Marketo CEO Phil Fernandez Tapped as Judge for 2012 CRM Idol

Marketo Will Offer Free Subscription to Winners of Industry-Leading Small Business Innovation Showdown

Marketo, the fastest-growing provider of Revenue Performance Management (RPM) solutions, today announced its support for the 2012 CRM Idol competition. Phil Fernandez, Marketo CEO and author of Revenue Disruption, will be a final-round judge. Winners of CRM Idol will receive a one-year subscription of Spark by Marketo™, a new brand of marketing automation and sales effectiveness solutions that help small businesses grow revenue faster.

CRM Idol is an annual contest that provides small businesses in the CRM industry an opportunity for exposure. Contestants receive the opportunity to showcase their products in front of some of the most influential luminaries, power brokers and thought leaders in the CRM and Social CRM spaces – including Fernandez.

Fernandez will serve as an “extended judge,” joining other industry influencers, media, practitioners and vendors in selecting final-round winners. Extended judges comprise half of the final vote for CRM Idol. They also play an invaluable role as the mentors to the contestants, who are able to draw on the extended judges’ vast experience in the CRM industry to help them prepare for this intense competition.

“We are delighted to have Marketo and Phil involved for the second consecutive year,” said Paul Greenberg, managing partner of The 56 Group, LLC and founder of CRM Idol. “He’ll be an exemplary thought leader, mentor and judge, encouraging and motivating Idol contestants to push the boundaries for how we view sales, marketing, and CRM.”

To further support CRM Idol and its participants, top contestants are eligible to win a free six-month subscription to Spark by Marketo™. If the winner already has Marketo, or needs a different product package, the prize value of $4,500 will be awarded as a discount for a subscription extension or product add-on.

“CRM Idol has been a bellwether for innovation and ‘next big things’ in the CRM and Social CRM spaces since it was founded,” said Fernandez. “Startups and small businesses are full of big ideas, and this event gives them an invaluable platform with which to gain visibility. Judging this year’s competition is a privilege.”

CRM Idol was founded by top CRM thought leader Paul Greenberg in 2011. Contestant evaluation will be ongoing for several months, with final winners announced December 5, 2012. For more information, visit www.crmidol.com.

FACTFILE:
Marketo is the fastest growing provider in Revenue Performance Management and the world’s first integrated solution for social marketing automation. Marketo’s powerful yet easy-to-use marketing automation and sales effectiveness solutions transform how marketing and sales teams of all sizes work — and work together — to drive dramatically increased revenue performance and fuel business growth. The company’s proven technology, comprehensive services and expert guidance are helping more than 1,900 enterprise and mid-market companies around the world to turn marketing from a cost center to a business-building revenue driver. Marketo also offers Spark by Marketo™, a new brand of marketing automation tailored specifically for small businesses – the fastest-growing and largest segment of today’s economy.

Marketo was recently named one of “America’s Most Promising Companies” by Forbes Magazine, the fastest-growing private company of 2011 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and the “2011 CRM Market Leaders Awards Winner for Marketing Solutions” by CRM Magazine. For more information, visit www.marketo.com, or subscribe to Marketo’s award-winning blogs at blog.marketo.com.