Is it possible to track emails sent through external sources in Marketo?

[Nav_Singh]

So I have an interesting challenge where our product sends out trial emails independently of Marketo. I wanted to see if anyone in the community had any experience of tracking an external send in Marketo. Currently these leads are being created and synced directly from SFDC which has an integration with our product (where Marketo currently does not).  I wanted to see if it is possible to use the munchkin/ REST api to gain some insights into email opens & deliveries from outside of Marketo? It doesn't seem to be straightforward and I'm not sure if it is even achievable.

[SanfordWhiteman]

I've answered this question in deep detail a few times.  Once just a few days ago, I believe.  So please do a deep search in the Community and post back if you need clarification.

I'd dismiss immediately using the REST API in response to individual user activities.  It is not suitable for this task because it is designed for bulk and/or strictly metered use. The Munchkin API, yes.

Note that 3rd-party "opens & deliveries" cannot be logged as Marketo Delivered and Opened activities because the email assets do not exist in Marketo. External events must be logged as synthetic Click or Visit activities, or (far less scalably) as custom activities.

[Nav_Singh]

Thanks Sanford. I'll dig a little deeper. I was also considering using Mixpanel to track the high level opens.