Adobe Marketo Engage kicked off 2025 with a major update, introducing a powerful WYSIWYG email designer aimed at improving productivity and efficiency. This update also includes key deprecations and new automation features that marketers need to know.
Let’s dive into the biggest changes from Marketo’s January 2025 release.
New WYSIWYG Email Designer: What’s Changing?
Marketo’s latest email designer is a significant upgrade for marketing teams. Designed for flexibility and ease of use, it eliminates the need for external web developers, giving users full control over email customization.
Old vs. New Email Designer
Marketo will continue supporting the classic email editor, meaning users can choose between the old and new editors when creating email assets. However, there’s no migration option between old and new templates, so teams may need to build new content from scratch.
| Feature | Classic Email Editor | New Email Designer |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | No deprecation date announced | Available now (requires migration to Adobe IMS) |
| Accessibility | Works across Design Studio & all programs | Limited to Design Studio & Email Programs (for now) |
| Customization | Limited customization; external developers needed for advanced design | Highly customizable; reduces reliance on developers |
| Template Compatibility | Uses Marketo-specific HTML syntax | Requires new templates, but supports HTML imports with adjustments |
| Branding | Custom fonts supported, but limited styling control | Lock content sections; styling & branding controls coming soon |
| AI Features | None | AI-powered content suggestions (subject lines, email copy, images) |
| Integration with AEM | AEM assets can be pushed to Design Studio | Direct integration with AEM Asset repository for images |
| Dynamic Content | Supports segmentation-based content | Supports dynamic content by attribute (segment support coming soon) |
| Reusable Content | Uses snippets for modular content | Uses fragments, editable directly in the designer |
| Velocity Tokens | Fully supported | Supported, but not yet listed in the token directory |
Why It’s a Win
This user-friendly, drag-and-drop email editor is a major upgrade for Marketo users. AI-driven content suggestions make email creation faster and smarter. While some features are still in development, Marketo is set to roll out additional enhancements throughout 2025.
More Key Updates from the January Release
1. Unregister Registrants from Webinars
Users can now remove unwanted registrants from interactive webinars, ensuring greater control over attendance.
Why It Matters: Prevent unauthorized attendees from joining sessions.
2. Automatic Campaign Disabling for Archived Programs
Previously, smart campaigns would continue running in the background after a program was archived. This update automatically deactivates them, improving system performance.
Why It’s a Win: Reduces manual work and speeds up Marketo operations.
3. Social Features Deprecation
Social features like polls, referral offers, video shares, and sweepstakes were officially discontinued on February 1, 2025.
Why It Matters: If you’re still using these features, audit your assets and remove them as soon as possible.
4. Get Program Members API Enhancement
The API now supports retrieving program member IDs, making it easier to track and sync program memberships with external platforms.
Why It’s a Win: Helps marketers better manage customer data across systems.
5. REST API ‘access_token’ Parameter Deprecation
Starting June 30, 2025, the REST API will no longer support authentication via URL parameters. Developers must switch to using the Authorization header instead.
Why It Matters: If you rely on URL-based authentication, update your API calls before the deadline.
6. SOAP API Deprecation
Marketo will retire the SOAP API on October 31, 2025. Businesses using SOAP-based integrations must migrate to REST API before this date.
Why It’s a Big Deal: This change requires IT involvement—start the transition now to avoid disruptions.
Final Thoughts
Marketo’s January 2025 update is a significant step toward a more AI-powered and user-friendly marketing platform. From the new WYSIWYG email designer to API improvements and automation updates, these enhancements will help businesses streamline their marketing efforts.
Key Takeaways:
- The new email designer is a major improvement, reducing dependency on developers.
- AI-powered content creation speeds up email marketing workflows.
- Automation enhancements improve system performance and reduce manual work.
- Upcoming API changes require action—mark your calendars for deprecations.
By staying ahead of these updates, Marketo users can maximize efficiency and future-proof their marketing strategies.