Philadelphia-based Furia Rubel Communications has been recognized as a leader in legal marketing and public relations, securing No. 1 spots in The Legal Intelligencer’s “Best of 2025” reader survey. The agency topped categories including Public Relations Firm, Law Firm Marketer Providing the Best Customer Service, Online/Social Media Marketing Provider for the Legal Community, and Lawyer/Law Firm Business Development Coaching.

Founded in 2002 by CEO and former trial lawyer Gina Rubel, Furia Rubel serves law firms and legal service providers in the U.S. and abroad. The agency offers crisis communications, litigation communications, business development coaching, and marketing strategy, combining industry insight with hands-on execution.

“We are proud to be recognized again by the Philadelphia legal community for our expertise in providing public relations and marketing services,” said Rubel. “As the legal profession faces new challenges, we adapt our approach to craft communications that serve our clients’ business needs.”

The recognition builds on a history of accolades, including Furia Rubel’s Hall of Fame induction in 2021. Beyond client services, the agency hosts the award-winning podcast On Record PR, delivering insights on law firm marketing, media relations, and professional development. Now in its third season, the podcast is listened to in over 20 countries and was named one of the Top 10 Legal Podcasts by Attorney at Work.

As a certified woman-owned agency, Furia Rubel also provides strategic consulting to global professional service clients, including legaltech organizations, financial institutions, governments, and municipalities, with tailored expertise from its international faculty.

This latest recognition reinforces Furia Rubel’s status as a go-to agency for law firms seeking marketing, PR, and business development solutions in an increasingly competitive legal landscape.

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UserTesting, the enterprise human insights platform, is accelerating its footprint in Australia, driven by adoption among top banks, insurers, and high-growth tech startups. To strengthen its local presence, the company has named Paul North as General Manager for Asia-Pacific. North brings over 20 years of leadership in SaaS and digital experience, including stints at PeopleSoft, SAP, Optimizely, and Emburse.

In Australia, UserTesting now supports three of the top four banks, three of the top four general insurers, the two largest health insurers, and two of the top three high-growth tech startups. Each month, the platform runs over 200,000 tests globally, many filled within hours, providing real-time insights from everyday consumers. Participants in Australia can earn up to A$120 for live customer interviews.

“As organisations across Australia and New Zealand increasingly prioritize experience-led growth, I’m excited to join UserTesting at such a pivotal time,” said North. “Our mission is to help local organisations accelerate innovation through fast, actionable insights, improving customer experiences while reducing rework.”

Trusted by Leading Australian Brands

UserTesting’s roster in Australia spans banking, retail, insurance, utilities, superannuation, and tech, including:

• Canva

• National Australia Bank

• Allianz

• QBE

• Rest Super

• Nearmap

• Energy Australia

• Bunnings

• Woolworths

• Medibank

Driving Innovation Globally and Locally

UserTesting’s regional expansion coincides with key global initiatives:

• AWS ISV Accelerate Program: Recognized as part of AWS’s cloud innovation ecosystem.

• Figma Prototype Testing (Beta): Allows designers to gather prototype feedback in hours with AI-powered analysis.

• Insights for Impact Program: Provides free and discounted licenses and training to non-profits, ensuring mission-driven initiatives are guided by real-world consumer insights.

With these moves, UserTesting is cementing its role as a leader in human insights, combining speed, scale, and AI-powered analysis to help enterprises make data-driven decisions in Australia and beyond.

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Storyblok, the headless CMS platform known for simplifying content management, has launched a VWO plugin that enables marketers to run A/B tests directly inside the Storyblok Visual Editor. The integration aims to remove the traditional bottlenecks of testing, which often require developers, designers, and analysts.

“Hoping something works isn’t a strategy,” said Dominik Angerer, CEO and Co-Founder of Storyblok. “Now, teams can launch tests in seconds without waiting for developer bandwidth, making decisions backed by real audience insights.”

With the VWO plugin, editors can:

• Run A/B tests without leaving the CMS

• Test personalized content for different audiences via segmentation tools

• Track results in their VWO account for actionable insights

The plugin is included at no extra cost for Premium and Elite Storyblok plans, with a VWO Enterprise account or Developer Plus add-on. Future updates will expand functionality to multi-variant and URL split testing.

Sparsh Gupta, CEO of VWO, added, “This integration puts real performance data directly where marketers already work. No more toggling between tools, just seamless experimentation and optimization.”

The move reflects a broader industry trend toward autonomous content optimization, enabling marketers to launch, learn, and improve engagement and conversions faster than ever before.

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If you’re still treating Connected TV (CTV) as an experimental add-on to your ad budget, you might be leaving serious money on the table. A new 2025 CTV Insights Report from Measured, the AI-powered marketing effectiveness platform, suggests that CTV not only holds its own against digital heavyweights Meta and Google—it often beats them. The catch? Brands aren’t spending nearly enough on it.

CTV Punches Above Its Weight

Analyzing 274 incrementality experiments across 60 enterprise brands, Measured found that CTV accounted for just 3.5% of total media budgets on average. Yet it delivered a median incremental return on ad spend (ROAS) of $2.88, compared to $2.30 for Meta (32% of budgets) and $2.39 for Google (40.5%).

That means the scrappy underdog of ad channels is generating more incremental value per dollar spent—despite being starved of budget compared to its digital rivals.

Don’t Trust the Platform Numbers

Part of the problem: measurement. According to Measured, CTV platforms under-report their impact by nearly 20% on average. The discrepancies were wild—some campaigns over-reported incremental conversions by a factor of five, while others under-reported by up to ten. Translation: depending on where you look, you’re either giving CTV too much credit or nowhere near enough.

“CTV isn’t underperforming, the data is,” said Trevor Testwuide, Measured’s co-founder and CEO. “When brands measure CTV using rigorously designed experiments, they uncover performance that’s been masked by flawed attribution and platform metrics.”

The Bigger Picture: A Shift Beyond Last-Click

The findings land at a pivotal moment for digital advertising. With the industry slowly prying itself away from last-click attribution—and with Google sunsetting third-party cookies—advertisers are hunting for better ways to prove value. Incrementality testing, long championed in academic circles, is quickly becoming a boardroom imperative.

Measured argues that brands leaning into continuous incrementality testing are not just validating CTV’s true worth but also gaining an edge in budget allocation. In other words, the brands treating CTV like a core channel rather than an experiment may be tomorrow’s market winners.

Context: Rival Channels Under Pressure

It’s no secret Meta and Google dominate digital ad spend, but cracks are showing. Meta has battled targeting headwinds since Apple’s App Tracking Transparency rollout, while Google’s search ads face saturation and higher CPCs. Against this backdrop, CTV’s mix of premium content, audience targeting, and measurable lift looks increasingly attractive—especially for enterprise marketers tired of squeezing incremental gains out of the duopoly.

What’s Next for CTV?

The report underscores a broader truth: the promise of CTV isn’t just about flashy streaming integrations—it’s about accountability. Brands that build testing and measurement into their strategy could unlock hidden performance at scale. But until budgets shift, CTV will remain the overachiever sitting at the kids’ table.

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The world of search is shifting fast—and ProStar SEO wants to make sure businesses don’t get left behind. The Canadian SEO firm has launched what it calls its most advanced offering yet: LLM SEO services, designed to optimize content not just for Google, but for the new wave of AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and beyond.

Why This Matters: AI Search Is Eating Traditional SEO Alive

Search is no longer just about rankings on Google. Consumers are increasingly asking AI assistants what to buy, where to go, and which brands to trust. That shift is happening at breakneck speed:

• AI traffic converts 4.4x better than traditional organic visitors, according to Semrush.

• AI-driven search traffic is growing 165x faster than organic search.

• By 2027, LLM-driven traffic is projected to overtake Google Search entirely.

• ChatGPT alone now claims 800 million weekly active users.

ProStar SEO sees this as a massive inflection point for digital marketing. “The launch of our LLM SEO services marks a significant milestone in our commitment to providing innovative solutions that empower businesses to succeed in the digital age,” said Eric St-Cyr, CEO of ProStar SEO.

The Play: Marrying AI With Proven SEO Tactics

At its core, LLM SEO is about preparing content to be discoverable, relevant, and engaging within AI-driven ecosystems. ProStar’s service integrates:

• AI-powered content analysis to surface high-value opportunities.

• Technical SEO and link building to strengthen authority.

• Content marketing tuned to how large language models (LLMs) parse and present answers.

The company argues this hybrid approach delivers both traditional search visibility and readiness for the AI-first era.

Context: A Market Ripe for Disruption

The timing couldn’t be sharper. Industry data points to a tidal wave of AI adoption:

• The AI search market is projected to hit $108.8 billion by 2032, up from $43.6 billion this year.

• During the 2024 holiday season, AI referrals to retail surged 1,300%.

• On pages where Google’s AI Overviews appear, click-through rates on traditional organic results dropped 50%.

For businesses, the risk is clear: stay focused solely on traditional SEO and watch visibility decline. ProStar positions its LLM SEO services as a lifeline—ensuring brands surface in AI-driven recommendations while still holding their ground in organic search.

Who Stands to Benefit?

ProStar is targeting industries where AI-driven discovery is already reshaping customer journeys: e-commerce, healthcare, gaming, advertising, and blogging. In some cases, AI search platforms like Perplexity are already reporting 20–30% conversion rates on high-intent pages—numbers that make even seasoned marketers sit up straight.

The Bottom Line

If Google was the SEO battleground of the 2000s and mobile-first optimization defined the 2010s, the 2020s may well belong to AI-first SEO. ProStar SEO is betting early that the companies who adapt now will dominate when LLM-driven search becomes the default. The question is: will brands move fast enough?

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If you’re running a business in Australia, chances are your customers still want to hear from you the old-fashioned way: a text message. Now, 8x8, Inc. (NASDAQ: EGHT), best known for its integrated customer experience (CX) platform, is making that easier by rolling out native SMS support in 8x8 Work for Australian businesses.

The update lets users send and receive one-to-one SMS directly from Australian mobile numbers (+61) via the 8x8 Work desktop or mobile app. For businesses, that means employees can manage calls and texts from the same number—no juggling multiple platforms or apps.

Why SMS Still Matters in 2025

Despite the rise of WhatsApp, Messenger, and endless chat apps, SMS remains sticky. According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), 96% of Australian adults still text regularly—a stat that hasn’t budged in two years. For companies, that makes SMS one of the most reliable and universally accessible channels for quick customer engagement.

8x8’s move also comes at a time when businesses are under pressure to cut friction in customer interactions. As David Land, senior manager of channel sales at 8x8, put it:

“SMS continues to be one of the most trusted and widely used communication tools in Australia, and our customers want it integrated directly into their workflows. By bringing SMS into 8x8 Work alongside calling, we’re giving businesses a simpler, more consistent way to connect—helping their teams respond faster, reduce missed opportunities, and deliver a better customer experience.”

Key Features at Launch

• One number, all channels: Use the same local number for both calls and SMS.

• No add-on required: Available across X Series X1–X8 licenses without extra cost.

• Easy setup: Admins can configure via the self-service 8x8 Admin Console.

• Compliant by default: Built to meet ACMA guidelines, the Spam Act 2003, and Australia’s Interception Act.

The new SMS functionality is live today for all Australian customers with eligible mobile numbers, whether headquartered in Australia or just operating local branches.

The Bigger Picture: UC Platforms Keep Doubling Down on Messaging

The launch highlights a broader industry trend: unified communications (UC) platforms are racing to integrate messaging directly into their CX stacks. With customer expectations for instant, cross-channel engagement higher than ever, SMS integration is less a “nice to have” than a baseline requirement.

Rivals like Zoom and RingCentral have been expanding their own messaging tools, but 8x8 is banking on simplicity: one app, one number, fewer headaches. For Australian businesses, especially SMBs looking for frictionless ways to reach customers, this could be a very welcome upgrade.

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French media distribution platform OKAST is going global—and it’s bringing Zixi along for the ride. The company behind more than 180 FAST and linear channels has chosen Zixi’s Software-Defined Video Platform (SDVP) and ZEN Master orchestration tools to ensure reliable, scalable live streaming to more than 80 platforms worldwide.

The partnership is part of Zixi’s new Global Partner Program, which aims to build stronger alliances across the media ecosystem and help broadcasters, streamers, and distributors deploy next-gen live workflows.

Why the Switch? Scaling FAST Without Breaking Infrastructure

OKAST’s previous delivery stack had hit its limits. As the channel count climbed past 100 and demand spread from Europe to Latin America, the cracks showed: latency issues, blackouts, ballooning cloud costs, and too much manual overhead.

“Zixi gives us control, visibility, and the ability to scale. It’s a foundational part of our infrastructure moving forward,” said Cedric Monnier, CEO and Co-founder of OKAST.

Now, with Zixi’s SDVP and centralized monitoring through ZEN Master, OKAST can:

• Deliver broadcast-grade live streams to any partner without rebuilding its architecture.

• Gain real-time diagnostics and automated alerts to cut support tickets and manual fixes.

• Reduce operational costs while improving reliability and uptime.

FAST Growth, Global Reach

The move is timely. FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) is exploding as cord-cutters seek out free, ad-backed alternatives to subscription-heavy streaming. Analysts expect the FAST market to hit double-digit growth over the next five years, especially in emerging markets.

For OKAST, which already runs a diverse portfolio of FAST channels, Zixi provides the backbone to expand aggressively into APAC and Latin America while keeping delivery costs sustainable.

“Our previous stack worked for a handful of channels, but not for 100-plus,” Monnier admitted. “Zixi provides better reliability at a lower cost. It enables us to grow sustainably.”

Zixi’s Broader Play

For Zixi, the deal underscores its strategy of embedding itself deeper into the live-streaming supply chain. Through the Zixi Enabled Network Partner Program, the company is offering partners like OKAST access to enablement resources, joint marketing, and tighter integration support.

“As the global demand for FAST and live content delivery scales, companies like OKAST need flexible, intelligent, and cost-efficient infrastructure to stay ahead,” said Jonathan Low, VP Channel Sales and Partnerships at Zixi.

The Bottom Line

With this partnership, OKAST not only shores up its current operations but also sets the stage for global expansion at scale. For Zixi, it’s another proof point that its platform isn’t just a transport layer—it’s fast becoming the infrastructure of choice for next-gen broadcast-quality streaming.

The FAST arms race is heating up, and for OKAST, having Zixi as its backbone may be the difference between buffering and breaking out.

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A year ago, Hyland was best known as a long-standing name in enterprise content management (ECM). Fast-forward 12 months, and the company is positioning itself not just as a platform provider but as a global innovation leader. At the center of this pivot is the Content Innovation Cloud™, Hyland’s cloud-native, AI-powered platform designed to turn static documents into actionable intelligence.

The platform promises to do what traditional ECM struggled with: streamline workflows, automate processes, and unify data across sprawling enterprise systems. And early signs suggest businesses are buying in—hard.

Adoption Surge: 280% Growth in 6 Months

According to Hyland, customer adoption of the Content Innovation Cloud has jumped 280% in just six months, reflecting not only pent-up demand but also the industry’s shift toward cloud-native, AI-ready content platforms.

“We set out to redefine intelligent content management, and we’ve done just that,” said Jitesh S. Ghai, CEO of Hyland. “Through agentic automation, AI-ready data, and frictionless integrations, our innovations are reshaping not just enterprises but the entire industry.”

What’s New in the Content Innovation Cloud

Hyland’s latest rollout brings several notable capabilities that move beyond classic ECM playbooks:

• Agentic automation & decisioning: With Knowledge Enrichment and agent-driven document processing, enterprises can make more autonomous, intelligent decisions—think less manual review, more AI-driven action.

• Seamless connectivity: Tools like Agent Builder and Content Federation Service allow organizations to unify content across silos, making it accessible and AI-ready.

• Continuous updates: The Cloud Update Service automates monthly OnBase updates, removing the upgrade headaches that used to bog down IT teams.

• Cloud-native integrations: Hyland is embedding the platform directly into widely used systems like CRM, healthcare, and insurance platforms, enabling users to manage content without ever leaving their primary applications.

Global Push, Local Relevance

Hyland isn’t just expanding its product—it’s expanding its footprint. The company is scaling operations across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and other emerging markets, betting that enterprises outside the U.S. are just as hungry for cloud-native ECM solutions that marry compliance with agility.

The Bigger Picture: ECM Is Dead, Long Live Intelligent Content

The ECM market has been undergoing a quiet identity crisis for years, with legacy players facing pressure from cloud-first competitors and AI upstarts. By reframing itself around “content innovation” rather than document management, Hyland is staking its claim in the next phase of the industry.

The pivot aligns with broader enterprise trends: a move from document storage to data activation, from workflow tools to automation platforms, and from content silos to cross-platform intelligence. If Hyland’s adoption numbers hold, it suggests enterprises are ready for that shift.

Bottom Line

Hyland’s Content Innovation Cloud may not be the only AI-driven content platform in the market, but with a year of rapid traction and a global expansion strategy underway, it’s one of the most ambitious. The company is betting big that the future of ECM isn’t managing content—it’s making it work for you.

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