SEG Brings AI to Sales Training, Turning Its Classic 9 Acts Method into a Scalable Coaching Platform

In a move that could transform B2B sales enablement, SEG is taking its time-tested Action Selling methodology into the AI age—blending decades of structured sales training with generative AI to create a first-of-its-kind practice and reinforcement system.

For sales teams long trapped in the boom-and-bust cycle of one-time workshops and fading retention, SEG’s new platform promises something radically different: ongoing, AI-driven coaching that helps sales reps build lasting skills, reinforce habits, and sharpen real-world performance—on demand.

“Action Selling has always been about structured, high-impact training,” said Eric Moore, Chief Revenue Officer at SEG. “Now, by integrating AI, we’re helping teams embed those behaviors into their everyday workflow.”

A Sales Coach That’s Always On

The platform centers around SEG’s 9 Acts methodology—a research-backed framework that guides reps through each stage of the sales process, from building credibility to gaining commitment.

With AI woven into the mix, users can now:

• Simulate realistic buyer conversations at every stage of the deal cycle

• Get real-time, private feedback on objection handling, pacing, tone, and clarity

• Practice skills anytime, not just during live training events

• Enable managers with insight into rep performance, coaching opportunities, and skill gaps

What used to require a room, a facilitator, and a few hours now happens instantly and continuously—right from the rep’s browser.

From One-and-Done to Subscription Coaching

SEG’s shift from standalone training events to a subscription-based coaching model reflects a larger trend in the sales enablement space: the rise of learning in the flow of work. Modern teams don’t just want training—they want reinforcement, feedback, and scale.

This new system makes that possible. Reps can fine-tune their pitch during downtime. Managers get dashboards that reveal where to intervene. Enablement teams get data-backed insights into where training is sticking—and where it’s not.

AI Is the Assistant, Not the Replacement

Unlike AI tools that aim to script every conversation or replace the seller entirely, SEG’s approach keeps the human element front and center. The AI acts more like a sparring partner—helping reps improve their timing, delivery, and listening skills through guided, judgment-free repetition.

This positions AI as an accelerator of skill, not just a shortcut.

Why This Matters

The stakes are high. In B2B markets with long sales cycles and complex decision-making units, training can’t stop after the kickoff. But traditional models—coaching ride-alongs, shadowing, quarterly refreshers—simply don’t scale in today’s fast-moving environment.

SEG’s new approach offers a clear answer: systematized, scalable, AI-powered coaching that’s built for modern B2B teams.

If you’re a CRO struggling with inconsistent execution or an enablement leader trying to make training stick, this could be the competitive edge your reps need to win more deals, more often.

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Clearpoint Agency Lands Silver Sandie for High-Impact Global PR Campaign with OptionMetrics

In a competitive field of 151 entries, Clearpoint Agency took home a Silver Sandie Award from the American Marketing Association’s San Diego Chapter for its standout 2024 public relations and earned media campaign on behalf of New York-based data analytics firm OptionMetrics.

The win puts Clearpoint among the top PR performers in the region—joining a list of Sandie winners that includes San Diego Foundation, San Diego Tourism Authority, and Father Joe’s Villages. And for good reason: the firm’s OptionMetrics campaign generated more than 400 earned media placements, 11 thought leadership articles, and international exposure in leading financial and academic outlets.

Turning Options Data Into Media Gold

The campaign's objective? Elevate OptionMetrics’ brand presence in both the U.S. and European markets while positioning the firm as a trusted voice in options analytics and financial data.

Clearpoint executed with precision, securing coverage in:

• Major financial outlets like CNBC, Reuters, NASDAQ, MarketWatch, and The Wall Street Journal

• Global financial media including Financial Times, Wilmott, Waters, and RISK

• Targeted thought leadership placements across U.S. and European platforms

OptionMetrics reported increased direct website traffic and a spike in new business leads—plus user growth in key markets like the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and the U.S.

“Clearpoint has continuously delivered results year after year,” said Eran Steinberg, COO at OptionMetrics. “They’ve helped us land top-tier earned media while being a strategic, professional, and fun team to work with. This recognition is well deserved.”

A PR Partnership That Pays Off

This wasn’t a one-off engagement. Clearpoint and OptionMetrics have collaborated for seven years, with the agency consistently delivering smart media strategies and results that align with the brand’s goals.

“We love working with clients like OptionMetrics who push us to do our best work,” said Hilary McCarthy, Vice President at Clearpoint. “This Sandie Award recognizes not just the impact of the campaign, but the power of a long-term, collaborative partnership built on trust and creativity.”

The Sandies are judged by AMA members outside the San Diego market to ensure impartiality—making the recognition even more meaningful for the Clearpoint team.

Raising the Bar in Tech and Finance PR

Clearpoint’s win highlights a broader trend in B2B PR: the increasing importance of earned media in building brand trust, authority, and global reach—especially in complex, data-driven sectors like finance and technology.

And as Clearpoint continues to rack up industry wins and global placements, the agency proves that strategic PR is still one of the sharpest tools in the B2B growth toolkit.

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Stensul Launches Full Email Generator Powered by AI at Salesforce Connections 2025

In a move to further streamline campaign workflows for enterprise marketers, Stensul has unveiled its latest innovation: the Stensul Email Generator, a new feature within its Stensul AI suite that enables marketing teams to automatically generate complete, ready-to-review emails directly from campaign briefs. Announced at Salesforce Connections (CNX) 2025, the new tool promises to eliminate blank-page syndrome—and the inefficiencies that come with it.

Instead of starting with a disconnected doc and manually transferring content into templates, marketers using the Email Generator can now begin with a fully formatted first draft—content, layout, design, and all—aligned to brand standards and campaign objectives from the start.

“Current operating models simply won’t scale,” said Noah Dinkin, Stensul’s founder and CEO. “Stensul AI isn’t just about content generation—it’s about transforming workflow governance so teams can build faster, smarter, and with less risk.”

From Copy Brief to Built Email—Automatically

The new Email Generator builds on Stensul AI, first launched in 2023, which offered generative capabilities for subject lines, preheaders, CTAs, and titles. The latest upgrade goes a step further: automatically assembling a complete email within a pre-approved layout based on input from a campaign brief. Teams can now focus on refining the message rather than formatting from scratch.

The feature integrates seamlessly with the platform’s existing controls, ensuring that even AI-generated emails adhere to brand guidelines and governance protocols—a critical factor for enterprises juggling compliance, localization, and consistency at scale.

Workflow Meets Intelligence

The broader implication? Campaign production that once took days now takes hours—or less. With this new capability, Stensul positions itself at the intersection of AI automation and enterprise-grade governance, offering what many email service providers and marketing platforms have struggled to deliver: a truly integrated, intelligent creation experience.

For large brands that depend on multi-layer review cycles and globally distributed teams, the time savings and workflow visibility can significantly improve speed to market and campaign effectiveness.

“This is about more than AI,” Dinkin noted. “It’s about scaling marketing operations without sacrificing brand control or creative quality.”

A Tool for the Times

Stensul’s latest update comes as marketing leaders across industries are under pressure to do more with less—especially as buyer journeys become more complex, attention spans shrink, and personalization becomes table stakes.

With platform integrations across ESPs, MAPs, DAMs, and tracking tools, Stensul isn’t just another AI tool bolted onto a stack. It’s a campaign engine that understands the full scope of what enterprise marketers need—from governance and brand safety to agility and creativity.

Trusted by Top Brands

Global brands including BlackRock, Cisco, Equifax, Siemens, and Thomson Reuters already use Stensul to reduce campaign creation time by up to 90%. With the Email Generator, they now have a powerful new lever to optimize productivity, reduce errors, and keep content aligned—at scale.

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Commerce Media Goes Mainstream: Over Half of U.S. Marketers Say It’s Driving Better Campaign Outcomes

A new report from Vudoo reveals that commerce media isn’t just a trend—it’s reshaping the entire media landscape. More than half of U.S. marketers already using commerce media say it has improved campaign outcomes, marking a major shift in how brands plan, spend, and measure in 2025.

Released as part of Vudoo’s global research initiative, The Commerce Swell: How Marketers Are Riding the New Media Wave – United States, the report underscores a clear reality: every scroll is a potential sale—and smart brands are racing to meet that expectation.

“Commerce media is the most exciting shift since programmatic,” said Nick Morgan, Vudoo’s CEO. “But it’s more than just a media channel—it’s a mindset. The real opportunity lies in capturing intent the moment it sparks. Too many brands still miss it.”

Findings from the Report

• Commerce media now represents 31% of U.S. media budgets on average

• 65% of marketers are already experimenting with shoppable ads

• 80% prefer non-linear, behavior-led measurement models over traditional ones

This is more than a budget reallocation—it’s a paradigm shift. Marketers are moving beyond static attribution models, toward fluid, real-time engagement strategies where every media moment is shoppable.

“Consumers today expect to scroll, shop, and check out without leaving the experience,” said Amie Owen, Global Chief Commerce Officer at KINESSO. “That expectation has created a new mandate: seamless commerce across all media touchpoints.”

Measurement Must Evolve, Too

As the consumer journey becomes increasingly dynamic, legacy linear attribution models are falling behind.

“We need measurement that mirrors behavior—fluid, dynamic, and intent-driven,” added Norm Johnston, SVP, Head of Global Advertising Strategy at NewsCorp. “Commerce media demands smarter attribution models that evolve with the buyer.”

From Passive Media to Active Engagement

In 2025, brands aren’t just creating content—they’re building transactional ecosystems. Whether through shoppable video, embedded checkout, or interactive ad formats, commerce is becoming a core layer of media itself. This evolution isn’t limited to retail giants—it’s being embraced across categories, from CPG to B2B.

Vudoo’s research paints a picture of an industry in transformation. Commerce is no longer a destination. It’s a layer woven into content, context, and connection.

What’s Next?

The U.S. report is available now, with regional editions for Europe and Asia-Pacific to follow in the coming months. Brands looking to stay competitive will need to rethink strategy, embrace frictionless experiences, and adopt measurement frameworks that align with behavior-led journeys.

For marketers, the message is clear: commerce is no longer an afterthought—it’s the media plan.

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Ibotta Strengthens Senior Leadership to Accelerate Growth in CPG Performance Marketing

Ibotta, Inc., operator of North America’s largest digital promotions network, has announced the appointment of David Parisi as SVP of Client Partnerships and Chris Boyd as SVP of Business Marketing. The move marks a strategic effort to expand Ibotta’s go-to-market capabilities and deepen its leadership in performance marketing for the CPG sector.

“David and Chris bring deep expertise and proven results in building high-performing teams and scaling growth initiatives,” said Chris Riedy, Chief Revenue Officer at Ibotta. “These hires reflect our investment in helping clients drive measurable sales and reach consumers with more precision.”

Leadership Roles and Responsibilities

David Parisi will lead the expansion of Ibotta’s enterprise sales organization across verticals including Food, BevAlc, Beauty & Personal Care, and General Merchandise. He brings experience from Fetch, where he was GM of Omnichannel and Partnerships, and from Twitter/X, where he led U.S. financial services partnerships for over a decade.

“Ibotta’s performance marketing model and IPN offer unmatched reach and campaign efficiency,” said Parisi. “I look forward to helping clients harness this opportunity.”

Chris Boyd, in his role as SVP of Business Marketing, will oversee strategy and execution for sales enablement and brand marketing to boost awareness and drive client adoption. Boyd previously held senior marketing positions at Seekr AI and Twitter/X, where he led go-to-market narratives and strategy.

Driving Innovation in CPG Promotions

The leadership additions follow Ibotta’s launch of dynamic performance marketing campaigns with leading CPG brands—initiatives that allow brands to dynamically optimize promotional spend based on ROI. These innovations are central to Ibotta’s plan to establish itself as the first full-service performance marketing platform for the CPG industry.

The Ibotta Performance Network (IPN) already enables access to over 200 million U.S. consumers via a streamlined network that integrates with retailers and publishers.

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NIQ, the global leader in consumer intelligence, has announced a strategic partnership with WeArisma, the premier creator marketing measurement and optimization platform. This collaboration aims to transform how brands measure, plan, and optimize creator marketing linking creator-driven content to real business outcomes like brand equity and sales performance.

“By leveraging our strengths, we are helping companies make more informed decisions about their influencer marketing investments,” said Jason Tate, General Manager of Marketing Effectiveness at NIQ. “This partnership cements our leadership in quantifying the impact of creator content in today’s marketing ecosystem.”

Why This Partnership Matters

With creator marketing fast becoming a central pillar in brand strategy, marketers are demanding more accountability and insight from their investments. This new alliance directly addresses the historical measurement gaps in influencer marketing by offering full-funnel visibility, from engagement to conversion.

“For too long, marketers have failed to attribute the impact of creator marketing to business outcomes,” added Jenny Tsai, Founder and CEO of WeArisma. “By partnering with NIQ, we’re solving this challenge head-on.”

Capabilities of the NIQ–WeArisma Partnership

• Unified Campaign Measurement:
  WeArisma’s creator performance metrics—including organic and paid content—are now integrated into NIQ’s marketing mix models, enabling visibility across the entire sales and brand funnel.

• Data-Driven Optimization:
  The combined offering allows marketers to pinpoint which creators and campaigns drive tangible results, and optimize their investments in real time.

• Flexible Engagement Models:
  Brands can choose from managed services or self-service access, allowing for customization based on internal capabilities and goals.

• Global and Cross-Cultural Insights:
  With reach across 90+ countries, NIQ and WeArisma deliver a truly global solution that keeps pace with rapidly evolving pop culture and social media trends.

About NIQ

NIQ is the leading global consumer intelligence company, delivering the Full View™ of consumer behavior through advanced analytics, unmatched retail data, and innovative platforms. Following its merger with GfK in 2023, NIQ now covers over $7.2 trillion in global consumer spending across 90+ countries.

About WeArisma

WeArisma is a cutting-edge creator marketing and social intelligence platform, trusted by leading global brands and agencies. With AI-powered recognition of images, video, audio, and text, WeArisma surfaces organic mentions, quantifies campaign impact, and empowers brands to drive authentic engagement across all social touchpoints.

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Gannett Co., Inc. has launched DeeperDive, an industry-first Generative AI (GenAI) answer engine powered by Taboola, now live in beta on USA TODAY’s website. This innovation brings the benefits of AI search directly to publisher-owned platforms, using trusted, real-time journalism from the USA TODAY Network to deliver rich, contextual answers to user questions.

Unlike typical GenAI tools that scrape content from the open web without consent, DeeperDive sources its responses exclusively from licensed, high-quality journalism, solving a major pain point in today’s AI content economy.

“This innovation will lead to deeper engagement with consumers as we continue to expand our audience,” said Michael Reed, Chairman and CEO of Gannett. “DeeperDive combines USA TODAY’s high-caliber reporting with Taboola’s AI technology, creating a smarter and more monetizable content experience.”

Features of DeeperDive

• ???? Smarter AI Responses Based on Live Engagement:
  DeeperDive generates rich answers based on real-time insights from 600M+ daily users across 9,000 global publishers, instead of static data sets. It reflects what people are actually reading and searching for at that moment.

• ???? Deeper On-Site Content Engagement:
  Readers are directed to related USA TODAY articles alongside their answers, promoting longer sessions and higher loyalty.

• ???? Search-Like Ad Monetization for Publishers:
  High-intent ads are contextually inserted within results, allowing Gannett and other publishers to capture search-like revenue from user interactions — all within their own ecosystem.

“With DeeperDive, we’re giving publishers the power to join the GenAI revolution on their own terms,” said Adam Singolda, CEO and Founder of Taboola. “This is a big day not just for Taboola, but for the open web.”

What This Means for Publishers and Readers

This marks a transformative moment for digital publishing, enabling media organizations to:

• Protect and monetize their own content in the GenAI age.

• Deliver a more human, trend-aware search experience.

• Unlock new ad revenue through high-intent content queries.

• Increase reader time on site and session depth through interactive content discovery.

Gannett is the first U.S. publisher to roll out DeeperDive (in beta), with access granted to ~1% of USA TODAY’s 195M+ monthly users. Human oversight is currently in place to ensure quality responses before full deployment.

Gannett | USA TODAY Network

Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a leading media company headquartered in the U.S., reaching millions through its flagship brand USA TODAY and more than 200 local media outlets. Visit: www.gannett.com

Taboola

Taboola powers recommendations for the open web, helping users discover things they may like across thousands of trusted publisher sites. Learn more: www.taboola.com

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Herringbone Digital Makes Strategic Play in Legal Marketing with Hennessey Digital Buy

In a move signaling the rising consolidation of niche digital marketing agencies, Herringbone Digital—backed by private equity firm Trinity Hunt Partners—has acquired Hennessey Digital, a leading player in law firm marketing. It’s the platform’s first foray into the legal vertical and a calculated step in its multi-industry strategy that already spans dental, healthcare, and home services.

Founded in 2015 by SEO veteran Jason Hennessey, Hennessey Digital built its reputation delivering white-glove SEO, digital PR, PPC, and web design services to personal injury law firms. The California-based firm operates fully remotely with a 125-person team and has earned accolades including Fortune’s 50 Best Workplaces in Advertising & Marketing.

Under the deal, Hennessey Digital keeps its name, leadership, and operational autonomy—a smart move for continuity in an industry that values trust, performance, and long-term relationships.

“This partnership represents a transformative new chapter,” said Hennessey. “We’re preserving what made us successful while gaining the scale to do even more for clients.”

Why It Matters

Digital marketing for law firms is a $6B+ space and growing, driven by fierce competition among firms seeking higher visibility and lead conversion. With Google algorithm updates, AI-assisted search, and client acquisition costs soaring, demand for expert SEO and performance marketing continues to rise.

Herringbone’s acquisition positions it to capitalize on this shift, offering law firms a broader stack of tools—potentially enhanced by shared tech, AI capabilities, and cross-industry learnings from other verticals.

“This is more than just a bolt-on,” said Raj Ramanan, CEO of Herringbone Digital. “It’s a cornerstone investment in our legal marketing strategy.”

Connecting the Dots: The Rise of Multi-Vertical Martech Platforms

Herringbone joins a growing list of martech roll-ups targeting high-touch, high-margin service verticals. The model? Acquire top-performing agencies in fragmented markets, standardize operations and tech infrastructure, and scale under a unified strategy—without stripping away the nuance or culture that drives client loyalty.

Similar moves are playing out across industries—from SaaS consolidation in retail tech to AI-powered marketing suites for healthcare. But in legal marketing, where credibility and compliance matter as much as creativity, bringing in a battle-tested brand like Hennessey Digital is a savvy bet.

What’s Next

Expect Herringbone Digital to continue picking up high-performing niche agencies. With Trinity Hunt’s backing and a proven integration model, this platform play could reshape the landscape for boutique service providers—especially those looking to scale without selling out their identity.

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