Skechers Scores OG Anunoby as Brand Ambassador Ahead of European Tour

Confirming sneakerhead suspicions since his eye-catching slam dunk during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby is officially joining Team Skechers. The NBA champ, known for his elite defense and athletic explosiveness, will lace up in Skechers basketball shoes and become a featured face in the brand’s global marketing push.

Anunoby’s announcement arrives just in time for Skechers' European basketball tour, where he’ll team up with Brooklyn Nets guard and fellow Skechers athlete Terance Mann. The duo will hit courts and events across Belgrade, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Zadar, starting July 26.

Bringing Star Power to Skechers’ Expanding Basketball Roster

“I play fast and close to the ground. I jump and move a lot,” said Anunoby, now sporting the SKX NEXUS™ and SKX REIGN™ models. “Skechers has the shoe that provides me with comfort and protection, helping me perform at my best every day.”

David Weinberg, Skechers’ COO, emphasized the significance of the signing: “OG, known for his spectacular dunks and defensive prowess on the court, is a fantastic and inspiring addition to our global team.”

Anunoby adds more credibility to Skechers’ growing list of professional basketball endorsers, which includes Julius Randle, Joel Embiid, Norman Powell, Josh Green, and WNBA stars Jackie Young, Rickea Jackson, and Kiki Iriafen.

From London to NYC—and Now, Skechers

Born in London and raised in Missouri, Anunoby rose through the American high school and NCAA ranks before being drafted 23rd overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2017. He became the first British-born NBA champion when the Raptors took the title in 2019. In 2024, he joined the Knicks, delivering standout performances—including a career-high 40-point game against Denver.

Now, with a fresh endorsement deal and a pair of performance-driven shoes underfoot, Anunoby becomes an international ambassador for Skechers' basketball ambitions.

Shoes That Match the Game

Anunoby’s footwear of choice is no gimmick. The SKX NEXUS™, a low-top court shoe, is optimized for speed and agility, while the SKX REIGN™—yes, the same pair from that viral dunk—amplifies bounce and traction for high-intensity plays on both ends of the floor.

The signing signals Skechers' continued evolution from lifestyle brand to serious player in performance footwear. And with Anunoby's talent and visibility, that evolution is now center court.

Skechers basketball shoes are available at skechersbasketball.com and in select retail stores.

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Viant Technology has unveiled a major enhancement to its demand-side platform (DSP), integrating IRIS-enabled™ Content Reports and Pre-Bid Targeting to bring real-time contextual intelligence and actionable targeting to Connected TV (CTV) advertisers.

This exclusive update allows advertisers using the Viant DSP to see precisely how ads are performing across a range of content environments—classified by both emotional and contextual data—while campaigns are still live. Armed with performance insights such as video-completion and conversion rates across various content categories, advertisers can now optimize with clarity instead of guesswork.

What sets this upgrade apart is the ability to immediately apply those insights via Pre-Bid Targeting. If, for example, action thrillers or inspirational documentaries drive higher engagement, advertisers can dynamically retarget content in those exact categories at the video level—without leaving the Viant DSP.

"This integration with IRIS.TV is a foundational piece of our CTV offering," said Tim Vanderhook, Co-Founder and CEO of Viant. "By embedding IRIS-enabled data into both measurement and activation, we’re reducing friction and driving better results for advertisers."

The IRIS-enabled Content Report is powered by IRIS.TV’s proprietary IRIS_ID system, already integrated into more than 75 million videos from top streaming platforms. This allows Viant advertisers to tap into a broad taxonomy of content categories from data partners such as GumGum, KERV.ai, Pixability, Silverpush, and others.

Performance benefits are already clear. According to Upwave data, IRIS-enabled CTV campaigns delivered a 2x boost in brand awareness, a 3x increase in ad recall, and an impressive 5x lift in favorability versus traditional CTV benchmarks.

"Contextual targeting is evolving fast in streaming," added Field Garthwaite, CEO of IRIS.TV. "Our partnership with Viant makes that evolution instantly actionable—translating viewer attention into measurable outcomes."

For advertisers seeking more precision and agility in the crowded CTV space, Viant’s IRIS-enabled offering presents a compelling new toolkit—one that aligns context, audience, and performance in real time.

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ZoomInfo just gave its Copilot users a major upgrade—and it’s more than just a backend tweak. The GTM intelligence heavyweight is now bundling API access into all Copilot plans, allowing users to tap directly into its AI-ready market data across partner platforms. In an era where GTM strategies hinge on data precision, this move could dramatically improve how sales and marketing teams fuel their tech stacks.

One API to Rule Your GTM Stack

ZoomInfo's Copilot isn’t just a co-pilot anymore—it’s a full-fledged mission control for AI-driven go-to-market teams. The new API access allows users to sync ZoomInfo’s rich contact and company data into external platforms like Outreach and Salesloft, enhancing CRM records with updated emails, phone numbers, and missing contact information.

“Data powers the GTM flywheel, and AI is what propels it into overdrive,” said Ali Sadat, SVP of Product Management at ZoomInfo. “Speed alone means nothing without precision.”

Translation? Speedy automation without accurate data is a recipe for chaos. This new API integration ensures that GTM teams start with clean, enriched data—critical for everything from AI modeling to sales outreach.

Plug. Play. Prospect.

The offering is plug-and-play for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), enabling seamless access to ZoomInfo's dataset through apps their customers already use. For instance, sales teams using Outreach or Salesloft can now discover missing contacts and validate email/phone info without ever leaving their workflow.

That’s not just convenience—it’s efficiency at scale.

Why This Matters

API access has often been locked behind premium tiers or enterprise plans in the B2B SaaS world. By including it across all Copilot plans, ZoomInfo is flipping the script—making API-driven intelligence the new baseline. It’s also a strategic push to expand its data ecosystem and increase developer adoption at a time when platform extensibility is becoming a key differentiator in martech.

With competitors like Apollo.io and Clearbit also doubling down on integrations, ZoomInfo’s API expansion sends a clear message: it’s not just about having data, it’s about moving it where it matters, fast.

As new datasets roll out, ISVs can automatically attach them to existing company and contact profiles using ZoomInfo IDs—making expansion feel more like an upgrade than an overhaul.

ZoomInfo’s early partners—Outreach and Salesloft—are just the start. As the company continues to grow its integration roster, expect to see more automation and AI tools powered by real-time, context-rich intelligence.

And for GTM teams still stuck wrestling with stale CRM entries and siloed data? This update may be the nudge they need to make the leap.

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NICE Bets Big on Conversational AI With $955M Cognigy Acquisition

In a bold move to redefine the future of customer service, NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cognigy, a leader in conversational and agentic AI, for approximately $955 million. The deal marks a significant leap in NICE’s mission to deliver AI-first customer experiences, combining its CXone Mpower platform with Cognigy’s advanced automation capabilities.

The acquisition isn’t just about expanding tech stacks—it’s about reshaping how businesses interact with customers in an AI-native world.

Why It Matters

In a hyper-competitive market where customer expectations are higher than ever and AI is becoming table stakes, NICE’s acquisition of Cognigy adds rocket fuel to its innovation engine. The integration promises to create one of the most comprehensive AI-powered CX platforms by merging NICE's enterprise-grade tools with Cognigy's dynamic conversational agents.

“These are AI agents that don’t just answer queries—they think, adapt, and act,” said Scott Russell, CEO of NICE. “This is a landmark moment for NICE that sets a new standard for AI-powered customer experience.”

Conversational AI Meets Enterprise-Grade CX

At the heart of this acquisition is Cognigy.AI, a platform that allows enterprises to deploy AI agents across any channel and in over 100 languages. These agents deliver fast, personalized support while freeing up human staff to handle more complex tasks. In essence, Cognigy’s bots are no longer just chat assistants—they’re autonomous service agents with a brain.

Cognigy already counts top-tier global brands like Mercedes-Benz, Nestlé, and Lufthansa Group among its customers. The company is forecasting an 80% annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth by 2026—an attractive prospect for NICE as it looks to expand market share and global reach.

Strategic and Financial Play

Valued at $955 million, the deal includes an approximate $50 million holdback and will be financed through NICE’s existing cash reserves. The board has unanimously approved the acquisition, which is expected to close in Q4 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

For NICE, the acquisition goes beyond technology—it’s a strategic accelerant. Combining Cognigy’s agentic AI with CXone Mpower gives enterprises a unified platform to deploy intelligent agents across front and back-office operations, meeting customers where they are with precision and scale.

The Broader Landscape

This move echoes a larger trend: legacy CX platforms are racing to embed intelligent automation at the core of their offerings. It’s a signal that conversational AI isn’t a sidecar anymore—it’s becoming the driver. Competitors like Genesys and Salesforce have made similar AI-focused bets, but NICE now positions itself at the forefront with a dual-engine model: deep data insights from CXone, and intelligent execution from Cognigy.

The integration will likely unfold in phases, but the vision is clear: AI-first CX at enterprise scale. For customers, it means smarter, faster, and more human-like service. For competitors, it’s a new bar to match.

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AI Search Is Splitting—And Marketers Need to Catch Up

Search, once a monolithic gateway to the web, is now showing clear signs of fragmentation. According to new research from BrightEdge, the AI-driven search landscape is splitting along two very different paths: Google’s “read more” philosophy vs. ChatGPT’s “do this now” approach.

Analyzing thousands of real-world prompts across four high-stakes industries—finance, healthcare, B2B tech, and education—BrightEdge found that ChatGPT and Google AI Mode increasingly disagree, especially when queries are action-oriented. In simple terms, ChatGPT wants to help you do, while Google still wants to help you learn.

And for marketers? This split has massive implications.

One Query, Two Realities

BrightEdge’s data reveals a striking divergence in how AI systems interpret intent. When a query is informational—like comparing online learning platforms or credit cards—Google and ChatGPT largely agree. But when a user asks “how to” take the next step, the responses part ways.

• Healthcare: ChatGPT recommends Zocdoc to find a doctor; Google offers links to hospital directories.

• B2B Tech: ChatGPT nudges users toward tools like AWS CLI and Kubernetes; Google returns tutorials and Stack Overflow posts.

• Education: ChatGPT prefers actionable platforms like Udemy for learning Python; Google reverts to blog posts on GitHub and Medium.

• Finance: ChatGPT points to budgeting apps like Mint; Google sticks to guides from NerdWallet and finance blogs.

On average, task-driven prompts revealed divergence rates ranging from 39% to 62%, depending on the industry.

“AI search is no longer one thing—it’s splitting into at least two distinct philosophies,” said BrightEdge CEO Jim Yu. “While Google thrives as a research assistant, ChatGPT acts like a trusted coach.”

Why It Matters: From Funnel to Functionality

This isn’t just about user experience. It’s about conversion paths. For marketers, the implications are clear: ChatGPT’s responses increasingly align with bottom-of-funnel behavior—users ready to act. Google, by contrast, remains more top- or mid-funnel, feeding curiosity rather than directing action.

If you’re a brand trying to get your product into that action-oriented conversation, optimizing for traditional SEO alone won’t cut it.

Marketing in the Age of Split Search

With Google still holding ~90% of global search share, no one is suggesting marketers abandon it. But as ChatGPT (and similar generative AI tools) become integral to the search journey, there's a growing demand for cross-AI visibility.

BrightEdge's answer? AI Catalyst, its proprietary AI platform designed to unify search strategies across Google, ChatGPT, and other AI-driven environments.

Trusted by Fortune 500 brands, AI Catalyst lets marketers understand how their content is interpreted by different AI models and ensures visibility across all major search paradigms—be it generative or traditional.

In just the last quarter, 27% of BrightEdge clients have begun using Catalyst daily, reflecting the urgency and value of a cross-platform search strategy.

A New Playbook for Search

This isn’t just another AI trend—it’s a structural change in how search operates. With one platform pointing to what to read and the other to what to use, marketers need to adapt their content, strategy, and tools accordingly.

BrightEdge’s research doesn’t just highlight the split—it offers a roadmap. And in this bifurcating landscape, the brands that win will be the ones who learn to speak both AI dialects fluently.

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AI in Social Media Is Gaining Ground—But Trust Is the New Currency

AI isn’t just quietly reshaping how brands market—it’s now redefining how consumers want to interact. A new report from customer engagement platform Emplifi reveals that consumers are warming to AI-powered brand interactions on social media, even as they remain wary of trust, transparency, and accuracy.

Titled “AI in Social Media in 2025: What Consumers Want,” the study surveyed nearly 900 active social media users to unpack consumer expectations and comfort levels around generative AI tools like ChatGPT. The topline takeaway? 73% already use AI for product suggestions or brand discovery. That’s not a trend—it’s a behavioral shift.

AI Can Improve Engagement—But It Needs Guardrails

According to the report, 64% of consumers believe AI will enhance how they engage with brands on social media. But here’s the catch: 60% are concerned about AI giving inaccurate answers. And while AI tools are clearly influencing discovery, they’re not yet a replacement for human interaction—56% of users still prefer talking to a real person for customer support.

Still, AI’s record isn’t bad. 71% of users reported satisfaction with AI-assisted support experiences—suggesting that even if consumers don’t prefer AI-only interactions, they’re often pleasantly surprised when they do happen.

Speed and Access Win—But Trust Matters More

When it comes to what consumers like about AI in customer care, availability (34%) and faster response times (26%) topped the list. These benefits are more than preferences—they’re now expectations. The report highlights that 66% of consumers expect an immediate response, and only 24% are willing to wait more than an hour.

That’s a wake-up call for brands operating with legacy support models or delayed social media replies.

However, trust remains a deal-breaker. An overwhelming 83% of respondents want to know when AI is being used, and half say that labeling interactions as “AI-powered” would increase brand trust. In short, consumers want AI—but they want to know they’re talking to it.

AI in Retail: Ready for Prime Time

Emplifi’s CMO Susan Ganeshan called out an even more encouraging signal: 77% of consumers feel positive about AI in shopping. That number should make any D2C or ecommerce marketer perk up.

But as Ganeshan points out, scaling AI requires more than algorithms. “You just need the right technical partner,” she said. “Brands must approach AI with transparency and accountability to create meaningful interactions.”

That includes integrating brand-specific policies, tone, and historical data into AI responses—essentially, giving AI a human voice backed by brand credibility.

The Data-Sharing Comfort Line

The report also dug into how comfortable consumers are sharing personal data with AI—an area fraught with privacy concerns. The findings show varied comfort levels:

• 48% are fine sharing gender identity

• 40% are okay with sharing clothing size

• 32% are open to sharing purchase history

• 31% are okay with browser history

While these numbers are promising for personalization efforts, they also signal boundaries marketers must respect.

AI Is Welcome—If It’s Honest, Fast, and Useful

AI in social media is no longer optional—it’s operational. But Emplifi’s findings reinforce that brands must deploy it with clarity and care. Consumers want speed and personalization, but not at the cost of transparency or trust. A label, a little honesty, and a lot of relevance can go a long way.

And while some brands may still be hesitant to automate social media or customer care with AI, the message from consumers is clear: Get moving—or get left behind.

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Email Marketing Just Got Smarter: Segment Ninja and Claritas Deliver Real Intelligence to Klaviyo

Email marketers using Klaviyo just got a major upgrade. Segment Ninja, a SaaS segmentation platform built specifically for Klaviyo users, has teamed up with Claritas to roll out a first-of-its-kind integration that brings powerful demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle insights directly into the platform. The goal? Help marketers instantly identify their highest-value customers—and acquire more just like them.

Early adopter Alen, a leading air purification brand, is already proving the results. Using the combined power of Segment Ninja and Claritas’ PRIZM® Premier data, the company saw a 5.2x ROI on segmented acquisition campaigns and up to 60% open rates when targeting high-value audience clusters.

From CRM to ROI: Turning First-Party Data into First-Class Strategy

Marketers have long struggled to bridge the gap between the first-party data they own and the deep segmentation needed to turn that data into meaningful action. Segment Ninja solves this with a simple, one-click interface that pipes in Claritas’ PRIZM Premier, one of the industry’s most robust segmentation datasets.

Here’s what that means for Klaviyo users:

• Instant list enrichment with household-level demographic and lifestyle data

• Dynamic persona generation to tailor content and creative

• Geospatial mapping to find and focus on profitable customer clusters

• Cross-platform reach across 150+ partner channels, including Meta and Google

• One-click integration for pushing segments directly into Klaviyo

It’s a data marketer’s dream—without the data science nightmare.

Proven Results: Alen’s Segmentation Success

The platform isn’t just about flashy features—it delivers performance. During a year-long beta with Klaviyo Elite Master agency Flowium and D2C brands, Segment Ninja demonstrated:

• 17x ROI through address-level matchback attribution

• Precision targeting that extended well beyond Klaviyo’s CRM boundaries

• Seamless activation across Welcome Series, Abandoned Cart, Post-Purchase, and Win-Back flows

For brands like Alen, the secret to growth is clear: find the top 20% of customers driving 80% of revenue, and scale from there. Segment Ninja helps them do just that.

Smarter Campaigns—No PhD Required

One of Segment Ninja’s biggest advantages is its accessibility. Whether you're a Klaviyo novice or a seasoned CRM strategist, the platform’s UI is built for speed and simplicity.

Features like tree map visualizations, downloadable data-rich personas, and the new NinjaGPT—which lets brands simulate conversations with target personas—make it easier to craft resonant messaging without guesswork.

And for teams using Klaviyo with Meta or Google Ads? You can directly retarget or acquire lookalike high-value buyers with unmatched accuracy.

Claritas’ Identity Graph Brings It All Together

At the core of this integration is the Claritas Identity Graph, which enables robust matchbacks, address-level targeting, and multi-channel campaign optimization. With PRIZM Premier’s 68 segment categories and Claritas’ vast reach, Segment Ninja is turning Klaviyo into a segmentation powerhouse.

“Our mission is to help brands turn first-party data into scalable, precision-targeted campaigns,” said Jim Kalogerakos, founder and CEO of Segment Ninja. “With Claritas, we’re giving marketers a direct path to action—and to results.”

Jeff Stevens, SVP of Strategic Partners at Claritas, added, “By integrating PRIZM Premier into tools marketers already use, we’re making precision marketing easier than ever.”

A Smarter Way to Segment Has Arrived

In the increasingly noisy landscape of D2C and email marketing, precision matters. Segment Ninja and Claritas have brought together ease of use, advanced segmentation, and automation into a single, marketer-friendly package inside Klaviyo.

For brands looking to increase ROI without increasing complexity, this integration might be the smartest move you’ll make all year.

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Stova’s New Intelligence Suite Promises One Source of Truth for Event Pros

Stova is making a bold move to streamline event data and boost marketing impact with the launch of its new Event Intelligence Suite—a built-in analytics platform designed to give planners and marketers real-time, actionable insights across every single event.

Forget cobbled-together spreadsheets and post-mortem reports. With this release, event professionals get a customizable, centralized dashboard offering instant clarity on the metrics that matter—attendance, revenue, engagement trends, campaign effectiveness, and more—all updated live.

“Event organizers don’t just need numbers—they need true visibility,” said Kirk Ziehm, CEO of Stova. “We built Event Intelligence to give planners the confidence to act on their data, not just collect it.”

From Fragmented Reports to Unified Intelligence

Sitting natively within the Stova Event Management Platform, the Event Intelligence Suite brings a much-needed layer of business intelligence (BI) to event operations. Instead of toggling between disparate platforms or waiting days for reporting cycles, event teams now have on-demand insights, complete with interactive filters and exportable views.

Here’s what it can do:

• Track key KPIs in real time: registrations, check-ins, revenue, and session attendance

• Visualize global attendee engagement with interactive country-by-country maps

• Understand registration trends over time to optimize campaign timing and staffing

• Evaluate marketing effectiveness via conversion breakdowns and email performance

• Drill into event-level analytics and navigate directly to event settings for quick fixes

• Customize dashboards by event, region, or time range—with full export and share options

In short, it's the kind of visibility planners have been dreaming of—but until now, had to patch together manually.

A Single Source of Truth for the Multi-Event Marketer

Whether you're running one flagship conference or a full global calendar, the Event Intelligence Suite eliminates guesswork and duplication. By aggregating everything into one interface, Stova helps event pros do what every marketer craves: prove ROI, plan smarter, and scale faster.

The platform is built for both agility and depth. If you need a quick snapshot of who checked in today, it’s there. Want to compare registration spikes over the last three quarters? You can do that too.

For organizations that rely on events to drive leads, revenue, and brand loyalty, the intelligence gap between execution and analysis is finally closing.

Why This Release Matters

The event tech space has exploded post-pandemic, with hybrid formats and digital-first expectations pushing data needs into overdrive. Yet, most platforms still treat analytics as an afterthought—or an export.

Stova’s move positions it more like a BI platform for event marketers. That’s a smart bet. As events evolve into year-round, omnichannel experiences, marketers need insights at the speed of engagement. Stova is delivering exactly that.

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