Denver-based SaaS company welcomes VP of Marketing to executive leadership team.

TextUs, a leading two-way text messaging platform, has announced the appointment of Andrew Davis as its new Vice President of Marketing. Davis brings a wealth of experience in demand generation and strategic marketing to the TextUs executive team, further solidifying the company’s position as a leader in business messaging solutions.

1. Andrew Davis’ Marketing Expertise:

   • Davis has a proven track record in demand generation, having previously led initiatives at Fishbowl Inventory and EverCommerce Inc.
   • His background spans B2B software markets, including field service management, payroll, HR technology, and inventory management solutions.
   • With his experience in paid acquisition and channel development, Davis will play a key role in expanding TextUs' market presence.

2. Strengthening TextUs’ Market Leadership:

   • CEO Martin Payne highlighted the importance of Davis' leadership in helping TextUs grow its operations and extend its influence in the market.
   • Davis’ expertise in strategic marketing and thought leadership is expected to drive demand generation and market expansion efforts for TextUs.

3. The Future of Text Messaging in Business:

   • Andrew Davis expressed excitement about the transformative potential of business texting, especially as email engagement continues to decline.
   • Texting offers unmatched convenience and response rates, making it the preferred communication channel for businesses to engage customers, candidates, and employees.

4. TextUs’ Platform Success and Industry Leadership:

   • TextUs is a leader in providing businesses with a text messaging platform that enhances engagement, accelerates pipeline creation, and boosts conversion rates.
   • With a 98% read rate and up to 10x higher response rates compared to email or phone, texting drives productivity, revenue, and profitability for companies.

Andrew Davis’ addition to the TextUs executive leadership team marks a significant step in the company’s growth strategy. As texting continues to emerge as the dominant business communication channel, Davis’ expertise will be key to driving new marketing initiatives and strengthening TextUs’ leadership position in the industry.

PostcardMania, a $104.6 million marketing technology firm, has introduced two new automated mailer products Birthday Mailers and Medicare Mailers. These daily-triggered mailers target prospects celebrating their birthdays or turning 65, aiming to bring in new business for local businesses and connect Medicare-eligible individuals with insurance agents.

1. New Automated Mailer Products:

   • Birthday Mailers: Target residents celebrating birthdays with special promotions, driving new business and building brand loyalty.
   • Medicare Mailers: Focus on individuals turning 65, offering connections to Medicare insurance agents, with a strategic focus on this growing market.

2. Proven Effectiveness of Birthday Mailers:

   • Birthday promotions have a 481% higher transaction rate compared to standard promotions, making them highly effective in generating repeat business.
   • Ideal for businesses like salons, restaurants, and spas, where personalized birthday promotions can drive foot traffic and customer retention.

3. Medicare Mailers for a Growing Market:

   • With over 60 million Medicare-eligible individuals, Medicare Mailers target people turning 65, helping insurance providers capture leads and drive revenue.
   • Research shows that people over 55 pay more attention to mail, making direct mail a valuable marketing tool in the Medicare market.

4. Customization and Dynamic Personalization:

   • Both Birthday and Medicare Mailers can be personalized using dynamic variables like first names, images, messaging, and more, tailored to each recipient's profile.
   • Targeting can be refined based on factors such as income, location, homeowner status, and timing of the mailings.

5. Growth and Impact of Automated Mailers:

   • PostcardMania’s automated daily mailers, including the new products, have contributed to a 165% revenue growth in this segment year-over-year, driving a 12% increase in the company’s overall revenue for Q2.
   • These new solutions provide businesses with a competitive edge, enabling them to stand out and connect with prospects more effectively.

PostcardMania’s new Birthday and Medicare Mailers provide businesses with powerful tools to enhance engagement and drive growth. By leveraging automation, dynamic personalization, and targeted marketing, these solutions are poised to deliver significant returns for businesses in various industries, including healthcare and service sectors.

With new tools to automatically control how AI bots can access content, Cloudflare is the first to stand up for content creators at scale

Cloudflare, Inc., a leading connectivity cloud company, has announced the launch of AI Audit, a groundbreaking set of tools aimed at helping website owners and content creators analyze and manage how their content is used by artificial intelligence (AI) models. These tools will give creators control over AI model access and enable them to set fair prices for content used in AI model training and retrieval augmented generation (RAG).

1. AI Audit’s Purpose and Features:

   • AI Audit allows content creators to understand how AI bots are accessing their content and gives them control over whether to allow or block such access.
   • It introduces advanced analytics for tracking AI bot behavior, enabling websites to distinguish between bots that credit sources and those that scrape data without attribution.
   • The tools provide automatic control to block AI bots with a single click, a feature crucial for small sites lacking technical resources.

2. Monetizing Content Access for AI Training:

   • Cloudflare is developing a new feature allowing creators to set fair prices for the use of their content by AI companies, enabling content providers to be compensated for their data.
   • This functionality will streamline the process of negotiating licensing deals between content creators and AI model providers, especially for smaller sites with limited negotiation resources.

3. Why AI Audit Matters for Content Creators:

   • Website owners, including for-profit companies, media outlets, and small personal sites, are often unaware that AI bots scan their content thousands of times daily without their knowledge or compensation.
   • This constant data scraping can lead to significant value loss for businesses, as AI models use content without permission or payment.
   • AI Audit provides creators with the tools to regain control and ensure fair compensation, protecting the quality and diversity of online content.

4. Cloudflare’s Vision for the Future of Online Content:

   • CEO Matthew Prince emphasizes the need for content creators to maintain control over their contributions to the internet. Without it, online information may degrade or be locked behind paywalls.
   • Cloudflare aims to set industry standards that balance content creators' rights with AI model providers' needs for fresh data, ensuring a transparent and fair exchange.

5. Automated Bot Control and Analytics for Transparency:

   • AI Audit offers real-time analytics that help website owners understand AI bot traffic, including when, why, and how often AI models access their content.
   • It also supports legal protection, providing model terms of use to help content creators safeguard their intellectual property in negotiations with AI companies.

Cloudflare’s AI Audit marks a significant step toward giving content creators greater control and transparency over how their content is used by AI models. By offering automated bot control, advanced analytics, and the ability to set fair compensation, Cloudflare aims to protect creators while enabling AI innovations to thrive.

Quad/Graphics, Inc., a global leader in marketing experiences, has partnered with Google Cloud to create a powerful AI-driven platform aimed at transforming data, creativity, and personalization for advertisers. This collaboration will enable brands to deliver highly personalized content at scale across various channels while streamlining global marketing complexities.

1. AI-Powered Personalization at Scale:

   • Quad integrates Google Cloud’s AI and large language models (LLMs) into its proprietary data stack to offer advanced personalization for brands.
   • This collaboration will allow for dynamic image generation, content creation, layout design, and translation, addressing the challenges of large product catalogs and diverse audience segments.

2. Enhanced Data Accuracy and Transparency:

   • Quad’s data stack covers 92% of U.S. households and 97% of the adult population, refining data with over 3 billion points every 18 months.
   • The stability of household data as an identifier allows marketers to achieve greater personalization, enhancing engagement and campaign efficiency.

3. Quad’s Commitment to Marketing Innovation:

   • Quad’s Senior VP George Forge highlights the significance of this partnership, noting it will "reimagine" brand-audience connections with cutting-edge AI solutions.
   • The AI-driven approach not only boosts targeting precision but also ensures the authenticity of brand voices across multiple channels.

4. Google Cloud’s Role in Digital Transformation:

   • Michael Clark, President of Google Cloud North America, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, emphasizing the role of Google Cloud’s AI infrastructure in driving marketing innovation.
   • The collaboration aims to empower brands with actionable insights for more personalized customer experiences.

5. AI Solutions for Operational Efficiency:

   • Beyond client-facing innovations, Quad will leverage AI to optimize its internal workflows, content production, asset development, and media capabilities.
   • Over 1,000 Quad employees are already utilizing AI-based solutions to improve speed, cost efficiency, and performance, with full client solutions rolling out in Q4 2024.

Quad/Graphics’ partnership with Google Cloud marks a significant leap in data-driven marketing. By blending decades of data expertise with advanced AI technology, Quad will deliver enhanced personalization, creative efficiency, and operational improvements, benefiting both marketers and their audiences.

Customers Now Benefit from Native Cloud-to-Cloud Platform Integration and Seamless Support

Verint® and Five9 have announced an enhanced partnership, introducing a cloud-to-cloud platform integration focused on AI-driven business outcomes. This integration strengthens the customer experience (CX) ecosystem by seamlessly connecting Verint’s and Five9’s cloud solutions, offering businesses unparalleled control and flexibility.

1. Enhanced Cloud-to-Cloud Integration:

   • The deeper integration between Verint Cloud Solutions and the Five9 Intelligent CX Platform simplifies connectivity for businesses, providing full cloud-to-cloud integration.
   • This unified platform enables organizations to leverage best-in-class AI solutions to optimize customer experience operations.

2. AI-Powered Business Outcomes:

   • The partnership emphasizes delivering tangible AI business outcomes, improving customer engagement through enhanced automation and intelligence across the CX spectrum.
   • Verint and Five9 aim to empower businesses with real-time data and analytics to drive smarter decisions and improve service efficiency.

3. Customer Choice and Flexibility:

   • Both companies are committed to giving customers freedom in selecting the best-fit technology solutions.
   • Five9’s VP of Sales, Jake Butterbaugh, noted the importance of providing customers with flexible solutions backed by industry-leading support services.

4. Strong Partner Ecosystem:

   • By deepening the partnership, Verint and Five9 are expanding their partner ecosystems, offering seamless access to both companies’ cloud technologies.
   • Customers benefit from superior control and choice in selecting CX automation solutions that best fit their needs.

5. Elevating Standards for CX Automation:

   • The integration sets new standards for excellence in customer experience by simplifying the implementation of AI-driven automation tools.
   • Verint’s John Bourne emphasized that the new connectivity allows customers to achieve AI business outcomes faster and more effectively.

The partnership between Verint and Five9 enhances the cloud-to-cloud connectivity of their platforms, providing businesses with cutting-edge AI-powered CX automation solutions. This integration will drive superior business outcomes and give organizations more control and flexibility in their customer experience strategies.

The Butter AI Assistant Supercharges Content Creation, Empowering Developers and Marketers to Harness the Power of AI

ButterCMS, a leading provider of headless CMS solutions, has announced the launch of Butter AI Assistant ahead of its Fall Product Event on Thursday, 9/26. Integrated with TinyMCE's content creation component, this new feature brings generative AI directly into the CMS platform, offering users enhanced content creation capabilities.

1. AI-Driven Content Optimization for SEO:

   • Butter AI Assistant helps marketers improve their SEO strategy by providing AI-generated suggestions for keyword usage, enhancing search engine rankings.

2. A/B Testing with Content Variations:

   • The new AI tool enables users to easily generate multiple versions of headlines, product descriptions, and other content for A/B testing, helping to refine messaging for better engagement.

3. Brand Voice Consistency Across Multiple Brands:

   • Marketers managing content for multiple brands within ButterCMS can now modify content to maintain consistent brand voice across all platforms.

4. Optimized Content for Web and Mobile:

   • Butter AI Assistant helps ensure content is optimized for both web and mobile platforms, improving user experience, readability, and performance.

5. Highlighting Key Product Attributes:

   • The tool can draft product descriptions that emphasize the most important features, making it easier to create content that resonates with consumers.

6. General Content Enhancement:

   • From removing passive voice to crafting engaging calls-to-action, the AI Assistant allows users to refine their content, making it more dynamic and personalized.

Butter AI Assistant, integrated into ButterCMS, empowers marketers and developers to streamline content creation with AI-driven features, from SEO optimization to brand consistency and A/B testing. As Michael Sonier, General Manager of ButterCMS, highlights, this tool will bring unmatched flexibility, making content creation faster and more efficient.

IRCODE to Serve as Official Technology Partner to ADWEEK’s Brandweek, Replacing QR Codes with Next-Generation Image Recognition Technology

IRCODE, an innovative technology platform featuring next-gen image recognition, launched today to address the biggest challenges in advertising. This solution seamlessly merges physical and digital marketing, allowing consumers to capture a simple photo of an image be it a billboard, TV show, or product instantly connecting them to a brand-curated digital experience.

1. Transforming Advertising with Seamless Image-to-Digital Interaction:

   • IRCODE’s patented Exact Match Technology turns any image into an interactive experience, empowering brands to control the entire consumer journey. Unlike QR codes or external search engines, this advanced tech enables engagement without disruptions or redirection.

2. Advanced Image Recognition with Millimeter-Level Precision:

   • Powered by Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) and AI neural networks, IRCODE can detect images with unmatched accuracy, even when they are partially obscured or viewed from different angles. This makes static ads—like billboards and product displays—dynamic and shoppable.

3. Real-Time Data and Consumer Insights:

   • Brands utilizing IRCODE gain access to real-time data, capturing valuable metrics such as engagement time, location, frequency, and conversion rates, helping optimize strategies based on consumer behavior.

4. Shoppable Media Across All Platforms:

   • From live events and digital video to streaming platforms and social media posts, IRCODE transforms any medium into an interactive, shoppable experience, creating new opportunities for engagement.

5. Interactive Experiences at Brandweek:

   • As the official technology partner for ADWEEK’s Brandweek, IRCODE will power interactive sessions, content unlocking, and gamified experiences like scavenger hunts and ‘scan-to-win’ challenges, enhancing attendee engagement throughout the event.

IRCODE is reshaping how brands interact with consumers, blending physical and digital worlds through innovative image recognition technology. By offering real-time, dynamic engagement opportunities and precise control over the consumer journey, IRCODE is setting new standards for performance-driven marketing experiences.

The Brandtech Group is setting a new standard in the marketing industry by unveiling a comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at promoting the ethical use of generative AI (Gen AI). This includes the introduction of a blueprint for creating ethical Gen AI policies and a groundbreaking technology called Bias Breaker, designed to address biases in foundational AI models.

1. Commitment to Responsible AI Use:

   • Brandtech emphasizes the importance of ethical practices in Gen AI, focusing on three key areas: hiring and training teams, developing technology, and offering services. The company has been delivering scaled Gen AI services since 2018, positioning itself as a leader in ethical AI.

2. Introduction of Bias Breaker Technology:

   • After over a year of development, the Bias Breaker tool is now live, integrated with Pencil, Brandtech’s leading generative AI marketing platform. Bias Breaker enhances inclusivity in image generation, countering the prevalent biases observed in many foundational models.

3. Addressing Bias in AI Models:

   • Brandtech's research revealed significant biases in AI-generated images, particularly regarding gender representation in roles like CEOs. The research found that certain models produced images of male CEOs 98-100% of the time, starkly contrasting with actual statistics, which show only 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female.

4. Promoting Diversity with Advanced Technology:

   • Bias Breaker enriches user prompts with diversity elements, such as age, race, ability, gender identity, and religion. This innovative approach aims to create more inclusive and representative outputs, moving beyond biases inherent in the training data of many generative models.

5. Practical Measures and Resources:

   • Brandtech's Ethical Gen AI package includes a free blueprint for developing ethical Gen AI policies, providing valuable insights and guidelines. The company also offers training for client-facing teams to facilitate ethical decision-making in Gen AI applications.

6. Market Demand for Ethical Practices:

   • With increasing inquiries from CMOs about the ethical implications of Gen AI, Brandtech's initiatives are timely and necessary. The Ethical Gen AI Package, including Bias Breaker, is designed to provide clear answers and establish best practices for responsible AI use in marketing.

Brandtech Group is leading the charge in promoting ethical generative AI practices within the marketing industry. With the introduction of Bias Breaker technology and a commitment to transparency and inclusivity, Brandtech is not just responding to market demands but actively shaping the future of AI in advertising. By getting ahead of potential challenges, the company aims to create a responsible and equitable AI landscape.