• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

Intuit Mailchimp has formed a partnership with Canva, making it the first email marketing partner at participate in a new integration beta program.

Brands can design their emails in Canva and publish directly to Mailchimp, using the Publish Intent API feature.

Marketers have long been frustrated by the gap between design and distribution, Mailchimp notes. They had to manually export, host, and re-import codes, and the design would often be broken during this process.  

The new arrangement with Canva requires no manual HTML exporting and features full intent metadata. 

This partnership points to the future of marketing platforms, according to Jeremy Jones, global head of creative, and Ose Ameigheme, head of email product at Intuit Mailchimp.

How so?

"Today, AI has automated marketing platforms, removing the need for manual coding and exports, saving marketers up to 16 hours weekly," Jones says. "Looking ahead, marketing platforms will become autonomous, interconnected systems that proactively plan, execute, and optimize cross-channel journeys. This ‘done for you’ approach enables marketing teams to concentrate on storytelling and creativity, while platforms develop purpose-built campaigns aligned with business goals. The future isn't just about increased speed; it’s about providing the creative space to stand out."

The Mailchimp website advises clients, “Use the Publish to Mailchimp integration to share select Canva designs into Mailchimp as full emails, ready to send without the manual lift.”

In addition, it urges them to reach customers “when it matters most. Share timely promotions, product drops, and announcements using Canva’s Share button.” 

The site continues, “Say goodbye to static images and rebuilding designs. Our HTML import feature transfers and preserves your assets for your next campaign.”

Mailchimp adds that brands can sync their Canva library “to our Content Studio, keeping designs ready for your next campaign.”

They can also design emails, using Mailchimp’s drag-and-dropeditor, adding on-brand logos, banners and infographics with Canva’s Magic Studio. 

The site lists this requirement: “A Canva account to use this integration, which will connect a single free or paid Canva account to your Mailchimp account.”