About MartechNext

What's next in marketing technology

MartechNext covers the business of AI in marketing: who's building it, who's funding it, and how industries put it to work.

Marketing technology is moving faster than ever. AI is rewriting how brands find, convert, and retain customers, and money is pouring into the companies making it happen. But most coverage stops at the press release. What does a funding round actually signal? Which tools genuinely work, and which are demos in a nice wrapper? And what does any of it mean for the marketer who has to deliver results next quarter?

That's the gap MartechNext exists to fill. No hype, no rewritten press releases, but analysis grounded in real-world experience of building and implementing this technology.

Here's what you'll find:

  • Funding & Deals: who's raising, who's buying, and why it matters
  • AI in Marketing: tools, use cases, and honest comparisons
  • Travel: a deep dive into one industry where martech meets a genuinely complex customer journey
  • Analysis: trends, acquisitions, and the occasional strong opinion
  • Guides: practical, hands-on material you can actually use

Why travel as the first industry focus? Because it's the perfect stress test for marketing technology. Customer journeys that stretch over months, dozens of touchpoints, emotional decisions, and brutal competition on acquisition costs. If something works in travel, it will work almost anywhere. More industries will follow.

Hi, I'm Bram 👋

I've spent my career at the intersection of marketing, technology, and travel. Not as an observer, but hands-on: connecting fragmented data systems, building deep learning recommendation engines, running WhatsApp journey pilots, and helping travel and e-commerce brands make the shift from chasing volume to building customer value.

Along the way I noticed something. The most interesting conversations I had were never about a specific tool. They were about the questions underneath: How do you translate complex data into human experiences? Where is the line between personalization and privacy? Why do most AI investments fail, and what do the successful ones do differently?

Those are the questions I kept coming back to, and they're the reason MartechNext exists. I write about this space because I work in it. When I analyze a recommendation engine, a conversational commerce play, or a funding round, it's informed by having built and shipped this kind of technology myself, including the parts that didn't work. :)

I don't have all the answers, and I'm suspicious of anyone who claims they do. The technology develops at breakneck speed, and what works today can be outdated tomorrow. That's exactly why I believe in sharing openly: the best ideas emerge from cross-pollination between different worlds.

Every week: What's Next

The heart of MartechNext is the weekly newsletter, What's Next. Every edition brings you:

  • One sharp analysis of the week
  • The latest funding rounds and deals in AI marketing
  • The martech news that actually matters, in short

Straight to your inbox, free, personally written. No filler, no spam.

Let's talk

Working on customer experience challenges in your own industry? Building something interesting in this space? Or simply want to exchange thoughts about the future of AI in marketing? I'd love to hear from you.

You can reach me via LinkedIn.