MarTech Today: The bots era, the TacoBot & HTTP to HTTPS

Here’s our daily recap of what happened in marketing technology, as reported on MarTech and other places across the web.

From Marketing Land:

• The week when digital marketing entered the bots era
  Apr 14, 2016 by Barry Levine
  It’s not just Facebook Messenger’s new bot platform, but that huge userbase bends the tipping point.
• Inside the making of Taco Bell’s artifically intelligent, drunk-tolerant TacoBot
  Apr 14, 2016 by Tim Peterson
  Taco Bell and its agency, Deutsch, built a Slack bot that uses Facebook’s AI technology to take down orders and even crack a couple of jokes.
• Proposed EU–US “Privacy Shield” data transfer agreement dead in current form
  Apr 14, 2016 by Greg Sterling
  As suggested by earlier leaks, European privacy regulators are rejecting the new “Privacy Shield” Data Transfer Agreement announced in February as insufficiently protective of personal data.
• Stop scattering chum: Use intent data to catch big fish with your marketing automation platform
  Apr 14, 2016 by Thomas Koletas
  Is your marketing automation as smart as it should be? Columnist Thomas Koletas explains how using intent data can help make your automation program more intelligent and efficient.
• HTTP to HTTPS: An SEO’s guide to securing a website
  Apr 14, 2016 by Patrick Stox
  Despite the numerous benefits of switching to HTTPS, many SEOs and website owners have not done so. For those feeling intimidated by the prospect of switching to HTTPS, columnist Patrick Stox breaks down the process.
• How I use my marketing technology stack (SEO edition)
  Apr 14, 2016 by Michael Shearer
  What does your SEO technology stack look like? Columnist Michael Shearer walks through the tools he uses from keyword research to content creation to link-building outreach.

From Around The Web:

• How Adobe and Google Are Shaping the Future of Digital Analytics, www.cmswire.com
• Introducing Document Analytics, contently.com
• Chrome 50 arrives with push notification improvements, drops support for old Windows and OS X versions, VentureBeat
• Facebook Poaches Google’s Regina Dugan and Bets Big on Creating Devices, www.adweek.com
• Why Drone Technology and Content Marketing are a Perfect Marriage, www.thesaleslion.com
• WordPress & Web Design Trends In 2016 To Get Excited About, www.wpexplorer.com
• Create Original Images for Your Emails with Artworktool, blogs.constantcontact.com
• 3 trends driving the chatbot revolution, venturebeat.com
• 4 Reasons Why Marketing Automation Fails, blog.marketo.com
• Marketing Automation Tools to Boost Customer Referrals, www.ducttapemarketing.com
• Shopify acquires Kit CRM to bolster bot-based messaging for merchants, www.zdnet.com
• Where Marketing Automation Fits in the DX Journey, www.cmswire.com
• 3 Social Image Tools That Increase Exposure and Engagement, www.socialmediaexaminer.com
• 9 Awesome Tools To Up Your Instagram Marketing Game, www.toprankblog.com
• Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality: where should brands focus?, econsultancy.com
• Vine releases a Watch button because scrolling is too much work, techcrunch.com

About The Author

Barry Levine

Barry Levine covers marketing technology for Third Door Media. Previously, he covered this space as a Senior Writer for VentureBeat, and he has written about these and other tech subjects for such publications as CMSWire and NewsFactor. He founded and led the web site/unit at PBS station Thirteen/WNET; worked as an online Senior Producer/writer for Viacom; created a successful interactive game, PLAY IT BY EAR: The First CD Game; founded and led an independent film showcase, CENTER SCREEN, based at Harvard and M.I.T.; and served over five years as a consultant to the M.I.T. Media Lab. You can find him at LinkedIn, and on Twitter at xBarryLevine.