One of the largest independent PR firms in the U.S., 5WPR is rewriting the rules of consumer public relations. In a bold shift, the agency has introduced a new communications framework that links earned media directly to e-commerce outcomes, signaling a broader move toward measurable, conversion-oriented storytelling.

This isn’t just a strategy refresh. It’s a recognition that the age-old goal of “brand awareness” has evolved into a more complex equation—where visibility, trust, and purchase intent must work in tandem. And in today’s digital economy, PR has more skin in the sales game than ever.

PR That Pulls Its Weight in the Funnel

5WPR’s retooled approach merges the charm of traditional media engagement with the muscle of performance marketing. Their consumer team is now laser-focused on helping clients turn press wins into sales wins—whether in direct-to-consumer (DTC) storefronts or retail channels.

“Awareness is no longer enough,” said Leigh Ann Ambrosi, Managing Partner and EVP, CPG & Lifestyle at 5WPR. “Media coverage must influence both perception and purchase.”

That philosophy powers their fusion of narrative development, earned media outreach, and calls to action that support the full customer journey—from discovery to conversion.

AI, Authority, and the New Influence Equation

An increasingly AI-driven search environment is adding urgency to this model. With voice assistants and AI-generated answers relying on authoritative third-party sources, media coverage is becoming more than a brand’s vanity metric—it’s a path to digital discoverability.

Earned media from credible publications often carries more weight in AI rankings than paid ads or brand content. That makes strong media relationships and high-quality storytelling not just PR gold, but search strategy essentials.

From Headlines to Checkout: A Full-Funnel Philosophy

5WPR’s updated PR engine is designed to work seamlessly across the entire marketing funnel. The agency doesn’t stop at buzz—they’re aligning PR with paid social, influencer campaigns, and conversion-focused digital efforts to squeeze more ROI out of every feature and mention.

Each campaign comes with custom performance tracking, measuring both visibility and the bottom-line impact—be it clicks, conversions, or retail lift.

The move also mirrors a larger industry trend: brands are demanding authentic content that doesn’t just make noise but drives behavior. And as audiences grow more skeptical, traditional ad formats often fall flat. That leaves room for story-led PR to shine—as long as it’s smart, strategic, and optimized for action.

Walking the Walk

5WPR’s consumer division has already steered success for heavyweights in food & beverage, beauty, wellness, home goods, parenting, and more. With this reimagined framework, the agency aims to future-proof PR—ensuring it remains a growth driver in a commerce-first, algorithm-filtered world.

And if the playbook works as promised, don’t be surprised if other firms rush to follow.

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Spreetail’s Price Pulse Turns Up the Heat on Marketplace Pricing

The race for ecommerce dominance just got a bit more tactical. Spreetail, a leading ecommerce marketplace accelerator, has unveiled Price Pulse, a predictive pricing engine that aims to help brands win the Buy Box—and do it without playing a self-destructive game of discount chicken.

Unlike traditional repricers that rely on aggressive undercutting, Price Pulse is engineered for strategy, not desperation. It uses AI to factor in real-time seasonal trends, inventory awareness across channels, and billions of dollars in marketplace data to power smarter, more dynamic pricing.

The result? Brands can now respond to market shifts with agility—boosting visibility, conversions, and share of shelf—without bleeding profit.

From Price Wars to Precision Pricing

"Price Pulse gives brands a competitive edge by optimizing for market share gain, not just price,” said Kyle Kaluza, SVP of Operations at Spreetail. “Pricing can’t happen in a vacuum—brands need to understand the competitive landscape and act quickly to outmaneuver rivals.”

The tool analyzes how marketplace algorithms like Amazon’s Buy Box operate, folding in factors that influence ranking beyond just pricing—inventory velocity, promotion history, and channel-wide stock levels.

It’s also integrated with Spreetail’s promotion engine, enabling seamless coordination of flash sales and seasonal offers—without slipping into the trap of over-discounting. That’s particularly useful for maintaining low out-of-stock (OOS) rates and climbing up organic rankings.

Part of a Bigger Smart Shelf Strategy

Price Pulse isn’t just a standalone solution—it’s the newest member of Spreetail’s expanding Smart Shelf suite, a collection of tools designed to make brands sharper, faster, and more effective across digital shelves.

It follows June’s release of Listing Doctor, an AI-powered listing optimizer that diagnoses and fixes underperforming product pages. With several new tools already in the pipeline, Spreetail is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for brands chasing ecommerce excellence at scale.

And here’s the kicker: Price Pulse is free for Spreetail partners, further sweetening the deal for brands aiming to expand across major marketplaces.

Smarter Pricing, Better Margins, Real Growth

With Buy Box capture rates at an all-time high for Spreetail, Price Pulse is already proving to be more than a fancy algorithm. It’s a strategic lever—one that gives brands real-time intelligence to adjust pricing, maintain momentum, and fend off pricing pressure without sacrificing margin.

In a market where every click matters and margins are constantly squeezed, Price Pulse might just be the quiet power tool that lets brands outsmart instead of outspend.

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LTK Reinvents Social Shopping With AI, Public Profiles, and Two-Way Chat

LTK, the original Creator Commerce™ platform, is taking a bold leap forward—transforming its consumer and creator experience into something that feels more like a true social network, and less like a passive shopping app.

This week, the company announced a sweeping suite of new features designed to deepen engagement, boost discoverability, and put creators squarely at the center of commerce. The updates include public profiles, two-way chat messaging, and an AI-powered global search engine—bringing LTK’s vision of community-driven shopping closer to reality.

At its core, the update reflects a key shift in how people shop: not through algorithms, but through relationships. And LTK, it seems, is positioning itself as the anti-algorithm platform—where creators lead, not feeds.

Public Profiles: Turning LTK Into a Social Discovery Engine

One of the most significant changes is the introduction of Public Profiles for consumers. Now, users can make their LTK profiles public via a shareable link, allowing friends to browse saved posts, favorite products, and followed creators. It’s a Pinterest-meets-TikTok moment—social shopping that’s more personal, collaborative, and transparent.

It makes LTK feel less like a storefront and more like a community of tastemakers, where what you love is meant to be shared—not siloed.

Two-Way Chat: Real Conversations, Not Just Comments

LTK Creators now have new ways to engage, with threaded commenting in LTK Chat, turning one-sided interactions into ongoing, authentic dialogues. Unlike the passive likes and quick reactions typical of social platforms, this feature encourages actual conversation between creators and fans.

It’s a deliberate move toward building trust and community, two things that creators increasingly trade on in a world where attention spans are shrinking, and transactional content often falls flat.

Smarter, Visual, AI-Driven Search

Search is the second most-used feature on LTK—and it's getting a serious upgrade.

LTK’s new Visual Search tool lets users upload an image and instantly surface visually similar posts, streamlining the path from inspiration to purchase. Meanwhile, its AI-enhanced Global Search delivers results based on context—not just keywords—making it easier to find what you didn’t even know you were looking for.

The redesigned Discover Tab also brings real-time trends, hot creators, and popular searches front and center, keeping the experience fresh and more tailored to user behavior.

Empowering Creators With Business-Ready Tools

LTK isn’t just improving the front end. Behind the scenes, creators are getting upgraded too.

The new My LTK Tab lets them preview how their profile appears to consumers, complete with bio, product tabs, and daily drops—essential for creators who treat LTK like their personal storefront. The platform also streamlined payments with a new direct deposit option, speeding up earnings and simplifying onboarding.

It’s part of a larger push to make LTK the platform where creator businesses can actually grow, not just gain followers.

The Bigger Picture: Social Shopping Without the Noise

LTK’s moves come as trust in traditional social algorithms wanes. More consumers are turning to creators—not feeds—for product recommendations, style inspiration, and lifestyle tips. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are doubling down on in-app commerce, but LTK’s creator-first model offers a cleaner, purpose-built experience—shopping through people, not posts.

With features rolling out in the coming weeks, LTK is making a clear statement: Creator Commerce isn’t a feature, it’s the future. And they’re building the infrastructure to make it feel more human, social, and smart.

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LTIMindtree and Adobe Launch BlueVerse CraftStudio to Power the Next Wave of AI-Enabled Marketing

In a bold move to modernize marketing operations, LTIMindtree has launched BlueVerse CraftStudio, a next-generation marketing agency built on Adobe’s AI-powered tools. The new initiative promises to supercharge marketing teams with scalable expertise, cutting-edge creative solutions, and measurable business impact—without the complexity of building an AI stack from scratch.

CraftStudio is more than a bundled service offering—it's a blueprint for the AI-powered marketing department of the future. Tapping into Adobe’s latest innovations—including Creative Cloud, Firefly, Frame.io, Substance 3D, GenStudio, and Workfront—LTIMindtree is offering brands a ready-made solution to accelerate campaign delivery, sharpen audience targeting, and maximize ROI.

A Strategic Shortcut to AI Marketing Mastery

For CMOs feeling the pressure to "do something with AI" without derailing current operations, CraftStudio offers an off-the-shelf AI advantage. It combines LTIMindtree’s marketing expertise with Adobe’s intelligent toolset to enable:

• Revenue growth through full-funnel marketing optimization

• Faster go-to-market, with up to 50% time savings on campaigns

• Instant AI adoption, skipping the internal buildout of data science and engineering teams

Venu Lambu, CEO and MD of LTIMindtree, framed the launch as a defining moment:

“Together, we’re shaping the future of marketing—where data-driven intelligence meets imaginative storytelling.”

Stephen Frieder, Adobe’s Chief Revenue Officer, echoed the sentiment:

“CraftStudio puts Adobe’s AI tools directly into the hands of marketers, helping them deliver smarter, faster, and more connected experiences.”

Why This Matters: AI Adoption Without the Growing Pains

Marketing leaders know that AI adoption is no longer optional—it’s table stakes. But building internal capabilities is often slow, expensive, and riddled with organizational resistance. CraftStudio short-circuits that process, offering a plug-and-play team of professionals trained in Adobe’s most powerful tools.

In a landscape where time-to-market can be the difference between trendsetting and playing catch-up, cutting campaign timelines by 50% isn’t just impressive—it’s strategic.

It also aligns with the broader marketing shift toward creative automation, predictive targeting, and personalization at scale—areas where Adobe has carved out a deep stack of capabilities. By packaging those tools into an easily deployable agency model, LTIMindtree and Adobe are removing the final barrier: execution.

The Bigger Play: Becoming the Digital Agency of the Future

CraftStudio represents LTIMindtree’s clearest signal yet that it’s gunning for leadership in the CMO services space. This isn’t just about implementing MarTech stacks—it’s about owning the intersection of creativity, AI, and business outcomes.

By combining Adobe’s robust creative and performance marketing technologies with its own services-led model, LTIMindtree is turning AI-enabled marketing into an accessible, strategic advantage for brands already stretched thin.

The promise is clear: faster campaigns, better returns, and smarter decisions—all without reinventing your org chart.

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Get in touchZeta Global Hires AI Veteran Nate Yohannes to Lead New Data & AI Innovation Lab

Zeta Global is placing a major bet on the future of AI-powered marketing—and it just brought in a heavyweight to lead the charge.

The AI Marketing Cloud company has appointed Nate Yohannes as President of its newly formed Zeta Data & AI Lab and Global Head of R&D. With a résumé that includes key roles at Meta, Microsoft, and the White House, Yohannes steps into a pivotal position with a dual mandate: accelerate Zeta’s innovation engine and shape the next generation of marketing technology.

Yohannes, who most recently led GenAI product development in Ads Ranking at Meta, brings a rare blend of AI vision and product execution. At Meta, he was instrumental in developing Llama-based AI systems that now underpin its core advertising platform. Before that, he served in Microsoft’s Office of the CTO, where his work centered on scaling AI and inclusive innovation.

Now, he’s turning that expertise to Zeta, where expectations are high and the mission is ambitious: turning bold ideas into new revenue streams and marketing breakthroughs.

A New Lab for the AI Age

Yohannes will report to Christian Monberg, Zeta’s Chief Technology Officer, and lead the Zeta Data & AI Lab, an innovation unit tasked with identifying, testing, and scaling transformative technologies. Think of it as Zeta’s internal skunkworks—part R&D hub, part AI incubator, all focused on pushing marketing tech beyond today’s playbook.

The lab’s remit is broad but laser-focused: tap into Zeta’s deep proprietary data, leverage advanced AI, and move fast. Whether that means developing new ad ranking systems, predictive analytics, or novel customer experiences, Yohannes will be at the helm.

“With Nate’s leadership, we’re accelerating our innovation engine and turning today’s breakthroughs into tomorrow’s industry standards,” said David A. Steinberg, Zeta’s Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO. “He’s equal parts visionary and builder.”

Why This Matters: AI in Marketing Is Reaching a Tipping Point

Zeta’s move comes at a time when GenAI is rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape—from campaign automation and predictive modeling to customer personalization at scale. Companies are scrambling to adapt, but few have the data infrastructure or AI fluency to lead.

With Yohannes, Zeta gains both. The hire signals that Zeta isn’t just trying to keep up with AI innovation—it’s aiming to set the pace.

In his own words, Yohannes is “honored to join Zeta at such a pivotal moment,” citing the company’s proprietary platform, bold vision, and strong leadership as key differentiators. He plans to focus on building breakthrough products, attracting top talent, and delivering measurable impact for clients.

The Bigger Picture: Talent and Tech as Growth Drivers

This move aligns with a broader trend across enterprise tech: R&D is no longer a backroom function—it’s a strategic engine for growth. By launching a dedicated AI lab and putting a seasoned operator like Yohannes in charge, Zeta is positioning itself to lead in an era where AI will define who thrives and who gets left behind.

And if Zeta can turn even a fraction of its AI ambitions into client-ready solutions, it could very well define what the next wave of marketing looks like. with our MarTech Experts.

HubSpot Supercharges Claude with CRM Context for Smarter AI Insights

In the era of AI-first workflows, context is everything—and HubSpot just delivered a major upgrade that could reshape how go-to-market teams work.

The company has launched the first-ever CRM connector for Claude, Anthropic’s conversational AI, enabling HubSpot users to bring their real-time business data directly into Claude’s interface. With the connector, teams can now ask natural-language questions, generate instant visualizations like pie charts and graphs, and take immediate action on insights—without ever leaving the HubSpot ecosystem.

In short, it’s AI, but grounded in your actual data—not hallucinations.

Smarter Questions, Sharper Answers

Marketing, sales, support, and customer success teams can now tap into Claude with business context that’s specific, up-to-date, and actionable.

• Marketers can ask Claude to identify contacts who opened a recent email but didn’t click, then generate a pie chart for follow-up segmentation.

• Sales reps can request a summary of active deals by stage and close date to prioritize their pipeline.

• Support agents can pull a list of their open tickets, sorted by urgency.

• CS teams can compare support resolution strategies across channels to spot trends and optimize service quality.

By embedding HubSpot CRM data into Claude, the platform evolves from a generic chatbot to a business-savvy assistant that works with your team’s actual reality.

“This makes Claude more useful by grounding its responses in real context from their business,” said Karen Ng, EVP and Head of Product at HubSpot. “It’s a simple, powerful way to get insights you can trust, wherever you work.”

Built for Security, Designed for Usability

Crucially, the Claude connector respects HubSpot’s role-based permissions. Sales reps only see deals they’re authorized to access; no accidental oversharing or data breaches here.

And in line with Anthropic’s approach to privacy, HubSpot data isn’t used to train Claude’s models unless customers explicitly opt in via feedback or custom training.

“This integration lets Claude reason through complex questions using your CRM data,” said Scott White, Head of Product at Claude.ai. “It makes Claude more valuable to HubSpot-powered teams looking to gain insights and take action.”

AI That Doesn’t Just Predict—Performs

The Claude connector is part of a broader effort by HubSpot to embed AI into everyday workflows. It follows a wave of new AI tools and connectors aimed at bringing structured, permissioned business data into LLMs—bridging the gap between AI hype and operational value.

Available now across all HubSpot tiers for users with a Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise plan, the connector is another example of how HubSpot is democratizing access to AI without demanding a PhD or a team of prompt engineers.

And for teams juggling a half-dozen AI tools, this connector may finally be the missing link: a smarter assistant that knows your business—and your customers.

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Marketers Still Support EDI—but Pushback and Hostility Are on the Rise, Says CMA Report

Despite growing polarization and budgetary backlash, most Canadian marketers continue to support equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, according to new research from the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) in partnership with strategy.

The report, EDI in Canadian Marketing: Positive Progress and Persistent Challenges, found that 66% of marketers actively support EDI programs, with 81% saying they’ve never felt personally disadvantaged by such policies. Even among the 5% who oppose inclusion efforts, two-thirds acknowledge at least one benefit of a diverse workplace.

But enthusiasm is being tested. Nearly 60% of respondents reported pushback on EDI efforts—manifesting as budget cuts, policy stagnation, or passive resistance to training. Those who witnessed resistance also noted a drop in team morale and increased preventable turnover.

“Pushback may be getting louder, but the data clearly show that most marketers still believe in inclusion,” said Barry Alexander, Chief Marketing and Diversity Officer at CMA.

Polarization Is Hurting Teams

Workplace polarization is also rising sharply. 76% of marketers say ideological tension is affecting collaboration, leading to self-censorship, broken trust, and communication barriers.

Worse, one-third of respondents reported witnessing identity-based hostility at work—including smear campaigns, vandalism, and even physical threats. These incidents hurt not only the direct victims but also overall team cohesion and organizational culture.

Microaggressions and discriminatory behavior remain widespread. Over half (55%) of marketers said they’ve seen inequity or exclusion in the last year. Racial or gender-based jokes jumped to 39% in 2025, with the rate especially high—73%—in organizations lacking diverse leadership.

Marginalized Marketers and Older Workers Face Steeper Challenges

The data shows a disproportionate burden on marginalized groups. Nearly 60% of racialized, LGBTQ2S+, or otherwise underrepresented marketers say they need to work harder to be treated equally, compared with just 31% of non-marginalized men.

Marginalized women are particularly vulnerable, with a seven-point drop in reported inclusion (to 57%)—the only group to see year-over-year decline.

Ageism is also intensifying: more than half of respondents say it’s tacitly accepted in marketing, and stigmas against professionals over 55 are on the rise—often voiced by Boomers themselves, according to the CMA.

Leadership Diversity = Better Outcomes

One factor consistently mitigates these problems: leadership diversity. Only 28% of surveyed organizations reported having well-diversified leadership teams—but those that did saw dramatic improvements.

• Disengagement linked to discrimination drops from 68% to 28%.

• Feelings of inclusion rise from 39% to 93%.

• Reports of hostility and microaggressions decline significantly.

The takeaway? Inclusion isn’t just an HR priority—it’s a business performance driver. Organizations with diverse leadership outperform their peers in collaboration, innovation, and resilience.

A Call to Action for Canadian Marketers

With public debate intensifying and workplace divisions growing, marketers are being urged to double down—not back down—on inclusion.

“Canada’s success story is written in many languages and lived in every community,” said Alexander. “When our boardrooms mirror that reality, marketers create products and campaigns that truly resonate.”

The CMA recommends tying inclusion to business KPIs, maintaining open dialogue, and ensuring leadership reflects Canada’s diversity. In a time of rising resistance, these aren’t just ideals—they’re imperatives for long-term growth and workplace stability.

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Audyence Unites with Top Intent Data Players to Streamline B2B Demand

In the ever-evolving world of B2B demand marketing, speed and precision are no longer luxuries—they’re table stakes. Audyence, the self-described system of record for paid B2B demand marketing, is pushing both levers with a new set of integrations that plug in buyer intelligence from 6sense, Bombora, Channel99, and Demandbase directly into its platform.

The move is designed to eliminate the friction that often plagues B2B lead generation: disconnected platforms, manual workflows, and siloed data. With this update, Audyence users can now plan, activate, and optimize campaigns using live intent signals and account-level insights—all in one place.

“Modern demand marketing requires precision, speed, and coordination across every touchpoint,” said Karl Van Buren, CEO of Audyence. “These integrations let marketers go from insight to execution in seconds, without jumping between tools.”

The Integration Stack: Who Brings What?

• 6sense brings its predictive audiences into play, allowing marketers to act on buying stage signals the moment they surface.

• Bombora contributes its well-regarded Company SurgeⓇ Intent data, giving real-time insight into which businesses are researching relevant topics.

• Channel99 offers transparency into performance signals, helping teams optimize spend with clarity.

• Demandbase delivers deep account intelligence, which, combined with Audyence’s orchestration tools, turns generic campaigns into laser-targeted outreach.

Taken together, these integrations are about more than efficiency—they’re about making modern B2B campaigns truly intelligent.

No More Frankenstack

Audyence’s vision is bold: one platform to plan, execute, and analyze demand generation—without the patchwork of plug-ins and spreadsheets. The new integrations aim to collapse the B2B martech stack into a streamlined, centralized hub.

“Marketing teams are tired of vendor sprawl,” said Dustin Piper, EVP of Partnerships and Alliances at 6sense. “This gives them a system that actually talks to itself—and responds in real time.”

Why It Matters

Intent data has long been a goldmine for B2B marketers—but too often, it's locked away in disparate platforms or arrives too late to act on. Audyence is betting that by centralizing this intelligence and tying it to real-time campaign activation, it can offer something competitors can’t: actionability at scale.

It's also a strategic move in the broader martech consolidation trend. As more marketers seek to reduce costs and complexity, platforms that can wear multiple hats—and wear them well—are in high demand.

“It's not just about speed,” said Chris Golec, Founder/CEO at Channel99. “It’s about having visibility and control in one place. That’s what makes this a win.”

With these integrations, Audyence is positioning itself not just as another martech player, but as the command center for demand—something B2B marketers have long needed, and competitors will likely scramble to emulate.

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