Magnite, the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising company, has announced that Yael Milbank has been appointed to the newly created role of Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand. Yael brings over 20 years of experience across both markets to the role, having most recently served as Magnite’s Managing Director, New Zealand. Prior to this, he held roles at TVNZ and TradeMe, managing key relationships with publishers and agencies.

Yael is tasked with accelerating Magnite’s commercial growth in the ANZ market at a time when 90% of digital display and video dollars in the market are set to be transacted programmatically by 2026, according to MAGNA¹. He will report to Juliette Stead, SVP, Head of JAPAC, and will lead a team comprised of Maddy Mewing, Seller Lead, Adrian Isoldi, Buyer Lead and Nikola Small, Publisher Development Lead, DV+.

Juliette Stead, Senior Vice President, Head of JAPAC at Magnite commented: “With Yael at the helm of Magnite’s business in ANZ, we’re brilliantly positioned to continue supporting media owners and media buyers across Australia and New Zealand. Yael brings extensive industry experience coupled with an unmatched depth of programmatic knowledge and I’m confident his strong leadership will enable us to continue to drive consistent results for our clients.”

Yael Milbank, Managing Director, ANZ at Magnite commented: “I’m delighted to be expanding my role at Magnite and to be leading the talented team in ANZ. Their expertise will be invaluable as we continue to help our clients grow their businesses and connect brands to reach audiences in premium, brand safe environments.”

Survey: Ages 45-60 More Likely to Prefer the Platform Over Threads

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. , the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands and agencies, released its latest research report, The State of X, today. The report is based on a survey of more than 1,200 U.S. social media users ages 18-60-plus. It aims to understand the state of X (formerly known as Twitter) under the ownership of Elon Musk and what impact Threads, Meta’s newly launched text-based rival, has had on the platform.

Musk took ownership of Twitter in October 2022, leading to significant changes on the platform, including the launch of a paid subscription service. The survey was conducted from July 15-16, 10 days after the launch of Meta’s Threads app and a week before Musk announced a rebrand to X.

IZEA research found that 66.9% of active users check their feeds at least once daily. The survey also revealed that users ages 45-60 are most likely to have a paid subscription and are most likely to say they prefer using the platform over Threads.

“Our survey revealed 66.9% of users who were active in the past year check their feed daily, highlighting the platform's enduring relevance,” said Ted Murphy, IZEA Founder and CEO. “Additionally, our research showed that 38.8% of active users tweet at least once daily, emphasizing the platform's role as a hub for real-time conversations. Notably, influencers stand out with their higher posting frequency, being 5.2 times more likely to share or post multiple tweets per day compared to regular social media users.”

“The continued usage of Twitter, now called X, despite a change of ownership and the launch of a rival app, is a testament to its resilience and popularity, especially among the 45-60 age group,” Murphy continued.

The survey analyzed users’ reasons for maintaining their accounts as well as the concerns that led some users to deactivate or delete their accounts.

“More than half of its users depend on the platform to stay informed on news and current events, and beyond its role as an information hub, it serves as an around-the-clock source of entertainment for its users,” Murphy said.

Additionally, despite significant changes to the platform in the past year, 70% of social media users think the platform is a good place for brands and influencers.

Active Users:

• 44% of all social media users say they have an active account they’ve used within the past year.
• Men are 1.2 times more likely to say they have an account than women.
• At 24.7%, 18- to 29-year-olds are the most likely to say that they have deactivated or deleted their Twitter accounts.

Ongoing Usage:

• 66.9% of users active in the past year check their feeds daily.
• 38.8% of users active in the past year tweet at least daily.
• Influencers are 5.2 times more likely to tweet multiple times per day than regular social media users.

Twitter (X) and Influencers:

• Over 70% of users say the app is a good place for influencers and brands.
• Among those without a Twitter account, 42% said Twitter is a good place for influencers and brands.
• 81% of social media influencers said they have posted sponsored content (or plan to) on the platform.

Paid Subscribers:

• People ages 45 to 60 are the most likely age group to have an active paid subscription.
• Influencers are nine times more likely to have a paid subscription than other users.
• 11.2% of influencers had a paid subscription but have since unsubscribed.

Ongoing Impact:

• People who have actively used Twitter in the past year are 3.6 times more likely to say that Elon Musk’s ownership makes them want to use the platform more.
• 56% of those that have deactivated or deleted their accounts in the past year say the ownership by Elon Musk was a factor in their decision.
• People ages 45 to 60 with X and Threads accounts are the most likely to say they prefer using the platform over Threads.

Product Science is a deep tech startup that is disrupting the mobile performance engineering industry with its AI-powered tools that enable developers to quickly identify and remediate causes of slow app performance. Today, PS Tool unveils its latest feature, the "Delay Indicator," designed to remove the ambiguity of prioritizing performance optimization.

By highlighting delays (functions executed in a manner that creates additional, unnecessary wait time for users) within execution paths, developers can now identify the exact code function to optimize, accelerating the time to improve user experiences. With a single click, this feature transforms the way developers analyze performance problems in their mobile applications: PS Tool displays the execution path and highlights delays between functions that were prioritized, scheduled, or executed in a suboptimal manner, causing unnecessary wait time for users.

Here's how the "Delay Indicator" feature works:

• Video preview: Using our video-trace synchronization feature, locate the moment in the video where the UI change happened (screen rendered).
• Automatic path identification: Simply select the slice that represents the code, and PS Tool will automatically display the execution path while highlighting delays between functions.
• Focus on urgent issues: Developers visually prioritize the most critical performance issues.

Product Science is committed to empowering app developers to optimize mobile performance seamlessly and efficiently. The "Delay Indicator" feature is just one of many innovative tools the company offers. To learn more about how you and your team can leverage the power of PS Tool, request a demo today and discover how Product Science can revolutionize your app development process.

Partnership leveraging Nexxen's integrated tech stack enables local advertisers to solve for video fragmentation

Nexxen, a global, unified advertising technology platform with deep expertise in video and Connected TV ("CTV"), has joined forces with H/L, a renowned multiservice and independent agency that's been making momentum for local, regional and national marketers for nearly 40 years. The partnership empowers both local and national advertisers to operate marketing campaigns across digital and linear environments, leveraging Nexxen’s advanced data – including automatic content recognition (“ACR”) data from its exclusive relationship with VIDAA – and cross-channel technology to reach regional audiences. 

Building on their successful collaboration with the Nexxen DSP (or demand-side platform, formerly known as Amobee), H/L began to explore and utilize the additional layers within Nexxen’s tech stack in 2022 – including the use of custom analytics, proximity to premium supply and proprietary data insights tools such as Nexxen Discovery (formerly Brand Intelligence). Now, H/L has matured its use of Nexxen’s offerings to bridge the gap between digital and linear campaigns for advertisers, specifically at the local level. By embracing the breadth of Nexxen’s platform, H/L and its advertising clients have successfully deployed cross-channel campaigns in an end-to-end fashion, thus elevating regional business growth and improving local measurement.  

"Nexxen is the catalyst that brings together our creative development, traditional TV buying, programmatic and connected TV buying expertise,” said Jeremy Cobb, Vice President of Digital Platforms at H/L. “We seamlessly blend the art and science of advertising, creating a unified view that harnesses the power of targeting, tracking and optimization. In today's evolving advertising landscape, with CTV as the rising star, it's not just about the platform or inventory you choose. It's about delivering compelling messaging and ensuring its effective delivery that determines the success or failure of campaigns.”        

Working with Nexxen, H/L enables its clients to analyze, plan, activate, measure and reinvest their marketing spend across media seamlessly — from linear to digital — through one holistic solution (rather than through multiple disparate partners), ultimately helping advertisers solve local video fragmentation. As a result, the agency is driving greater efficiency and savings for advertisers, eliminating the fees associated with working with multiple third-party entities. 

"Our end-to-end platform is tailored to bring unparalleled support to our partners and their clients, both on a national and local level," said Kara Puccinelli, Chief Customer Officer at Nexxen. “As the digital and linear worlds converge, we are thrilled to partner with H/L, unleashing a consolidated, cross-channel approach that drives superior outcomes for advertisers on a local level."

Enters Into Strategic Partnerships to Provide Clients with Precise Targeting, Real-Time Optimization

AUDIENCEX, the AI-enabled digital advertising partner built to optimize real-time campaign performance for brands and agencies, is proud to announce the continuing expansion of its cutting-edge AI solution, AXi. With this expansion, the Company’s customers will be able to utilize AI-powered predictive analytics to maximize return on advertising spend, without the need to invest considerable overhead into expensive and resource-intensive data science solutions.

Additionally, the Company has announced that it has entered into strategic partnerships with enterprise-level technology providers and data platforms to further enhance the capabilities of AXi and offer value-added services. These collaborations will enable AXi to leverage additional privacy-safe data sources and cutting-edge technologies, providing clients with even more precise targeting, real-time optimization, and actionable insights into their target audience.

AUDIENCEX’s AXi innovative technology is set to revolutionize programmatic advertising for emerging brands and agencies by delivering advanced capabilities to marketers typically unable to deploy enterprise level technologies. It offers a suite of the latest AI-enabled data science solutions, including both log-level data and historical data access, custom bidding algorithms, and predictive audience modeling fueled by first-party data analysis and opted-in, fully consented third-party data sets. With optimal workflows and rapid processing of immense data sets, these tools are applied efficiently to campaigns at any scale.

"At AUDIENCEX, we believe in the power of collaboration and strategic alliances. Our partnerships with industry-leading technology providers will elevate the capabilities of AXi, delivering exceptional results for our clients," said Jason Wulfsohn, CEO and Co-Founder of AUDIENCEX. "We are actively working towards further innovating additional technology solutions and expanding our ecosystem of partners to ensure that our clients have democratized access to true best-in-class solutions."

"We are thrilled to expand access to AXi, our pioneering AI solution, to the midmarket. By combining the power of AI with our extensive knowledge in programmatic advertising, we are empowering emerging brands and agencies to take their campaigns to new heights from a performance standpoint” said Garrett MacDonald, CCO of AUDIENCEX. "The possibilities are endless, and we are excited to be at the leading edge of this ongoing AI-revolution.

As the digital advertising landscape becomes increasingly complex, AI-powered tools have become essential for brands and agencies to navigate the challenges and maximize performance. With the wider launch of AXi-enabled campaigns across verticals including travel and hospitality, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, financial services and higher education, to name just a few, AUDIENCEX is empowering challenger brands and independent agencies to harness the power of enterprise-level AI, level the playing field, and unleash their true potential.

Nearly three in four marketers are currently including addressable TV in their media plans, a 16% increase versus a year ago.

Go Addressable, an industry initiative to advance addressable advertising, and Advertiser Perceptions released new findings that capture the latest growth, adoption, usage and trajectory for this medium.

One noteworthy finding from this latest round of research was the marked growth in the industry’s adoption and usage of this medium. Presently, 73% (or nearly three in four marketers) are using addressable TV, compared to 63% (or nearly two in three marketers) when the study was fielded this same time last year. This is a 16% increase.

“The big story behind these findings is growth,” said Dan Rosenfeld, SVP, Data Analytics & Insights, DIRECTV Advertising. “Two years into Go Addressable’s launch, we are excited to see that the needle behind adoption, usage and awareness of this medium has continued to move consistently. We take these findings to heart and remain committed to finding ways to further enhance, innovate and pioneer addressable advertising’s future.”

The study revealed positive momentum in other key areas:

• Among those polled, nearly half (49%) had a combined linear and digital team planning addressable TV strategies for marketers.
• The percentage of respondents citing “better measurement/proof of ROI” as a factor to consider when increasing or initiating addressable TV investments dropped from 50% to 43% in this latest study, suggesting that there has been more industry-wide education and awareness of how the medium works and its benefits over the past year.

The findings also yielded important insights when it comes to areas that need more improvement or focus. One example is the industry’s perception versus what is currently being done around attribution. Respondents, in particular, noted that they felt there is currently “inadequate attribution to prove the ROI of addressable TV advertising.” (Contrast that with the fact that Go Addressable currently works with the top 20 attribution vendors in market.)

“Addressable advertising has evolved tremendously in recent years, and clients find that using this method adds immediate value to their media plans,” said Jen Soch, Executive Director, Channel Solutions, GroupM. “Our clients need to know they can reach and engage with consumers in a targeted and personalized way while in a premium advertising environment, and addressable advertising delivers in a way that not only reaches audiences, but resonates with them.”

Dataiku and Databricks market research reveals that companies are investing heavily in AI and seeing impressive results—while calling for regulation

Dataiku, the platform for Everyday AI, together with Databricks, the data and AI company, today revealed survey findings that shed light on AI’s transformative impact on businesses globally. Over 70% of senior AI professionals see a positive return on investment for money spent on data science, analytics, and AI initiatives, with over half (54%) seeing at least a 2x return and five percent seeing a return greater than 10x. The findings confirm that AI, including Generative AI, is now experiencing an impactful level of business results, matching its rapid rate of adoption. 

Dataiku and Databricks surveyed over 400 global senior AI professionals across a range of enterprises and industries in early June 2023 to explore AI adoption and perceptions. A majority agreed that AI had made its value clear across their organizations:

• Three in five said companies need AI to realize the full value of data. 
• The roadblocks to mass adoption are mostly operational. AI leaders saw cost and lack of business case as the least important barriers to delivering more value from AI. Instead, they cited issues like data quality and speed of deployment as the top blockers to AI value. 
• AI leaders also struck a note of caution, with more than half (55%) reporting that fears around AI are justified and that they’re more worried than excited about the future of AI. The same percentage (55%) called for official regulation for AI.

The survey found that businesses are investing heavily in AI resources, with nearly half (47%) reporting AI tools budgets over $5 million for the next year and nearly one in five (17%) reporting budgets over $20M. In addition, nearly two in three (64%) plan to use Generative AI or Large Language Models (LLMs) over the next year—and 45% are already experimenting with it. 

“Facing high expectations and unprecedented market attention, AI and data science is delivering,” said Jepson Taylor, Chief AI Strategist at Dataiku. “AI Pioneers are seeing clear bottom-line results from AI that would impress any CFO. Our survey reveals that where they need the most help is the right AI tools and platforms to convert their mountains of data into market-moving results faster than ever while protecting against potential risk.”

"These findings demonstrate the significant interest in generative AI but also the accompanying challenges, from data access and privacy to regulation," said Prem Prakash, Head of AI Marketing at Databricks. "As we navigate these challenges, our shared mission with Dataiku stands firm: to democratize data and AI, enabling every organization to build their generative AI solutions securely and cost-effectively."

AI Maturity: Pioneers vs. Laggards

The survey also compared AI Pioneers —those who have embedded or implemented AI and seeing strong returns—to AI Laggards—those still exploring or experimenting with AI or seeing lower returns—with clear divisions between groups.

• AI Pioneers were 62% more likely to report that they have at least one data leader in their C-suite (70%) compared to those at nascent organizations (43%).
• AI Laggards were 43% more likely to say they do not have clear owners responsible for data quality (39% of AI Pioneers v. 56% of AI Laggards).
• AI Laggards were 37% more likely to report they do not have trusted data that is easily accessible to frontline workers when needed (48% of AI Pioneers v. 66% of AI Laggards).

Dataiku was named the 2023 Databricks AI Partner of the Year at the Data + AI Summit in San Francisco last month for their collaboration making it easy for customers to deploy generative AI as an everyday technology that turns data into powerful business results. Get started with Databricks and Dataiku and read how you can Have your Cake and Eat It Too With Dataiku and Databricks.

• Download the comprehensive report to explore the full landscape of AI adoption and perceptions. 
• Join the upcoming Dataiku + Databricks survey results webinar, AI by the Numbers: See How You Stack Up in the Race to Generative AI.

AdRoll, a leading marketing and advertising platform for growing brands, today announced a new partnership with WooCommerce, the popular open-source ecommerce platform for WordPress. The integration enables merchants to track and target online shoppers more effectively with cross-channel campaigns, helping them increase conversions and revenue.

The integration, or extension, allows merchants to automatically place a pixel on their website to track customer behaviors in real time, such as adding a product to the cart or viewing the checkout page. This data is used to create customer segments that can be targeted with personalized ads and emails based on their shopping journey. The integration also pulls a store’s product feed to the AdRoll platform, enabling merchants to dynamically show shoppers the exact products they interacted with, allowing for highly targeted messaging.

AdRoll's WooCommerce integration is a game-changer for busy marketers who want to get started with personalized marketing campaigns quickly and easily, without any developer support. The integration also allows easy setup of AdRoll's marketing automation templates, which provide a guided setup experience to help businesses tackle their top marketing objectives like converting cart abandoners or re-engaging shoppers that left after browsing the store. These automated flows use a strategic combination of display ads, social ads across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, and email to influence shoppers' purchasing behaviors.

“We are thrilled to partner with WooCommerce to help their merchants increase sales and revenue,” said Vibhor Kapoor, President of AdRoll. “AdRoll's mission is to democratize marketing technology for all sized brands, and this integration enables busy marketers to leverage their data to create personalized, cross-channel campaigns quickly and easily.”

Steve Deckert, Interim VP of Strategic Partnerships at WooCommerce commented, “We are excited to bring AdRoll’s proven expertise in retargeting and cross-channel marketing to our merchants. The integration helps them leverage their data to create personalized campaigns that increase sales and revenue, and we are looking forward to seeing the results our merchants will achieve with AdRoll's platform.”