As demand continues to grow ClickUp opens a second local data centre in the region

ClickUp, the productivity platform that brings work together in one place, announced today, due to continuing demand, it is expanding its investment in APAC with an additional local data centre, based in Singapore. ClickUp customers on the company’s Enterprise plan will now have another location in APAC to host their data, at no additional cost. This comes shortly after ClickUp announced localised data hosting in Sydney at the end of 2023. 

ClickUp’s second APAC data centre is based in Singapore and operated by Amazon Web Services. Customers will see enhanced performance and can grow their operations without concern of losing speed or efficiency. ClickUp has already begun migrating eligible workspaces to the new data centre.

“As demand continues to grow in APAC, it's so important that we're able to guarantee that our customer's data is safe and well managed,” said Ankesh Chopra, Vice President APAC, ClickUp. "The establishment of our Singapore data centre reinforces our commitment to the region and provides another way to support our rapidly growing customer-base. Every day we hear from businesses that are looking to optimize their productivity and expand their impact in the region - we are excited to power this success and save everyone time."

ClickUp's presence in APAC continues to grow with customers such as Shopee, Eastspring Investments, Singapore Management University and YSQ International. ClickUp also added ten new partners, including HarmonyX, Web Spiders Group, and Digibeacon to serve as an extension of its sales and services team.

If you are interested in learning more about how ClickUp can support your business or, you are an existing customer interested in migrating to the new Singapore data centre, contact the ClickUp sales team through the form here.

Today, leading omnichannel advertising platform Skai and the Path to Purchase Institute (P2PI) are releasing The State of Retail Media 2024, the third annual report analyzing growth, opportunities, and changes in the growing sector. Retail media is experiencing exponential growth, with many retailers creating their own networks as an added revenue channel and brands increasing spending due to strong opportunities and ROI. 

Skai's and P2PI's State of Retail Media 2024 draws insights from around 100 U.S. consumer product manufacturers and agencies. It explores the evolving dynamics of retail media and spotlights its expansion beyond traditional retail boundaries. This year's data underscores the critical need for cross-channel integration, incrementality proficiency, and technological agility to maximize retail media's full potential.

Retail media continues to gain prominence in media plans

Out of 10 advertising channels, retail media was ranked as the most important across the board, and 81% consider it very or extremely important for 2024. This is underscored by the fact that 77% of respondents attest to retail media driving good or excellent results for their businesses in 2023.

Navigating the expansion of retail media across channels will be a 2024 priority

In 2023's study, only 17% reported good alignment between retail media and their different channels — this year, that number increased nearly 3X to 47%. And it's not just the advertisers aligning; in 2023, Amazon formed what, once upon a time, would have been unlikely joint ventures with Snap and Meta, signaling more partnerships on the horizon. One thing is certain: retail media and the future of commerce can no longer be treated in isolation from other channels.

Consistent performance  + enhanced insights fuel retail media's growth

The biggest drivers for the acceleration of retail media spend are a higher ROI compared to other ad channels (47%), improved insights from retailers (38%), and the ability to better measure upper-funnel impact (36%). Within retail media, onsite ads and social commerce budgets will see the largest increases this year. And, despite consistent calls for standardization, the associated challenges were not a deterrent for retail media investment for most marketers (80%), proven by growing investment.

Tech innovation critical for retail media's new era

Most advertisers are relying on third-party tools for business intelligence (58%), retail media management (57%), and digital shelf analytics (49%) to manage their retail media campaigns. AI will immediately significantly impact targeting and optimization, helping drive efficiencies and market leadership.

Brand and agency priorities are not aligned

Agencies offer brands tremendous value to brands — filling knowledge gaps, providing budget recommendations, and keeping up with the continued proliferation of networks. However, this study shows disparities between brand and agency approaches to success KPIs, budget allocation & prioritization. They also differ slightly in how they perceive challenges, such as the growing number of networks, data usage, and incremental measurement best practices.

Incrementality and measurement challenges remain

Only 30% of marketers feel proficient in incrementality measurement, and with varying definitions of incrementality, a standardized approach is impossible. The most frequently used metrics are advertising and media performance, such as CPC, ROAS, CTR, CPA, ACoS, and Viewability, which act as the north star, guiding advertising campaigns toward desired outcomes while optimizing budgets in an important channel.

"2024 is shaping up to be a significant year for retail media as it grows in every direction — up the funnel, video & CTV, off-site display, innovative in-store opportunities, and new partnerships with social publishers," said Gil Sadeh, Chief Growth Officer at Skai. "This 2024 report marks our third annual survey on retail media's evolution and Skai's ongoing commitment to help our brands & agency clients navigate the future of commerce media via smart, data-based decisions."

Industry Veteran Brings Over 30 Years of Marketing Expertise and Leadership and a Deep Passion for Data and Its Applications

Today, Data Axle, a leader in data-driven marketing and business intelligence solutions, announced the appointment of Andrew Frawley as its chief executive officer. Frawley brings over three decades of proven leadership experience in technology, data, and marketing. He will play a pivotal role in furthering Data Axle's position as a leading provider of B2B and B2C data and real-time business intelligence solutions for enterprise, small business, and nonprofit organizations. With a deep knowledge of marketing, data, analytics, SaaS, and professional services, Frawley will be a valuable asset to further Data Axle's commitment to providing superior service and measurable results in its mission to help clients become augmented intelligence companies. 

Data Axle's former CEO, Mike Iaccarino, will leave to run a European-based direct marketing business. Frawley and Iaccarino have a 25-year history of deep partnerships in the direct marketing space, and both are former CEOs of Epsilon. "I have full confidence that my colleague and good friend, Andy, will continue to drive industry-leading solutions and be a great leader for the Data Axle team," said Iaccarino, who will remain as chairman of Data Axle.

True to Data Axle's mission to help businesses achieve their goals through data, technology, and services, Frawley will spearhead new company initiatives and further its commitment to rapid growth and industry-leading client solutions, including:

• Infusing AI and augmented intelligence across Data Axle's solutions
• Developing next-generation applications to improve clients' marketing effectiveness and efficiency
• Continuing to deliver world-class services to Data Axle clients

"I'm honored to join Data Axle and excited to continue positioning the company as a world-class leader and disruptor in the data and marketing services industry," said Frawley. "We will continue to launch innovative marketing and data solutions to help our clients navigate today's rapidly changing data environment."

Established in 1972, Data Axle has been a pioneering force, leveraging data to fuel innovation, drive business growth, and empower clients since its inception. With Frawley at the helm, the company is well positioned to beckon in the next era of marketing revolution.

Box, Inc. (NYSE:BOX), the leading Content Cloud, today announced the launch of the new Box app for Apple Vision Pro. Designed to take advantage of spatial computing, Box for Apple Vision Pro revolutionizes how people experience and collaborate on content in the enterprise. The uniquely immersive experiences and infinite desktop powered by the visionOS platform transforms how people work with content, while relying on the security and compliance of the Box Content Cloud.

“Apple Vision Pro is a massive step change in technology akin to iPhone and iPad,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box. “This breakthrough technology introduces immersive experiences that fundamentally redefine the way we work by delivering visually stunning interactions without physical limitations. From developing the next new breakthrough product to reimagining customer experiences, the possibilities are endless. By bringing Box to Apple Vision Pro, we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible for the future of work.”

A New World of Enterprise Use Cases with Spatial Computing

With Box for Apple Vision Pro:

• Construction companies can open their blueprint files or progress images stored in Box and virtually visit the site with different project stakeholders to enable interactive collaboration between teams from anywhere.
• Retailers will be able to use Apple Vision Pro to explore a retail display window design proposal in Box, making it possible to see how the space will look and feel to customers to create more compelling and effective display designs.
• Manufacturers will be able to view 3D product renderings inside of Box in an immersive, full-size environment such as a workshop floor, with the ability to zoom in and out to see details more clearly and accelerate work.
• Entertainment companies can immerse themselves in video files stored in Box to better analyze footage, animations, or visual effects to create a more cohesive and engaging final product.
• Higher education institutions will be able to bring faculty researchers and students into virtual learning experiences, training with 3D models of complex concepts found in their Box files, to provide an interactive and engaging way to supplement traditional instruction.

Immersive New Content Experiences

By bringing Box’s world-class productivity and collaboration experience to visionOS, Box customers will be able to access a rich set of collaborative and secure content features that will change how they engage with their digital content. For example:

• Immerse yourself in rich content: View images and videos with spatial audio right from within Box Preview to transform the way work is presented, reviewed, and shared.
• Merge the digital and physical world: Place 3D objects in physical space for an enhanced visual experience that brings your work to life and improves understanding of complex visual concepts.
• Get "hands-on" and interact with content in new ways: Leverage Siri dictation technology alongside intuitive eye and hand gestures to navigate through the Box app effortlessly while enabling hands-on manipulation of content for effective visualization.
• Create your own infinite desktop to multitask: Leverage visionOS multitasking capabilities to open Box alongside other apps on screen so you can access critical information from multiple sources simultaneously without sacrificing productivity or focus.
• Seamlessly organize and navigate your files: Search, browse, preview all of your Box files seamlessly, and organize content into easily accessible Collections, to enhance productivity by making it easier than ever before to share and collaborate in Box.

Enterprise-Grade Security and Compliance

As the leading Content Cloud, Box works with more than 115,000 customers, including 67% of the Fortune 500. Many of these organizations are in regulated industries and rely on Box to protect their most important and sensitive information, enabling secure collaboration inside their enterprise as well as with key external partners and customers. The Box Content Cloud provides advanced content protection and security tools, such as machine-learning powered threat detection with Box Shield, granular sharing permissions and access controls, content watermarking, compliance with stringent regulations and certifications like FINRA, FedRAMP, GxP Validation, HIPAA, and more. The Box app for Apple Vision Pro brings all of these capabilities to the new platform of spatial computing.

In addition, Box Admins will be able to easily enable and configure the Box experience on Apple Vision Pro, which is designed to keep customers in control of their data so they can determine access controls to granular features with a simple on and off toggle.

Finland-based Hookle introduces 'Hookle AIDE,' an AI-powered post generation assistant set to transform social media marketing for small businesses. The fully automated feature analyzes users' profiles, crafting personalized daily posts without the need for prompts. Tero Seppala, CEO of Hookle, sees this as a new dawn for small businesses in social media marketing, emphasizing 'Hookle AIDE' as a personalized content assistant. Leveraging cutting-edge AI, Hookle aims to lead in fully autonomous social media marketing, catering to entrepreneurs and small businesses globally.

Hookle, a global leader in AI-powered mobile social media management, launches 'Hookle AIDE,' a fully automated post generation assistant to help small business owners and entrepreneurs to automate their social media posting and content creation.

The company has been a market pioneer in AI-powered social media post generation and image selection. With this latest feature, Hookle takes another step towards fully automated social media management by removing the need for user prompts altogether. Instead, the new technology analyzes the user's social media profile and crafts daily social post suggestions that are custom-tailored for that particular user at that particular time.

Tero Seppala, CEO of Hookle, expresses his enthusiasm: "We're on the brink of a new dawn in social media marketing for small businesses. 'Hookle AIDE' isn't just a feature; it's your personal content assistant, making sure you're always ready to connect with your audience in meaningful ways. Users don't need to do anything but connect their social channels, and Hookle autonomously generates highly relevant posts, just for them, in seconds."

Hookle's AI builds on the latest language models and feedback from the thousands of Hookle users to offer the smoothest user experience in the market. Every day, Hookle users receive fresh, personalized post suggestions on their dashboard. These engaging, ready-to-use posts meet the diverse needs of small businesses, providing inspiration or enabling direct publishing through the app. Users benefit from a steady flow of content that captivates their audience and bolsters their online presence. 

"Our vision was to create something that feels like having a dedicated social media team in your pocket," says Tero. "For small businesses, where every moment counts, 'Hookle AIDE' offers a swift, straightforward solution to stay ahead in the digital game."

'Hookle AIDE' leverages cutting-edge AI technology to generate unique and engaging posts, tailored to each user's industry, business needs, and language preferences on a daily basis. This steady stream of personalised posts aims to eliminate the common struggle of figuring out what to publish next, ensuring that your social media feeds remain fresh and relevant.

"The user is still in the loop and makes the final decision, but as AI technology and user confidence improve, soon more and more of our users will be able to hand over all of their social media management to Hookle AIDE and just sit back and enjoy the results," says Tero. "We are rapidly heading towards fully autonomous social media marketing."

While industry leaders like Hootsuite and Sprout Social cater to the needs of large companies, Hookle focuses on providing a mobile app with an easy-to-use interface, budget-friendly plans, and AI features tailored specifically for entrepreneurs and small businesses. With 'Hookle AIDE' and leveraging Hookle's patented technology, Hookle aims to be the top choice for small businesses worldwide, positioning itself as a leading global option for AI-powered social media marketing solutions designed to meet their unique requirements.

Verimatrix, (Euronext Paris: VMX), the leader in powering the modern connected world with people-centered security, today announced collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to further bolster scalability, availability and ease of use for its Streamkeeper Multi-DRM cloud-based OTT content security platform.

Streamkeeper Multi-DRM, a multi-tenant platform deployed on the AWS cloud, is compatible with AWS SPEKE to work seamlessly with AWS Media Services. It leverages AWS Global Accelerator and AWS Route 53 to allow lightning-speed content consumption, provide top-notch reliability, and consistently autoscale for peak events. Additionally, AWS Shield, AWS WAF and AWS Key Management Service (KMS) ensure Streamkeeper Multi-DRM services enjoy powerful protections against malicious attacks.

“Our customers’ highest priority is having a flexible security solution that doesn’t disrupt consumer experience and does not compromise on reliability,” said Andrew Bear, head of VCAS business at Verimatrix. “As a global innovator in OTT content security, we’re pleased to work with AWS to provide highly reliable and time-saving technology that can be integrated in minutes and greatly impact the bottom line for operators. Streamkeeper Multi-DRM provides operators with the latest DRM industry standards and capabilities available, for a myriad of compatible devices, to make all types of projects a success. This Verimatrix-AWS collaboration ensures a rewarding end-user experience protected through multiple layers of security.”

Top highlights of the collaboration include making OTT video services:

• Fast to deploy – Time spent building on-prem custom solutions delays the return on investment.
• Highly available and reliable – On-premises environments are either extremely costly (when they offer geo-redundancy), or not very reliable (when they don’t).
• Autoscaling – On-premises environments are typically over-provisioned in order to sustain consumption peaks.
• Powerfully secured – Entry-level DRMs do not meet the requirements of high-end content owners and therefore can restrict access to premium content.
• Integrated and compatible – Missing integrations mean delays and project costs. It’s compatible with CMAF, CPIX and AWS SPEKE v2.
• Fully managed – Capturing metrics that can be monitored, alerted, and acted upon to provide a complete operational picture as well as visibility into service performance.

DimeTyd, the leading fully automated FinOps platform for 1P Amazon vendors and part of Threecolts, a comprehensive cloud business suite for Amazon businesses, is pleased to announce the appointment of Eden Goldberg as a new strategic business advisor. With over 25 years of experience in sales, marketing, and brand development, Goldberg brings a wealth of expertise to DimeTyd.

Before founding her consulting venture, The Concord Shop, which focuses on consumer brands, retail development, and corporate event planning, Goldberg served as the head of strategic marketing and brand development at WHSmith North America, a leading global travel retailer with over 1,700 stores across 30 countries worldwide. While there, she led the development of consumer categories, brand partnerships, and revenue strategies. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Industry Leaders for the Consumer Technology Association, the trade association representing the $505 billion U.S. consumer technology industry and renowned for its yearly Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

"Eden Goldberg's extensive experience and remarkable track record in driving revenue and brand development make her an invaluable addition to our team," said Rohan Thambrahalli, CEO of DimeTyd. "Eden's career journey showcases her adaptability and strategic acumen, and we are thrilled to welcome her as a strategic business advisor. I believe her insights and wealth of industry partners will play a crucial role in advancing our growth and success."

As an advisor to DimeTyd, Goldberg leverages her decorated experience in consumer electronics, travel gear, and other consumer products to help clients and partners enhance their profitability through DimeTyd's advanced software.

"What excites me about DimeTyd is its alignment with my professional philosophy of fostering connections between people and companies for mutual benefit," said Eden Goldberg. "I see DimeTyd as an advanced platform that can support consumer brands in increasing profitability and strategic revenue to double down on innovation within their brand."

DimeTyd looks forward to the valuable contributions Goldberg will bring to the company as it continues to empower fair, accountable, and transparent accounting for the world of e-commerce.

The innovative platform combines conferencing capabilities like Zoom and Webex with livestreaming ones like YouTube and Vimeo, enhancing privacy, multi-broadcasting and transparent content ownership

After a successful beta version chosen by a growing number of users, Beeyou.tv launches the official release of its revolutionary new platform, designed to enable content creators and organizations to manage the security of their streamed content and monetize it independently, this Sunday, February 4^th.

Beeyou.tv provides users with an all-in-one virtual hub, where they can create and share content, host private meetings, public gatherings and VODs, and enjoy a seamless collaboration experience; all this, blending the sophistication of a professional studio with a user-friendly interface. With Beeyou.tv live content can also be multi-streamed simultaneously across a full range of social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and LinkedIn, thus maximizing reach and exposure. Additional features include a built-in chat, on-the-spot voting and polling with consolidated reports in real time and advertising campaign creation.    

Developed to respond seamlessly to the needs of both individual content creators and larger organizations, users and businesses can create communities and offer them access to secure streamed spaces to share exclusive content or sensitive information. Event and trade show organizers can also choose to monetize visibility within their platforms by offering digital spaces as an add-on to physical booths at their trade events or conventions, expanding exhibitor reach to the online environment. Thanks to the recent deployment of the "Organization" feature, which provides a dedicated – private or public – environment within the platform itself, Beeyou.tv also positions itself as the ideal solution for all the internal and external communication needs of companies of any size, nonprofits, government institutions, schools and universities, sports fan clubs, music labels, etc.

In response to data breaches and to the murky handling of user content by some major streaming platforms, Beeyou.tv has developed uniquely stringent security ideal, for example, for schools who want to share online learning, shows and debates or other content where minors are featured. Enhanced security is also ideal for healthcare organizations handling sensitive information, and the legal and financial sector to name a few. Any organization needing to share and discuss sensitive information and images can now do so with peace of mind.

Beeyou.tv also takes a uniquely ethical stance towards monetization by artists and content creators enabling them to set their own prices for exclusive content. The value of their podcast or track is thus no longer set by the platform but each user can decide independently at which price to make content available and for how long.  Beeyou.tv offers a multitude of monetization avenues that range from enabling users to charge viewers for watching live broadcasts or video-on-demand content to receiving donations from followers, viewers or participants and offering pre-ticket sales, which allow event organizers to sell tickets in advance, generating hype, enabling forecasting and maximizing sales.  Furthermore, users and organizations also have the opportunity to insert advertisements within their content, although this choice is entirely up to them: Beeyou.tv will never impose any ads.

Francois-Louis Mertens, CEO and founder of Beeyou.tv, explains: "There was a clear gap in the market that needed to be addressed: content creators and organizations were often being treated unfairly and didn't have the opportunity to monetize their content independently. When we created Beeyou.tv, we initially set out to correct this, designing a platform that gives our users the ability to extract the value they deserve from their work; however, as development progressed, it also became clear that providing top-class editing and monetization opportunities needed to go hand-in-hand with enhanced security. Security and fairness are founding values for Beeyou.tv; we protect your creativity and your communities' privacy because we understand that content creators and organizations thrive on trust."

"Typically, we develop video and photo content to support the Enrich in the USA network at events but at the Silicon Valley Funding Summit before CES 2024, I had set my objectives even higher and wanted to leverage LinkedIn- there is still so much potential on this channel for innovators that want to experiment with streaming and other activities. Beeyou.tv approached me with a unique proposal to livestream all the pitches from the Summit both on their platform and on LinkedIn - and to have them available as VOD the very same day - and it was a dream come true! I can't wait to explore the opportunities the platform offers more in detail in the future," declares Sebastien Torre, ENRICH Programs and Platforms Senior Consultant.

"When I first discovered Beeyou.tv back in 2022, I immediately saw that it had huge potential as it combines the features we content creators love from platforms like Zoom, such as private chat rooms, with those of public channels like YouTube. In addition to this, I love the emphasis placed on freedom of speech and real ownership over content.  In an age where data is so important, it is critical for people sharing information and developing content to be able to maintain ownership and control over what they create. If I were to describe Beeyou.tv in three words this would be my focus: freedom, privacy and control," confirms Sean Stone, actor, show host and content creator.