path from insight to action remains too long and fragmented.

As we lean heavily on AI tools to enhance content efficiency, we may have reached a tipping point where we are creating more content in service of media algorithms, rather than for the benefit of consumers and brands.

AI has many business applications, from automating manual processes and monitoring data in real time to targeting customers more accurately. And industry players are increasingly using AI in their day-to-day work.

RevJet wants to be an operating system for the customer experience, and it’s using a $21 million Series A round to get there. Total funding for the four-year-old startup, which helps marketers manage, test and optimize their digital advertising across touchpoints, is now $30 million. The round, revealed Wednesday, was led by private equity firm […]

Leanplum is leaning into machine learning and mobile marketing automation with $47 million in Series D funding, announced Wednesday. The round was led by Norwest Venture Partners with pinch-hitting from existing investors, including Canaan Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Shasta Ventures, and brings the company’s total funding to just over $93 million since […]