Week 29, 2026
Coverage window 10–16 July 2026.
For the interpretation of this week, why the ad-buying layer is being pulled into the engagement platform and what it changes for how you scope a stack, see the companion essay: Weekly MarTech Signals That Matter to Me: Part 12, Week 29. This page is the record; the essay is the read.
This week’s record
The headline is the advertising layer moving inside the engagement and automation platforms, driven by conversational AI, against an otherwise quiet product week.
- HubSpot shipped a native ChatGPT Ads integration: create, target, measure, and enrol contacts from AI-search ads alongside every other network.
- ActiveCampaign shipped a Google Ads / Performance Max connector for its Active Intelligence engine, launched by conversational prompt.
- Klaviyo moved Composer into public beta with a wave of drafting capabilities and added a Social Insights Agent.
- SAS, Akeneo, RainFocus, and Multiply added AI/agentic and MCP capabilities in adjacent categories.
- SFMC email consent mapping went live on schedule (13 July); the Hightouch/LiveRamp bid stayed unresolved.
What changed this week
| Platform | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaignLaunched (Jul 8)Product release | Google Ads connector for Active Intelligence: integrate ActiveCampaign data with Google Ads and launch Performance Max campaigns via conversational prompts, without leaving the platform. Plus plans and above. | BusinessWire |
| Akeneo (new to watchlist)Shipped (Jul 8)Agentic AI | Summer Release: Agentic Ziggy, an agentic UI layer in the Product Cloud for managing product-data agents, plus prompt-based AI image editing in Akeneo DAM. | Akeneo |
| HubSpotShipped (Jul 13)Product release | Native ChatGPT Ads integration: connect a ChatGPT Ads account, create campaigns with context-hint targeting and fixed-CPM pricing, and measure clicks/deals/ROI with auto-tracked UTMs alongside other ad networks. | Orange Marketing recap |
| KlaviyoPublic beta (Jul 7–10)Agentic AI | Composer moves to public beta: Campaign Brief, subject-line/preview-text intelligence, universal-content support, and image-sizing consistency. Adds a Social Insights Agent (Instagram UGC analysis) and account/recipient-level email-open-tracking consent. | Klaviyo What’s New |
| MultiplyLaunched (Jul 9)Ad tech / ABM | 10 Minute ABM: launch hundreds of personalised account-based ads in minutes with self-learning campaigns. | Multiply |
| RainFocus (new to watchlist)Launched (Jul)MCP | MCP Profiles in RainFocus Nexus: live event intelligence delivered to AI agents via Model Context Protocol. | RainFocus |
| SAS (new to watchlist)Launched (Jul 9)Product release | SAS 360 Marketing AI: build, deploy, and scale machine-learning models for marketing without a data-science team, on governed and transparent AI. | SAS |
| Salesforce Marketing Cloud NextShipped (by Jul 13)Compliance | Email consent mapping between Marketing Cloud Engagement and MCN goes live on schedule (gradual rollout). SMS/WhatsApp mapping still due by 17 August. | Salesforce Help |
No changes this week (scanned, nothing net-new)
Scanned for the 10–16 July window with no net-new release:
- Adobe Journey Optimizer: June ‘26 still the latest titled release, no July section
- Adobe Journey Optimizer B2B: still 2026.5 (22 May)
- Adobe Marketo Engage: “July 2026” page unchanged since 18 June; next release scheduled 31 July
- Adobe Real-Time CDP / AEP: still on the 16 June release, no July notes
- Braze: latest remains 25 June; next release expected ~23 July
- Bloomreach: 1.313 (8 July) latest; no 1.314 yet
- Canva
- CDP Institute / Customer Data Alliance
- Databricks CustomerLake: still Private Preview, no GA date
- Hightouch: LiveRamp bid unresolved, no Publicis response
- InsiderOne
- Iterable: June monthly (23 June) latest
- Mailchimp (Intuit)
- MoEngage: no July product; Aampe deal latest
- Optimove
- Outreach
- Salesforce Account Engagement
- Segment (Twilio)
- Tealium
- Treasure AI
- Zoom / Common Room and HubSpot / Warmly: acquisitions announced, still pending close
Watching next (Week 30)
- Braze: next release expected ~23 July (
/releases/2026/7_23_26). - Adobe Marketo Engage: July ‘26 release scheduled 31 July, same date as SOAP API EOL and access_token deprecation.
- Bloomreach: changelog 1.314.
- SFMC: SMS/WhatsApp consent mapping due by 17 August.
- Hightouch / LiveRamp: any Publicis response or close progress.
- HubSpot / Warmly and Zoom / Common Room: close confirmations and first integration signals.
- Klaviyo: whether Composer moves from public beta to explicit GA.
- Databricks CustomerLake: GA date and pricing.
How this is compiled. Each edition is assembled from official vendor release notes, changelogs, and corporate newsrooms, with AI assistance for the first-pass scan, then reviewed and edited by me before publishing. Items are checked against the primary source; anything I could not confirm is flagged inline. Dates and status reflect what was published as of the current-as-of date above and can change.
Corrections and method notes. Found something inaccurate or out of date? Tell me and I will fix it in the next edition. This edition captured the 7–8 July Klaviyo Composer items that fell just after the previous week’s scan, alongside this week’s 10 July additions.
MarTech Watch is compiled and edited by Andrea Veggiani, Head of Cross-Channel Marketing & MarTech Solutions at BitBang.