The SaaS unicorn welcomes a new CMO, CRO, and CSO to build on its go-to-market strategy and growth in the industry

ActiveCampaign, a leading marketing automation platform, has announced the appointment of three key executives: Amy Kilpatrick as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Carine Roman as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), and Shay Howe as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). These leadership changes aim to drive innovation, fuel growth, and deliver greater value to businesses by helping them build stronger, more meaningful customer relationships at scale.

• Amy Kilpatrick – Chief Marketing Officer (CMO):

  • Kilpatrick joins ActiveCampaign after serving as CMO of Contentful and as VP of Integrated Marketing at Mailchimp.
  • With extensive experience in cybersecurity, telecommunications, and content marketing, she will focus on scaling ActiveCampaign’s brand with small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) globally.

• Carine Roman – Chief Revenue Officer (CRO):

  • Previously Mailchimp’s first Chief Customer Officer, Roman built the company’s sales team and integrated customer success with sales.
  • At ActiveCampaign, Roman will concentrate on growing new and existing business efforts, driving revenue, and enhancing the customer experience across the platform.

• Shay Howe – Chief Strategy Officer (CSO):

  • A seven-year veteran of ActiveCampaign, Howe transitions from his role as CMO to CSO.
  • In this new capacity, he will guide corporate strategy, oversee new product lines, and lead strategic partnerships and corporate development initiatives.

• CEO’s Vision:
  Jason VandeBoom, Founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, expressed confidence in the new appointments, emphasizing that the combined expertise of Kilpatrick, Roman, and Howe will elevate the company’s ability to innovate and meet customer needs. He highlighted their passion for helping businesses succeed and their ability to drive impact for ActiveCampaign’s growing global customer base.

• Recent Company Developments:
  Over the past year, ActiveCampaign has:

  • Added Joy Whinery as Chief Financial Officer.
  • Reimagined its product direction with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI).
  • Opened two new hub locations in Costa Rica and Poland.
  • Acquired OneSend, a suite of tools designed for franchise, multi-location brands, and reseller agencies.

These leadership appointments mark a pivotal moment in ActiveCampaign's growth. The addition of Kilpatrick, Roman, and Howe to the leadership team will help the company deepen its understanding of customer needs, drive innovation, and scale its global operations. With a focus on personalized customer experiences and AI-driven solutions, ActiveCampaign is poised to continue redefining how businesses connect with their customers.

Data-Backed Insights & Best Practices to Make Relevant, Engaging, Impactful Shoppable CTV & Digital Ads this Holiday Season & Beyond

Innovid, an independent software platform specializing in the creation, delivery, measurement, and optimization of advertising across connected TV (CTV), linear, and digital channels, has launched its new guide, “Holiday Shoppable Advertising Unwrapped.” This guide offers key insights and best practices to help marketers leverage shoppable ads for enhanced engagement and quicker paths to purchase, particularly during the holiday season.

• Performance Benchmarks for Interactive & Shoppable Ads:

  • Innovid analyzed approximately 380 billion global video impressions on its platform.
  • Results showed that interactive CTV ads, a category that includes shoppable ads, delivered:
    • 92 seconds more engagement compared to standard pre-roll ads.
    • 10X the engagement rate of traditional video ads.

• Tips for Effective Shoppable Ad Experiences:
  The guide includes actionable tips based on Innovid’s experience running thousands of shoppable ads:

  • Use action-oriented CTAs: Encourage immediate action with clear, compelling calls-to-action.
  • Reduce clicks to conversion: Simplify the user journey by minimizing the number of steps between engagement and purchase.
  • Maximize QR code visibility: Increase QR code duration on-screen to allow viewers more time to engage.

• Real-World Case Studies:
  The guide highlights success stories of brands that improved their holiday ad performance using CTV shoppable ads. These brands experienced:

  • Improved return on ad spend (ROAS).
  • Increased holiday sales through interactive shopping experiences.

• Shoppable Ads as a Key Opportunity:
  Dani Cushion, CMO of Innovid, emphasized the value of shoppable ads, stating, “Shoppable ads offer an incredible chance for advertisers to transform passive viewers into active shoppers using the largest screen in the house. This format is already delivering success for thousands of advertisers – the time for shoppable TV is now.”

Innovid’s “Holiday Shoppable Advertising Unwrapped” provides marketers with the tools and strategies they need to optimize their holiday campaigns. By incorporating interactive and shoppable CTV ads, brands can drive higher engagement, increase sales, and make the most of the holiday season’s advertising opportunities.

GetApp’s 2024 Advertising Preferences Survey reveals how marketing overload and irrelevant content drive customers to unsubscribe, hurting business discover insights to regain consumer trust and boost sales.

A recent survey conducted by GetApp reveals that U.S. consumers are increasingly frustrated with the overwhelming amount of advertisements they receive. The 2024 Advertising Preferences Survey highlights that 40% of U.S. consumers unsubscribe from brand texts and emails at least once a week significantly higher than the global average of 25%. This signals a growing demand for brands to rethink their marketing strategies and respect consumer boundaries.

• Consumers Demand Relief from High-Frequency Marketing:

  • 56% of U.S. consumers will unsubscribe if they receive four or more marketing messages from the same brand within 30 days.
  • 44% opt out sooner, showing a clear aversion to frequent communication.
  • The influx of irrelevant content is driving U.S. consumers to label messages as spam or block communications altogether.

• Rising Concerns Over Personal Data Usage:

  • 52% of respondents feel it’s challenging to prevent marketers from accessing their personal information.
  • 60% are unwilling to share data in exchange for personalized or targeted ads, indicating a lack of trust in how companies handle personal information.
  • David Jani, marketing analyst at GetApp, noted that U.S. consumers are quicker to take action by using spam filters, email blocking tools, and privacy settings when receiving unwanted marketing communications.

• Consumer Actions Against Unwanted Ads:

  • Nearly 94% of consumers have taken steps to block or filter marketing messages. This includes:
    • Marking messages as spam or junk (72%).
    • Using anti-spam tools (53%).
    • Reviewing privacy settings for websites and apps (26%).
  • 36% of U.S. consumers who unsubscribed claim they never subscribed or don’t remember subscribing, pointing to potential deceptive practices in marketing.

Strategies for Brands to Re-Engage Consumers:

• Streamline Marketing Communications:

  • Brands should limit the number of promotional messages across channels. Tools like CRM systems and email marketing platforms can help track communication frequency to ensure messaging remains at a sustainable level.

• Respect and Protect Consumer Data:

  • As consumers become more protective of their personal data, marketers must implement data management tools that secure and appropriately use this information.
  • Collect only essential data and offer incentives, such as loyalty programs or exclusive offers, to encourage consumers to share their data willingly.
  • Transparency in the opt-out process can help maintain consumer trust while reducing frustration.

GetApp’s survey underscores the urgent need for brands to balance campaign performance with customer respect. By reducing the volume of marketing messages and safeguarding personal data, businesses can re-engage disillusioned consumers and foster long-term trust.

Captello has upgraded its badge scanner, allowing faster QR code scans from up to 25 inches away. The new technology boosts scan speed by 3.2 times and promotes safer interactions at events. CEO Ryan Schefke highlights the company's focus on innovation and efficiency for lead capture. The upgraded scanner is now available for event organizers globally.

Captello, a leading provider of cloud-based lead capture solutions, has announced a significant enhancement to its badge scanning technology, aimed at transforming interactions at professional gatherings, trade shows, and events. This new upgrade allows Captello’s badge scanners to accurately scan 1" QR codes from distances of up to 60 cm (25 inches)—a marked improvement from previous versions. The enhanced capability increases scanning speed by 3.2 times, ensuring safer and more efficient interactions, particularly in a post-COVID landscape.

• Improved Scanning Distance & Speed:
  The upgraded badge scanner can now capture 1" QR codes from 60 cm (25 inches) away, significantly enhancing the ease and speed of lead capture at events.

  • The scanning process is now 3.2 times faster, which reduces waiting times and allows for smoother interactions between attendees and exhibitors.

• Enhanced Safety for Post-COVID Interactions:
  By increasing the effective scanning range, the upgraded technology promotes safer engagements, allowing event participants to maintain comfortable distances while exchanging information. This ensures that health and safety standards are not compromised during lead capture and event interactions.

• Greater Efficiency & Engagement:
  Event organizers and exhibitors can now benefit from faster lead capture and more streamlined attendee interactions. The new scanner helps minimize wait times, enabling attendees to engage more freely while ensuring exhibitors can efficiently capture leads without interrupting the flow of the event.

CEO Insights:
Ryan Schefke, CEO of Captello, expressed excitement about the upgrade:
“We are thrilled to roll out this upgrade to our badge scanner technology. At Captello, we are committed to continuous innovation and delivering solutions that meet the evolving needs of professionals at gatherings. This enhancement is a testament to our dedication to providing efficient, flexible lead capture methods that ensure safety and enhance engagement at every event. Our team has worked tirelessly to develop a solution that not only speeds up the process but also creates a comfortable ‘safe zone’ for interactions in today’s environment.”

Captello’s newly upgraded badge scanner technology is now available and is expected to set a new standard in the industry for lead capture efficiency and safety. Event organizers and exhibitors worldwide are invited to experience the benefits of this cutting-edge solution at upcoming events.

Broadcast technology leaders join forces to enable news production teams to accelerate storytelling – from pitch to publish

Avid®, a global leader in media production software, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news production planning and publishing solutions. This strategic acquisition underscores Avid's commitment to transforming news, sports, and live production workflows, providing a comprehensive solution that integrates both companies' strengths.

• Integration of Digital-First Workflows:
  By integrating Wolftech's story-centric workflow management with Avid's end-to-end media solutions, news organizations will be able to amplify stories across multiple platforms faster and more efficiently, improving remote collaboration.

• Focus on Openness and Flexibility:
  Wolftech, which already integrates with Avid MediaCentral, will continue to offer compatibility with a wide range of tools. This acquisition will allow for deeper integration with Avid’s solutions while maintaining an open approach, providing customers with the flexibility to use other industry-leading platforms.

• Enhanced Global Support:
  Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global support infrastructure and professional services, enhancing their experience and ensuring smooth operations worldwide.

How the Acquisition Will Transform News Production:

• Break Down Silos:
  Teams across digital, broadcast, and long-form content creation will work together seamlessly, unlocking creativity and operational efficiency.

• Increase Efficiency:
  Leveraging sophisticated planning and analytics tools will allow organizations to maximize resources and enhance decision-making.

• Focus on the Story:
  This unified suite of tools will help capture and engage audiences faster by simplifying multiplatform content delivery.

• Improve Team Collaboration:
  Newsrooms, field teams, and remote workers will interact seamlessly using centralized communication tools available via web and mobile applications.

• Adapt to Evolving Technologies:
  Avid and Wolftech’s integration engine, open API, and AI-powered framework will provide the flexibility to innovate workflows as technology evolves.

Executive Insights:
Wellford Dillard, CEO of Avid Technology, shared his excitement:
"We are thrilled to welcome Wolftech to the Avid family. This acquisition strengthens Avid's position in the news market and underscores our commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions that empower news organizations to thrive in today's fast-paced digital landscape."

Arne Berven, CEO of Wolftech, echoed this enthusiasm:
"Joining forces with Avid represents an exciting opportunity to revolutionize news production. By integrating our multiplatform planning, collaboration, and publishing capabilities with Avid’s leading solutions, we’ll enable news organizations to adapt to evolving audience demands more efficiently than ever before."

The acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions marks a significant milestone for Avid, as it looks to enhance news production workflows with innovative tools that improve efficiency, collaboration, and storytelling in today’s digital-first environment.

Source, amplify, convert, and optimize shopper, creator and community-generated content and manage campaigns, all from one place.

At GroceryShop today, Bazaarvoice, the leading platform for full-funnel user-generated content (UGC) and social commerce, announced Bazaarvoice Vibe—a revolutionary solution designed to source, amplify, convert, and optimize UGC and creator-generated content across multiple channels from one centralized platform. The global release is set for November 1.

• Unified Solution for UGC and Creator Campaigns:
  With AI-powered automations and one-click distribution features, Bazaarvoice Vibe simplifies managing UGC and creator campaigns from a single platform, streamlining workflows that previously required multiple tools.

• Comprehensive Content Strategy Management:
  Vibe integrates Creator Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Commerce, and Product Sampling into one platform, allowing brands to source and amplify compelling, community-driven content across all consumer touchpoints, driving both engagement and conversions.

• Real-time Analytics and Insights:
  Vibe provides real-time metrics for campaign performance, creator effectiveness, and revenue contribution, offering detailed insights for optimizing content strategies at every stage of the customer journey.

Executive Insights:
Colby Smith, Executive Vice President at Bazaarvoice, highlighted the platform’s impact:
"Bazaarvoice Vibe makes it easy for brands to power their UGC and creator campaigns from a single solution. With AI-powered automations and insights that optimize campaign spend, brands can bridge the gap between social engagement and e-commerce success."

Customer Success Story:
Dave Plowden, VP of Marketing at FITCRUNCH (Pervine Foods), shared how Vibe has transformed their business:
"With Bazaarvoice Vibe, it feels like we’ve gained the power of five essential tools in one, streamlining workflow, reducing costs, and enhancing efficiency. It’s a game-changer for our business."

Key Benefits of Bazaarvoice Vibe:

1. Accelerated Speed to Market:
   Vibe enables brands to execute and measure campaigns faster, helping them gain a competitive advantage by reducing time to market.

2. Real-time Data for Informed Decisions:
   With end-to-end reporting, brands can track real-time metrics throughout the customer funnel, making data-driven decisions that support measurable growth.

3. Scaling Business Objectives:
   Vibe helps brands deliver the right content at the right time across key channels, improving content performance and conversion metrics, and driving scalable growth.

4. Optimizing Omnichannel Strategies:
   Vibe streamlines content distribution across channels, ensuring that high-quality content reaches consumers wherever they are—be it on social media or product detail pages—maximizing both reach and revenue.

Industry Insight:
Ananda Chakravarty, VP of Research at IDC Retail Insights, commented on Vibe’s innovation:
"Bazaarvoice Vibe is a revolutionary shift in content management. Marketers can now access a vast network of influencers and communities, with clear results shifting from estimates to actual metrics."

Bazaarvoice Vibe marks a new era in UGC and social commerce, providing brands with a powerful tool to drive engagement, streamline workflows, and ultimately, increase revenue.

The company will also participate in a panel discussion with Orange Apron Media and Pentaleap at this year’s Advertising Week

Vantage, the orchestration layer for retail and commerce media, has announced that its comprehensive retail media platform, previously available in limited release, is now accessible to all retailers. This platform aims to enhance retail media businesses, unlocking high-margin revenue opportunities and driving growth in an evolving media landscape.

• Unified Orchestration Layer:
  Vantage serves as a central hub that integrates various teams across the retailer, simplifies workflows, and connects siloed technology systems. This unified approach addresses longstanding challenges in the retail media space, enabling efficient scaling and optimization of media operations.

• Real-time Insights and Analytics:
  The platform empowers brand and retail teams by providing real-time sales and market insights, facilitating better decision-making and action across multiple marketing channels, whether on-site, offsite, or in-store.

Executive Insights:
Aran Hamilton, CEO of Vantage, emphasized the transformative potential of retail media:
"Retail media is not just the latest fad in the industry; it's an opportunity to transform the relationship between retailers and their vendor partners. Vantage helps retailers launch and scale retail media networks to their full potential by integrating disjointed teams and technologies."

Collaboration with The Home Depot:
Vantage is powering the launch of Orange Access, the new analytics, insight, and advertising platform for The Home Depot’s retail media network, Orange Apron Media. This integration allows advertisers and Orange Apron Media associates to plan, activate, and optimize campaigns seamlessly through a single, intuitive interface.

Melanie Babcock, VP for Orange Apron Media and Monetization at The Home Depot, stated:
“Collaborating with Vantage has allowed us to be the first in the industry to streamline all of the work of all of our teams into one platform. Vantage empowers The Home Depot to scale our retail media business, meet advertiser needs, and deliver significant results.”

Strategic Leadership Appointment:
In a bid to bolster its growth, Vantage has appointed Drew Cashmore as Head of Strategy. Cashmore brings invaluable expertise, further reinforcing Vantage's leadership in the retail media industry.

Upcoming Participation at Advertising Week:
Vantage will participate in a panel discussion titled "Unlocking Best-in-Class Service, Scale, & Experience in Retail Media" at this year’s Advertising Week. Aran Hamilton will join Melanie Babcock and Andreas Reiffen of Pentaleap to explore how innovative partnerships are reshaping the retail media landscape. The panel is scheduled for Monday, October 7, at 4:10 pm ET at the Insights Stage.

With its comprehensive platform and strategic partnerships, Vantage is poised to redefine the retail media landscape, enabling retailers to optimize their operations and drive meaningful results.

GenAI search technology and expanded data sources power enhanced brand suitable, contextual solution for YouTube

Pixability, a leader in AI-driven contextual targeting, brand suitability, and performance on YouTube and connected TV (CTV), has announced the launch of GenAI Contextual Segments (GCS). This updated version of its YouTube ad inventory solution is powered by GenAI and leverages the company's extensive video-level data, encompassing over 3.6 billion YouTube videos, to create high-performing contextual segments tailored for brands and agencies.

The Need for Advanced Solutions
As Pixability's video data has exponentially increased, it has become crucial to utilize technology alongside human curation to identify videos that align with specific advertiser audiences. The GCS solution aims to pinpoint content types that particular personas have engaged with in the past, employing a GenAI-powered search tool to surface relevant content.

Executive Insights
David George, CEO of Pixability, commented:
“As YouTube’s CTV reach exceeds all other platforms, and its Shorts content continues to grow, advertisers have realized they need to optimize this critical ad platform. With the increasing volume of content, ensuring efficient audience targeting has become a challenge. Our GCS solution combines the power of GenAI with our industry-leading YouTube contextual data to drive next-level targeting and unlock more value for advertisers on YouTube.”

Key Features of GenAI Contextual Segments:

1. GenAI-Enhanced Search:

   • Utilizes semantic search and large language models (LLM) for precise identification of relevant YouTube video inventory.
   • Creates vectorized clusters of content based on Pixability’s enriched video-level dataset, allowing users to adjust the relevance of these clusters.

2. Persona Insights Engine:

   • Leverages proprietary data from previous YouTube campaigns to identify content types that specific personas engage with beyond their known interests.
   • For example, a quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand targeting GenX men might find that, in addition to sports content, their audience also engages with science and news content, allowing for a broader contextual focus to enhance performance.

3. GenAI Inventory Curation:

   • Combines Pixability’s extensive YouTube data with the largest pool of contextual data in the industry, including suitability data, IAB category data, language data, past ad performance data, and insights from the Inclusive Media Initiative.
   • The GCS solution has already demonstrated success, achieving a 49% increase in performance efficiency for a recent YouTube campaign.

Industry Perspectives:
Vlad Novikov, Director of Digital Standards at Publicis Media, remarked:
"Finding niche audiences at scale on YouTube is a significant challenge for many advertisers. Pixability's GenAI CS addresses this challenge by leveraging the largest relevant dataset to drive optimal outcomes on the largest video platform."

Jeremy Cobb, VP of Digital Platforms at H/L Agency, added:
“We are always seeking efficient ways to drive outcomes for brands on YouTube. Pixability’s proprietary access to YouTube data and its tech-driven approach have enabled us to do just that for our automotive and QSR clients. We’re excited about the potential of the GCS solution and expect it to significantly impact how advertisers derive value from their YouTube campaigns.”

Jeremy Cornfeldt, President of Tinuiti, concluded:
"Pixability has always focused on technology solutions that drive not just brand suitability but also performance outcomes on YouTube. Their new GenAI-powered inventory solution offers a precise way to curate content most relevant to an advertiser's audience, maximizing impact."

With the launch of GenAI Contextual Segments, Pixability aims to revolutionize YouTube advertising by providing advertisers with the tools necessary to efficiently target and engage audiences, ultimately driving better performance and value.