DESelect announced the launch of the DESelect Marketing Optimization Platform (MOP), to help marketing teams maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of their campaigns. This is part of DESelect's strategic initiative to help clients optimize their marketing holistically, from a single platform.

The DESelect Marketing Optimization Platform brings together DESelect's global products, including Segment, Engage, Search, and Deedee AI to provide clients with a mission control center for improving marketing effectiveness.

Founder and CEO Anthony Lamot commented,  "It's exciting to establish the Marketing Optimization Platform as an entirely new product category to meet our clients' needs. We're equipping marketers with everything they need to target the right people, with the right message, at the right time. This furthers our mission to elevate engagement through human intelligence at scale." 

Co-founder and CTO Jonathan van Driessen added, "Since day one DESelect has existed to help marketing operations teams engage their audiences more effectively and efficiently. By combining audience segmentation, frequency optimization, search, and AI together – in a single platform – we've made it possible for clients to have greater control and visibility over their marketing."

DESelect's Marketing Optimization Platform is available to all clients globally, with features based on their current plan tier. AI and machine learning will allow clients to build segments automatically via text prompts, ask questions about their audiences, and better understand their customers' marketing preferences.

CEO Anthony Lamot concluded, "We talk to customers frequently and a common theme we hear is that they need their marketing teams to do more with less, increase overall marketing effectiveness and improve visibility. I'm thrilled to establish this new product category that unifies our solutions and provides a true mission control center for clients to take their marketing capabilities to the next level."

This new partnership gives marketers using the FreeWheel platform
access to more than 3,500 FAST channels available via OrkaTV’s streaming TV marketplace.

The end result is access to a more diversified pool of FAST ad inventory.

FreeWheel, a global technology platform for the television advertising industry, and OrkaTV, the leading marketplace for streaming TV, today announced that they have partnered to provide marketers with a new way to buy advertising in today’s fast-growing, free-ad supported streaming television (FAST) sector.

Per this partnership, advertisers working with FreeWheel now have access to more than 3,500 FAST channels available through OrkaTV’s streaming TV marketplace. The end result is access to a more diverse pool of FAST ad inventory. This, in turn, will help drive up demand for such ad inventory.

Another key feature is more accurate contextual advertising targeting abilities.

Currently, metadata capabilities allow advertisers bidding on inventory to ensure ads are properly placed. In some instances, however, the metadata is missing or inconsistent. The two companies are addressing this issue through OrkaTV’s value-added tech layer.

The latter ensures consistent video contextual data is available to the ad buyer and can be mapped to corresponding audience segments. As such, advertisers can then enable buying through FreeWheel to target consistent channel names to reach their clearly defined demographics.

FreeWheel and OrkaTV are launching these new capabilities as a way to provide marketers with more scale and reach when it comes to finding and discovering new audiences in today’s rapidly growing FAST space. Per a recent Xumo and Comcast Advertising report, 84% of advertisers will increase spending in this sector in 2024, and 3 in 5 FAST buyers are currently using the medium’s niche programming to target specific audiences. This last element is critical for advertisers and yet has become increasingly harder to accomplish as viewership habits continue to shift in a fragmented and complex media landscape.

“Improving the viewer experience is a top industry priority for us and this new partnership with OrkaTV will help pave the way for that,” said Emily Bromley, VP, Growth, FreeWheel. “With this new integration, advertisers can better reach target audiences at a granular level, while engaging and capturing their interest with a new array of premium FAST channels.”

“It’s an exciting time to be in the FAST space,” said Mike Woods, Founder and CEO, OrkaTV. “With new channels and a growing stream of audiences tuning into this sector, we wanted to create a new way to give advertisers what they need to maximize the impact of their campaigns, while bringing the scale, reach and efficiency of TV to FAST.”

New funding adds to Stensul's momentum transforming how marketing assets are created

Stensul today announced it raised $34.5 million in Series C funding to expand the capabilities of its Marketing Creation Platform. The funding round was led by Sageview Capital and includes existing investors U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), Javelin Venture Partners, Uncork Capital, and Lowercase Capital, along with participation from new investor Edith Harbaugh, LaunchDarkly's Executive Chair and Co-founder. Stensul has raised over $57 million to date.

The company will use the new funding to increase investment in product development, including deepening AI capabilities launched earlier this year. In addition, Stensul will accelerate adoption within enterprise organizations, where the opportunity for transformation has proven to be the greatest. As part of the transaction, Jake Colognesi, Partner at Sageview Capital, will join the company's board.

Stensul offers a no-code/low-code approach for teams to collaboratively create marketing assets in minutes, without weeks of back-and-forth as is the case with today's most common methods. In addition to supporting creation workflows for proofing, review and approvals, the platform automatically enforces pre-set brand guardrails, enabling anyone to create high-quality, on-brand marketing campaign assets. By dramatically reducing the time it takes to produce an email or landing page, marketers have more time to spend on strategy to optimize the performance of their campaigns.

"The feedback we heard during diligence regarding Stensul's Marketing Creation Platform was overwhelmingly positive across the board. Stensul is streamlining the way large marketing teams work across all industries - from an unnecessarily complex, time-consuming, and costly process to an easy, efficient, and ultimately more effective process. Sageview is thrilled to invest in Stensul and support the company through an exciting stage of growth," said Jake Colognesi, Partner at Sageview Capital.

"This funding round speaks to the value we're creating and the massive opportunity ahead of us," said Noah Dinkin, Stensul's Founder and CEO. "Our talented team has done an amazing job bringing Stensul to 'must-have' status for some of the most admired companies in the world. It's only a matter of time until every company's marketing team moves away from their slow and painful processes, and we can't wait to be the catalyst to make that happen."

Stensul Summit
"We're seeing an increasing amount of interest from leaders looking to rethink how their marketing organizations work across people, process, and technology," Dinkin said. "For the last year and a half, all over the country, we've had a lot of fun bringing people together in smaller group settings to share their transformation journeys. In 2024, we're going to hold the inaugural Stensul Summit™, bringing all of these people together in one place. And in typical Stensul events fashion, it's going to be a lot of fun."

Revolutionizing web design: Answer three questions and AI delivers a stunning, ready-to-launch website aligned with business goals.

Web.com, the one-stop website solutions provider, today announced the launch of its new website AI Builder to streamline the website building process for small businesses (SMBs) and entrepreneurs.

A challenge that many entrepreneurs and SMBs encounter when first starting to establish an online presence is not knowing where to start. It may be daunting and time-consuming for entrepreneurs trying to find a domain name, create a logo, build a website and write content for that website. With AI Builder, Web.com customers get a professional website, within a minute.

Users simply answer three questions to guide the AI Builder in designing a personalized website, bringing together relevant images with compelling design and content in under a minute – in any industry, from beauty and wellness, health and fitness to business and finance. The AI-generated written and visual content can be easily edited and customized in the easy-to-use interface. The Website Refresh feature allows you to view other AI-generated variations of the website using new content and images. Included in Web.com's AI Builder is AI Writer that supports the easy creation of social media posts, email marketing campaigns, blogs and more.

AI Builder and AI LogoBuilder join Web.com's suite of AI-powered tools that launched earlier this year, AI Writer and AI Domain Name Generator. These tools were designed to give entrepreneurs a starting point in building their website that is unique to their business, enabling them to launch as quick as possible.

Web.com's AI-powered tools help the customer at every stage of their journey from website creation, launch and marketing a brand online. These tools allow customers to type what they are looking for and the AI does the rest, making it easy to:

• Select the perfect domain via the AI Domain Name Generator by simply describing the business
• Create and customize a professional business logo via AI LogoBuilder with AI-driven illustrations
• Build a website with AI Builder by answering three basic questions
• Generate website content with AI Writer based on a few keywords
• Market and grow a business with AI Writer by generating ideas and content for email marketing, social media, blogs and more

"Web.com's mission is to help businesses build and grow their online presences and our team is committed to simplifying the website building process," said Ed Jay, President of Newfold Digital, the parent company of Web.com. "Thanks to the AI-powered capabilities of these tools, small businesses can maximize their time, give their businesses a strong digital home, and transform their ideas into professional content."

Zextras, the leading email and collaboration solutions provider, introduced Carbonio - a private digital workplace for the public sector and regulated industries.

Carbonio emerges as an exceptional solution for the public sector, enabling them to implement an extensive digital workspace for their internal teams and stakeholders. Delivering a suite of features that are not only comprehensive but also fully customizable, from emails and calendars to video meetings and file storage, Carbonio allows for superior adaptation to any unique technical requirements or business objectives. It is equally enticing for regulated industries to enhance their operations by providing secure software solutions tailored to meet the distinct security needs of their country and respective states.

The platform is rooted in robust compliance with global data protection regulations, including the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This fosters a secure digital environment for users, ensuring their data is aptly guarded. This high-powered alignment with stringent regulations further positions Carbonio as a reliable choice for businesses aiming to future-proof their operations while adhering to international privacy standards.

Carbonio is a complete and private alternative to Microsoft 365. It offers all the features of Microsoft 365 but with the added security and privacy required by the public sector and regulated industries. Carbonio can be hosted either in the customer's own data center, ensuring that all data remains under the customer's control, or by a local Cloud Service Provider (CSP) or Managed Service Provider (MSP), offering a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that is fully compliant with local regulations.

"The public sector and regulated industries have been underserved in terms of privacy by the major providers of cloud-based productivity solutions," said Zextras CEO Paolo Storti. "Carbonio fills this gap by offering a complete and private alternative to Microsoft 365. We are excited to offer this solution to our customers."

Company Continues Global Expansion Within APAC Region

IZEA Worldwide, Inc., the premier provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for the world’s leading brands and agencies, announced today it has acquired Hoozu, Australia’s leading influencer marketing company headquartered in Sydney. The company serves a roster of the region’s most innovative brands, including Bunnings, Emma Sleep, Super Cheap Auto, and Ryobi. In addition to its core services, Hoozu’s talent management division, called Huume, represents creators in the Australian market.

IZEA has been at the forefront of the creator economy since 2006, when its founder and CEO, Ted Murphy, created the world’s first influencer marketing platform — launching the influencer marketing industry. Over the past 17 years, IZEA has grown into a multi-national public company, serving some of the world's top marketers and creators. The company has executed influencer marketing programs for half of the Fortune 50 and recently surpassed 1 million registered users on its influencer marketing platforms.

“Acquiring Hoozu represents a significant milestone for IZEA in the Asia-Pacific region and establishes a beachhead for us in Oceania,” said Murphy. “We have seen organic global growth in recent years through our efforts in the U.K., China, and South Korea, and our acquisition of Hoozu builds on that momentum.”

“We are excited to welcome the Hoozu team into the IZEA group of companies,” continued Murphy. “As a respected leader in its market, Hoozu will operate as a stand-alone, wholly-owned subsidiary of IZEA Worldwide. Going forward, we see the potential for continued inorganic growth with Hoozu serving as the principal company for additional acquisitions in the region.”

“This acquisition not only expands our geographic footprint, it adds new capabilities in other areas in the growing creator economy,” added Ryan Schram, President and Chief Operating Officer of IZEA. “In addition to Hoozu’s core influencer marketing managed services business, the company will continue to own and operate Huume, a talent agency focusing on Australian influencers and creators.”

“IZEA’s capital, technology, and global influencer marketing resources will support and strengthen Hoozu’s long-standing presence in the region, and we look forward to what lies ahead,” continued Schram.

With nearly a decade of experience in the market, Hoozu is recognized for its brand credibility and equity across Australia. It was co-founded by entrepreneur Nathan Ruff and professional football player Lote Tuqiri. After acquiring The Remarkables Group in 2021, it appointed market specialist Natalie Giddings as CEO, who will continue in the role while reporting to Schram.

“Joining an established global leader such as IZEA enables Hoozu to service its clients with leading technology, more extensive data, and best practices which will increase our campaign quality and performance,” said Giddings. “It’s wonderful to be involved with a company that has been leading the industry from the front globally for so long. This alliance signifies that change is coming to the market.”

Ruff, co-founder of Hoozu, said: “As the market matures, we expect to see a stage of consolidation of creator economy companies. We are excited to be a key part of IZEA’s global growth plans and help them expand both organically and inorganically in the region.”

Hoozu Holdings Limited and all subsidiaries have been fully acquired by IZEA. The transaction consideration is a mix of cash and stock, with deferred payments tied to KPI performance. Hoozu grew from 2022 to 2023 (June fiscal) and was profitable in both years. IZEA intends to invest resources to fuel additional growth, including the expansion of sales personnel and overall capabilities.

China’s second-largest search publisher is the latest in Marin’s ecosystem

Marin Software, a leading platform for performance marketing, announced its integration with Qihoo 360, the second-largest search engine in China. With this new integration, Marin users can access over 90% of searches in China.

Qihoo 360, a key player in the Chinese internet sector with roots in antivirus software, offers a unique and powerful platform for advertisers looking to tap into the vast and dynamic Chinese search market. Capitalizing on its local presence, Marin Software is further expanding its reach in the Chinese market. This addition to Marin’s ecosystem of integrations recognizes the growing importance of Qihoo 360 in the global digital landscape.

Chris Lien, Marin's Chairman and CEO, commented on the integration: "The Chinese market represents a significant opportunity for digital marketers. Qihoo 360's extensive reach and sophisticated search capabilities are essential to a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. We are thrilled to offer our clients the power of MarinOne to harness the full potential of Qihoo 360, driving higher efficiency and better results in their campaigns."

The integration brings Marin’s advanced automation to Qihoo 360 ad campaigns. The platform's optimization tools and bidding algorithms are designed to deliver the best possible performance, while its Insights module automatically identifies opportunities for improvement and easy implementation.

Partnership will enable Pixability to provide holistic YouTube attention measurement across all screens

Pixability, a leader in AI-driven contextual targeting, brand suitability and performance on YouTube and CTV, today announced that it has partnered with Playground xyz, the leading attention measurement and optimization platform, to enable brands to measure the attention of their YouTube ads. The partnership will allow marketers to understand the impact of their campaigns beyond just viewability metrics across all screens including CTV, which is powered by Playground xyz’s partnership with TVision.

YouTube now has more than 2.7 billion active users and over 122 million daily active visitors across its website and apps (Demand Sage 2023). As a hub for premium content for entertainment, education, and relaxation, the platform has also transformed into the most watched CTV streaming app, per Nielsen, with over 50% of YouTube viewing now on CTV screens.

​​"The growth of YouTube and YouTube CTV is a result of shifting viewing habits. Advertisers need more actionable insights to be able to respond to this,” said David George, CEO, Pixability. “Our partnership with Playground xyz will empower our customers to make the most informed decisions about their YouTube advertising spend through a combination of our campaign insights and Playground xyz’s comprehensive attention measurements.”

Advertisers don’t want to waste impressions reaching unengaged viewers or empty rooms. As content consumption continues to shift to YouTube - and increasingly to YouTube CTV - the need to measure attention on these platforms has become increasingly important. This global partnership enables brands and agencies to do that holistically across YouTube platforms and optimize campaigns using these insights in real time.

"Brands now recognize that attention measurement goes far beyond mere hygiene metrics for a campaign. By providing a deeper understanding of their audiences and the factors that capture their attention, attention metrics create valuable insights for optimization," said Rob Hall, CEO of Playground xyz. "We are excited to partner with Pixability to make this actionable intelligence available to their clients."

Playground xyz delivers YouTube CTV attention metrics via a partnership with the CTV attention measurement company, TVision. “Viewers spend more time with YouTube than any other streaming app, “ explains Yan Liu, Co-Founder & CEO, TVision, “Pixability is helping to maximize the value of this time for advertisers by offering the benefit of attention measurement to their customers.”

Total Media, a longtime customer of Pixability’s in the UK, recently measured attention for a campaign in the UK and Ireland. “We were thrilled to be able to better understand how consumers engaged with the YouTube portion of our recent campaign”, said Guillermo Dvorak, Managing Partner of Digital and Data, Total Media. “The results were outstanding with attention rates on YouTube beating existing benchmarks across other platforms. The ability to measure this enables us to further optimize on behalf of our customers and embrace YouTube as a key part of our strategy.”