Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s The People Platform™ has announced the appointment of George Brady as its new CEO. A leader in mapping and sequencing consumer behavior through mobile and location data, The People Platform empowers brands with actionable insights to enhance customer engagement.

About The People Platform™

Core Capabilities

• Behavior Mapping: Tracks consumer visits to points of interest and sequences them over time for near-real-time insights.
• Data-Driven Engagement: Enables targeted communication with specific consumer groups to enrich brand-customer relationships.
• Client Portfolio: Trusted by top brands such as National Cinemedia, Best Buy, Screenvision Media, and Gas Station TV.

George Brady’s Leadership Journey

Experience and Vision

• Prior Roles:
  • President and Chief Revenue Officer at The People Platform.
  • Leadership positions at Nielsen, including VP of Client Solutions On-Location and VP of Sales for TV/Cable and Digital Out of Home.
• Strategic Focus:
  • Expanding The People Platform’s presence in the U.S. and global markets.
  • Driving innovation by integrating mobile location and consumer response data.

George Brady’s Perspective

"The People Platform is uniquely positioned by combining mobile location and consumer response data to deliver unparalleled insights. I’m excited to lead the team in exploring untapped ecosystems critical to the consumer journey."

Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s Support

Innovative Marketing Solutions

Elspeth Rollert, CEO of Stagwell Marketing Cloud, highlighted:

"The People Platform is a cornerstone of our innovative suite of solutions for modern marketers. George’s visionary leadership will continue to drive breakthrough innovations that redefine brand decision-making."

George Brady’s appointment as CEO marks a pivotal moment for The People Platform. With its unique approach to consumer behavior mapping and Brady’s extensive expertise, the company is poised to expand its impact, driving growth and innovation in the marketing technology space.

Innovid, an independent software platform for advertising across CTV, linear, and digital, has partnered with 51toCarbonZero (51-0), the only net-zero platform dedicated to marketing and advertising. This collaboration aims to reduce Innovid’s carbon footprint, foster eco-friendly practices, and drive sustainability across the ad ecosystem.

Key Highlights of the Partnership

1. Innovid’s Sustainability Commitment

• Innovid prioritizes reducing carbon emissions across its products and solutions.
• The partnership with 51-0 supports Innovid in identifying opportunities for decarbonization and operational efficiency.
• Strengthens partnerships with agencies and clients through sustainable practices.

2. Benefits of the 51toCarbonZero Platform

• Comprehensive Measurement: Tracks corporate emissions quantitatively.
• Actionable Insights: Recommends decarbonization strategies and provides tools to monitor progress.
• Efficiency & Savings: Enables carbon reduction while improving operational efficiency and cost savings.

3. Innovid’s Harmony Initiative

• Aims to optimize the CTV ecosystem by reducing inefficiencies and energy waste.
• Includes the launch of Harmony Direct, which streamlines workflows for guaranteed, non-biddable CTV media.
• Eliminates technology hops, reducing fees and carbon impact across the ecosystem.

Leaders’ Perspectives

David Fahey, SVP, Strategic Agency Partnerships, Innovid

“With visibility into over a billion video ad impressions daily, we understand the sustainability challenges. Our collaboration with 51-0 drives environmental change at scale, reducing inefficiencies and carbon impact for the entire ad ecosystem.”

David Murnick, North American GM, 51toCarbonZero

“Through our platform, we transform climate commitments into strategic advantages—enhancing efficiency and fostering partnerships to achieve net-zero emissions.”

Collaborative Industry Efforts

• Innovid’s partnership aligns with IPG Mediabrands’ Climate Action Acceleration Program.
• This initiative ensures that media partners, including Innovid, have access to 51-0’s expertise for creating durable, measurable climate solutions.
• Martin Bryan, Global Chief Sustainability Officer, IPG Mediabrands:

  “Working together is essential for delivering meaningful climate solutions, and we are proud to support Innovid on its net-zero journey.”

The Innovid-51toCarbonZero partnership sets a strong precedent for sustainability in the advertising industry. With a shared vision of reducing carbon impact and advancing eco-friendly practices, this collaboration not only strengthens environmental responsibility but also drives innovation and growth in marketing and advertising.

XR Extreme Reach, a leading global technology company, has released its 2024 Global Advertising Representation Report. This groundbreaking report is the first AI-driven, large-scale market analysis examining inclusivity across more than one million ads in over 100 countries. The findings highlight significant gaps in diversity representation, opportunities for brands to better connect with audiences, and the role of inclusive advertising strategies to drive business growth.

The report uses XR’s Representation Index (RX)—the industry’s first AI-powered metric that evaluates representation across multiple dimensions—helping brands measure inclusivity and improve their advertising strategies.

What is the Representation Index (RX)?

The Representation Index (RX) is a groundbreaking AI-driven metric developed by XR and The Female Quotient. It evaluates inclusivity in advertising content across a variety of dimensions, going far beyond gender alone. The RX score, measured on a scale from 0 to 100, provides insights into the diversity of representation across several key factors, including:

• Gender expression
• Age
• Body type
• Skin tone
• Accessibility (coming soon)
• Authority (coming soon)

Higher RX scores reflect a broader, more diverse range of representation, offering brands actionable insights to ensure their ads better reflect their audiences and the changing market.

Key Findings from the 2024 Report

The report reveals a global average RX score of 32 out of 100, with variations depending on industry and region. Here are some of the most notable insights:

1. Charity & Non-Profit Ads Lead in Representation:
   • Highest RX score: 42 for charity/non-profit-related ads.
2. Sports Representation Lags:
   • Ads in the sports category scored as low as 28, indicating underrepresentation.
3. Representation by Skin Tone:
   • Only 12% of talent detected in ads have dark skin tones.
4. Gender Representation Gaps:
   • 44% of faces in ads display feminine gender expression.
   • 56% exhibit masculine gender expression—highlighting missed opportunities, particularly since women account for 85% of household spending.
5. Body Type Representation:
   • Just 15% of screen time features individuals with larger body types.
6. Super Bowl 2024 as a Case Study:
   • The RX score for Super Bowl 2024 stood at 41, 28% higher than the global average, demonstrating a promising step toward inclusivity.

How Brands Can Leverage RX for Change

The RX platform has already analyzed over three million advertising assets, enabling brands worldwide to assess their content for diversity gaps, track trends, and ensure campaigns authentically represent their target audiences.

Shelley Zalis, Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient, emphasized:

“Media shapes how we see ourselves and others and by adopting this new metric (RX), brands don’t just close representation gaps—they lead the charge in shaping a more inclusive and profitable future.”

Jo Kinsella, Global President and COO of XR, highlighted the business value of RX:

"RX is the industry-wide metric that provides brands with a standard for measuring inclusivity in content, driving growth by building loyalty, trust, equity, engagement, and sales."

The RX tool offers a standardized way for brands to audit advertising strategies, measure inclusivity, and close gaps effectively to foster brand equity and audience engagement.

XR’s 2024 Global Advertising Representation Report and the RX Index provide vital insights into the inclusivity challenges in advertising. With data-driven strategies powered by AI, brands can adopt a forward-thinking approach, addressing representation gaps while simultaneously driving engagement, equity, and growth.

Brands and advertisers looking to align their strategies with evolving market expectations can leverage the RX index to better connect with diverse audiences and ensure their advertising campaigns are equitable and impactful.

Sovrn, a leading publisher technology platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Databricks, the data and AI company, to make its extensive web browsing datasets accessible via the Databricks Marketplace. This collaboration empowers organizations to streamline audience targeting, identity resolution, and data-driven insights by leveraging Sovrn’s privacy-compliant data products.

Key Highlights of the Partnership

1. Sovrn’s Web Browsing Datasets

• Includes webpage viewing events such as web domain, URL, and IP addresses.
• Covers 50,000 websites and apps, processes 40 billion daily page views, and supports 500 million daily active users.
• Delivers actionable insights for audience targeting and identity solutions across various verticals.

2. Seamless Access via Databricks Marketplace

• Databricks Marketplace, powered by Delta Sharing, facilitates secure sharing of live data across platforms, clouds, and regions.
• Provides robust security and governance, enhancing the value and accessibility of Sovrn’s datasets.
• Reduces complexity, allowing businesses to focus on deriving insights instead of sourcing data.

Benefits of the Collaboration

For Businesses and Advertisers

• Accelerates access to accurate and actionable insights.
• Simplifies data sourcing, freeing up time for strategic decision-making.
• Enhances audience targeting and identity resolution with Sovrn’s enriched data products.

For Sovrn Clients

Keith Fagan, VP of Data at Sovrn, stated:

"In partnership with Databricks Marketplace, our clients can quickly access the data they need, enabling them to focus on using insights to drive growth and improve ROI."

Enhanced Decision-Making with Data Intelligence

Jen McNamee, Technology Partner Director at Databricks, highlighted the impact:

"This partnership empowers advertising organizations to securely access Sovrn’s datasets via Delta Sharing, eliminating inefficiencies and boosting ROI with faster, more accurate insights."

The Sovrn-Databricks partnership revolutionizes access to web browsing data, enabling businesses to focus on uncovering meaningful insights. With privacy-compliant datasets and a seamless integration on Databricks Marketplace, organizations can drive efficiency, boost audience engagement, and achieve superior results.

CallRevu, the leader in automotive communication solutions, announces the launch of CallCoach, an innovative tool that delivers real-time call evaluation and actionable feedback. Available from December 17, CallCoach is designed to elevate call performance, enabling teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Key Features of CallCoach

1. Real-Time Performance Insights

• Analyze call outcomes instantly to understand what went well and areas for improvement.
• Gain data-driven insights to predict customer behavior and improve engagement.

2. Personalized Improvement Summaries

• Receive concise, actionable feedback on every call.
• Quickly identify strengths and opportunities for refinement.

3. Targeted Skill Development

• Access tailored coaching tips to address specific performance challenges.
• Enhance individual and team capabilities based on real interaction outcomes.

Integration and Benefits

CallCoach seamlessly integrates with the CallRevu analytics dashboard, offering a unified view of performance metrics and recommendations. TestTrack users also benefit from immediate feedback, enabling proactive skill enhancement.

Why CallCoach Stands Out

Ben Chodor, CEO of CallRevu, emphasizes:

"CallCoach embodies CallRevu’s commitment to innovation and excellence in call performance management. This tool empowers teams to perform at their best, delivering exceptional service experiences to customers every time."

How CallCoach Transforms Call Performance

• Enables real-time corrective actions to enhance outcomes.
• Provides agents with actionable guidance specific to each call.
• Supports consistent improvement, fostering a culture of excellence.

CallCoach represents the future of call performance management, equipping automotive communication teams with the tools needed to excel. With real-time feedback, actionable insights, and tailored coaching, CallCoach ensures that every customer interaction is optimized for success.

Rebrandly, a leading branded short link platform, has unveiled Relay™, an innovative smart link solution developed in partnership with Wonder Cave, a leader in text messaging automation. Relay empowers organizations to enhance engagement, optimize performance, and scale personalized messaging campaigns efficiently—whether for high-volume outreach or one-to-one communications.

Key Features and Benefits of Relay

1. Branded and Customizable Links

• Trust & Engagement: Relay allows marketers to craft branded, customized calls-to-action within text campaigns to build trust and better connect with audiences.

2. Personalized Messaging at Scale

• Even in bulk campaigns, Relay enables personalized URLs that make mass outreach feel individualized without sacrificing efficiency.

3. Advanced Analytics for Smarter Decisions

• Relay provides marketers with insights into campaign performance by showing who’s clicking, when, where, and why—helping improve future strategies and engagement.

Strategic Partnership with Wonder Cave

Carla Bourque, CEO of Rebrandly, stated:

"Relay bridges the gap between traditional messaging and personalized engagement at scale...With Wonder Cave, we've built a solution that combines trust, scalability, and data to boost messaging performance like never before."

This collaboration combines Rebrandly's trusted, enterprise-grade link infrastructure with Wonder Cave's sophisticated text messaging automation capabilities, creating a seamless and powerful messaging tool.

Impactful Use Case: Supporting Disaster Relief

Relay recently proved its effectiveness during North Carolina's recent storms, where nonprofit organizations relied on its capabilities to scale emergency fundraising efforts.

• Results:
  • A 40% increase in click-through rates.
  • 30% more donations raised compared to previous campaigns.

Relay's performance ensured thousands of critical messages reached their intended recipients securely and in time—showing its reliability and scalability during critical campaigns.

Expert Insight on Relay’s Value

Webb Bostic, President of Wonder Cave, shared:

"Relay's ability to handle high-volume messaging reliably and securely means our clients can confidently scale every campaign."

This highlights how Relay is revolutionizing direct messaging by blending personalization, scalability, and data-driven insights.

Relay™ offers brands, agencies, and organizations the tools they need to make SMS, MMS, and RCS campaigns more impactful through branded links, personalization, and advanced tracking. With its smart, scalable approach, Relay transforms traditional outreach into meaningful, measurable, and data-backed engagement.

Twelve Labs, a leader in video understanding technology, has announced Marengo 2.7, its latest state-of-the-art multimodal embedding model. This next-generation model achieves over 15% performance improvement compared to its predecessor, Marengo-2.6. With this advancement, Marengo 2.7 introduces a groundbreaking multi-vector representation approach, allowing it to analyze video content with unprecedented accuracy and depth.

What’s New in Marengo 2.7?

1. Multi-Vector Representation: A First of Its Kind

Unlike traditional models that condense all data into a single vector, Marengo 2.7 uses multiple specialized vectors to analyze different aspects of video content. These vectors independently process:

• Visual content: Objects, actions, and appearances.
• Motion patterns: Transitions and movement within a scene.
• Speech and OCR text: Audio patterns and overlaid text (captions, subtitles, or other visual data).

This novel approach allows Marengo 2.7 to achieve superior video analysis by breaking the raw input into distinct elements rather than compressing everything into one representation.

2. Improved Performance Across Key Metrics

Marengo 2.7 has demonstrated impressive capabilities, including:

• 90.6% average recall in object search (a 32.6% increase over its predecessor).
• 93.2% recall in speech search (2.8% higher than specialized speech-to-text systems).

These results highlight the model’s ability to analyze and interpret complex videos effectively, with accurate visual, motion, and audio search capabilities.

Why Multi-Vector Representation Matters

Enhanced Search Capabilities:

With its multi-vector approach, Marengo 2.7 enables users to:

• Search for specific brands or logos within videos.
• Match images to corresponding video segments.
• Locate exact moments in audio, even within complex visual scenes.

Precision in Complex Visual and Audio Environments:

The multi-vector method allows Marengo 2.7 to distinguish nuanced details, like detecting small objects or correlating textual overlays with audio cues.

What the CEO Says

Jae Lee, CEO of Twelve Labs, highlighted the significance of this innovation:

"Twelve Labs continues to push video understanding forward in unprecedented ways...Our groundbreaking model's performance is vastly superior to anything on the market today."

Lee emphasizes how Marengo 2.7 addresses challenges once thought unsolvable, opening new opportunities for users to harness advanced video insights.

Twelve Labs’ Marengo 2.7 is revolutionizing video understanding by introducing multi-vector representations for the first time ever. This approach enables more granular and precise multimodal search capabilities—across vision, motion, and audio—unlocking new possibilities for users in video analysis, content discovery, and AI-powered insights.

With Marengo 2.7, Twelve Labs is setting the standard for innovation in video analysis technology.

DAS Technology, a leader in automotive consumer engagement SaaS AI technology and the creator of the Consumer Data & Experience Platform® (CDXP), has announced its latest innovation—the AI Engage Messaging Solution. This advanced solution combines AI-powered messaging technology with a network of skilled live moderators to streamline communication between automotive dealers and consumers across every step of the car ownership journey.

Additionally, at the 8th annual AUTOVATE conference, DAS Technology revealed the acquisition of Engage To Sell, a well-established provider specializing in live messaging communication solutions. This strategic acquisition strengthens DAS Technology’s ability to proactively engage consumers with timing and precision, enhancing dealer lead response rates and overall engagement strategies.

What is the AI Engage Messaging Solution?

DAS Technology's AI Engage Messaging Solution integrates AI with human expertise, offering consumers versatile, real-time communication options across their journey—from vehicle research to service appointments. This cutting-edge solution allows consumers to connect 24/7 with either AI tools or experienced live representatives for:

• Vehicle inquiries
• Trade-in valuations
• Service appointments
• Review requests
• Video content engagement

The system leverages AI-powered features while connecting seamlessly with live representatives, ensuring consumers receive both instant responses and personalized interactions.

Key Features of AI Engage Messaging Solution

1. AI + Human Interaction at Scale:

The AI system provides instant responses for general inquiries, while trained live moderators step in to handle more complex consumer needs. This dual approach allows for a hybrid experience tailored to consumer preferences.

2. Multi-Channel Messaging Capabilities:

The solution supports omnichannel communication across:

• Text
• Chat
• Messenger apps
  These options ensure that consumers can reach out to dealers via their preferred communication methods.

3. Integration with CRM/DMS:

The AI Engage system integrates with dealer CRMs (Customer Relationship Management) and DMS (Dealer Management Systems), enabling seamless lead tracking, follow-up, and identity resolution across platforms.

4. Lead Follow-Up & Identity Resolution:

AI Engage uses AI technology to connect leads and inquiries with actionable insights and dealer information, improving both communication rates and lead conversions.

Strategic Acquisition: Engage To Sell Integration

DAS Technology's acquisition of Engage To Sell, a leading provider in AI-driven live messaging for over 15 years, strengthens its offerings. Engage To Sell's proprietary technology and network of live moderators enhance the AI Engage Messaging Solution, offering timely and effective consumer engagement through:

• Proactive outreach
• Consumer lead insights
• Live lead response capabilities

This acquisition adds hundreds of new automotive and specialty vehicle dealer clients to the DAS Technology platform.

Real-World Impact: Success Story with Bettenhausen Automotive

One of the first dealerships to adopt the new AI Engage Messaging Solution is Bettenhausen Automotive, a well-known dealer group in the greater Chicago market. Their marketing director, John Doolin, praises the solution’s hybrid approach:

“We get higher lead conversion results by combining the value of a live person with technology to answer customer questions…The power of AI paired with a professional human moderator is a game changer.”

Bettenhausen's success highlights how AI Engage optimizes both technology and human interaction, catering to customer preferences and improving lead conversions.

CEO Statement: Driving Innovation Forward

Alexi Venneri, Co-founder and CEO of DAS Technology, commented on the innovation:

“We’re thrilled to launch AI Engage while expanding our CDXP SaaS technology to provide consumers with even more communication choices while enabling our clients to improve prospect-to-sale ratios.”

Venneri emphasized how the hybrid AI and live-moderator approach addresses customer needs in real-time and helps dealers accelerate conversions.

The AI Engage Messaging Solution from DAS Technology offers a transformative, multi-channel approach to AI-powered and live communication in the automotive industry. With its seamless integration into the Consumer Data & Experience Platform® and acquisition of Engage To Sell, DAS Technology is revolutionizing dealer-consumer communication, creating a win-win scenario for both buyers and sellers.

The combination of AI technology and live expertise allows consumers to receive immediate answers, personalized engagement, and faster resolution to their inquiries—no matter where they are in their car ownership journey.