Pardot
Pardot is the original name of Salesforce's B2B marketing automation product, rebranded as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE) in 2022 but still widely referenced by the Pardot name across documentation, integrations, AppExchange listings, and the practitioner community.
Definition
Pardot is the original name of Salesforce's B2B marketing automation product, rebranded as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE) in 2022 but still widely referenced by the Pardot name across documentation, integrations, AppExchange listings, and the practitioner community. The product, the underlying technology, and the integration patterns are identical between the two names; the rebrand was a marketing-tech consolidation rather than a product replacement. Practitioners continue to use Pardot as everyday shorthand even after the rebrand.
Pardot was founded in 2007, acquired by ExactTarget in 2012, and came to Salesforce when Salesforce acquired ExactTarget in 2013. Through that acquisition history, Pardot evolved from a standalone marketing automation tool into Salesforce's strategic B2B marketing product, deeply integrated with Sales Cloud. The 2022 rebrand placed it under the Marketing Cloud umbrella as Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. New documentation uses MCAE; older documentation, training, certifications (the Pardot Specialist credential), and community resources still use Pardot.
Why the Pardot name persists alongside the MCAE rebrand
The 2022 rebrand and what it changed
Salesforce announced the rebrand of Pardot to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement in 2022. The change was marketing-tech consolidation: positioning all marketing products under the Marketing Cloud umbrella for clearer customer-facing identity. The product code, features, APIs, and integrations did not change. The Pardot name persists in the codebase ("pi.pardot.com" tracking domain, Pardot API endpoints), in field labels on Salesforce records (Pardot Score, Pardot Grade), and in the daily speech of practitioners who have used the product for years.
When to use which name
Use Marketing Cloud Account Engagement when speaking with Salesforce sales, in official documentation references, in proposal documents, and in formal communication. Use Pardot when speaking with practitioners, in informal community conversation, in older training materials, and in integration platform connector lists that still reference the old name. Both names refer to the same product; the choice is contextual rather than technical.
The Pardot Specialist certification
Salesforce maintains the Pardot Specialist certification under that name despite the product rebrand. The credential validates capability in Pardot/MCAE administration, automation design, scoring, and Salesforce integration. The certification is the standard credential for marketing operations professionals working on the platform. Salesforce has not yet renamed the cert to match the MCAE branding, which is one reason the Pardot name persists across the certification track.
Domain references and tracking code
Pardot tracking code references the pi.pardot.com domain. Form submissions, tracking pixels, landing pages, and email tracking all flow through that domain. The rebrand did not change the technical domain. Marketing teams managing CSP (Content Security Policy) headers, ad blocker exceptions, and analytics integrations encounter the Pardot domain regularly and need to recognize it as the MCAE tracking infrastructure.
Integration platform connectors
Most enterprise integration platforms (MuleSoft, Boomi, Informatica, Workato, Zapier) ship Pardot connectors that have not been renamed to MCAE. The connectors continue to work with the current product; the naming gap is purely cosmetic. When configuring third-party integrations against MCAE, look for the Pardot connector in the platform''s catalog and trust that it works against the current product.
Community resources and training materials
Trailhead modules under the Pardot trail still use the older name. Books, blog posts, and YouTube tutorials predominantly use Pardot in their titles and content. Forum discussions on Salesforce Trailblazer Community, Stack Exchange, and Reddit mix both names. The community will keep using Pardot for years even though official Salesforce communication uses MCAE.
When the rebrand might fully settle
Major Salesforce rebrands historically take 3-5 years to fully replace community shorthand. Force.com persisted as a name long after Salesforce Platform replaced it. Wave Analytics, then Einstein Analytics, then Tableau CRM, then CRM Analytics each took years to displace the prior name in community speech. Marketing Cloud Account Engagement will eventually replace Pardot in everyday use, but expect the Pardot name to remain visible through at least 2027.
How to navigate Pardot versus MCAE terminology
Pardot and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement refer to the same product. Setting up the product is the MCAE configuration workflow; the steps below cover navigating the naming gap when reading documentation, configuring integrations, and communicating with various audiences.
- Treat both names as equivalent
When you see Pardot or MCAE in documentation, integrations, or conversation, treat them as the same product. The technical configuration, APIs, and capabilities are identical.
- Use MCAE in formal Salesforce communication
For Salesforce-facing communication (sales calls, support cases, official proposals), use the current Marketing Cloud Account Engagement branding. It signals current product knowledge.
- Use Pardot for practitioner conversation
Among marketing operations practitioners, Pardot is shorthand. Using it speeds informal conversation and matches how most certifications, books, and tutorials describe the product.
- Search documentation under both names
When researching specific features, search Trailhead and the Salesforce Help under both names. Older content uses Pardot; newer content uses MCAE. Cover both to find the complete answer.
- Configure integration platforms using the Pardot connector
Third-party integration platforms (MuleSoft, Boomi, Workato) ship Pardot-named connectors. They work against the current MCAE product despite the older name.
- Reference the pi.pardot.com domain in technical work
Tracking code, form submissions, and email tracking flow through pi.pardot.com. CSP policies, ad blockers, and DNS configuration all encounter this domain.
- Pursue the Pardot Specialist certification
Salesforce has not renamed the cert. It validates current product capability under the Pardot name and remains the standard credential for marketing operations professionals.
- Plan terminology in customer-facing assets
Internal documentation can use either name. Customer-facing assets (marketing materials, training, proposals) increasingly use MCAE. Match the audience expectation.
Current Salesforce branding for sales, proposals, and official documentation. Signals up-to-date product knowledge.
Community standard for everyday conversation. Matches certifications, books, and tutorials.
Domain references (pi.pardot.com), tracking code, and integration connectors mostly still use the Pardot name.
- Pardot and MCAE refer to the same product. Treating them as different products produces confusion in conversations and documentation searches.
- The pi.pardot.com tracking domain remains active despite the rebrand. CSP policies and ad blockers may interpret it as unrelated third-party tracking; allowlist explicitly for MCAE-tracked sites.
- Older Salesforce documentation uses Pardot terminology that may not map to current MCAE feature names. Cross-reference current docs to confirm steps still match.
- The Pardot Specialist certification has not been renamed. New marketing operations hires sometimes assume the cert is outdated because it uses the older name; it is current.
- Integration platforms ship Pardot connectors that work against MCAE. The naming gap is cosmetic; the connector is correct.
Trust & references
This term has been renamed to Marketing Cloud Account Engagement.
View current pageCross-checked against the following references.
- Pardot/MCAE Product PageSalesforce
- Pardot/MCAE DocumentationSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Pardot.
- Pardot/MCAE DocumentationSalesforce Help
- Engagement StudioSalesforce Help
- Scoring and GradingSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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