MarTech Series

Playable Enables Sounded Inline AutoPlay Video in Email

Playable Inc. announced a new email video capability that enables HD video to autoplay on open with user-controlled sound and playback directly inside email messages, eliminating the need to redirect recipients to external platforms. The feature is available to enterprise customers and integrates with major ESPs and marketing platforms. Playable says the solution preserves brand context and CTAs, offers features like AI Video Editing, Lifecycle Video, Video Lock & Compliance, and provides one-click connectors to several ESPs. The company also offers a Leakage Calculator to estimate revenue lost when subscribers are redirected outside the inbox.

Email Marketing ROI Drives 2026 Budget Shifts

New industry data showing up to $36 in revenue for every $1 spent on email marketing is prompting U.S. brands to reassess 2026 digital budgets. The article argues email is a highly economical channel because it relies on owned audience data, automation, segmentation and CRM integration, which can stabilize revenue amid volatile paid channels. V Digital Services reports increased client interest in automation audits and lifecycle optimization, and Joe Pelosi (Senior Marketing Data Analyst at VDS) is quoted on the renewed focus on measurable ROI. The piece also notes regulatory pressure on third-party data is accelerating interest in consent-based owned channels and that finance and marketing leaders are aligning around ROI benchmarks in budget planning.

Netcore Rebrands to Netcore.ai for Agentic Marketing

Netcore Cloud announced a rebrand to Netcore.ai and a shift from a traditional software vendor to an AI-native, outcome-focused marketing partner. The company says it now operates an "agentic marketing" platform composed of seven autonomous AI agents that plan, execute, analyse, and optimise marketing campaigns across the full customer lifecycle while designated Netcore growth engineers remain co-accountable for client outcomes. The platform unifies customer engagement, product discovery, personalization, CDP, email marketing and CPaaS into a single stack with a central context and governance layer. Netcore.ai positions an outcome-based, co-ownership commercial model and reports availability across India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North America, Europe and Africa. The company states it is trusted by over 6,500 brands including Walmart and Unilever.