Aspire North, in partnership with Experian Marketing Services (EMS), has unveiled the Aspire Data Network (ADN), a groundbreaking self-service audience intelligence platform. The platform provides Aspire North’s customers with direct access to Experian’s robust consumer marketing data, allowing agencies and marketers to create detailed consumer profiles, craft personalized campaigns, and achieve superior outcomes across omnichannel platforms.

Features of the Aspire Data Network

• Self-Service Design: The innovative self-service nature of ADN enables agencies of all sizes to independently access Experian’s premium consumer data, eliminating the need for intermediary vendors and ensuring greater efficiency and faster campaign deployment.
• Customizable Data Selections: Marketers can customize data selections based on their specific campaign goals, allowing for highly targeted audience segmentation and tailored marketing strategies.
• Omnichannel Targeting: ADN provides businesses with precision in targeting their audiences across multiple platforms, ensuring that campaigns are personalized and resonate with consumers, driving measurable results.

Quotes from the Leaders

• Jason Carlson, Executive Vice President at Aspire North, shared, “With Aspire Data Network, we’re putting the power of world-class consumer insights directly into the hands of agencies and marketers. This platform unlocks unparalleled flexibility and control, enabling businesses to build tailored campaigns that resonate with their audiences and drive measurable results.”
• Chris Feo, Chief Business Officer at Experian Marketing Services, added, “Our goal is to empower marketers with data-driven insights that fuel more impactful consumer engagements. Through our collaboration with Aspire North, we’re making it easier than ever for agencies and brands of all sizes to leverage robust consumer intelligence to create personalized campaigns that resonate at scale and drive measurable growth.”

Democratizing Data Access for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses

The Aspire Data Network is not only beneficial for large enterprises but also democratizes access to high-quality data, empowering small to mid-sized businesses to compete more effectively. By leveraging the same data-driven insights as larger companies, these businesses can enhance their marketing strategies and boost their visibility in the market.

With the launch of Aspire Data Network, Aspire North is empowering businesses with enhanced agility and access to premium consumer data. As marketing teams seek more control and data-driven personalization, ADN is poised to play a pivotal role in delivering targeted, personalized campaigns that drive ROI and measurable growth across industries.

Qsic, the leading in-store audio platform powered by GenAI audio and data intelligence, has announced the appointment of Marc Walkin as its new Vice President of Marketing. In this role, Walkin will be responsible for leading the company’s marketing strategy as it looks to expand its global presence, capitalizing on the growing adoption of its platform among top retailers across North America.

Driving Growth Through In-Store Retail Media

In-store retail media is rapidly emerging as a new and valuable revenue stream for retailers, and Qsic is poised to leverage this growth. By using audio as an advertising channel, Qsic is redefining the in-store experience, offering brands the opportunity to engage with consumers in more impactful ways.

• Matt Elsley, co-founder and CEO of Qsic, stated, “We have ambitious plans to expand into new markets, introduce new capabilities, and bring more awareness to the value of audio. Marc has the experience to execute them and help us capture this massive opportunity.”

Marc Walkin's Experience and Impact

Marc Walkin brings extensive expertise in retail media and brand marketing, having built and scaled several well-known retail and CPG brands such as Stop & Shop, PopCorners, Beech-Nut, and Staples. Before joining Qsic, he co-founded Turbyne, a retail media platform, and helped lead the company to a strategic acquisition by Colateral in 2024. His experience will be crucial in driving Qsic’s market impact and helping retailers connect with consumers through innovative audio solutions.

Walkin shared, “Qsic is fundamentally redefining the value of in-store audio in today’s retail media-driven landscape. The potential for in-store retail media is just beginning to be realized, and Qsic is at the forefront.”

Qsic's Expansion Plans and Growth

Qsic is experiencing tremendous growth. In January, the company announced it raised $25 million in Series B funding to accelerate its global expansion. With plans to double its workforce and roll out over 70,000 speakers across North America over the next year, Qsic is set to further solidify its position as a leader in in-store audio and retail media.

The appointment of Marc Walkin as Vice President of Marketing signals Qsic’s commitment to driving growth and expanding its reach in the retail media space. With Walkin's expertise and Qsic's innovative approach to in-store audio, the company is well-positioned to lead the next wave of in-store retail media and unlock new revenue streams for brands and retailers.

Optimove, the first Customer-Led Marketing Platform, has announced the release of its 2025 Optimove Insights Consumer Marketing Fatigue Report. Based on a survey of 329 U.S. consumers conducted in November/December 2024, the report highlights the critical challenges marketers face as they try to maintain customer engagement amidst the growing risk of marketing fatigue. With consumers demanding more personalized, relevant, and timely interactions, the report provides actionable strategies for marketers to rise above the noise, retain customer loyalty, and optimize customer lifetime value.

Findings from the Report

• Message Overload Leads to Unsubscribes
  Seventy percent (70%) of consumers have unsubscribed from at least three brands in the past three months due to message overload. Notably, 37% find email the most irritating channel for excessive communication.

• Personalization Drives Engagement
  Consumers are more likely to engage with personalized content, with 81% more likely to open emails tailored to their interests. 67% are more inclined to purchase when recommendations align with their past behaviors.

• AI as a Marketing Game-Changer
  59% of consumers trust brands using AI for personalization, though transparency and data privacy remain top concerns.

• Loyalty vs. Exploration
  76% of consumers regularly engage with their favorite brands, but 47% try new brands weekly, highlighting the need for strong retention strategies alongside customer acquisition.

Blueprint for Marketers: Strategies to Combat Fatigue

The report also offers marketers a blueprint to reduce fatigue and foster meaningful customer connections:

1. Embrace Personalization
   Move beyond basic tactics to tailor offers and experiences based on customer preferences and behaviors.

2. Leverage Real-Time Analytics and AI
   Use AI-powered insights to deliver relevant, timely, and impactful communications that drive engagement.

3. Give Customers Control
   Allow customers to control message frequency and content to build trust and enhance engagement.

4. Balance Loyalty and Exploration
   Develop retention initiatives alongside dynamic campaigns that attract and retain diverse audiences.

Positionless Marketers: The Future of Marketing

Optimove introduces the concept of the Positionless Marketer, a marketer whose capabilities are powered by AI and GenAI technology. These marketers leverage three core powers:

• Data Power
  Positionless marketers analyze customer behavior in real-time, enabling them to tailor campaigns and make data-driven decisions instantly.

• Creative Power
  Creativity becomes a dynamic, tech-powered process. Using tools like GenAI, marketers can quickly generate assets, from personalized emails to dynamic web content.

• Optimization Power
  Campaigns continuously optimize in real-time, ensuring messaging, offers, and delivery channels are always relevant and effective.

The findings from the 2025 Optimove Insights Consumer Marketing Fatigue Report highlight the urgent need for brands to evolve their strategies. By embracing AI-driven personalization, providing consumers with control over messaging, and balancing loyalty-building with acquisition, marketers can combat fatigue and create deeper, more impactful connections with their customers.

Immuta, a leader in data security, has released its 2025 State of Data Security Report, revealing the optimism and concerns around evolving data infrastructures. The report, commissioned by Immuta and conducted by UserEvidence, surveyed over 700 data leaders and professionals from across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia. The report highlights how organizations are grappling with the dual challenge of securing data while ensuring timely access, especially as AI adoption accelerates.

Findings from the Report

• Legacy Systems Can't Keep Up
  According to Matthew Carroll, Co-founder and CEO of Immuta, traditional systems for provisioning data access are broken, unable to scale with the increasing number of users and data demands. The report calls for a shift in approach, focusing on people, processes, and technology as core elements of IT and business strategy.

• AI Presents New Data Access Challenges
  60% of respondents claim their organizations are failing to keep pace with AI-driven data demands. Nearly half of organizations highlight compliance and privacy as primary concerns, while 64% struggle to provide timely and secure data access to authorized users. Data leaders must strike a balance between security and access to fully capitalize on AI investments.

• The Impact of Data Access Issues
  A significant 64% of data leaders report that data access challenges are hurting the ROI of their data platforms. These issues are causing downstream effects such as missed internal goals (31%), lost revenue (30%), and collaboration roadblocks (30%).

Complex Access Controls Are Hindering AI Implementation

For AI adoption to succeed, organizations need seamless and secure access to quality data. However, 55% of data leaders feel their current data security strategy isn't keeping up with the evolving demands of AI, up from 50% in the previous year. AI implementation is further hindered by:

• 46% reporting difficulties in integrating AI with existing systems
• 39% citing a shortage of skills to manage AI systems
• 29% mentioning complex data access controls

These challenges are slowing AI adoption and putting organizations at a competitive disadvantage.

Strategies for Balancing Data Access and Governance

To achieve AI success, organizations must find a balance between access, agility, governance, and security. Key strategies being implemented include:

1. Data Monitoring Systems (82%)
   Enhanced data protection through real-time understanding of data usage and storage.

2. Additional Cloud Platforms (76%)
   To scale with growing data volumes, flexible platforms are being adopted, ensuring the right teams have access to the right data.

3. Internal Data Marketplaces (68%)
   Defining roles, rules, and capabilities that lead to successful AI implementation and data governance.

As data demands grow and AI adoption accelerates, data leaders must rethink their approach to data access and governance. By implementing strategies such as data monitoring systems, flexible cloud platforms, and internal data marketplaces, organizations can strike the right balance between securing data and enabling access, ensuring AI success and business growth.

Socure, the leading AI provider for digital identity verification, fraud prevention, and risk decisioning, has announced the appointment of Barrett Young as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). With extensive experience in growing B2B AI-powered SaaS companies, Barrett is poised to elevate Socure’s marketing strategies, particularly in demand generation, branding, and product marketing. His proven track record will be pivotal in Socure's next phase of growth and market leadership.

Barrett Young’s Background and Experience

Barrett Young joins Socure from Netradyne, a deep-learning AI company transforming video telematics for enterprises. During his tenure, he scaled the company 7x over four years, leading large marketing and sales teams to success. His expertise in creating and executing data-driven strategies will be essential as Socure strengthens its position in the market. With a relentless work ethic and a knack for complex AI storytelling, Barrett’s experience aligns with Socure’s commitment to innovation and excellence.

Barrett's Role and Vision as CMO

As CMO, Barrett will focus on:

• Strengthening Socure’s leadership in AI-driven identity verification, fraud prevention, and risk decisioning
• Leading thought leadership and enterprise engagement initiatives
• Executing AI agent-led marketing strategies and creative growth marketing
• Driving problem-solution focused product marketing

His data-driven approach will propel Socure through its hypergrowth phase, as he executes targeted campaigns to expand the company’s footprint across 40+ industries and develop new use cases across the customer lifecycle.

Statements from Leadership

Johnny Ayers, Founder and CEO of Socure, expressed his excitement:
"Barrett’s deep expertise in demand generation and go-to-market strategy is exactly what Socure needs as we continue to expand globally. His track record in scaling B2B SaaS companies is unparalleled, and we are excited to work with him to tell Socure’s story of leadership in digital identity and fraud prevention."

Barrett Young himself commented on his new role:
"I am thrilled to join Socure at such a pivotal time in its journey. With the recent acquisition of Effectiv and the upcoming launch of RiskOS, I believe Socure is well-positioned for tremendous growth and success in the years ahead. I'm excited to help tell the story of how AI is transforming digital identity verification and fraud prevention."

Barrett Young’s appointment as CMO marks a significant milestone in Socure's journey towards becoming the most accurate and inclusive risk and identity verification company. With his leadership, Socure is set to leverage AI-driven growth strategies to lead the charge in transforming how businesses verify identities, prevent fraud, and make risk decisions.

GetWhys, a leading provider of AI-driven customer insights, today announced a $2.75 million seed funding round to further its growth and expand its innovative platform. The round, led by Next Frontier Capital with participation from Tuesday Capital and Capital Eleven, brings GetWhys' total funding to $3.5 million. The funding will be used to scale the engineering team, enhance product development, and support customer growth.

Investment Rationale and Leadership Statements

"GetWhys stood out because of Philippe and Tyler’s deep expertise, informed by their years of experience supporting some of the largest global software companies," says Erika Nash, Partner at Next Frontier Capital. "Their pioneering approach to AI-driven market intelligence is set to revolutionize the way customer-facing teams, including marketing, product, sales, and customer success, operate."

The Problem GetWhys Solves for Go-to-Market Teams

In the past, Go-to-market (GTM) teams faced significant challenges in acquiring customer insights. The traditional methods—such as spending thousands of dollars on expert network interviews or market research projects—were not only costly but also time-consuming and difficult to repurpose. This hindered the ability of GTM teams to make informed, agile decisions. GetWhys was founded to solve this problem by offering a cost-effective, instant solution that combines a proprietary database of in-depth interviews with customers and internal enterprise data, such as call recordings and market research assets.

GetWhys’ Innovative Products and Platform

GetWhys’ platform, powered by InsightDB, is designed to fill in enterprise blind spots by leveraging anonymized customer conversations. The company’s trained interviewers conduct these in-depth conversations with customers, providing businesses with valuable insights into their customers’ needs and pain points.

GetWhys offers two key products for its users: Compass and Echo.

• Compass, launched last year, helps GTM teams gather competitive intelligence, build buyer personas, and develop their GTM motions. Unlike other tools that synthesize internet data, Compass surfaces never-before-documented firsthand experiences, offering a more reliable and valuable competitive advantage.

• Echo, launched today, aids in content development by using authentic customer perspectives and behavioral data to run an instant focus group. Echo ensures that every piece of content—whether it's web copy, SDR emails, or marketing materials—resonates with the audience and aligns with the organization’s messaging framework and buyer personas.

Customer Testimonials

Several early adopters have already shared their positive experiences with GetWhys:

• "We rewrote our positioning in a week, and GetWhys was invaluable throughout the process," said Andy Ramirez, SVP of Marketing at Docker.
• "Echo made my messaging 5x-10x better," said Casey Samulski, Director of Product Marketing at Mission.

GetWhys’ Vision and Future Goals

Tyler Honsinger, CPO and cofounder of GetWhys, sums up the company’s mission: "The ultimate goal of market research isn’t just to produce insights, but to drive actionable outcomes. Our products integrate customer insights directly into our users’ workflows, allowing them to do better work, faster."

With this new funding, GetWhys is poised to further its mission and empower even more teams with the voice of their customers, enabling businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions.

GetWhys is setting new standards in customer research, empowering GTM teams with the tools to seamlessly integrate customer insights into their everyday workflows. With this new funding, GetWhys is on track to enhance its product offerings and scale its impact, helping businesses grow faster and more efficiently by leveraging the true voice of the customer.

Solstice Health, a cutting-edge life sciences marketing engine, has officially launched its AI-powered platform designed to bridge the gap between innovative marketing and regulatory compliance. The platform aims to streamline how biopharma marketing companies manage the content supply chain, particularly the medical-legal-regulatory (MLR) review process, a traditionally time-consuming and costly challenge.

With $40 billion spent annually on advertising by the biopharma industry, many therapeutic launches are hindered by outdated and generic strategies. Solstice's platform seeks to solve the common pain point of slow and expensive MLR processes, ensuring faster, more efficient content distribution without sacrificing compliance.

Solstice's AI-Powered MLR Assistant

At the core of Solstice Health's new platform is the industry's first AI-powered MLR assistant. This groundbreaking tool leverages generative AI models to assist in the regulatory review process, helping marketing and compliance teams evaluate content for compliance in minutes rather than the days or weeks typically required. By automating key steps in the MLR review process, Solstice drastically reduces evaluation cycle timelines by 74%.

Benefits of Solstice's Platform

Solstice’s platform is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing content creation workflows, offering several key benefits:

• Faster Review Process: The AI-powered MLR assistant flags potential risks early in the process, ensuring faster, first-pass approval readiness.
• Improved Compliance: Solstice ensures full compliance with regulatory rules, allowing marketing teams to focus on high-impact, strategic decisions rather than manual checks.
• Increased Efficiency: The platform accelerates content distribution, significantly improving speed to market while reducing the costs associated with compliance checks.

"Solstice is transforming the MLR review process with its AI engine," said Elaine Kang, Director of Marketing at SpringWorks Therapeutics. "By flagging risks early, and ensuring first-pass approval readiness, Solstice enables marketers and review teams to focus on high-impact, strategic decisions rather than manual checks."

Funding and Future Goals

To support its continued growth, Solstice Health has raised $3.5 million in seed funding from investors including Twelve Below and Virtue. This investment will help accelerate platform development and expand Solstice's reach within the biopharma marketing industry.

Solstice’s Vision for the Future

Solstice Health is committed to redefining how biopharma marketing companies approach compliance and speed to market. By combining AI technology with industry-specific expertise, Solstice aims to empower marketing teams to make better, faster decisions while ensuring full compliance with complex regulatory standards.

With its innovative platform and AI-powered tools, Solstice Health is set to transform the biopharma marketing industry by significantly improving the MLR review process. Solstice’s commitment to speed, compliance, and efficiency will help companies reduce time-to-market while staying fully compliant with regulatory rules, ushering in a new era of intelligent marketing in the life sciences sector.

AudioEye, Inc., the leading digital accessibility company, today announced the launch of role-based courses on its free AudioEyeQ accessibility learning platform. Designed to address the unique needs of business leaders, designers, developers, and website testers, these courses offer tailored guidance to help organizations embed accessibility into every aspect of their digital processes.

With the expansion of this course catalog, AudioEye continues its commitment to providing businesses of all sizes with the tools and knowledge necessary to ensure digital accessibility is part of their workflow. The company is reinforcing its position as a leader in digital accessibility education, fostering greater awareness and creating opportunities to expand its market influence.

Tailored Role-Based Education

The new AudioEyeQ course catalog now includes four distinct courses, each designed to offer role-specific insights and guidance:

• Leaders: The Strategic Accessibility Leadership course equips organizational leaders with the latest accessibility standards, scalable solutions, and tools to champion accessibility initiatives across the company.
• Designers: The Accessible Design Practices course provides designers with the frameworks and best practices needed to design inclusive digital experiences, ensuring compliance with global accessibility standards.
• Developers: The Accessible Coding with HTML, ARIA, JavaScript, and CSS course enhances developers' skills in creating accessible websites and applications, helping them write code that meets accessibility standards before going live.
• Testers: The Accessibility Testing Basics for the Web course provides foundational knowledge in accessibility testing, focusing on keyboard navigation, magnification techniques, and screen reader interactions.

By providing targeted, role-specific training, AudioEyeQ helps business professionals develop the expertise needed to create more accessible digital experiences.

AudioEye's Commitment to Digital Accessibility

AudioEye’s expanded training catalog is a direct reflection of the company's ongoing mission to empower everyone involved in creating digital experiences with the knowledge and tools necessary to integrate accessibility into their daily workflows.

"Our mission is to empower everyone involved in creating digital experiences with the knowledge and tools they need to make accessibility a core part of their work," said Alisa Smith, Accessibility Evangelist at AudioEye. "These role-specific courses provide practical insights that help leaders make informed decisions, designers create accessible experiences, developers write better code, and testers identify and resolve barriers to accessibility."

What Partners Are Saying

"Continuous education and professional learning are essential for creating accessible digital experiences for our clients," said Daisey Fahringer, Director of UI/UX at Finalsite. "We're happy to leverage AudioEye's new AudioEyeQ platform to enhance our team's knowledge of digital accessibility best practices and further our commitment to accessibility in K-12 schools."

Recognition and Certification

In addition to the new courses, AudioEyeQ has been recognized by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) as an Approved Global Certification Preparation Provider for its inaugural Foundations of Accessibility: CPACC Preparation course. This recognition further solidifies AudioEye's leadership in the accessibility education space.

With its role-based courses, AudioEye is setting a new standard for accessibility education, empowering businesses to integrate accessibility best practices into every stage of the digital process. Through these targeted courses, AudioEyeQ enables professionals to better navigate the complex landscape of digital accessibility, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and accessible digital world.