artificial intelligence 9 Apr 2025
Press Ranger, the fast-rising AI-powered PR platform, has officially surpassed 8,000 users, cementing its position as the Best PR Software of 2025, according to SaaS-Space.com. This rapid growth and recognition marks a turning point for the PR tech landscape, long dominated by expensive, outdated solutions catering to only the largest enterprises.
Just eight months ago, Press Ranger celebrated its 1,000-user milestone. Now, with a user base that has grown more than 700%, the platform is reshaping how startups, solo founders, and small agencies run effective, affordable PR campaigns—on their own terms.
Legacy PR platforms have traditionally priced out smaller companies, charging thousands annually for access to media databases and press distribution tools. Press Ranger, in contrast, delivers a lean, AI-powered solution that offers:
A comprehensive, up-to-date media contact database
AI-generated press releases in minutes
Smart media matching for targeted outreach
Podcast database access for integrated audio campaign planning
CRM integration to streamline outreach tracking
And all of it is available for a fraction of the cost of traditional tools.
“We built this platform for the founders, startups, and businesses who want to run PR campaigns on their own,” said Steve Beyatte, Founder and CEO of Press Ranger. “As we pass 8,000 users, it’s clear that more businesses are choosing Press Ranger to get noticed.”
Press Ranger is designed with usability in mind—no agency background required. Users can:
Build media lists based on beat, location, and outlet
Auto-generate pitches and press releases using built-in AI tools
Launch campaigns and track responses within a single interface
This DIY approach gives startups and growing companies the power to take control of their own narratives, without expensive consultants or bloated retainers.
“Press Ranger is proving that the best PR software doesn’t need to be bloated or reserved for Fortune 500s,” said the editorial team at SaaS-Space.com. “This is what the future of PR looks like—automated, intelligent, and radically accessible.”
Press Ranger was named the Best PR Software of 2025 by SaaS-Space.com, a leading voice in software evaluation for startups and SMBs. The award praised:
Intuitive UX
Powerful AI-driven content tools
Unmatched affordability
Customer support and responsiveness
Recent enhancements like international journalist access and expanded CRM syncing
This recognition is more than symbolic—it signals a paradigm shift in what users expect from public relations platforms.
Unlike older platforms that require long-term contracts and high upfront costs, Press Ranger grows with its users. Recent updates include:
Global journalist access for broader campaign reach
Smarter targeting algorithms for pitching journalists by topic trends
Podcast integration to expand reach into audio-driven media
CRM functionality to help users manage contacts and track engagement
Whether you're just starting to pitch your first story or scaling outreach across multiple product lines, Press Ranger adapts.
8,000+ active users in just under a year
Used by startups, agencies, solo founders, and even established businesses
Campaigns launched in dozens of industries, from tech to lifestyle
As word-of-mouth spreads and feature updates roll out, the platform is seeing exponential adoption—all without relying on a traditional sales team.
“This isn’t just a title,” said Beyatte. “We’re now the best PR software by user choice.”
With over 8,000 users, an award from SaaS-Space.com, and a growing reputation for innovation, Press Ranger is now the go-to public relations software for businesses that want results without agency fees or friction.
As media landscapes shift and brands look for smarter, faster ways to tell their stories, Press Ranger is democratizing PR, making it accessible, intelligent, and outcome-driven.
Whether you’re launching your first company or scaling your fifth, the message is clear:
You don’t need a big budget to make big PR moves anymore.
video technology 9 Apr 2025
Cloudinary, a leader in media management, has officially launched Cloudinary Video as a standalone, API-first solution, expanding its offerings to help businesses deliver accessible, personalized, and scalable video experiences. The launch comes as digital video becomes central to user engagement strategies—and as accessibility compliance, localization, and high-performance streaming take center stage.
With this release, Cloudinary strengthens its position as a Video as a Service (VaaS) provider, offering rich capabilities including support for WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, live and on-demand streaming, and AI-powered localization. These innovations aim to simplify video workflows for developers while helping brands meet growing regulatory and user-experience expectations.
The platform now includes features designed to meet critical web accessibility standards:
WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance ensures videos are accessible to users with disabilities.
Multiple audio track configuration supports both accessibility and multilingual playback.
AI-driven captioning and transcription automates accessibility tasks and reduces post-production time and cost.
A built-in translations editor helps refine automated results for accuracy and nuance.
“Ensuring content is localized and fully accessible is not just the right thing to do—it also delivers enormous business benefits,” said Kim Matenchuk, Managing Director of Video, Cloudinary.
These features also help organizations prepare for upcoming regulations such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which takes effect in mid-2025.
With a modular, composable architecture, the standalone Cloudinary Video platform allows developers to:
Embed video seamlessly into web and mobile apps via simple APIs.
Integrate video workflows with existing CMS, PIM, or ecommerce platforms.
Customize video players using Video Player Studio, now embeddable into any application.
Create reusable player configurations and apply them across entire video libraries for personalized user experiences at scale.
This enables faster time to market, reduces the burden on dev teams, and enhances agility for fast-scaling applications.
Cloudinary now supports high-definition and 4K resolution streaming, unlocking new formats like product explainers, training content, and on-demand video libraries.
In-video visual search enables viewers to navigate to specific topics within long-form content—improving discoverability and user retention.
Customizable UI and playback features allow publishers to fine-tune experiences based on context, audience, or campaign.
The new Live Stream API makes it easy to embed interactive events and live broadcasts into digital platforms:
Power live product demos, virtual fitness classes, real estate tours, and more.
Auto-record live sessions for on-demand playback and reuse.
Simulcast across social platforms to maximize exposure.
Monitor stream health and gather real-time engagement analytics to optimize performance.
This opens the door for immersive brand experiences without the need for third-party streaming services or complex infrastructure.
Cloudinary’s announcement comes on the heels of being named in the Gartner® Market Guide for Video Platform Services (March 2025). With over one billion videos under management, Cloudinary serves a roster of global leaders like:
Adidas
Bleacher Report
Doximity
Fiverr
Hydrow
Simpleview
Vorwerk
These brands rely on Cloudinary for everything from conversion-optimized micro-videos to automated UGC workflows and embedded video in mobile apps.
“With Cloudinary, we manage two billion images and videos every month across more than 1,300 customers,” said Andrés Bastidas, Group Product Manager at Simpleview. “It’s a win-win for us and our customers.”
As video becomes an essential part of every digital experience, Cloudinary is responding with a future-ready solution: a composable, API-first video platform that meets modern business demands across accessibility, localization, live events, and developer agility.
Whether you're a global retailer localizing product videos or a SaaS platform embedding explainer content, Cloudinary Video enables you to build faster, scale smarter, and meet users where they are—visually, linguistically, and inclusively.
For more information, visit Cloudinary’s website to explore interactive demos, evaluate business benefits with the Video Value Calculator, or dive into their new eBook on the European Accessibility Act.
entertainment 9 Apr 2025
As connected TV (CTV) advertising continues its upward trajectory, LG Ad Solutions has announced a major move to expand inventory access for programmatic buyers. In a new integration with Amazon Publisher Services (APS), LG Ad Solutions now enables advertisers using Amazon DSP to tap into premium inventory across LG Channels, LG’s free ad-supported streaming service available on all LG Smart TVs.
This partnership represents a significant evolution in cross-screen advertising strategies, offering brands more precision, flexibility, and transparency in how they reach high-value streaming audiences.
With this integration, advertisers gain direct programmatic access to LG Channels via Amazon Publisher Direct—a premium pathway for inventory available through Amazon DSP. This unlocks opportunities for:
Greater audience targeting precision across LG Smart TVs in the U.S.
Improved campaign optimization and reporting tools native to Amazon DSP.
Seamless media buying through an established and trusted ecosystem.
As LG Channels continues to grow, the offering includes over 350 live channels and thousands of on-demand titles spanning news, sports, lifestyle, entertainment, and kids programming—making it a highly relevant platform for CTV advertisers.
According to recent industry figures, U.S. programmatic CTV ad spending reached nearly $25B in 2024 and is projected to approach $30B in 2025. This meteoric rise highlights advertisers’ demand for flexible, data-driven ad solutions capable of scaling with changing viewer habits.
This integration between LG Ad Solutions and Amazon Publisher Services directly supports these needs by:
Reducing media buying friction in a fragmented CTV landscape.
Allowing marketers to leverage data, creativity, and personalization more effectively.
Enabling measurable outcomes across premium content inventory.
“Our integration with Amazon Publisher Services underscores ongoing transformations in the digital advertising marketplace and streaming viewership at large,” said Kelly McMahon, SVP of Operations at LG Ad Solutions. “This extension of our programmatic offering unlocks new opportunities for marketers... to drive meaningful outcomes with engaged audiences on the biggest screen in the home.”
While this collaboration strengthens LG Ad Solutions' relationship with Amazon, it also reinforces the company’s DSP-agnostic approach—allowing advertisers flexibility in how they buy and activate media.
Marketers working across multiple DSPs can continue leveraging LG inventory without limitations.
The Amazon DSP integration simply adds a new, optimized route to premium LG content, rather than replacing other buying options.
This inclusive approach ensures that LG Ad Solutions meets marketers wherever they operate, promoting greater inclusivity in CTV ad access and execution.
Available exclusively on LG Smart TVs, LG Channels has emerged as a premier free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in the U.S. Its growing content library includes:
350+ live channels
Thousands of on-demand titles
Broad coverage across sports, news, kids, lifestyle, and entertainment
As consumer preferences shift from traditional linear TV to ad-supported streaming, LG Channels offers brands a direct pathway to reach audiences on the largest screen in the home—where attention and engagement are at their highest.
The partnership between LG Ad Solutions and Amazon Publisher Services represents a key milestone in the evolution of CTV advertising. By bringing LG Channels inventory to Amazon DSP buyers, the companies are streamlining access to premium content, optimizing media strategies, and driving better outcomes in the increasingly fragmented streaming environment.
For marketers seeking scalable, data-driven, and transparent advertising, this integration provides new ways to connect with audiences at home—efficiently, precisely, and with relevance.
artificial intelligence 9 Apr 2025
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the global marketing landscape, the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) is stepping up with strategic guidance and resources to equip marketers for the AI-driven future. The association has released three comprehensive tools designed to close adoption gaps and foster responsible, impactful AI integration across the Canadian marketing ecosystem.
These efforts underscore the CMA’s broader mission: futureproofing marketing professionals through practical resources, data-driven insights, and ethical frameworks for emerging technologies.
This detailed guide addresses some of the most pressing AI use cases and challenges in marketing, offering guidance on:
Using personal data responsibly in AI algorithms
Creating AI-generated content across marketing touchpoints
Managing AI-powered consumer applications and virtual influencers
Establishing best practices for ethical and transparent AI use
Aligning AI strategies with evolving privacy and regulatory landscapes
It is further enhanced by the “CMA Accountability Checklists for AI in Marketing,” which define role-specific responsibilities and ensure cross-functional alignment on AI governance across marketing teams.
Aimed at those just beginning their AI journey, this primer delivers:
A foundational understanding of AI in marketing
Canada-specific AI adoption insights
A scan of global AI policy trends
Guidance on preparing for increasing regulatory scrutiny
Context on the role of marketing in shaping AI-powered customer experiences
Reviewed by Toronto-based Vector Institute, the resources reflect technical accuracy and relevance, bridging the gap between AI theory and marketing practice.
Alongside the guides, the CMA will present new insights from its “Generative AI Readiness Survey”—conducted with research partner Twenty44—at the CMAai virtual event on April 10. Key data points include:
74% of marketers use generative AI tools weekly, outpacing the 62% average among Canadian knowledge workers.
84% of respondents are optimistic about integrating AI into their daily tasks.
83% believe AI will positively impact their personal lives, and 68% expect AI to improve society overall.
However, the survey also highlights important challenges:
44% of marketers are unsure or unsatisfied with their organization’s AI policies.
56% report inadequate or nonexistent AI training.
80% use personal AI accounts at work—raising potential concerns around security and governance.
“As AI continues to reshape marketing, organizations that take a proactive approach will be best positioned to adopt AI, drive growth and innovation,” said Steve Mast, President at Twenty44.
The new CMA resources are designed to close the AI knowledge and implementation gaps across Canada’s marketing industry. These materials emphasize:
AI literacy: Making sure every marketer understands the basics of AI’s role in content, data, and personalization.
Governance frameworks: Clear roles, responsibilities, and risk management practices for marketing teams using AI.
Workforce enablement: Strategies to upskill marketing talent, boost AI fluency, and ensure ethical deployment of AI tools.
“The CMA's AI guide and primer are a crucial step in empowering Canadian businesses to confidently navigate and implement AI technologies,” said Cameron Schuler, VP of Industry Innovation at the Vector Institute.
These newly launched tools mark a critical step in supporting the industry as AI adoption accelerates. With personalized marketing, predictive analytics, content generation, and customer service all being transformed by AI, the CMA is building an informed, ethical, and innovative path forward.
As the regulatory landscape tightens, especially with initiatives like the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and AI legislation in Canada and abroad, marketers must not only embrace AI—but do so responsibly.
The Canadian Marketing Association’s latest initiative ensures that Canadian marketers are not left behind in the AI revolution. By providing accessible, practical tools—validated by experts like the Vector Institute and informed by industry research—the CMA is creating a new standard for responsible, effective AI in marketing.
These resources are not only a reflection of the current state of AI—they are a call to action for marketers across Canada to lead, innovate, and thrive in a digitally transforming world.
artificial intelligence 9 Apr 2025
In today’s video-first marketing landscape, speed, scale, and personalization are more important than ever. To help marketers and sales teams meet these demands, HeyGen, the AI video generator platform, has announced an enhanced partnership with HubSpot, enabling seamless automated video generation directly within HubSpot workflows.
With this update, businesses can automatically create, store, and deploy personalized videos at scale—streamlining workflows, boosting engagement, and delivering standout experiences across the buyer journey.
As consumer expectations shift toward more interactive and visually rich communications, marketers face ongoing challenges: limited creative resources, tight timelines, and fragmented tech stacks. HeyGen’s deepened integration addresses these pain points by embedding AI-powered video creation directly into HubSpot's CRM and marketing automation suite.
Now, personalized videos are automatically:
Generated through workflow triggers, based on lead data or behavior
Stored in HubSpot custom fields, easily accessed for campaigns
Delivered through one-to-one or one-to-many emails, without manual editing or production overhead
“Visual storytelling is the best way to connect with audiences today, which is why HeyGen is focused on making high-quality video production more accessible to everyone,” said Joshua Xu, Co-Founder and CEO of HeyGen.
Trigger customized video messages—such as introductions, product overviews, or explainer content—based on lead scoring or segmentation rules within HubSpot.
This approach improves:
Open and click-through rates
Speed of qualification
Relevance of engagement
Automatically send tailored welcome videos or how-to guides when a contact becomes a customer. These videos deliver:
Clear first impressions
Reduced onboarding friction
Lower support requests
Boost event participation and post-event relationship-building through personalized video invitations or thank-you notes with AI-generated avatars greeting each recipient by name.
Each use case shares a common thread: scalable personalization made simple.
The new custom workflow action means users no longer need to switch between platforms or coordinate with external production teams. Everything—from video generation to storage and deployment—happens natively in HubSpot.
This integrated experience unlocks efficiencies in:
Time spent on video production
Cross-platform collaboration
Speed to campaign execution
“The enhanced HeyGen integration will not only help teams break through the noise, but also deliver better, more personalized experiences for customers and prospects—all from within HubSpot,” said Karen Ng, SVP of Product and Partnerships at HubSpot.
With personalization and automation converging as dominant trends in digital marketing, HeyGen’s expanded integration with HubSpot reflects the future of AI-powered storytelling at scale. Marketers and sales teams can now easily embed customized videos at every stage of the funnel—from prospecting to onboarding—while staying within their preferred CRM.
By turning data into engaging narratives, this partnership delivers not just efficiency, but true connection.
security 9 Apr 2025
As Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks grow in scale and complexity, organizations are under constant pressure to protect digital assets without compromising performance. Fastly, Inc., a leading global edge cloud platform, has announced major enhancements to its Fastly DDoS Protection service with the launch of Attack Insights—a new feature offering real-time visibility into DDoS mitigation efforts.
These updates are designed to provide security and platform teams with the transparency and trust needed to confidently enable automated protections—reducing complexity and avoiding service disruptions while defending against some of today’s most sophisticated threats.
DDoS attacks remain a persistent threat, particularly to APIs and web applications. Their potential to overwhelm systems and cause widespread downtime calls for instantaneous and intelligent mitigation. However, many security teams hesitate to fully leverage automated tools due to concerns over false positives and insufficient visibility.
Fastly DDoS Protection already offers high-speed attack response in seconds. Now, with the addition of Attack Insights, teams can:
See attack spikes and mitigation events unfold in real time
Examine automatically generated mitigation rules
Verify what was blocked—and why
Maintain seamless access for legitimate users
“Security and platform teams need to trust that automated protections will effectively stop attacks without impacting business-critical traffic,” said Kip Compton, Chief Product Officer at Fastly.
Fastly’s Attack Insights delivers a powerful event analysis dashboard, enabling rapid understanding and validation of mitigation measures.
Identifies and distinguishes individual DDoS attacks in real time, enabling contextual threat analysis.
Presents granular insights into each attack’s profile, such as:
Request samples
Traffic volumes and summaries
Mitigation actions taken
Highlights Fastly’s short-lived, automatically generated rules with full visibility into their behavior and effect—allowing teams to validate performance and optimize defenses without manual tuning.
“The Attack Insights and ability to explore the automatically-generated mitigation rules in seconds will accelerate our reporting and is hugely valuable in our mission to help keep our customers safe,” said Ben Trafton, VP of Client Services at Yottaa.
Fastly DDoS Protection continues to stand out by delivering:
No fees for attack traffic, helping organizations avoid unpredictable costs
One-click enablement, making deployment fast and easy
Real-time mitigation without tuning, supported by Attribute Unmasking technology that distinguishes malicious from legitimate requests with high accuracy
This proactive, low-friction model allows teams to focus on strategic objectives while remaining protected at the edge.
Fastly’s expanded DDoS Protection offering with Attack Insights empowers security teams to confidently embrace automated defenses with real-time transparency and accountability. By combining visibility, speed, and reliability, Fastly is redefining how organizations protect their most critical digital experiences.
With these updates, Fastly ensures that DDoS defense becomes both smarter and simpler, supporting resilient digital operations in an increasingly hostile threat landscape.
customer data platforms 8 Apr 2025
As customer expectations shift toward hyper-personalization across digital channels, the physical retail and food service environments must evolve to match. Spectrio is leading this evolution with its advanced content triggering capabilities, designed to turn traditional digital signage into dynamic, responsive, and context-aware communication tools. This breakthrough allows businesses to tailor in-store messaging in real-time based on customer behavior, environmental cues, and integrated business data.
By responding to real-world conditions, Spectrio's content triggering not only enhances the customer journey but also equips businesses with actionable insights—redefining what’s possible with digital signage in retail, hospitality, and beyond.
Proximity and Motion Sensors
Detect when customers approach displays and adjust content accordingly to increase engagement.
Computer Vision Capabilities
Anonymously estimate viewer demographics such as age and gender to deliver more relevant content.
Environmental Data Integration
Adapt content based on real-time weather conditions, such as temperature or precipitation.
Business System Integrations
Connect with point-of-sale (POS) systems, inventory tools, and restaurant management platforms for highly contextual content delivery.
Touchless Interaction
Eliminates the need for kiosks or manual screen updates, making the customer experience seamless and more hygienic.
Customers expect the same level of personalization in-store as they do online.
Static playlists or outdated messages no longer resonate in fast-paced environments.
AI-powered content adapts in real-time, meeting needs with precision.
Enhanced Engagement
Responsive displays capture attention and create interactive experiences.
Operational Efficiency
Automation reduces manual content updates, saving time and resources.
Data-Driven Decisions
Integrated analytics provide insights into customer behavior and content performance.
Brand Loyalty
Personalized, relevant experiences foster stronger customer relationships.
Displays shift messaging based on customer proximity.
Seasonal promotions appear from afar, while product details are shown up close.
Mortgage rates update in real-time with market data.
Content adapts depending on whether a customer is walking past or standing in line.
Menus update based on time of day, customer traffic, and real-time inventory.
Promotes available items and reduces waste by aligning offers with demand.
Spectrio’s solution is part of its SaaS-based digital signage platform and powered by a proprietary audience analytics engine. Businesses can configure rule-based triggers to control what content is displayed, under what conditions, and when. This rule system allows granular control and unmatched flexibility in delivering experiences that resonate with in-store audiences.
Spectrio’s content triggering capabilities mark a new era for in-store digital experiences—bringing the intelligence of the web to the physical world. This technology offers retailers, restaurants, and service providers a modern, frictionless, and engaging way to interact with customers.
By blending AI, sensor technology, and integrated data sources, Spectrio transforms digital signage into a real-time engagement platform. It not only delivers more relevant customer experiences but also arms businesses with valuable insights to drive growth, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
advertising 8 Apr 2025
Jon BYK Advertising, a nationally recognized leader in Department of Labor (DOL)-compliant immigration advertising, has officially expanded its operations to serve the state of New York. With nearly 40 years of specialized experience in PERM labor certification advertising and over 50 years in the broader advertising industry, BYK aims to support more employers, immigration attorneys, and HR teams navigating the complex compliance landscape involved in hiring foreign workers.
This strategic expansion reflects the increasing demand for trusted, experienced partners who can guide businesses through the nuanced and heavily regulated PERM recruitment process.
Established in 1969 in Los Angeles
BYK Advertising has been delivering creative, production, media buying, and consulting services across industries for over five decades.
Specialization in PERM Advertising Since the 1980s
The agency began focusing on labor certification advertising nearly 40 years ago, making it one of the most experienced firms in the space.
Proven Track Record Nationwide
With clients spanning across the U.S., BYK has built longstanding relationships with immigration law firms, HR departments, and media outlets.
Market Opportunity
The region is home to a high concentration of employers and law firms requiring immigration support, making it a natural next step for the agency.
Client-Centric Approach
BYK aims to offer the same meticulous, compliance-first service that has earned it national recognition.
“New York represents an important opportunity to support more employers with the same level of detail and compliance we’ve offered our clients for decades.”
- Alexis Byk, Managing Director, BYK Advertising
BYK ensures that all PERM recruitment advertising is executed in line with strict DOL requirements for timing, content, and media placement. Services include:
Newspaper Advertising
National and local print campaigns tailored for compliance.
Radio Advertising
Scriptwriting, production, and placement of DOL-compliant radio ads.
Online Job Board Advertising
Posting to platforms like Monster and CareerBuilder with compliant copy and proper documentation.
Professional Publications
Placement in trade journals and industry-specific publications.
State Workforce Agency Coordination
Managing job order placements with appropriate state labor departments.
In-House Creative Team
Crafts advertisements that meet all regulatory language and format requirements.
Public Relations and Recruitment Strategy
Supports clients with messaging and campaign development to align with larger hiring initiatives.
Documentation and Audit Readiness
Ensures that all advertising is traceable, documented, and ready for DOL audits.
Deep Industry Relationships
Long-standing connections with media outlets allow for faster placements and better rates.
Fast Turnaround Times
Efficient processes help clients meet tight regulatory deadlines.
Compliance-Focused Operations
Every campaign is designed with strict adherence to DOL protocols, reducing risk for clients.
Proven Client Success
BYK is a preferred partner for some of the largest immigration law firms and corporate HR teams across the U.S.
As the U.S. workforce continues to globalize, the demand for skilled foreign labor is rising—alongside the need for compliance expertise. BYK Advertising’s expansion into New York empowers more businesses with the tools, strategies, and support necessary to navigate the PERM process with confidence.
With unmatched experience in DOL-compliant advertising, BYK stands ready to serve as a trusted partner for organizations that understand the importance of getting recruitment advertising right the first time.
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