What is Pardot?

Pardot was founded in 2007 by David Cummings and Adam Blitzer as a marketing automation tool focused on lead generation and nurturing for B2B companies. 

In 2012, the platform was acquired by ExactTarget, and when Salesforce purchased ExactTarget in 2013, the product became part of the Salesforce marketing ecosystem. 

The product continued to evolve within Salesforce’s marketing suite and was eventually rebranded as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement in 2022, reflecting Salesforce’s broader effort to unify its marketing product naming. 

Although the official name has changed, the term Pardot remains widely used across the Salesforce community, documentation, and legacy implementations.

B2B sales processes often involve multiple decision-makers and longer evaluation periods. Because of this, marketing activity typically focuses on nurturing prospects over time rather than encouraging immediate purchases.

Pardot was designed to support this approach by enabling organisations to:

• capture leads from forms and landing pages

• monitor how prospects interact with marketing content

• send automated email sequences based on engagement

• score and grade leads to identify the most promising opportunities

• pass qualified prospects to sales teams at the right time

This structure helps marketing and sales teams work more closely together while maintaining visibility into the full buying journey.

Pardot supports the lifecycle of B2B marketing automation by connecting marketing activities with CRM data. Typical processes include:

1. Lead capture – Prospects submit forms, download resources, or register for events

2. Engagement tracking – The platform records interactions such as email clicks and page visits

3. Lead scoring and grading – Prospects are ranked based on behaviour and profile fit

4. Automated nurturing – Targeted email programmes guide prospects through the buying journey

5. Sales handoff – Qualified leads are synchronised with Salesforce CRM for sales follow-up

6. Performance reporting – Marketing teams measure the impact of campaigns on pipeline and revenue

Because the system integrates closely with Salesforce CRM, both marketing and sales teams can view prospect engagement history.

Pardot vs Marketing Cloud Account Engagement

Pardot is the legacy product name, while Marketing Cloud Account Engagement is the current official name used by Salesforce.

Pardot vs Marketing Cloud Engagement

Pardot focuses primarily on B2B marketing automation and lead nurturing.

Marketing Cloud Engagement focuses on multi-channel customer engagement, often used in B2C marketing strategies.

Pardot vs traditional email marketing tools

Email marketing tools typically send campaigns to static lists.

Pardot supports behaviour-driven automation, enabling organisations to respond to prospect engagement and prioritise leads based on interest.

What is Pardot used for?

Pardot is used for B2B marketing automation, helping businesses generate leads, nurture prospects, and support longer sales cycles.

Is Pardot still available?

Yes, but it has been renamed Marketing Cloud Account Engagement as part of Salesforce’s updated product naming. 

Who typically uses Pardot?

B2B businesses with complex sales processes often use Pardot to manage lead generation and nurturing.

How does Pardot integrate with Salesforce?

Pardot synchronises with Salesforce CRM so marketing and sales teams can share prospect data and engagement insights.

Is Pardot part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

Yes. Pardot became part of Salesforce’s marketing ecosystem after Salesforce acquired ExactTarget in 2013.