Marketing Automation refers to a controversial new class of software technology designed to lower costs and enhance the bottom line by automating elements of both the marketing and customer engagement processes. Specific marketing automation solutions vary widely, but in every case the automated processes generate large volumes of data that must be measured and analyzed. In this exclusive Social Media Today webinar, two leading software experts offered contrasting views on marketing automation as compared to other marketing and customer engagement methods. Representing the pro-MA perspective was Lisa Arthur, chief marketing officer of Aprimo, a marketing automation company. Aprimo was recently acquired by Teradata, sponsor of Social Media Today's SmartDataCollective community. Arguing the "con" case was Mike Volpe, CMO of Hubspot, an inbound marketing software company.

2. Social Media Today Best Thinkers Series presents:Marketing Automation: Pro and Con Brought to you by

3. How to Participate Submit your questions in the GotoWebinar presentation window Follow along and share your thoughts on Twitter at #SMTlive

4. About the Panel Mike Volpe, Hubspot, @mvolpe Mike Volpe is Chief Marketing Officer at HubSpot, a marketing software company, where he leads the company's lead generation and branding strategy through inbound marketing, and helped grow HubSpot from 10 to over 5,000 customers. Under Mike's leadership, HubSpot's marketing has won more than 30 awards and been featured in over 20 marketing and business books. Mike also co-hosts the weekly marketing podcast Marketing Update, blogs frequently and is very active in social media and as a marketing speaker. Lisa Arthur, Aprimo, @lisaarthur As a four-time CMO, Lisa Arthur has been on the front lines of marketing for over 25 years. After senior leadership roles in marketing at tech firms like Oracle and Akamai, Arthur took on her current role as CMO of Aprimo, where she spearheads numerous initiatives to drive accountability and an integrated approach to marketing. Lisa shares her musings and experiences in her Forbes blog, The Marketing Revolution. She’s also a frequent contributor to the Aprimo blog. Maggie Fox, Moderator, @maggiefox Maggie Fox is the founder and CEO of Social Media Group, established in 2006 and one of the world’s most highly respected independent agencies helping business navigate the socially engaged Web. Pioneers in their field, Social Media Group has developed social media strategies for some of the best-known brands in Europe and North America, including; Ford Motor Company, SAP Global Marketing, Norwegian Cruise Line, 3M and Thomson Reuters. Maggie has been interviewed about social media by The Washington Post, CBC Radio, The Globe and Mail, CBC News, CTV News, AdAge and The Financial Post, among others. She was also named one of the Top 100 Marketers in the 100th anniversary edition of Marketing Magazine and sits on the Board of the Empire Club of Canada.

5. Thanks for Joining Us This webinar will be available on-demand at www.SocialMediaToday.com. Stop by to learn more and share your comments. Connect with our panelists on Social Media Today using the search function: