HUMAN’s best-in-class pre-bid detection and mitigation solution is now integrated into Opera Ads to protect CTV marketplace traffic and integrity

• HUMAN Security, Inc., a leader in cybersecurity, has announced a partnership with Opera Ads to enhance the security of Opera's Connected TV (CTV) traffic using HUMAN's pre-bid detection and mitigation solutions.
• This integration aims to protect Opera Ads’ extensive omni-channel marketplace, which connects with a global audience across e-commerce, gaming, and over 35 other verticals, ensuring the integrity and safety of its advertising inventory.

1. The Growing Importance of CTV Security

   • CTV offers a significant opportunity for brands to engage with 238.3 million U.S. consumers by 2025 through content and advertising.
   • Maintaining a healthy CTV ecosystem requires a secure advertising supply chain, where brands collaborate to quickly identify and eliminate fraud.

2. Opera Ads' Security Measures and Integration with HUMAN

   • Opera Ads manages an extensive omni-channel marketplace with a diverse inventory portfolio, supported by rigorous monitoring and verification processes.
   • With over 400 billion requests handled daily, Opera Ads relies on HUMAN’s pre-bid detection and mitigation services to safeguard users’ online experiences and uphold the integrity of the advertising ecosystem.

3. HUMAN’s Role in Preventing CTV Fraud

   • HUMAN provides advanced fraud analytics and pre-bid detection services tailored for the unique challenges of CTV, such as limited on-device measurement and server communication reliance.
   • HUMAN’s Ad Fraud Defense has been combating digital ad threats for over 12 years, offering accurate protection against sophisticated bot attacks and other digital fraud.
   • With a global reach examining over 20 trillion interactions per week, HUMAN leverages its extensive experience and industry relationships to prevent CTV-based fraud operations effectively.

4. Commitment to a Safer Advertising Environment

   • Rick Holtman, VP of Sales, Media Security at HUMAN, emphasizes HUMAN’s mission to make the internet safer and more trustworthy by protecting interactions within the advertising supply chain.
   • The partnership with Opera Ads aligns with HUMAN’s commitment to supporting brands in maintaining high-quality inventory free from malicious and invalid traffic.

• The collaboration between HUMAN Security and Opera Ads demonstrates a proactive approach to securing the CTV advertising space, addressing the increasing need for robust and scalable security solutions.
• By integrating HUMAN's advanced fraud prevention capabilities, Opera Ads is well-positioned to maintain a safe and reliable advertising ecosystem, fostering trust and protecting its vast global audience.

Bitdefender Security for Creators Offers Comprehensive Protection Against YouTube Account Takeovers, Spear-Phishing Attempts, Malware, and Other Major Cyber Threats Targeting Digital Content Producers

• Bitdefender, a global leader in cybersecurity, has launched Bitdefender Security for Creators, a service tailored for digital content producers, online creative professionals, and social media influencers who are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals for account takeovers, fraud, and other cyber threats.
• The service currently protects YouTube accounts, with plans to extend support to other platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

1. The Growing Threat to Content Creators

   • According to the 2024 Consumer Cybersecurity Assessment Report, 24.3% of surveyed consumers experienced a security incident in the last year, with 44% of those incidents related to fraud and 42% to phishing attempts.
   • With over 64 million content creators on YouTube alone, the risk of cyberattacks on digital creators and influencers has increased significantly, especially with the rise of deepfake technologies.
   • Cybercriminals often target accounts with large followings to amplify the impact of their malicious activities, as evidenced by cases where hijacked accounts accumulated billions of views and affected millions of fans.

2. How Cybercriminals Exploit Content Creator Accounts

   • Cyberattacks on content creators typically involve poor security practices or malware delivered via phishing, text messages, or other methods.
   • Once cybercriminals gain access, they quickly change passwords, modify content, and redirect followers to scams or malicious links, often causing significant damage before the account owner can regain control.

3. Features of Bitdefender Security for Creators

   • 24/7 YouTube Account Monitoring and Protection: Constantly monitors for unusual activities such as mass deletion of videos, account name changes, or profile modifications. Alerts are sent to account owners in real-time when suspicious activity is detected.
   • Advanced Hacking Prevention: Protects against zero-days, spyware, ransomware, malicious links, and other threats targeting login credentials and sensitive data. This protection extends across desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
   • AI-Driven Anti-Phishing Protection: Utilizes AI technology to detect and block phishing and smishing attempts, which often involve fraudulent offers of partnerships or sponsorships designed to trick content owners.
   • Team Plan Option: Offers robust security features for channels with multiple collaborators, including video editors and graphic designers, ensuring all team members are protected.
   • Account Recovery Assistance: Provides step-by-step guidance for account recovery in case of a takeover, including removing malicious actors and regaining account access.

4. The Importance of Comprehensive Protection

   • Cybercriminals exploit the trust and reach of influencers and content creators, using compromised accounts to distribute malware and scams to millions of followers.
   • Bitdefender Security for Creators offers a comprehensive solution to protect the content, online channels, and integrity of content owners around the clock, ensuring their hard work and reputation remain secure.

• Bitdefender Security for Creators addresses the urgent need for specialized cybersecurity solutions for content creators and influencers, providing comprehensive protection against the growing threats of account takeovers and digital fraud.
• By safeguarding content and accounts across multiple platforms, Bitdefender empowers creators to focus on their work without the constant worry of cyber threats.

Tillo, the first global gift card network and API purpose-built to make it easy for brands and buyers to unlock engagement and drive growth, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Warshauer as Chief Revenue Officer for North America.

• Tillo, the first global gift card network and API designed to simplify engagement and drive growth for brands and buyers, has appointed Bill Warshauer as Chief Revenue Officer for North America.
• Bill Warshauer brings extensive experience in the rewards and incentives industry and is expected to significantly contribute to Tillo’s expansion efforts in North America.

1. Bill Warshauer’s Background and Experience

   • Bill Warshauer joins Tillo from Blackhawk Network, where he served as Region Head of North America Incentives.
   • He has collaborated with major companies across various industries, including telecommunications, home improvement, office supplies, technology, government agencies, and health & wellness.
   • With a 23-year tenure at Blackhawk Network, Bill developed a deep understanding of these sectors, enabling him to create customized solutions that adapt to shifting market demands.

2. Strategic Significance of the Appointment

   • Bill Warshauer’s appointment as Chief Revenue Officer is part of Tillo’s broader strategy to enhance its leadership team and accelerate growth in North America.
   • This marks the fourth recent addition to Tillo’s C-suite, following the appointments of David Kavanagh as Chief Technical Officer, Hanna Smith as Chief People Officer, and Chris Forlano as Vice President of Product.
   • Bill’s strategic vision and customer-centric approach are seen as critical to advancing Tillo’s mission of simplifying gift cards, rewards, and incentives.

3. Bill Warshauer’s Vision for Tillo

   • Bill expressed his excitement about joining Tillo and contributing to its mission of making rewards and incentives more accessible and effective through its innovative API.
   • He looks forward to collaborating with Alex Preece, CEO and Co-Founder of Tillo, and the broader team to drive US market growth and deliver exceptional value to customers.

4. CEO’s Perspective on the Appointment

   • Alex Preece, CEO and Co-Founder of Tillo, highlighted Bill’s expertise in the incentives space and his ability to forge strong customer connections.
   • Alex believes that Bill’s appointment will help Tillo enhance its partnerships and unlock new opportunities within the gift card and rewards industry, reinforcing Tillo’s leadership in this dynamic market.

• Bill Warshauer’s appointment as Chief Revenue Officer represents a strategic move for Tillo as it seeks to expand its footprint in North America.
• With a robust leadership team and a clear vision for growth, Tillo is well-positioned to continue its trajectory of success, leveraging Bill’s experience to strengthen its market presence and drive value for its customers.

New Yoast AI Optimize feature offers users fast and simplified SEO with AI

• Yoast, a global leader in search engine optimization (SEO) for WordPress and part of Newfold Digital, has introduced its latest AI feature, Yoast AI Optimize.
• This new feature is designed to simplify SEO tasks for small businesses, freelancers, content strategists, and marketing professionals by enhancing content to make it search engine-friendly and improve site visibility and rankings.

1. Yoast's SEO Leadership and AI Evolution

   • Yoast is a widely trusted SEO solution, used by over 13 million WordPress sites worldwide, known for its deep SEO expertise and user-friendly design.
   • Building on the success of its previous AI-powered tools, including last fall’s AI Generate feature, Yoast continues to innovate with AI Optimize, expanding its offerings to provide even more advanced SEO solutions.

2. Features of Yoast AI Optimize

   • AI Optimize leverages AI to enhance a user’s content, offering SEO suggestions that improve rankings and boost site visibility.
   • This feature integrates directly into the Yoast SEO Analysis process, allowing users to optimize key aspects of their content with AI-powered suggestions tailored to enhance effectiveness.
   • By clicking on the sparkle icon within the tool, users can receive targeted recommendations to improve their overall SEO performance, making the process more accessible and less time-consuming.

3. Benefits for Users

   • AI Optimize is designed to save time and reduce the complexity of SEO, which is crucial for gaining visibility on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP).
   • By using AI technology, users can streamline the process of optimizing website copy and content, allowing them to focus on growing their business.
   • The feature is aimed at enhancing the user experience by combining Yoast's in-house SEO expertise with cutting-edge AI technology, ultimately driving targeted traffic, boosting credibility, and helping businesses market more effectively.

4. Availability and Additional AI Features

   • Yoast AI Optimize is automatically available to all Yoast SEO Premium customers with version 23.2, adding to Yoast’s suite of existing AI tools, including its AI-powered title and meta description generator.
   • For further details on Yoast’s advanced AI tools such as Yoast AI Generate and AI Optimize, users are encouraged to visit Yoast.com.

• Yoast AI Optimize represents the latest innovation in Yoast's ongoing mission to simplify SEO for all website owners, leveraging AI to unlock the full potential of websites, blogs, online stores, and more.
• As part of Newfold Digital, Yoast remains committed to evolving with the latest technology to provide top-tier SEO tools that help users achieve their online marketing goals in a competitive digital landscape.

• Aditude, a leading programmatic advertising platform, has acquired Hashtag Labs (HTL), a provider of enterprise-level UI and automation systems for publishers.
• This strategic move aims to empower publishers by combining Aditude’s scalable SaaS solutions with HTL’s advanced ad tech control systems, offering a comprehensive platform that enhances monetization strategies and maximizes revenue.

1. Strategic Acquisition and Industry Impact

   • The acquisition represents a significant shift in the digital publishing and advertising landscape, marking the fusion of advanced ad tech solutions and scalable SaaS-based systems.
   • By joining forces, Aditude and HTL are positioned to offer publishers a superior alternative with enhanced control over their monetization strategies, addressing the evolving needs of the industry.

2. Enhanced Capabilities and Product Integration

   • Aditude plans to integrate HTL’s products into its platform, enhancing its offerings with robust and scalable technologies including client and server-side Prebid solutions, real-time analytics, automated flooring, and comprehensive UI support for wrapper changes.
   • This integration is designed to provide a seamless experience for publishers, delivering a one-stop solution that combines top-tier performance with comprehensive control.

3. Commitment to Publisher Success

   • Aditude’s acquisition of HTL underscores a commitment to delivering innovative solutions that help publishers retain more revenue and thrive in a competitive market.
   • The entire Hashtag Labs team will join Aditude, ensuring consistent and continued support for all publishers and technologies, facilitating a smooth transition and ongoing assistance.

4. Leadership Insights

   • Jared Siegal, CEO of Aditude, highlighted the strategic importance of the acquisition, emphasizing the combination of technologies as a game-changer for publishers seeking scalable solutions that enhance margin and control.
   • John Shankman, CEO of Hashtag Labs, noted that the merger sets a new standard in the ad tech landscape, where quality publishing and sophisticated monetization tools are becoming increasingly interconnected.

• The acquisition of Hashtag Labs by Aditude signals a transformative approach in the digital publishing and ad tech sectors, offering publishers a powerful, integrated platform to better manage their monetization strategies.
• This partnership reflects a broader industry trend toward combining high-quality publishing with advanced monetization solutions, ultimately benefiting publishers by providing the tools needed to excel in an evolving digital environment.

LiveRamp's Solution Improves Data Security and Accuracy for Cineverse's Advertisers and Will Be Available to All Matchpoint™ Customers

• Cineverse Corp. a leading streaming technology and entertainment company, has fully integrated LiveRamp's Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS) into its Matchpoint™ OTT platform.
• This integration provides a cookieless infrastructure that enhances advertisers' ability to leverage first-party data securely and effectively, ensuring privacy and personalization across Cineverse's platforms.

1. Enhanced Advertising Capabilities with LiveRamp's Authenticated Traffic Solution

   • LiveRamp's ATS enables Cineverse's advertisers to authenticate users across multiple platforms, allowing them to activate, personalize, and measure advertising efforts with high-performing signals.
   • The integration utilizes LiveRamp's RampID, a pseudonymous and durable identifier, which allows advertisers to securely activate first-party data without sharing sensitive information with third parties.
   • This solution helps advertisers reach authenticated audiences at scale, delivering personalized experiences that resonate with consumers in a rapidly evolving CTV landscape.

2. Benefits of Cookieless Infrastructure for Advertisers

   • By adopting LiveRamp's ATS, Cineverse provides advertisers with an edge in today's competitive online marketplace, where first-party data is critical for targeted and personalized advertising.
   • The cookieless infrastructure supports privacy-centric solutions, allowing brands to connect with audiences without compromising on consumer data protection or advertising effectiveness.

3. Impact on Cineverse's Matchpoint™ OTT Solution

   • Matchpoint™, Cineverse's proprietary OTT solution, enables content distribution at reduced costs and time, without sacrificing quality.
   • The integration of ATS enhances Matchpoint™ by adding robust identity solutions that improve advertiser capabilities and audience reach, making it an attractive proposition for current and potential advertisers.

4. Industry Perspectives and Future Opportunities

   • Pete Erickson, Head of Publisher Development, North America at LiveRamp, highlighted that authenticated identity enables advertisers to connect with more valuable audiences, creating new collaboration opportunities within the CTV sector.
   • Terry City, Senior Vice President of Direct Ad Sales at Cineverse, emphasized that LiveRamp’s ATS aligns with Cineverse's commitment to privacy and data protection, offering a compelling value proposition for advertisers seeking personalized, privacy-focused advertising solutions.

• Cineverse’s integration of LiveRamp's Authenticated Traffic Solution into its Matchpoint™ OTT platform positions it as a leader in delivering privacy-centric, personalized advertising solutions.
• This partnership not only enhances Cineverse’s capabilities but also provides a competitive advantage to advertisers by leveraging first-party data securely and effectively, ensuring the protection of consumer information while maximizing advertising impact.

• Braze, a leading customer engagement platform, is launching two new initiatives to support brands in enhancing customer experiences. The new programs include "Braze for Startups," offering four months of free access to Braze for VC-backed startups, and a 14-day free trial of the Braze platform for brands of all sizes.

1. Braze for Startups Program

   • Overview:
     • The "Braze for Startups" program, in collaboration with VC partner Left Lane Capital, offers VC-backed startups four months of free access to Braze’s platform.
   • Key Benefits:
     • Free Access: Startups receive access to Braze for up to 2 million monthly active users (MAU) and 120 million emails.
     • Growth Onboarding Services: Includes free onboarding services, a personal onboarding manager, live and on-demand learning resources, and access to the Braze Bonfire community.
     • Continued Use: Startups can continue using Braze after the free period, supporting long-term customer relationship building and growth.
   • Quote from Chris Taylor, Chief Growth Officer at Left Lane Capital:
     • "Braze for Startups helps companies validate their product-market fit and launch revenue-generating campaigns at no cost, enabling scalable growth and deeper customer insights."

2. Braze Free Trial

   • Overview:
     • The Braze Free Trial provides non-customers with 14 days of free access to the Braze platform, allowing them to test its features and capabilities.
   • Key Features:
     • Guided Product Tours: Interactive tours showcasing key features and capabilities of the Braze platform.
     • Industry-Specific Templates: Pre-built campaign and journey templates tailored to specific industries.
     • Hands-On Platform Use: No-code editors and templates for creating messages, with options to use demo data or import your own, and tools powered by BrazeAI™.
   • Availability:
     • The free trial is set to be broadly available on September 24. Early access is available on September 23 through registration for Forge Digital.

3. Impact and Strategy

   • Braze’s Goals:
     • Spencer Burke, SVP of Growth at Braze, emphasizes the aim to simplify access to Braze’s platform and demonstrate its ease of use and capabilities, driving increased engagement and customer retention.
   • Program Sign-Up:
     • For more information on the Braze for Startups program, startups can email startups@braze.com.
     • To register for the Forge Digital event and gain early access to the free trial, visit Forge 2024 Digital.

• Braze’s new initiatives, including the "Braze for Startups" program and the 14-day free trial, are designed to support brands of all sizes in optimizing their customer engagement strategies. These offerings aim to provide easy access to Braze’s robust platform, foster growth for startups, and allow marketers to explore and experience Braze’s capabilities.

Green Leaf Consulting Group is excited to announce the launch of GreenView™, a groundbreaking interface designed to transform the user experience with Power BI. GreenView™ simplifies the complexities of Power BI, offering a clean, intuitive, and customizable interface that empowers business users to access and analyze data with ease.

• Clean, Intuitive Interface: Streamlines navigation, enabling users to retrieve data effortlessly without the usual complexity.
• Customizable Experience: Allows for configurable, white-label reports that align with your company’s branding and visual identity.
• Flexible Deployment Options: Offers the choice to host GreenView™ either on-premise or in the cloud, based on your organization’s needs.
• Role-Based Access: Ensures secure data management with user-specific roles, granting access only to the appropriate stakeholders.
• Accessibility for All Stakeholders: Enhances collaboration and decision-making by facilitating seamless data sharing with both internal teams and external clients.

Why GreenView™?

GreenView™ redefines the Power BI experience by addressing its navigational complexities and making data insights more accessible and actionable. By reducing the dependency on IT resources and minimizing the need for extensive training, GreenView™ accelerates the decision-making process and enhances overall efficiency.

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“Our goal with GreenView™ is to put the power back into the hands of business users,” said Kevin Bucher, Partner at Green Leaf. “GreenView™ allows non-technical users to navigate intuitively and efficiently, accessing the information they need without IT intervention, expensive training, or unnecessary frustrations.”

GreenView™ empowers business users to fully leverage the capabilities of Power BI while overcoming its inherent challenges. With its user-friendly design and flexible options, GreenView™ is poised to revolutionize how organizations interact with their data, driving success and improving decision-making.