Integration with TransUnion empowers agencies and brands with a better understanding of high-value audiences to drive better reach and results with addressable TV advertising

Comcast Advertising and TransUnion, a global information and insights company, have announced a new privacy-forward agreement to enhance addressable TV advertising capabilities. This partnership allows for the creation of custom, advanced audience segments by matching Comcast's extensive household data with TransUnion’s robust identity graph.

Key Features of the Agreement

1. Privacy-First Audience Matching

   • Data Integration: Comcast’s audience data is matched with TransUnion’s identity assets in a privacy-compliant manner.
   • Custom Audiences: Advertisers can create custom audiences to improve targeting and reach.

2. Enhanced Addressable TV Advertising

   • Precision Targeting: Advertisers can target intended audiences at the household level with greater accuracy.
   • Incremental Reach: Addressable TV ensures advertisers reach consumers that traditional TV might miss, with findings showing 1 in 3 target households are reached only through addressable TV.

Insights from Industry Leaders

• Carmela Fournier, VP and GM, Data, Comcast Advertising: "With growing issues of signal loss impacting the quality of data, advertisers are seeking more solutions to enable them to accurately target and reach their intended audiences. Addressable TV offers a powerful solution for advertisers to confidently reach their desired consumers that would not have been reached with traditional TV alone. Our new integration with TransUnion will allow advertisers and agencies to easily tap into valuable audiences delivering effective and efficient addressable advertising at the household level, while upholding the highest standards of consumer privacy."

• Gareth Davies, SVP Product Management, TransUnion: "When it comes to audience data, advertisers need to activate at scale, and with speed, ease, and transparency to ensure success. Our integration with Comcast Advertising will provide advertisers with a better understanding of their high-value audiences, including the size of a specific audience, to activate against and deliver addressable campaigns to households via linear and streaming TV."

Benefits of the Partnership

1. Enhanced Data Quality and Targeting

   • The integration addresses the challenge of signal loss, improving the quality and accuracy of data used in advertising campaigns.

2. Improved Advertiser Reach and Performance

   • Custom audience segments enable advertisers to reach their ideal customers more effectively, driving incremental reach and better campaign performance.

3. Privacy-Forward Approach

   • The partnership emphasizes consumer privacy, ensuring that data integration and audience matching are conducted in a compliant and secure manner.

4. Scalable and Actionable Insights

   • Advertisers gain actionable insights into their high-value audiences, allowing for precise activation and measurement of campaign success.

The partnership between Comcast Advertising and TransUnion represents a significant advancement in addressable TV advertising. By leveraging privacy-compliant data integration and custom audience segments, advertisers can achieve greater reach, precision, and performance in their campaigns. This collaboration underscores the importance of innovation and privacy in the evolving landscape of targeted advertising.

OpenAsset, the leading digital asset management provider for the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry, today announced the launch of the OpenAsset plugin for WordPress. This innovative plugin connects OpenAsset’s asset management capabilities with WordPress, empowering marketers to publish, update, and optimize web content without requiring technical support.

Key Features of the Plugin

1. Seamless Integration with WordPress

   • The plugin allows users to publish projects, staff bios, and visuals directly to their WordPress websites.
   • Marketers can manage web content without needing to write code, significantly reducing reliance on technical support.

2. Centralized Asset Management

   • OpenAsset serves as the single source of truth for all web content, project details, and employee assets.
   • Ensures consistency and reliability of content across the website.

3. Real-Time Updates

   • The plugin enables real-time publishing and updating of web assets with just a few clicks.
   • Eliminates manual updates and data discrepancies, ensuring brand consistency.

4. Enhanced Efficiency for Marketers

   • Provides a user-friendly interface for managing content directly from the plugin.
   • Simplifies website management, allowing marketers to keep sites fresh and engaging without the need for developers.

CEO Statement

"We're delighted to provide a deeply impactful improvement to our customers' website management with our new plugin for WordPress," said Jason Janicki, CEO at OpenAsset. "This marks a new milestone in our mission to streamline time-consuming tasks for AEC marketers and offer innovative solutions that help them drive more business for their firms."

Benefits for AEC Marketers

1. Streamlined Workflows

   • Manage all web content and assets from a single platform, reducing complexity and saving time.
   • Simplifies the process of showcasing projects and employee experience on company websites.

2. Increased Productivity

   • Marketers can focus on creating and managing content rather than dealing with technical issues.
   • The plugin reduces the need for external technical support, lowering costs and improving efficiency.

3. Enhanced User Experience

   • Ensures that website content is always up-to-date and visually appealing.
   • Helps maintain brand integrity and consistency across all digital touchpoints.

4. Improved Business Outcomes

   • By streamlining content management, the plugin helps AEC firms present their projects and expertise more effectively.
   • Contributes to driving more business and improving client engagement through better online presence.

The OpenAsset plugin for WordPress is a game-changer for AEC marketers, offering a seamless and efficient way to manage web content. By integrating best-in-class asset management with easy-to-use web development tools, OpenAsset continues to support marketers in driving business growth and maintaining a strong online presence.

Amid increased state and industry regulations, BranchLab provides a new solution for healthcare and pharma brands to reach consumers in a privacy-compliant way

BranchLab, a data science company at the forefront of healthcare advertising, announces the successful closure of a seed funding round led by newark venture partners (nvp). The funding will expedite the development and expansion of BranchLab's innovative AI-driven advertising solutions tailored for the healthcare industry.

Key Highlights:

1. Founding Team and Vision:

   • BranchLab, founded by industry veterans Josh Walsh (CEO), Michael Parkes (President and Chief Revenue Officer), and Chris Cagle (Chief Technology Officer), pioneers advanced AI software for healthcare advertising.
   • The team anticipates and addresses impending challenges arising from cookie and ID deprecation, as well as evolving privacy regulations like My Health My Data.

2. Privacy-First Approach:

   • BranchLab's focus on privacy-safe advertising solutions aligns with the evolving regulatory landscape.
   • The company introduces an "ID-less" solution to bridge the gap between real-world health data and advertising, ensuring patient privacy while enhancing advertising effectiveness.

3. HealthGraph™ Database:

   • Leveraging the HealthGraph™ database, BranchLab aggregates anonymized data from over 300 million US residents and 2.1 million healthcare providers.
   • Machine learning algorithms are applied to create comprehensive audience models, enabling targeted TV advertising and in-flight campaign optimization.

4. Oversubscribed Seed Funding Round:

   • The seed funding round, oversubscribed due to investor confidence, underscores the market demand for innovative healthcare advertising solutions.
   • It positions BranchLab as a frontrunner in the privacy-first advertising landscape and will fuel the company's growth and market expansion.

5. Market Potential:

   • Healthcare advertising is a substantial market, with US spending reaching $23.5 billion in 2023 and projected to exceed $34 billion by 2032 according to IMARC Group.
   • BranchLab's innovative approach aims to capture a significant share of this growing market through privacy-centric advertising solutions.

Investor Perspectives:

1. Vaughn Crowe, Managing Partner at newark venture partners:

   • Expresses confidence in BranchLab's mission to transform healthcare advertising while prioritizing consumer privacy.
   • Emphasizes the company's potential to reshape the advertising ecosystem for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

2. Eric Franchi, General Partner at Aperiam:

   • Applauds BranchLab's commitment to privacy and safety in healthcare advertising amidst industry shifts.
   • Highlights the importance of supporting proven teams like BranchLab in revolutionizing healthcare advertising.

BranchLab's successful seed funding round signifies a significant milestone in its journey to redefine healthcare advertising through advanced AI solutions and a privacy-first approach. With strong investor backing and a seasoned team, BranchLab is poised to lead the evolution of advertising in the healthcare sector, addressing regulatory challenges and enhancing patient privacy while driving advertising effectiveness.

New Solution Empowers Shopify Brands to Engage Superfans and Maximize Lifetime Value

Okendo, the leading customer marketing platform, continues to innovate with the launch of Okendo Loyalty, the final component in its suite of customer engagement solutions. Designed to empower Shopify brands, Okendo Loyalty offers deep customization options and an intuitive interface, enabling brands to create tailored loyalty programs that maximize customer lifetime value. With features accessible across all plans and expert guidance from Okendo's loyalty specialists, brands like Dixxon, Luna Bronze, and Jordan Craig have already chosen Okendo to elevate their Loyalty initiatives.

As ecommerce competition intensifies and customer acquisition costs rise, Okendo emerges as a strategic ally, helping brands tackle these challenges head-on by driving engagement and revenue growth. At the heart of this strategy are Superfans, highly engaged customers who champion their favorite brands, fueling organic growth and fostering genuine community connections.

Matt Goodman, CEO & Co-Founder of Okendo, explains, "We believe that addressing modern ecommerce challenges hinges on cultivating and mobilizing a community of Superfans. Okendo's suite of five products — Loyalty, Referrals, Reviews, Quizzes, and Surveys — provides a unified platform to empower brands to grow rapidly and sustainably through customer-led marketing initiatives."

Okendo Loyalty empowers brands to offer flexible rewards and incentives, transforming customers into influential growth drivers through referrals, repeat purchases, and high-quality reviews. Furthermore, brands gain access to valuable customer insights, enabling personalized communications and enhancing overall customer experiences. This holistic approach not only enriches customer interactions but also accelerates brand growth by fostering authentic connections.

Rob Varon, Director of Marketing at Jordan Craig, shares his experience: "I've had a positive experience using all of Okendo's five products together. The tech just works. It's easy to streamline workflows with Okendo's connected suite of products. Ecommerce is a puzzle, and Okendo contributes many pieces to that puzzle."

With Okendo Loyalty, Shopify brands can unlock the potential of their customer communities, driving sustainable growth and cultivating lasting brand loyalty in today's competitive ecommerce landscape.

Building first-party data assets and investing in alternative ID solutions were revealed as key strategies for senior media and publishing execs.

A recent survey conducted by BlueConic in collaboration with WBR Insights sheds light on the strategies employed by top publishers to address the impending challenges of third-party cookie deprecation. With insights gathered from 100 senior revenue leaders across B2C and B2B publishers, including renowned companies like Hearst, Fast Company, and The Boston Globe, the survey offers valuable insights into the future of the media industry.

Key Findings:

1. Lukewarm Preparedness: While only 13% of respondents strongly agree that their organizations are prepared for media challenges, 55% somewhat agree, reflecting a mixed sentiment about the future readiness of publishers.

2. First-Party Data Vitality: A significant 38% of respondents acknowledge the fundamental role of first-party data in their revenue strategy, emphasizing its importance in revenue generation and audience engagement.

3. Diversification of Revenue Models: Publishers are exploring diverse revenue streams, with advertising remaining dominant (92%) and growing adoption of events (61%), subscriptions (54%), ecommerce (39%), and other models to bolster revenue.

4. Investment Priorities: Top investment areas for publishers include advanced data collection and analytics (69%), enhanced direct audience relationships (48%), and improved digital user experiences (47%) to drive advertising revenue growth.

5. Varied Cookie-Deprecation Strategies: While most publishers (78%) are building their first-party data assets, 66% are investing in alternative identity providers, and 60% are leveraging data clean rooms. Surprisingly, cookie deprecation didn't rank among the top three challenges, with social media algorithms, privacy regulations, and economic fluctuations taking precedence.

6. Market Confusion: Despite 85% of respondents claiming to use a Customer Data Platform (CDP), 25% cited platforms that don't align with CDP functionality, indicating market confusion and overstated capabilities by some vendors.

Insights and Recommendations:

Patrick Crane, Enterprise Account Executive at BlueConic, emphasizes the importance of first-party data and advises caution when selecting CDP solutions, urging buyers to prioritize platforms that enable seamless transformation and activation of customer data.

To delve deeper into these findings, BlueConic will host a webinar titled "Charting a First-Party Future: What's Next for the Media and Publishing Industry," offering discussions on first-party data utilization and the industry sentiment regarding third-party data deprecation.

GumGum, a contextual-first, global digital advertising platform, in partnership with TVision, the company measuring every second of TV and CTV viewer engagement, has released new data around superior attention measurement and engagement across GumGum's Connected TV (CTV) ad unit, In-Video.

GumGum, a leading contextual-first digital advertising platform, partnered with TVision, a company specializing in measuring TV and CTV viewer engagement, to unveil groundbreaking insights into the effectiveness of In-Video Connected TV (CTV) ads.

Key Findings:

1. Enhanced Viewer Attention: GumGum's In-Video units demonstrate a remarkable 30% higher attention percentage compared to traditional CTV ads, indicating superior engagement and effectiveness in maintaining viewer attention.

2. Gender-Specific Engagement: Female viewers exhibit a notable 28% higher engagement with In-Video units than standard CTV ads, underscoring the relevance and appeal of this format across diverse audience segments.

3. Attention to Visible Index: In scenarios where other individuals are present in the viewing environment, viewers allocate 23% more time to In-Video units, emphasizing the non-disruptive nature of this ad format and its ability to capture attention even in communal viewing settings.

Ken Weiner, Chief Technology Officer of GumGum, highlights the significance of prioritizing attention and adopting non-disruptive ad formats like In-Video to maximize brand visibility and impact in the increasingly competitive CTV landscape.

TVision's demographically representative TV measurement panel provides valuable insights into viewer behavior, allowing for accurate assessment of engagement with GumGum's In-Video units. By integrating GumGum's data with TVision's second-by-second attention metrics, the study offers comprehensive insights into the effectiveness of In-Video ads.

Hassan Babajane, SVP of Commercial at TVision, emphasizes the importance of innovative strategies like In-Video ads in enhancing the effectiveness of ad spend and maximizing viewer engagement in the evolving CTV space.

As brands navigate the challenges of attention fatigue and ad saturation in streaming environments, adopting attention-driven ad formats such as In-Video presents a strategic opportunity to optimize ad performance and drive meaningful audience engagement.

New capabilities enable salons, spas, medspas, and barbershops to reach clients instantly and directly with targeted SMS campaigns

Boulevard, a leading provider of client experience platforms tailored for appointment-based self-care businesses, has announced the launch of its new text marketing feature. This innovative tool is designed to help salons, spas, medspas, and barbershops enhance client engagement, increase bookings, and drive revenue through targeted SMS campaigns. Integrated seamlessly into the Boulevard platform, this feature aims to enrich the comprehensive client experience that self-care businesses rely on.

The Importance of Text Marketing

In the competitive landscape of self-care services, staying connected with clients is crucial for growth. Traditional marketing methods are no longer sufficient, and businesses need dynamic strategies to thrive. Jozlyn Miller, senior education manager at Boulevard, emphasizes the necessity of modern marketing approaches: "Businesses can't be passive or rely on legacy marketing tactics designed for a bygone era. Text marketing with Boulevard helps self-care businesses improve their overall marketing strategy with a powerful tool to get more clients in the door."

Benefits of Text Marketing

Text marketing has become indispensable for contemporary salons and medspas. Key benefits include:

• Instant Communication: Quickly reach clients with booking links, making it easy for them to schedule appointments.
• High Engagement: Text messages boast high open and click-through rates, ensuring your marketing efforts are seen and acted upon.
• Two-Way Interaction: Clients can respond to marketing texts, facilitating real-time conversations and improving engagement.

Unique Features of Boulevard's Text Marketing

Boulevard's text marketing stands out with several unique features:

• Dedicated Phone Numbers: Each business location uses a unique phone number for all text communications, enhancing client recognition and response rates.
• Seamless Integration: Text marketing integrates with Boulevard Messages, allowing staff to manage client interactions within the platform.
• Custom Campaigns: Easily create tailored campaigns using Boulevard's audience builder and filter capabilities, and track their success with detailed metrics and reports.

Enhancing Client Communication

Boulevard's text marketing is part of a broader suite of SMS communication tools that includes automated notification texts. These features help businesses:

• Reduce No-Shows: Automated confirmation and reminder texts keep clients informed and engaged.
• Save Time: Automated notifications decrease the time spent on manual appointment confirmations, allowing staff to focus on delivering exceptional client service.
• Personalize Messages: Businesses can customize text language to reflect their brand's unique tone and style.

Since 2016, Boulevard has been at the forefront of innovation in the self-care industry, empowering business owners and professionals to redefine the client experience. With the introduction of text marketing, Boulevard continues to support over 30,000 professionals across 3,000+ self-care establishments in booking millions of appointments monthly. This new feature is set to revolutionize how self-care businesses communicate with their clients, fostering stronger relationships and driving sustained growth.

Boulevard’s commitment to delivering industry-first capabilities, such as Precision Scheduling™ and advanced SMS tools, underscores its role as a trusted partner for self-care businesses aiming to elevate their client experience and operational efficiency.

DanAds will use SAS 360 Match to enhance advertising opportunities within the retail sector, providing a complete, effective offering designed to meet the unique needs of retailers and their advertisers.

DanAds, a global leader in advertising technology, has partnered with SAS® advertising and marketing technology to revolutionize advertising within the retail sector. This collaboration merges the strengths of SAS' powerful ad server, SAS 360 Match, with DanAds' self-service platform, delivering a comprehensive, market-ready solution tailored for retailers. SAS, renowned for its data and AI capabilities, offers a suite of solutions that empower organizations to transform data into trusted decisions, including its fully independent, first-party ad server.

The Retail Advertising Landscape

In the ever-evolving retail advertising landscape, the need for efficient and effective ad monetization is paramount. This new offering from DanAds and SAS introduces a robust platform that enables retailers to sell advertising inventory directly and seamlessly. By combining DanAds' expertise in streamlined sales and order intake with SAS' advanced ad decisioning and delivery engine, the platform addresses the unique challenges of the retail industry.

Benefits of the DanAds and SAS Collaboration

The collaboration between DanAds and SAS brings several key benefits to the retail sector:

• Advanced Ad Decisioning: SAS 360 Match enhances ad delivery with sophisticated decision-making capabilities.
• Streamlined Sales Process: DanAds' self-service platform simplifies the sales and order intake process, making it more efficient for retailers.
• Data-Driven Insights: Retailers can leverage deeper insights and predictive analytics provided by SAS to refine their advertising strategies and improve ROI.

Key Features of the New Platform

The new ad monetization platform offers a range of features designed to boost productivity and innovation:

• Comprehensive Ad Management: Seamless management and optimization of ad campaigns, tailored specifically for the retail sector.
• Automated Operations: Retailers gain tools for automating advertising operations, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.
• Enhanced Predictive Analytics: Access to SAS' advanced decision engine allows retailers to utilize predictive analytics, driving better advertising outcomes.

Industry Impact

Scott Briggs, Commercial Strategy Manager at SAS, highlights the transformative potential of this collaboration: "The powerful capabilities of SAS 360 Match combined with DanAds' platform will set an exciting new precedent for what is possible in retail media, empowering retailers to unlock the full potential of their data and digital touchpoints."

Johan Liljelund, Chief Information Officer of DanAds, adds, "The collaboration utilizes DanAds' innovative technology to equip retailers with the tools needed for automating and optimizing advertising operations. With SAS' advanced decision engine, retailers will be able to access deeper insights and predictive analytics to refine their advertising strategies, ultimately driving better results and higher returns on investment."

The partnership between DanAds and SAS represents a significant advancement in retail advertising technology. By combining DanAds' streamlined self-service capabilities with SAS' powerful ad decisioning and analytics engine, this new platform offers retailers a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing their ad campaigns. This collaboration is set to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and deliver superior advertising results, positioning retailers to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.