OpenX Technologies has officially launched OpenXSelect™, a next-generation supply-side curation and targeting platform designed to give brands and agencies unprecedented control over the media they buy. Available now, the new platform combines granular inventory management with advanced data targeting—all in a streamlined interface that balances precision with performance.

In an industry where transparency and efficiency are increasingly at odds, OpenXSelect offers a rare combination: buyer-centric control, curated quality, and scalable activation across audience, behavior, attention, and sustainability data signals.

Curation, Reimagined for Performance and Scale

OpenX has been a pioneer in supply-side curation since 2018, when it introduced OpenAudience™, the first identity-based data curation tool on the supply side. With OpenXSelect, the company is doubling down on that innovation—this time with a tool built directly for brands and agencies, not just data partners.

The platform allows buyers to:

• Curate premium inventory with transparency and control

• Activate custom targeting using a rich array of data inputs (audience, behavioral, attention, sustainability)

• Optimize campaign performance within a clean, intuitive user interface

• Unify programmatic strategy by connecting inventory selection and targeting logic in one place

This is more than just a smarter SSP. It’s a curation engine designed to bridge the buyer-seller gap—a response to growing advertiser demand for supply-path optimization, inventory accountability, and data-informed execution without relying on overly complex demand-side customizations.

A Platform Fit for the Programmatic Moment

As media buyers seek higher ROI, tighter control, and less waste in the programmatic supply chain, platforms like OpenXSelect may signal the next phase in SSP evolution: curation as a buyer-led function, not just a seller-side filter.

By giving buyers the tools to refine and activate inventory directly at the supply layer—with custom signals and preferences baked in—OpenX is not only modernizing the SSP model, it’s changing who holds the reins in programmatic targeting.

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Hotwire, the global communications and marketing consultancy, has appointed Charlotte Harvey as its new UK Managing Director, signaling a strategic play to deepen its influence in the tech and innovation sectors. Harvey’s arrival marks a defining leadership moment for the agency’s UK growth ambitions—and it comes with serious pedigree.

With over 15 years of experience spanning corporate giants, global agencies, and her own consultancy, Harvey brings a rare blend of strategic clarity, creative fluency, and deep sector insight. From managing accounts like Microsoft and P&G at Edelman to leading communications at Amey and later shaping narratives for brands like FedEx and Balfour Beatty, her track record reads like a blueprint for modern leadership in corporate communications.

From Tactical to Transformational

At Amey, Harvey elevated the communications function from a support desk to a boardroom player—reporting directly to the CEO and driving alignment between communications and business outcomes. Her later consultancy work and agency leadership at Grayling and Good Relations further solidified her reputation as a go-to advisor for complex organizations undergoing transformation.

“Charlotte is an exceptional leader whose ability to blend creativity with commercial focus makes her uniquely positioned to drive Hotwire’s next chapter in the UK,” said Laura Macdonald, Chief Growth Officer at Hotwire Global.

Harvey’s appointment also underscores Hotwire’s commitment to inclusive leadership and social value, both of which have been key tenets of her career. A proud Trinidadian, she is a passionate advocate for equity in the workplace and known for aligning communications strategy with purpose.

Leading Through Tech-Driven Change

Harvey takes the helm at a critical time for Hotwire UK, where the consultancy is expanding its presence in the tech, innovation, and AI sectors. She’ll be responsible for overseeing strategy, client success, and team development—while also working closely with clients to unlock reputation, relationship, and revenue growth.

“I’m joining Hotwire at a defining moment for the tech and communications industries,” said Harvey. “The UK has long been a hub for bold ideas and brave brands. I look forward to helping our clients navigate what’s next while building a culture where people thrive and do their best work.”

The appointment coincides with rapid momentum across the agency. Hotwire’s AI Lab continues to develop tools like Hotwire Spark and Hotwire Ignite, aimed at helping brands gain faster, smarter insights and make bolder strategic moves. The lab’s European efforts are also expanding, with Sven Winnefeld returning to lead AI sector growth across the continent.

In short, Hotwire isn’t just hiring leadership—it’s building a future-facing consultancy designed for the new era of intelligent communications. And with Charlotte Harvey now leading the charge in the UK, it’s making a confident bet on strategy, inclusivity, and bold growth.

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As AI-driven search platforms reshape how users discover content, Alelo has launched a timely new solution: AI-powered Content Navigators. These tools are designed to help both content consumers and creators thrive in an increasingly "zero-click" world—where conventional search traffic is dwindling and AI assistants now decide what content gets seen.

The debut product, built for the Dr. Laura Schlessinger program, features an AI assistant named Stacy who helps listeners navigate thousands of podcast episodes and videos to find content that matches their personal concerns. It’s more than just search—Stacy engages, probes, and recommends, mimicking Dr. Laura’s own on-air approach to help users connect deeply with existing content.

And early adoption is promising: Stacy has already clocked over 10,000 page views—all before official promotional efforts have even begun.

Why Search is Breaking—and Creators Are Feeling It

As tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini become go-to discovery engines, users are no longer sifting through search result pages—they’re reading summaries, often without clicking through at all. This has led to a sharp rise in zero-click searches, a trend that’s choking traditional visibility for creators.

If a show, article, or video lacks an AI-readable summary, it might as well not exist.

Alelo’s Content Navigators are designed to fight that. They not only summarize content using generative AI, but do so in a way that centers on user intent—focusing on the problem a user is trying to solve, rather than simply listing what's covered.

“In the age of AI summaries, if your content isn’t findable or understandable by the bots, it disappears,” said Dr. Lewis Johnson, CEO of Alelo. “Our Content Navigators not only surface content more intelligently—they create a more engaging discovery experience.”

AEO Meets Conversational Discovery

Alelo’s solution addresses a growing need in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)—the evolving SEO equivalent for AI tools. Instead of relying on creators to rewrite descriptions for every podcast or video, Alelo’s platform automatically transcribes and summarizes content to make it searchable, surfacable, and skimmable by AI.

The result? Smarter discovery for users. More engagement for creators. And a system built to complement—not compete with—how AI tools like ChatGPT interact with online media.

"Stacy is making a big difference for Dr. Laura listeners," said Ron Hartenbaum, Managing Member at Crossover Media Group, which manages the program. “Listeners come with a problem, and Stacy delivers personalized content that keeps them engaged and drives ad revenue.”

A Blueprint for Podcasters and Streamers

Alelo isn’t stopping with Dr. Laura. The company is now offering Content Navigators to other podcasters and streaming platforms, promising quick setup and deep customization. According to Johnson, the platform can rapidly create a navigator tailored to any show—or entire libraries of content—without requiring editorial teams to lift a finger.

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As synthetic media races ahead of detection capabilities, Cyabra is pushing back with a powerful new AI weapon: a deepfake detection tool that analyzes images and videos in real time to verify authenticity. Built into its broader disinformation detection platform, the solution is designed for governments, media, and enterprises looking to defend against the escalating threat of hyper-realistic AI-generated content.

In a digital environment where a convincing fake Zoom call cost one company $25 million, and deepfakes of public figures like Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy momentarily duped global audiences, Cyabra’s launch couldn’t be more timely—or more urgent.

Two AI Models, One Mission: Truth

Cyabra’s detection system runs on two proprietary AI models:

• PixelProof, which uses spatio-frequency analysis to spot pixel-level inconsistencies invisible to the human eye in static images.

• MotionProof, which scans video for telltale signs of forgery like unnatural movements, frame glitches, and lip-sync errors.

Both deliver results in seconds and include visual heatmaps that show users exactly where manipulation likely occurred—providing not just a verdict, but forensic transparency.

“Our detection tool acts as a digital magnifying glass,” said Dan Brahmy, CEO and Co-founder of Cyabra. “As digital manipulation evolves, our defenses must keep pace. This tool helps customers preserve trust, safeguard discourse, and defend democratic institutions.”

Why It Matters: From Fake News to Financial Fallout

The economic and geopolitical implications of deepfakes are no longer theoretical. In 2024 alone, the World Economic Forum highlighted synthetic media as a top-tier risk, warning organizations to fortify defenses against the rising sophistication of attacker techniques.

In a now-infamous Hong Kong incident, an employee was tricked into wiring $25 million during a Zoom meeting populated entirely by deepfakes, including a replica of the company’s CFO. That breach of trust was made possible by the believability of AI-generated video—something Cyabra aims to dismantle.

Meanwhile, corporations face another threat: manufactured scandals. Deepfakes of executives delivering false statements could crater a stock price overnight. Brand safety, once the domain of social listening and PR response, now depends on real-time forensic detection of synthetic content.

Not Just a Tool—A System

Unlike standalone detection software, Cyabra’s deepfake tool integrates with its full disinformation intelligence platform, offering customers:

• 24/7 monitoring

• Narrative tracking

• Bot and fake account detection

• Authenticity analysis across networks

This holistic architecture matters because deepfakes rarely work alone. They’re often part of orchestrated campaigns involving bot networks, social media manipulation, and false narratives. Cyabra’s integrated model enables detection in context, which is essential for identifying not just the fake—but the who, where, and why behind it.

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DataDome Teams with Arc XP to Give Publishers a Bot-Fighting Edge

As AI-driven bots and agents increasingly comb the web for content, digital publishers are facing a tough dilemma: how to benefit from new discovery models like large language models (LLMs) without surrendering their IP for free. Enter DataDome’s latest integration with Arc XP, a move designed to help media companies detect, control, and even monetize AI-powered traffic—before it hijacks their value.

In a joint announcement, the cyberfraud protection company DataDome and Arc XP, the media experience platform developed by The Washington Post, revealed a global tech partnership that brings DataDome’s AI-powered bot protection directly into Arc XP’s newly launched Edge Integration Framework.

This means that publishers using Arc XP can now deploy DataDome’s suite of bot mitigation tools with zero heavy lifting, bypassing the usual need for deep engineering resources.

Scraping Smarter, Fighting Back Faster

The threat landscape has evolved. GenAI tools and AI crawlers are not just scraping metadata or search-friendly summaries—they’re grabbing entire article content, sometimes republishing it without consent or credit. While this opens up discovery, it also drains publishers of monetizable traffic and exposes their platforms to abuse ranging from fake account creation to credential stuffing.

DataDome’s AI-based solution stands out by ditching traditional rules-based detection and instead relying on behavioral analysis and real-time threat intelligence. For publishers, that translates into real-time visibility and control over LLM traffic, bots, and other forms of non-human engagement—all embedded right at the edge.

“AI agents are reshaping how content is discovered, while consumers demand experiences that feel increasingly personal and relevant,” said Joe Croney, CTO of Arc XP. “This integration gives media companies precise, real-time control over non-human traffic—delivered seamlessly at the edge.”

Monetizing the Unseen: A New Avenue

The partnership doesn’t just block bots—it also lays the groundwork for turning non-human traffic into an asset. By identifying LLM crawlers and applying custom policies, publishers may eventually negotiate licensing or data exchange agreements, a trend already emerging in larger content ecosystems.

This move comes on the heels of DataDome’s recent AI upgrades, including intent-based models, refined LLM detection, and AI agent-specific response strategies—enhancing its appeal to enterprise-level digital publishers increasingly wary of losing control over their digital content.

Why This Matters

For an industry long struggling with ad revenue dips, paywall resistance, and platform dependency, the ability to govern who (or what) accesses their content is mission-critical. And with AI agents becoming more prevalent in everything from summarization tools to search interfaces, ignoring the bot traffic flood is no longer an option.

Arc XP’s new Edge Integration Framework is positioning itself as a kind of plug-and-play operating system for modern media, and this DataDome collaboration serves as a compelling case study in platform extensibility done right.

“Together with Arc XP, we’re delivering an easy path to control, transparency, and monetization,” said Aurelie Guerrieri, CMO at DataDome.

The Bottom Line

In a world where content is currency and AI is the new market mover, this integration gives publishers a much-needed shield—and perhaps a lever—against invisible freeloaders. With seamless deployment and always-on protection, Arc XP and DataDome are aiming to make bot defense as frictionless as the threats themselves.

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AppsFlyer MCP Turns Campaign Chaos into Chat—No Data Team Required

Marketers, meet your new AI co-pilot. AppsFlyer just rolled out MCP (Model Context Protocol), a conversational AI tool that connects marketing teams directly to their campaign data and analytics—no dashboards, SQL, or analyst wrangling required.

Built on Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, the tool acts as a bridge between AppsFlyer’s rich data APIs and leading large language models (LLMs), including Claude. The goal? Let marketers manage performance metrics, audiences, and campaign optimization through simple, natural language prompts or AI agents—like messaging a smart intern who never sleeps.

This move positions AppsFlyer as one of the first martech heavyweights to integrate directly with the Model Context Protocol, and it couldn’t come at a better time. With campaign complexity increasing across platforms and pressure mounting for real-time decisions, marketers are often stuck waiting on analysts, struggling with dashboards, or knee-deep in spreadsheet chaos.

“AppsFlyer MCP significantly reduces time to decision-making,” said Barak Witkowski, Chief Product Officer at AppsFlyer. “It eliminates the friction between insight and action.”

No More Chasing Dashboards

AppsFlyer MCP isn’t just a chatbot—it’s a fully integrated orchestration layer. Here’s what it does out of the gate:

• AI Analytics Chat: Marketers can ask performance questions like “What’s the ROAS on my Instagram campaign?” or “Compare retention for Q1 vs Q2”—and MCP will respond with real-time insights, neatly formatted and ready for action.

• Audience Transparency: View and manage audiences with clarity. Marketers no longer need to dig through interfaces or second-guess segmentation logic.

• Link Governance: The tool enforces clean link tracking and standardized reporting by letting you query link structures directly from the OneLink dashboard.

In short, it’s like putting a conversational layer over your martech stack—streamlining analytics, asset management, and attribution from one interface.

From Insights to Action in Minutes

The feedback from early adopters is telling. “What used to take our analysts hours now takes minutes,” said Elay De Beer, CEO of BUFF, a Play-to-Earn mobile gaming platform. “Everyone—from our CMO to our B2B team—gets the insights they need, tailored to their needs, without learning a new tool.”

That personalization—a CMO seeing retention while a CEO pulls ROI—is a game-changer. It means marketing teams get real-time, role-specific insights without queuing up behind a data engineer or running another Tableau export.

AI Meets Attribution

AppsFlyer is already known for its robust attribution and analytics engine, and MCP adds a new layer of accessibility without compromising on data fidelity. The AI is grounded in privacy-safe, high-quality data, which matters in a world where data compliance is as critical as performance.

Unlike DIY LLM hacks that scrape reports or guess metrics, MCP is fully integrated, making it more accurate, secure, and scalable. That means martech teams can plug it in and go—no messy API setups, no workflow rewrites.

The launch also signals the expansion of AppsFlyer’s broader AI strategy, with more LLM support and expanded functionality already in the pipeline.

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Edge226 Snaps Up Adscend Media to Power Rewarded Ads at Scale

Edge226 is beefing up its performance marketing arsenal. The mobile-first ad tech platform has acquired Adscend Media, a seasoned player in rewarded advertising, best known for its high-performing Offerwall format. The move signals a strategic expansion into deeper cross-channel engagement for mobile apps, games, and now, reward-focused campaigns across in-app and connected TV (CTV).

For Edge226, this isn’t just a trophy acquisition—it’s a foundational upgrade. By bringing Adscend Media’s rewarded ad inventory and publisher partnerships into the fold, Edge226 becomes a one-stop platform for mobile-first brands seeking measurable user acquisition across in-app, CTV, and reward-based channels.

“Their rewarded advertising expertise complements our existing capabilities,” said Avishay Raviv, Co-CEO of Edge226. “This gives clients a powerful new channel for user acquisition and engagement.”

What’s the Big Deal? Offerwalls Evolved

Offerwalls, the bread and butter of Adscend’s monetization engine, have been around for a while. But they’ve evolved far beyond the "watch-a-video, get-a-coin" model. Today’s Offerwalls optimize for high-intent user actions beyond installs, such as account signups or financial transactions. This model incentivizes deeper engagement—and advertisers are seeing the return.

For performance marketers and developers of mobile games or fintech apps, that translates to more engaged users at lower acquisition costs—and stronger lifetime value (LTV). With Edge226 already delivering ROI-focused campaigns on mobile and CTV, the addition of rewarded ads completes a trifecta of high-performance channels.

“We’re excited to expand Adscend’s success into new verticals and geographies,” said Yoav Kirmayer, Co-CEO at Edge226.

Why This Matters for the Industry

Performance advertising is shifting toward outcome-based models. As privacy regulations throttle user-level targeting, rewarded ads are increasingly seen as a privacy-safe, opt-in format that delivers real value to both users and advertisers.

Adscend Media’s legacy (founded in 2009) and proven results with gaming and financial app advertisers give Edge226 instant credibility in the reward space—while its global reach and programmatic tech stack position the combined company to scale fast.

“We’re proud of what we’ve built,” said Fehzan Ali, Co-Founder at Adscend Media. “Edge226’s innovation and reach will accelerate our growth and unlock new value for our partners.”

With this acquisition, Edge226 isn’t just adding a new channel—it’s redefining what cross-channel, ROI-driven marketing can look like. Marketers can now run unified campaigns across in-app, CTV, and rewarded formats, managed on a single platform with clear outcomes and simplified optimization.

In an industry obsessed with results, this kind of convergence is exactly what performance advertisers are looking for.

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Bonsai Raises $1.8M to Help Brands Ditch Bad Marketing Data for Good

Bonsai, a first-party marketing intelligence platform promising clarity amid digital chaos, has secured a $1.8 million funding round to ramp up its go-to-market strategy and further build out its platform. The investment comes from a blend of institutional backers including Mairs & Power Venture Capital, TAWANI Ventures, Bridge Venture Fund, and Chicago Early, plus several angel investors like Daren Cotter and Sheetal Jain.

The Minneapolis-based startup is tackling a critical pain point for consumer brands: misleading or biased conversion data that derails growth strategies and leads to wasteful ad spend. As marketing becomes more fragmented—and privacy crackdowns chip away at cookie-based tracking—Bonsai offers a streamlined way forward, leveraging first-party data only to drive what it calls "automated profitable growth."

“Brands waste billions because they rely on inaccurate, biased data,” said Matt Butler, CEO and co-founder of Bonsai. “We give them extreme clarity to focus only on what drives ROI.”

Goodbye Cookies, Hello Clarity

Bonsai’s pitch is refreshingly pragmatic: It lets brands ingest and analyze all their marketing data without needing engineers, custom pixels, or cookie tracking. With over 80 integrations across martech and adtech platforms, onboarding takes minutes—not months.

Once connected, Bonsai pulls together a full-stack view of performance using:

• Multi-touch attribution

• Marketing mix modeling

• Incrementality testing

• Automated budget forecasting

• Audience analytics

• Automated buying algorithms

The platform effectively acts as an AI-enabled control tower—analyzing what’s working, predicting what’s next, and even automating media spend based on first-party insights. All of this happens without invading user privacy, making it a strong play for brands wary of data compliance risks.

“It’s changed how we measure impact and optimize strategy,” said Ariana Diaz, Senior Director of Marketing at JSX, a Bonsai customer. “We now make every investment count.”

Why This Matters

First-party data is quickly becoming the backbone of modern marketing. With Google phasing out third-party cookies and platforms tightening up on data sharing, the brands that own their data and know how to use it will be the ones left standing. Bonsai positions itself as the all-in-one solution for this post-cookie era, removing the guesswork and inefficiencies that plague most marketing teams today.

Bonsai’s growing client list—featuring brands like 1-800-Flowers, Aspen Dental, Camping World, JSX, and Gabb Wireless—is a testament to its traction in sectors where ROI clarity is crucial.

With this new round of funding, Bonsai plans to double down on go-to-market and deepen its tech stack to make its intelligence platform even more accessible to consumer brands that are sick of shooting in the dark.

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