Marketers may think that they and their systems are the center of the business universe but the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily agree. When Computerworld asked IT managers to describe their single most important technology project, marketing technology ranked a dismal 20th of 28 categories. The list was headed by security, legacy system modernization and on-premise software. Slightly better news is that “customer satisfaction/experience” ranked just behind productivity and security as the project goal. But it’s a safe bet that IT defines customer experience as more than better marketing.

Finding three machine learning stories in one day is pretty easy, so don’t be impressed. Here’s news that predictive analytics vendor Lityx (not to be confused with customer data platform vendor Lytics) has integrated its system with Valassis, which mostly delivers coupons through print and online media. The deal will apply Lityx’s analytics to Valassis’ massive customer databases to better target and optimize Valassis marketing campaigns. As one does.

CDP and marketing cloud vendor Zeta Global announced an agreement to purchase LiveIntent, which helps companies do email-based advertising.  The deal will let Zeta expand its identity graph, enter the publisher monetization business, and accelerate its mobile and retail media products.  Zeta will pay $77.5 million in cash and $172.5 million in common stock, with potential for additional payments based on performance.