The Act-On Data Lake allows for seamless data sharing across platforms, helping marketers master targeted audience segmentation with the help of AI and marketing automation.

Act-On Software is helping marketers harness the power of data and improve customer engagement with a robust Data Lake, functioning as a private Customer Data Platform (CDP) within Act-On’s customer-beloved marketing automation (MA) solution.

As martech stacks become increasingly complex, data extensibility is critical. Act-On’s Data Lake allows for bidirectional sharing of information for deeper understanding of the customer journey and more effective personalized marketing campaigns based on additional data. Act-On users can import custom first-party data, supplemental second party data, and account data enrichment to improve campaign performance, while also incorporating third-party intent signal data.

Act-On streamlines the experience to make marketers’ work more efficient and effective with a comprehensive platform fulfilling all marketing needs. In addition to advanced AI audience segmentation, marketers have access to Act-On Advanced Analytics, a feature that assesses data and campaign performance without the need for IT and data analysts. Flexible filtering, data visualization, and exportable reports give marketers the power of a business intelligence (BI) tool built directly within their MA. Analytics with AI further helps marketers make data-driven improvements to campaigns to better appeal to specific audiences.

All of this is achieved through Act-On’s two-data structure approach. First, Act-On Contacts provides a more traditional marketing account and contact database, which syncs with a CRM to include lead and account behavioral data. Second is the Act-On Data Lake, which helps integrate smart data sharing between platforms through the power of AI and machine learning (ML).

Act-On Data Lake integrates with Snowflake and Snowflake’s Data Marketplace to provide seamless data sharing within the Snowflake ecosystem. Snowflake customers can simply elect to share data across Snowflake instances to bring data into Act-On to drive more effective marketing campaigns. 

“The Act-On Data Lake operates like your own private CDP built into the platform, tracking all customer and visitor information and powering Act-On Analytics and AI,” said Act-On SVP of Marketing Jeff Day. “Act-On’s robust analytics engine and data segmentation features make marketers’ jobs easier on every level, simultaneously enhancing performance, efficiency, funnel, and ROI. When marketers own direct customer engagement across email, web pages, social media, SMS, and direct mail, they can elevate their brands and improve their campaign efficacy.”

SEO Toolbox.io, Inc. is thrilled to announce their new monthly subscription service designed to make SEO simple for C Suite marketing professionals, media agencies and independent business owners.

SEO Toolbox provides keyword rank tracking, backlink analysis, task management, connectivity to third-party systems such as Google analytics and competitor tracking. The service also offers other essential data gathering and reporting features businesses of all sizes need to fully analyze the effectiveness of their website and the interactions of potential clients. CEO and Founder Samuel Sylvander says he developed SEO Toolbox after years of top-level management positions in Sweden where he oversaw accounts for clients and partners throughout Europe and the United States. “What I’ve come to understand, is that while many larger companies prefer to supervise their SEO in house, many companies still prefer to utilize agencies,” explains Sylvander. “These marketing experts and media managers need thorough reports to provide their clients with a comprehensive picture of what is being accomplished through measurable results.”

SEO Toolbox is also the ideal solution for small business owners who want to track and analyze their online activity. Sylvander continues, “Our company makes SEO simple. Most SEO tracking systems are developed by techies for techies; so, they are not understandable for a CMO or entrepreneur who realizes they need to do some SEO to get new clients. We not only provide them with the tools for success, but SEO Toolbox regularly crawls our customers’ websites looking for anything that needs to be adjusted and provides constructive ideas on how to improve performance.”

From daily rank reports and notifications of rank increases and decreases to tracking tasks assigned to individual team members and the ability to monitor hundreds of projects simultaneously, SEO Toolbox is the one-stop shop for maximum search engine optimization management. “This is the service I wish I had when I was working as a media and marketing executive,” concludes Sylvander. “The man hours and bottom-line costs we would have saved would have been tremendous.” SEO Toolbox is available now to marketing specialists, media agencies and entrepreneurs who are ready to start understanding and tracking their SEO and grow their business by improving their rankings on the world’s top search engines.

Ahead of new Gmail and Yahoo email regulations this week, GetResponse, a leading global email marketing platform, has released new internal research on email deliverability to explore the potential impact for those who comply.

The email deliverability statistics highlight that emails sent from a company's own domain and not a free domain like Gmail, significantly outperform those sent from free domains in terms of global open rates (OR): 41.76% for custom domains compared to 32.32% for free domains.  The study also reveals a significant increase in click-through rates (CTR), from 2.83% for free domains to over 4% for custom domains. This research further underlines both the importance of custom domain use to inbox providers, and the positive impact they have for businesses, with them leading to more web traffic, increased brand engagement, and a higher email marketing ROI overall.

Moreover, authenticated custom domains are crucial in strengthening a company's brand reputation by aligning the sender's email-sending reputation with the organization itself. 

Michael Leszczynski, Head of Content Marketing & Partnerships at GetResponse, comments: "These industry changes will impact everyone. Those individuals and businesses not educated on the new regulations face the risk of falling behind. However, I still feel it will be a positive step forward for the industry. It ensures that the email marketing and deliverability practices advocated by GetResponse are now enforced by leading inbox providers. This means better deliverability for our customers and better emails for their subscribers. At GetResponse, we've taken care of that by enabling our customers to purchase a custom domain for email marketing campaigns directly through our platform, as we aim to make these new regulations less cumbersome for our customers. They can even get a free custom domain for a year if they sign up for a discounted annual plan".

Enterprise-grade POS and Mobile-First Ordering Platform Transforming the Way Fans Shop, Order and Pay

Cantaloupe, Inc., a leading provider of end-to-end technology solutions for self-service commerce, announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Cheq Lifestyle Technology, Inc.. This strategic investment positions Cantaloupe for expansion into the large and rapidly growing sports, entertainment, and restaurant sectors with a comprehensive suite of self-service solutions. 

By leveraging mobile ordering, socially connected payments, real-time reporting, and remote support, CHEQ empowers customers to streamline venue operations, increase efficiency, and boost revenue.

“The acquisition of CHEQ expands Cantaloupe's addressable market into a new and rapidly growing sector,” said Ravi Venkatesan, CEO of Cantaloupe, Inc. “There is tremendous synergy between both of our product lines and solutions that will grow our footprint across our combined customer base. We are excited to welcome the CHEQ team to the Cantaloupe family.”

Founded in 2021, CHEQ powers payments for numerous professional sports teams, entertainment venues and festival operators including the Washington Commanders (NFL), Florida Panthers (NHL), Philadelphia Union (MLS), Miami Marlins (MLB), CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore (Oak View Group) and Loud & Live (Festivals). CHEQ technology increases food and beverage sales, speeds up transaction times and drives new customer traffic and engagement.

“We are thrilled with the success we’ve seen since implementing CHEQ’s solutions at Amerant Bank Arena,” said Florida Panthers Chief Revenue Officer Shawn Thornton. “CHEQ’s suite of payment options has enhanced the food and beverage experience for our fans and increased our backend operational efficiency.”

Acquisition Highlights:

• Expands Cantaloupe’s addressable market into solutions for sport stadiums, entertainment venues, festivals, hospitality, theme parks, full-service & fast-casual restaurants and more.
• Provides a comprehensive line of offerings including:
  • Enterprise-grade POS platform: real-time reporting, remote support, and back-end analytics for high-volume venues and complex transactions.
  • Omnichannel Solution: mobile payments (native app, QR codes, NFC, in-seat delivery, pick up with live wait times), POS kiosks and handheld devices.
  • Socially Connected: enables real-time gifting and fosters a sense of community, enhancing fan engagement.
  • Team and Venue Customizations: including key integrations with leading loyalty and team mobile applications.

“We are looking forward to joining Cantaloupe and continuing our mission of delighting guests with a best-in-class on-premise payments experience. Joining forces will allow us to bring their market-leading innovation to our current customer base, and to expand our technology offering through Cantaloupe’s national and international distribution network,” said Thomas Lapham, CEO of CHEQ

Expansion provides industry with the most comprehensive OOH viewing measurement available

Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, announced that it will expand coverage of its National TV out-of-home (OOH) panel in 2024 in order to fully represent all U.S. TV households.

For nearly a decade, Nielsen has been capturing viewing that occurs outside of the home, including airports, hotels, bars and restaurants. Through proprietary Portable People Meter (PPM) Wearables technology, Nielsen has delivered metrics for out-of-home audiences to ensure clients can track viewer consumption regardless of the platform, screen or location. By adding additional homes to the PPM Wearables footprint, Nielsen's OOH coverage will expand from 65% to 100%.

Capturing this viewing audience is critical for genres of television that people tend to watch communally, particularly sporting events, which continue to grow as one the most important programming genres in live television. Nielsen data shows that in 2023, fans in the U.S. spent more than 1.7 trillion minutes watching games from the five most-watched sports leagues.

As people's consumption of streaming TV grows - to 36% of total television usage as of December 2023, according to Nielsen's The Gauge – the importance of measuring live sports and other "appointment" viewing on both linear and streaming also grows. With streaming services increasingly tapping into the live sports space, there is additional demand for measurement of this audience. Nielsen is the only measurement provider positioned to accurately meet the needs of increased demand and competition for scarce sports programming.

"Nielsen is highly focused on innovating in order to better serve our clients and ensure our measurement accounts for the full landscape of television consumption," said Deirdre Thomas, Chief Product Officer, Audience Measurement at Nielsen. "We understand how important it is for our clients to be able to have the most complete picture of the audience, especially for special events like the Super Bowl."

"We are appreciative of Nielsen's efforts to make out-of-home measurement more complete, providing a much clearer picture of the true audience for all television viewing and especially sports viewership," said Paul Ballew, chief data and analytics officer of the NFL. "For years we have been consistent in our belief that major sports events, like the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII, are often viewed with family and friends in large gatherings and this expanded out-of-home viewership will be crucial to measuring those events."

Nielsen plans to provide impact data in Q4 2024, in time for Super Bowl LIX.

Nexcess, the premium hosting provider optimized for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento, and Liquid Web, a leading provider of cloud hosting for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), today announced they have joined forces as one brand.

With over 50 years of combined hosting experience, the move supports Liquid Web's mission to broaden its array of offerings from SMB to enterprise solutions, deepen its technical expertise and support, and elevate the hosting market with a commitment to continued innovation.

Scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2024, the strategic move promises to unify the sister brands while also delivering unparalleled hosting experiences to customers.

As a part of the Liquid Web family of brands, this move marks a new chapter in Nexcess' two-decade long journey. Founded in 2000, Nexcess grew to offer industry-leading managed hosting optimized for top content and commerce platforms — WordPress, WooCommerce, and Magento — with an array of offerings spanning enterprise level to SMBs to starter markets.

Moving forward, Nexcess will continue to support eCommerce sites and stores around the world. The unified brand, however, will combine the deep eCommerce expertise of Nexcess with Liquid Web's robust, secure, and highly performant hosting platforms. This strategic move promises a wider range of services, leveraging the combined knowledge and expertise of both teams for superior customer support and service — along with a commitment to continuous innovation in hosting technologies and services.

"At both Liquid Web and Nexcess, our mission has always been to help businesses grow and make money online. We pride ourselves on helping organizations of all sizes start, manage, and expand their online businesses — something we've done for over 25 years," says Carrie Wheeler, President of Liquid Web.

"We're thrilled for this next chapter of Nexcess and Liquid Web. Bringing our brands together will help us continue our dedication to high-quality service and best-in-class hosting. Enabling and empowering our customers' digital success remains our top priority."

Services, plans, and contacts at Nexcess and Liquid Web will continue on as usual, but with the added benefit of enhanced resources and capabilities. Existing customers can expect a smooth transition, with no disruption to the exceptional service they rely on.

Signals and SXC transform Automotive Website Personalization by enhancing the user experience and increasing marketing efficiency and ROI for dealerships. 

DealerOn Inc. has unveiled its new Signals platform, a game-changer in automotive website personalization. This cutting-edge, open ecosystem harnesses a diverse range of a dealer's own data sources, including browsing behavior from Google Analytics (GA4) data, third-party customer data platforms, digital advertising, and email marketing interactions, to deliver unparalleled personalization for every visitor.

"DealerOn Signals embodies our commitment to innovation, bringing a level of personalization previously unseen in the automotive industry," said Ali Amirrezvani, CEO of DealerOn Inc. "It's about creating a familiar yet unique shopping environment for each consumer that mirrors the sophistication of today's e-commerce experiences."

For dealerships looking to turbocharge the solution, DealerOn presents Signals Experience Cloud (SXC) powered by fullthrottle.ai. The comprehensive solution provides an integrated audience activation platform and automates the consumer personalization experience. Shoppers receive a tailored experience from cookieless first-party data, enriched by Dealership Management System (DMS)-driven audience segmentation and identity resolution. Dealers can plan and activate media via the all-in-one audience and attribution platform with the use of Generative AI, seamlessly integrating with the DealerOn Signals platform for a truly individualized shopper experience.

Adding his vision, David Regn, CEO of fullthrottle.ai, stated, "2024 will be the year dealers are finally able to provide website shopper personalization in harmony with a first-party audience, activation and attribution strategy in the delivery of a modern retailing experience. Achieving this unified approach will set the stage for the next wave of market share shifts with the most forward-thinking dealers reaping the benefits of what is truly possible with audiences this year."

Amid growing concerns over digital misinformation and the rise of deepfakes, SWEAR unveiled its groundbreaking technology at CES 2024, garnering interest from global government agencies, technology giants, and mobile communication leaders. This technology provides an unbreakable proof of authenticity for digital media at the point of creation, directly addressing the critical need for trust and integrity in today's digital content. The launch marks a significant milestone in the battle against digital misinformation and the challenges posed by deepfakes.

SWEAR addresses a concern that has seized the global digital community: the unchecked spread of deepfakes. In a world where AI-generated synthetic media is both a marvel and a potential tool for misinformation, capable of distorting reality and swaying public opinion, SWEAR offers a much-needed solution. According to a recent study by Europol, by 2026, as much as 90% of online content might be synthetically generated, underscoring the urgent need for trustworthy verification methods.

The rapid proliferation of fake digital content poses serious threats, ranging from national security risks to undermining public trust in institutions. It has fueled conspiracy theories about vaccines and elections, and has deepened political divisions, endangering democracy. Notable recent instances include celebrity deepfakes, like the recent videos of Taylor Swift, political misinformation with a manipulated video of Ukrainian President Zelensky appearing to order his troops to surrender to Russia, and fake videos used to victimize children for sexploitation as reported by the FBI.

SWEAR's technology creates a secure, tamper-proof proof of authenticity for every pixel and sound byte, responding to the pressing question: In a world inundated with fakes, how do we establish what's real?

"Our technology isn't just about defending against the manipulation of digital media. It's about restoring faith in what we see online," states Jason Crawforth, CEO of SWEAR. "In a world where seeing is no longer believing, we provide the tools to trust digital content again."

SWEAR's technology is drawing global attention as a solution that provides a "record of reality" by locking in the authenticity of the media at the time of recording and offering a new layer of trust in digital interactions. The platform protects and authenticates content digital media from undetectable manipulation.

The SWEAR system maps all visual and audio elements of a recording cryptographically, sealing them with 'digital DNA fingerprints.' This pioneering approach not only safeguards the confidentiality of the original content, but also detects alterations, no matter how minor. "Our fight isn't just against deepfakes. It's a fight to redefine the standard for truth and digital media authenticity," Crawforth adds.

The power of SWEAR's technology also lies in its versatility. Designed to be used with any device that records video with a lens, its potential applications are vast — from mobile phone cameras to surveillance systems and police body cameras. In any scenario where the authenticity of video footage is crucial, the SWEAR framework offers a reliable solution. SWEAR's ultimate vision is to integrate its proof of authenticity technology into every lens worldwide, establishing a new standard in digital media where the authenticity of every video, regardless of its source, can be verified and trusted.

SWEAR is set to release its first commercial application — a mobile app currently in private release, with a public launch anticipated by the end of Q1 2024. This app represents a significant step in making SWEAR's authenticity technology accessible, providing users with the tools to create verifiable digital video recordings.

As the world grapples with the escalating challenges posed by deepfakes, SWEAR stands out as the only solution approaching the problem proactively at the time of creation versus playing a cat-and-mouse game of detection. With deepfake technology rapidly advancing, blurring the lines between truth and fiction, SWEAR's emergence is timely. With its innovative approach and a team of industry veterans at the helm, SWEAR is set to become a key player in the fight for digital truth in an age of digital deception.