Why Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud Next Matters in Australia

Salesforce Marketing Cloud has long been one of the most advanced platforms for customer engagement. It gave businesses the ability to run powerful campaigns across email, mobile, social, and more. But to make the most of it, many organisations needed a broad mix of skills.

• A database specialist to write SQL queries and manage Data Extensions
• A developer to use AMPScript for advanced automations
• A content creator to design and produce campaign assets
• A marketer to plan and execute the strategy

For some businesses, this setup worked well. For others, especially those without large teams, it could feel complex and resource-heavy.

At ProQuest Consulting, we have seen both sides. We have worked with Australian organisations that unlocked huge value from Marketing Cloud, and others that found it harder to scale without significant investment in skills and people.

This is why Salesforce has created Marketing Cloud Next. It builds on the strengths of Marketing Cloud but makes the platform more accessible, more user friendly, and more future-ready.

Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next: What’s the new brand?

Salesforce is known for continually evolving its products, and the recent introduction of Marketing Cloud Next is a perfect example. While some might see this as just another product name, it’s actually a significant strategic move in the world of digital marketing.

So, what is Marketing Cloud Next? It’s not a new product or a new SKU. Rather, Marketing Cloud Next is a brand for Salesforce’s portfolio of next-generation, or “on Core,” products. It represents a shift towards a more integrated and powerful martech stack, built on the Salesforce Core platform.

This brand encompasses several key products, including:

• Salesforce Personalisation
• Marketing Intelligence
• Marketing Cloud Growth & Advanced
• Loyalty Management

These products are now unified under the Marketing Cloud Next brand, signalling a cohesive approach to marketing technology.

Marketing Cloud Next vs. Marketing Cloud+

It’s easy to confuse Marketing Cloud Next with Marketing Cloud+, but they are distinct concepts.

Marketing Cloud+ refers to specific SKUs that give customers access to Marketing Cloud Next alongside their current Marketing Cloud edition, all from a single user experience. This means that existing customers can benefit from the next-generation tools without a disruptive migration.

The Marketing Cloud+ SKUs include:

• Account Engagement+ (Account Engagement + MC Growth/Advanced)
• Marketing Cloud Personalization+ (Marketing Cloud Personalization + Salesforce Personalization)
• Marketing Cloud Engagement+ (Engagement + Marketing Cloud Advanced)
• Marketing Cloud Intelligence+ (Marketing Cloud Intelligence + Marketing Intelligence)

In essence, Marketing Cloud Next is the brand and Marketing Cloud+ is a type of bundle that allows customers to seamlessly adopt the new brand’s products. This distinction is crucial for understanding Salesforce’s go-to-market strategy for its latest marketing innovations.

Built on Data Cloud

At the heart of Marketing Cloud Next is Data Cloud. This foundation is crucial for an Agentic Martech stack, as it provides a single source of truth for all business and customer data. Salesforce Data Cloud handles structured and unstructured data, creating unified profiles and real-time segments. This robust data layer ensures that Marketing Cloud Next can deliver real-time insights and personalised experiences across all channels.

Convergence

The new Marketing Cloud Next brand highlights the convergence of different marketing functions into a single platform. This convergence is the core of the “agentic martech stack,” where Marketing apps sit on top of the Data Cloud. The platform integrates everything from customer intelligence and orchestration to personalisation and marketing operations. This unified approach breaks down data silos and allows for a truly holistic view of the customer journey, enabling seamless and coordinated campaigns.

Agentic MarTech is the Future

Marketing Cloud Next is designed to power the future of agentic marketing. This concept goes beyond simple automation, leveraging AI agents to perform complex tasks autonomously. These agents can launch campaigns instantly, generate briefs and audiences, offer autonomous 1-to-1 personalisation, and even engage in 24/7 omni-channel conversations. By using AI and machine learning, Marketing Cloud Next enables marketers to run self-optimising campaigns and achieve true 1-to-1 personalisation at scale, ensuring every interaction is relevant and timely.

"Agentic Marketing is more than automation, it’s about giving marketers intelligent agents that can act, adapt, and learn in real time. Salesforce is uniquely positioned to pioneer this shift because we connect trusted customer data with AI and activation across every channel. No other platform has the same depth of data, AI innovation, and ecosystem to truly make marketing agentic."

Stephane With
Principal Solutions Engineer

How to Prepare for the Migration

Moving to Marketing Cloud Next is a shift in how Salesforce delivers marketing technology. Preparing well will make the transition smoother and help you see value faster.

What happens to your current setup

• Marketing Cloud Next will run in parallel with your existing Marketing Cloud edition. This means you do not lose access to your current campaigns while you start exploring and testing the new platform.
• Salesforce has released different editions of Marketing Cloud Next, so the migration path may look slightly different depending on which products you use today. Some functionality will gradually move across, while other features will evolve over time.

Licensing and consumption

• Traditional Marketing Cloud is license-based, with access defined by edition.
• Marketing Cloud Next introduces a more consumption-based model, especially when it comes to Data Cloud and Agentforce. This means you pay based on how much data you use and how many AI-powered actions are running. For many businesses, this offers more flexibility and scalability, but it does mean planning and governance around usage will be important.

Steps to get ready

1. Audit your current setup and identify overlaps or heavy customisations
2. Map your migration path to keep your best campaigns running smoothly
3. Upskill your team so they can work effectively with AI agents
4. Work with the right partner. At ProQuest Consulting, we help Australian brands migrate with minimal disruption and maximum return. Our Salesforce expertise, market insight, and change management approach ensure your team is confident and your investment delivers results.

Technology alone is not enough. Even the smartest AI will only succeed with clear goals, clean data, and strong brand guidelines. The most successful organisations will treat AI as a powerful teammate and keep humans in control of strategy, vision, and brand.

We see Marketing Cloud Next as an opportunity for Australian organisations to get more value from their Salesforce investment with less complexity. For us as a partner, it means we can spend less time helping clients overcome technical hurdles and more time helping them shape strategy, unlock value, and drive growth.

With the right preparation and the right partner, Marketing Cloud Next can transform your marketing today and position you to lead in the AI-powered world of tomorrow. Get in touch with ProQuest to get started on your Marketing Cloud Next Journey.