MarTech Warns Buyers About Martech Platforms With AI Context
MarTech advises marketing teams to clarify guidelines and approval processes before investing in AI context platforms, according to MarTech. This ensures that AI agents have the correct information to avoid errors.
Original reporting · martech.org
Original: “What to do before buying a martech platform with AI context”
Read “What to do before buying a martech platform with AI context” at MarTech →
How this was written. 1to1 wrote this article with a language model from MarTech’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from MarTech’s report
- Marketing teams should clarify guidelines and approval processes before investing in AI context platforms.
- AI platforms can help avoid errors, but teams must define their guidelines first.
- Context in martech refers to the instructions, curated data, and permissioned tools that are fed to an AI agent.
- Leadership must decide what serves as context and take ownership of decisions about product claims and audiences.
MarTech reported that marketing teams should define their guidelines and approval processes before buying a martech platform with AI context. The publication noted that AI platforms can help avoid errors, but teams must get clear on their guidelines first.
Gene De Libero, Principal at Digital Mindshare LLC, stated that teams already own the hardest part of AI context, which includes deciding what is approved and who has the final say. Martech vendors sell context to address gaps in AI agents’ knowledge, but most of what they sell is work that teams already own.
Context in martech refers to the instructions, curated data, and permissioned tools that are fed to an AI agent, according to Scott Brinker. He defined context as martech’s word of the year for 2026 and acknowledged that vendors often gloss over what context really involves.
In a marketing department, context comes down to three things: brand rules, customer facts, and approval rights. Brand rules and approval rights mainly exist in brand PDFs, old email threads, and the heads of experienced people. Customer databases hold customer facts, but this arrangement breaks down when a single marketer can launch an entire campaign before lunch.
The slow and labor-intensive process of producing and approving campaigns used to act as a constraint, giving experienced people time to flag off-brand work. However, AI removed this brake, and context remains crucial for marketing teams, particularly as AI transforms how they create and review campaign assets.
Martech platforms can store context that teams have to create, but leadership must decide what serves as context. Someone has to take ownership of decisions about which product claims are legal, which audiences to market to, and which offers have ended. A vendor’s onboarding team cannot make these decisions for the team.
Questions and answers
What is context in martech?
Context in martech refers to the instructions, curated data, and permissioned tools that are fed to an AI agent, according to Scott Brinker.
Why is context important for marketing teams?
Context is crucial for marketing teams, particularly as AI transforms how they create and review campaign assets, to avoid errors and ensure that AI agents have the correct information.
What should marketing teams do before buying a martech platform with AI context?
Marketing teams should define their guidelines and approval processes before buying a martech platform with AI context, according to MarTech.
