artificial intelligence 16 Jul 2026
The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) has received a Silver Bulldog PR Award for its Georgia legal system abuse awareness campaign, recognizing a public affairs initiative that combined digital marketing, advocacy communications, and localized outreach to influence public awareness around tort reform. The campaign highlights how data-driven communications strategies are increasingly being used to support policy engagement and legislative advocacy.
The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) has been recognized with a Silver Award in the Best Local/Hyperlocal Campaign category at the Bulldog PR Awards for its Georgia legal system abuse awareness initiative. The campaign, launched in early 2025, combined digital advertising, advocacy marketing, visual storytelling, and grassroots engagement to educate residents and policymakers about the economic impact of lawsuit abuse and support statewide tort reform legislation.
The recognition reflects a growing trend in public relations and digital communications, where integrated campaigns increasingly blend marketing technology, audience targeting, and data analytics to influence public opinion and drive measurable engagement.
Triple-I launched the campaign in February 2025 in response to concerns over legal system abuse in Georgia, arguing that excessive litigation contributes to rising insurance premiums and higher consumer costs. The initiative sought to raise public awareness while encouraging lawmakers to support a comprehensive tort reform package introduced by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Rather than relying solely on traditional public relations, the campaign adopted a multi-channel communications strategy designed to reach residents across the state. The organization developed a visually driven infographic explaining the financial impact of lawsuit abuse, launched Facebook advertising campaigns that encouraged constituents to contact elected officials, and deployed digital as well as physical billboards near the Georgia State Capitol and downtown Atlanta.
This localized approach reflects an increasingly important strategy in modern communications. Hyperlocal campaigns enable organizations to tailor messaging to specific geographic audiences while combining digital engagement with offline visibility. For advocacy organizations, such strategies can improve message relevance and increase participation among targeted communities.
One of the campaign's primary objectives was to encourage public participation in the legislative process. Through Facebook advertising and digital advocacy tools, residents were invited to send letters to lawmakers supporting the proposed tort reform legislation.
According to Triple-I, the campaign generated engagement levels significantly above typical digital advertising benchmarks. Facebook advertisements achieved a nearly 15% click-through rate (CTR), substantially exceeding the industry average of approximately 1% to 2% for social advertising campaigns. The initiative also recorded more than 20,000 clicks and nearly 986,000 impressions, while campaign messaging reached users multiple times to reinforce awareness.
The advocacy component also contributed to direct civic engagement. Triple-I reported recruiting 202 new advocates, who collectively sent 443 letters to state legislators encouraging passage of the reform package. The legislation was ultimately approved by both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly before being signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp.
While legislative outcomes are influenced by multiple political, economic, and stakeholder factors, the campaign demonstrates how coordinated public affairs communications can complement broader advocacy efforts by increasing public visibility and constituent participation.
From a marketing technology perspective, the campaign illustrates the increasing role of digital platforms in issue-based communications. Social media advertising, audience segmentation, performance analytics, and online advocacy platforms now enable organizations to measure campaign effectiveness with greater precision than traditional public relations programs.
The campaign also highlights the importance of integrating multiple communication channels. By combining paid social media, visual content, outdoor advertising, and digital advocacy, Triple-I created a coordinated communications strategy capable of reinforcing messaging across multiple audience touchpoints.
Research supports the growing importance of integrated digital engagement. According to Gartner, organizations are increasingly investing in customer and audience engagement technologies that combine analytics with personalized communications. Meanwhile, Statista continues to report steady growth in digital advertising investment as organizations shift outreach toward measurable online channels capable of delivering real-time performance insights.
The communications landscape has also become increasingly data driven. Modern public relations campaigns are now evaluated not only by media coverage but also through key performance indicators such as click-through rates, audience reach, engagement levels, advocacy participation, and conversion metrics. These measurements help organizations better understand how communications initiatives contribute to broader organizational or policy objectives.
For enterprise marketers, communications professionals, and public affairs teams, Triple-I's award-winning campaign demonstrates how localized digital engagement strategies can amplify awareness while supporting measurable audience action. As marketing automation, audience analytics, and first-party engagement tools continue to evolve, integrated advocacy campaigns are expected to become increasingly sophisticated and performance oriented.
The recognition also reinforces a broader industry trend: successful public affairs campaigns increasingly depend on the strategic integration of content, digital advertising, audience targeting, and measurable engagement rather than traditional awareness-building tactics alone.
Public affairs and advocacy communications are becoming increasingly data-driven as organizations adopt marketing technology to improve audience targeting and campaign measurement. Gartner highlights growing investment in digital engagement platforms, while Statista reports continued expansion of digital advertising spending across social media and online channels. These trends are enabling organizations to combine public relations, analytics, and performance marketing to deliver measurable communications outcomes.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Lineaje has been recognized as a Visionary in Gartner's inaugural 2026 Magic Quadrant for Software Supply Chain Security, reflecting growing enterprise demand for platforms that secure software development pipelines as AI-assisted coding and autonomous software engineering become more widespread. The recognition highlights the increasing importance of continuous software supply chain protection, AI governance, and automated vulnerability management for modern enterprises.
Lineaje has been positioned as a Visionary in the inaugural 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Software Supply Chain Security, a recognition that comes as organizations face mounting security challenges driven by AI-assisted software development, open-source dependencies, and autonomous coding tools.
The Gartner evaluation assessed vendors on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute, two criteria widely used by enterprise technology buyers when evaluating strategic software providers. While the report represents Gartner's independent assessment, Lineaje views the recognition as validation of its long-term strategy to secure software throughout the entire development lifecycle.
The announcement reflects a broader shift occurring across enterprise software engineering. As developers increasingly adopt generative AI coding assistants and agentic AI systems capable of writing, modifying, and deploying software, organizations are confronting new risks involving code provenance, software integrity, governance, and compliance.
Software supply chain security focuses on protecting every component involved in software creation—from open-source libraries and third-party dependencies to internally developed applications and AI-generated code. Rather than identifying vulnerabilities only after deployment, modern platforms increasingly aim to detect, remediate, and govern risks continuously throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Lineaje's platform is designed around this lifecycle approach. Its portfolio combines software composition analysis, software bill of materials (SBOM) management, AI governance, automated vulnerability remediation, and compliance capabilities into a unified security platform.
Among its offerings is Gold Open Source, which provides curated and verified open-source packages, patches, and container images intended to reduce exposure to known vulnerabilities before software reaches production environments. The company also offers SBOM360, an automated vulnerability management platform that uses AI to identify and remediate security issues within source code and software containers while minimizing disruption to developer workflows.
As enterprises expand their use of artificial intelligence, Lineaje has also introduced UnifAI, a platform focused on securing AI assets and agentic applications. The solution addresses AI governance by managing AI identities, enforcing security policies, protecting sensitive information, and monitoring AI systems throughout their operational lifecycle.
Complementing these capabilities is xBOM Manager, which supports enterprise management of multiple software bill of materials formats, including SBOMs, AI BOMs (AIBOMs), cryptographic BOMs (CBOMs), and firmware BOMs (FBOMs). As governments worldwide introduce stricter cybersecurity regulations and software transparency requirements, xBOM management is becoming increasingly important for compliance across regulated industries.
The announcement highlights a growing trend toward integrating security directly into software engineering workflows rather than treating security as a separate function performed after development. This "shift-left" approach aligns with broader DevSecOps practices, where security testing, governance, and compliance become continuous elements of software delivery.
Industry analysts have increasingly identified AI-generated code as both a productivity accelerator and a new source of software risk. Organizations adopting generative AI development tools must address questions around code provenance, licensing, embedded vulnerabilities, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance—areas where software supply chain security platforms are becoming strategic investments.
Beyond the Magic Quadrant recognition, Lineaje noted that its technology has also been referenced across several Gartner research publications during 2026, including reports covering secure software engineering, platform engineering, AI-assisted vulnerability remediation, and software supply chain security. Collectively, these reports illustrate how software engineering, cybersecurity, AI governance, and compliance are becoming increasingly interconnected.
The market for software supply chain security continues to expand rapidly. According to Gartner, software supply chain protection has become a strategic priority as organizations adopt AI-assisted development and rely more heavily on open-source software. Meanwhile, IDC forecasts continued enterprise investment in application security, DevSecOps automation, and software governance platforms as organizations modernize application delivery while addressing increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
Competition in this segment continues to intensify, with vendors including GitHub, GitLab, JFrog, Snyk, Sonatype, Palo Alto Networks, Microsoft, and Google Cloud expanding software supply chain security capabilities across development environments.
For enterprise technology leaders, the recognition underscores an important market reality: securing software now extends beyond vulnerability scanning. Modern organizations increasingly require continuous visibility into software components, AI-generated code, regulatory compliance, and automated remediation throughout the development lifecycle.
As AI accelerates software engineering, platforms capable of combining software governance, AI security, and automated vulnerability management are expected to play an increasingly central role in enterprise cybersecurity strategies.
The rapid adoption of generative AI and agentic software development is reshaping application security. Gartner identifies software supply chain security as a growing enterprise priority as organizations seek continuous protection across development pipelines. IDC also projects sustained investment in DevSecOps automation, AI governance, and software integrity platforms as enterprises strengthen cyber resilience while accelerating software delivery.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Beyond Fifteen Communications has entered the second half of 2026 with new client partnerships, measurable campaign growth, and an expanded leadership team, underscoring increasing demand for integrated public relations, digital marketing, branding, and demand generation services. The agency's latest milestones reflect a broader shift among organizations seeking unified marketing strategies that connect brand awareness with measurable business outcomes.
Beyond Fifteen Communications has reported strong business momentum during the first half of 2026, highlighting several new client wins, high-profile marketing campaigns, and the appointment of communications executive Mackenzie Martin as Senior Client Advisor. The developments illustrate how integrated marketing communications agencies are evolving to meet growing enterprise demand for data-driven public relations, digital marketing, and demand generation services.
Headquartered in Orange County, California, the minority- and woman-owned agency has expanded its national client portfolio with organizations including CPS Products and TalentForce, while continuing long-term strategic work with the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). Rather than focusing solely on media relations, Beyond Fifteen's recent engagements demonstrate the industry's movement toward full-service communications strategies that combine branding, content marketing, digital advertising, public relations, and performance marketing under one operational framework.
The announcement reflects broader changes in the marketing technology landscape. As organizations navigate increasingly fragmented digital channels, many are consolidating communications, demand generation, and brand strategy into integrated campaigns supported by analytics, automation, and measurable performance metrics.
One of Beyond Fifteen's most notable initiatives during the first half of the year involved the launch of TalentForce, a nonprofit organization established to address workforce shortages within the corrosion industry. Working under a 90-day deadline ahead of AMPP's annual conference, the agency developed the nonprofit's brand identity, messaging framework, website, video assets, and digital presence while executing a coordinated public relations campaign.
According to the agency, the launch generated six published industry articles within 45 days and reached an estimated audience of more than 182 million impressions, helping establish market visibility for a newly created organization. While audience reach does not directly translate into business outcomes, the campaign illustrates how integrated communications strategies can accelerate awareness during major product launches, nonprofit initiatives, and industry events.
Beyond Fifteen also highlighted performance results from its work with CPS Products, where the agency has managed a full-funnel omnichannel marketing strategy since early 2026. Reported outcomes include a 167% increase in social media followers, nearly one million social engagements, 8.8 million digital impressions, and a 277% increase in website traffic from targeted audiences. The company also cited strong cross-channel advertising returns, emphasizing the growing importance of aligning paid media, content marketing, social engagement, and performance analytics.
These campaigns reflect an industry-wide transition toward measurable marketing execution. Enterprise organizations increasingly expect communications partners to demonstrate business impact through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as qualified traffic, audience engagement, lead generation, and return on advertising investment rather than relying solely on traditional media placements.
Leadership expansion also forms part of Beyond Fifteen's growth strategy. The agency announced the return of Mackenzie Martin, who previously worked at Beyond Fifteen before leading integrated communications programs at a New York-based agency. Her appointment strengthens the firm's senior advisory capabilities as agencies continue investing in experienced talent capable of managing increasingly complex cross-channel marketing initiatives.
The agency's expansion comes at a time when organizations are reevaluating how communications functions integrate with broader revenue operations. Public relations, once viewed primarily as a brand awareness discipline, is now frequently combined with SEO, content marketing, marketing automation, social media strategy, and demand generation to support measurable business growth.
Research supports this evolution. Gartner has identified marketing orchestration and customer journey optimization as key priorities for enterprise marketing organizations investing in digital transformation. Meanwhile, Forrester continues to highlight integrated marketing measurement as a critical capability for organizations seeking to connect brand investment with commercial performance across multiple digital channels.
Competition within the integrated marketing services sector is also intensifying. Global firms such as Edelman, Weber Shandwick, Ogilvy, Accenture Song, and Deloitte Digital continue expanding their marketing technology, analytics, and digital transformation capabilities alongside traditional communications services. Independent agencies, meanwhile, are differentiating themselves through specialized expertise, industry knowledge, and agile campaign execution.
For enterprise marketing leaders, Beyond Fifteen's latest milestones reinforce a broader market trend: successful communications strategies increasingly rely on the integration of earned media, digital marketing, branding, paid advertising, SEO, and analytics. As AI-powered marketing platforms, customer data technologies, and automation tools become central to campaign execution, agencies capable of combining creative storytelling with measurable business performance are becoming increasingly valuable strategic partners.
Looking ahead, the agency's continued expansion suggests sustained demand for communications partners that can deliver end-to-end marketing execution while adapting to evolving enterprise expectations around accountability, digital engagement, and revenue contribution.
Integrated marketing communications continues to evolve as organizations consolidate PR, content marketing, SEO, demand generation, and digital advertising into unified growth strategies. Gartner reports that marketing leaders are prioritizing customer journey orchestration and marketing technology investments, while Forrester emphasizes integrated measurement and performance analytics as essential for demonstrating business impact. Agencies capable of connecting brand storytelling with measurable digital outcomes are increasingly positioned to support enterprise growth initiatives.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Fandango is expanding its advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service while consolidating its streaming, movie ticketing, and digital purchase offerings under a single brand identity. The move reflects a broader industry shift toward integrated entertainment ecosystems that combine content discovery, transactional video, and free ad-supported streaming into one consumer experience.
Fandango has announced a major expansion of its free streaming business, bringing its advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service under the unified Fandango brand. Previously known as Fandango at Home, the streaming platform now sits alongside the company's movie ticketing and premium video-on-demand services, creating a single entertainment ecosystem designed to simplify how audiences discover, watch, rent, and purchase content.
The announcement comes as media companies increasingly invest in free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and AVOD platforms to reach viewers seeking alternatives to subscription-based services. Rather than requiring multiple apps or paid memberships, Fandango's latest strategy focuses on reducing barriers to content access while expanding opportunities for digital advertising and audience engagement.
One of the most significant updates is the introduction of guest viewing, allowing users to stream free movies and television content without creating an account or signing in. The platform also introduces a redesigned "Watch Now" experience, enabling one-click playback across web browsers, mobile devices, and connected televisions.
By removing registration requirements, Fandango is aligning with an industry-wide trend toward frictionless user experiences. Streaming platforms are increasingly prioritizing immediate content access to improve viewer retention while generating advertising revenue through larger audiences instead of subscription fees.
The company's AVOD library has also expanded substantially. Fandango now offers a curated catalog of popular films, television series, franchise content, and sports programming, including more than 3,500 hours of entertainment from the Versant content portfolio. The platform will also stream Bundesliga soccer coverage in the United States through USA Sports' English-language media rights agreement, broadening its appeal beyond traditional movie audiences.
The unified platform positions Fandango as one of the few entertainment services that combines theatrical ticketing, digital movie rentals and purchases, and free streaming within a single destination. While companies such as Amazon Prime Video, Google TV, Apple TV, and Roku offer combinations of transactional video and streaming content, Fandango differentiates itself by integrating cinema ticket purchasing directly into the customer journey.
This integrated approach reflects broader changes in digital entertainment consumption. Rather than treating moviegoing and home entertainment as separate experiences, platforms increasingly aim to support consumers throughout the entire content lifecycle—from discovering theatrical releases to watching free catalog titles or purchasing newly released films digitally.
For advertisers, the expansion also strengthens Fandango's position within the growing connected TV (CTV) advertising ecosystem. As AVOD audiences continue to grow, marketers are shifting larger portions of television advertising budgets toward streaming platforms that provide scalable inventory, audience targeting, and measurable campaign performance.
The timing aligns with rapid growth across the global ad-supported streaming market. According to Statista, connected TV advertising spending continues to increase as consumers spend more viewing time on streaming platforms. Meanwhile, Deloitte's Digital Media Trends research indicates that rising subscription costs are encouraging viewers to adopt free, advertising-supported streaming services alongside premium subscriptions.
Fandango reported that its AVOD platform has experienced significant momentum over the past year. Monthly active users increased by more than 300% year over year, while total viewing hours grew more than 200% during the same period. Separately, the company's transactional video-on-demand business completed more than 30 million movie rental and purchase transactions over the previous 12 months, highlighting continued consumer demand for premium digital releases alongside free streaming content.
Beyond consumer convenience, the announcement illustrates a larger strategic shift occurring throughout the media industry. Entertainment companies are increasingly consolidating content libraries, advertising technology, audience data, and transactional services into unified digital ecosystems that improve customer retention while creating additional monetization opportunities.
From a marketing technology perspective, integrated entertainment platforms generate valuable first-party audience data that can support personalization, recommendation engines, customer segmentation, and advertising optimization. As privacy regulations reshape digital advertising, companies with direct consumer relationships are becoming better positioned to deliver relevant experiences while strengthening advertising performance.
For enterprise marketers, agencies, and media buyers, Fandango's expanded AVOD offering represents another example of how streaming platforms are evolving into comprehensive digital engagement channels. The combination of premium entertainment, free content, and transactional services creates additional opportunities for brands seeking high-quality connected TV inventory and audience reach.
As competition intensifies across streaming, media companies are increasingly differentiating themselves through platform integration rather than content volume alone. Fandango's latest expansion demonstrates how unified entertainment ecosystems may become an increasingly important strategy for driving viewer engagement, advertising growth, and long-term digital revenue.
The AVOD and connected TV advertising markets continue to experience rapid expansion as consumers diversify their streaming habits. According to Statista, global connected TV advertising spending continues to rise as advertisers shift budgets toward digital video platforms. Deloitte's Digital Media Trends research also shows increasing consumer adoption of free ad-supported streaming services due to subscription fatigue. This environment has accelerated investment in unified entertainment platforms that combine content discovery, advertising, commerce, and audience personalization within a single digital ecosystem.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
ZoomInfo has introduced a rebuilt version of its Chrome Extension, redesigning the browser-based sales intelligence tool with a native architecture that promises faster performance and improved data matching. The update is aimed at helping sales and go-to-market (GTM) teams access verified contact and company information directly within their existing workflows, reducing the need to switch between applications during prospecting.
ZoomInfo has launched a redesigned version of its Chrome Extension, marking one of the company's latest investments in AI-powered go-to-market technology. Rather than iterating on its previous browser extension, the company rebuilt the application natively, a technical shift that it says delivers page load speeds two to three times faster while increasing the rate at which users receive verified company and contact information.
The update reflects a broader trend across the sales technology and marketing technology industries, where vendors are focusing on reducing workflow friction and embedding intelligence directly into the applications professionals already use. Browser extensions have become increasingly important for modern revenue teams because they surface customer intelligence without forcing users to leave websites such as LinkedIn, corporate webpages, CRM platforms, or other prospecting environments.
According to ZoomInfo, the rebuilt extension significantly reduces the delay between opening a webpage and viewing enriched business information. By shortening this wait, sales representatives can review more accounts during a prospecting session, potentially increasing productivity across outbound sales and account-based marketing initiatives.
The redesigned extension also introduces an upgraded page-parsing engine. Rather than extracting limited information from webpages, the new architecture performs more comprehensive page analysis before matching discovered entities against ZoomInfo's proprietary database. The company says this results in higher match rates, enabling more prospects to return complete business profiles instead of incomplete or empty records.
For enterprise revenue teams, data completeness has become an increasingly important competitive advantage. Sales organizations depend on verified business email addresses, direct phone numbers, organizational hierarchies, firmographic data, and buyer intent signals to personalize outreach and improve conversion rates. When this information is unavailable or inaccurate, prospecting efforts often slow, increasing research time and reducing sales efficiency.
ZoomInfo says its Chrome Extension provides access to verified information drawn from a database covering more than 100 million companies and over 500 million professional contacts. The extension also surfaces buying signals and company intelligence directly within the browser, allowing representatives to qualify opportunities without performing separate database searches.
The announcement aligns with a broader industry movement toward embedded AI-powered sales intelligence. Rather than requiring users to manually search standalone platforms, modern revenue tools increasingly deliver contextual insights inside everyday workflows. Similar strategies have been adopted across enterprise software ecosystems from Salesforce, Microsoft, Google, and Adobe, where AI assistants and embedded productivity features are becoming standard components of customer engagement platforms.
The Chrome Extension also supports growing enterprise demand for workflow automation. By minimizing tab switching and reducing manual research, organizations can streamline prospecting while maintaining data consistency across customer relationship management (CRM) systems and sales engagement platforms. This approach is particularly valuable for account-based marketing (ABM), business development, and revenue operations teams that manage large prospect lists.
The launch comes as organizations continue investing in AI-enabled revenue technologies. According to Gartner, organizations are increasingly prioritizing AI capabilities that improve seller productivity and automate routine sales activities. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company has reported that generative AI could contribute hundreds of billions of dollars in annual value across sales and marketing by improving personalization, customer engagement, and operational efficiency.
Competition within the sales intelligence market continues to intensify. Vendors including LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo.io, Cognism, Clearbit (HubSpot), Demandbase, and 6sense are expanding their AI-powered prospecting capabilities with enriched customer data, intent signals, and workflow automation. Against this backdrop, improvements in browser performance and data accuracy have become meaningful differentiators, particularly for enterprise organizations that rely on browser-based research throughout the sales cycle.
While the latest ZoomInfo Chrome Extension primarily focuses on performance improvements, its native rebuild also illustrates a broader engineering strategy. Rather than layering incremental enhancements onto an existing architecture, the company opted for a complete redesign to improve scalability, responsiveness, and data coverage simultaneously. As browser-based productivity tools become increasingly central to enterprise sales workflows, such architectural investments may play a larger role in determining user adoption and long-term platform competitiveness.
For marketing, sales, and revenue operations leaders, the announcement underscores the growing importance of embedded AI and verified B2B data in accelerating pipeline development. Faster access to reliable business intelligence not only reduces administrative overhead but also enables teams to spend more time engaging qualified prospects instead of searching for accurate contact information.
The market for AI-powered sales intelligence and revenue technology continues to expand as enterprises seek more efficient prospecting workflows. Gartner forecasts ongoing investment in AI-assisted sales technologies, while IDC expects customer intelligence platforms to remain a strategic priority for digital revenue transformation. At the same time, McKinsey research suggests generative AI can substantially improve sales productivity through automation and data-driven personalization. Browser-based intelligence tools are increasingly evolving into embedded GTM platforms that integrate AI, CRM data, buying intent signals, and workflow automation within a unified experience.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Cvent has introduced the Cvent Center for Event Insights, a new research and thought leadership initiative aimed at helping event professionals, marketers, and hospitality leaders better understand how artificial intelligence, event technology, and data-driven strategies are reshaping the meetings and events industry. The announcement is accompanied by early findings from a Forrester Consulting study that highlights growing investment in live events alongside persistent challenges in proving business impact.
Cvent has launched the Cvent Center for Event Insights, establishing a dedicated research division focused on analyzing emerging trends across the events, hospitality, and marketing technology sectors. The initiative reflects the increasing role of data, artificial intelligence, and digital event platforms in helping organizations measure event performance and demonstrate business value.
The new center will produce industry research, benchmark studies, and thought leadership designed to support event planners, marketers, venue operators, and hospitality professionals as they navigate an evolving landscape where live experiences are expected to generate measurable business outcomes.
The launch comes as enterprise organizations place greater emphasis on connecting event investments with revenue generation, customer engagement, and pipeline growth. While events have traditionally been viewed as brand-building activities, modern marketing leaders are increasingly treating them as strategic channels that contribute directly to sales, customer retention, and long-term business relationships.
As an initial preview of its research agenda, Cvent released findings from a newly commissioned Forrester Consulting study examining the current state of event performance. The research suggests that artificial intelligence is not reducing the importance of in-person experiences. Instead, 70% of surveyed decision-makers said live events have become more valuable as AI-generated content becomes increasingly common across digital channels.
The findings point to a broader shift in enterprise marketing. As generative AI accelerates the production of digital content, organizations are looking to live events to create authentic, human interactions that cannot easily be replicated by automated experiences. Conferences, customer summits, trade shows, and executive networking events continue to play an important role in building trust, strengthening customer relationships, and supporting high-value B2B purchasing decisions.
The study also highlights rising expectations among event attendees. Nearly 77% of respondents reported growing demand for personalized experiences and continuous engagement before, during, and after events. This trend is encouraging organizations to invest in technologies that combine customer data, AI-powered recommendations, mobile event applications, and marketing automation to deliver more tailored attendee experiences.
Despite these investments, the research reveals significant operational challenges. Only 36% of organizations said they fully integrate event data across their programs, while 71% reported that disconnected event management tools limit visibility into overall performance. Fragmented technology environments continue to make it difficult for marketing teams to measure return on investment or connect event participation with downstream business outcomes.
The data challenge reflects a broader issue across enterprise MarTech ecosystems. Event management platforms increasingly need to integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, customer data platforms (CDPs), marketing automation software, analytics solutions, and sales technologies to provide a unified view of customer engagement. Vendors including Salesforce, Microsoft, Adobe, and Google continue expanding AI-powered analytics and customer intelligence capabilities to address similar enterprise requirements.
Artificial intelligence adoption is also advancing within the events industry, although measurable returns remain uneven. According to the study, 59% of organizations already use AI to support event content creation, but only 37% believe those investments are currently delivering meaningful business value. The findings suggest many organizations remain in the early stages of AI implementation, with long-term success likely depending on stronger integration between AI tools, customer data, and event workflows.
At the same time, event budgets continue moving in a positive direction. The research found that pipeline generation and revenue have become the primary objectives for enterprise events, while 41% of organizations increased event spending over the past year. This indicates growing executive confidence that events can contribute measurable commercial outcomes when supported by the right technology and performance metrics.
The establishment of the Cvent Center for Event Insights reflects an industry-wide movement toward evidence-based event management. Rather than relying solely on attendance figures or satisfaction surveys, organizations are increasingly seeking benchmark data, predictive analytics, and standardized performance metrics that demonstrate how events influence customer acquisition, sales opportunities, and revenue growth.
Industry analysts have consistently identified AI as a transformative force in marketing and customer engagement. Gartner expects generative AI to significantly reshape marketing workflows over the next several years, while McKinsey & Company reports that organizations adopting AI strategically are seeing measurable improvements in productivity and customer experience. As AI capabilities mature, event technology providers are expected to focus increasingly on intelligent personalization, automated planning, conversational assistants, and advanced performance analytics.
For enterprise marketing teams, Cvent's latest initiative underscores the growing importance of integrating event technology into broader MarTech strategies. Organizations that successfully connect event platforms with customer data, AI-powered insights, and revenue attribution models are likely to gain a clearer understanding of how live experiences contribute to business growth in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Enterprise events are evolving from standalone marketing activities into measurable revenue channels supported by AI and integrated MarTech platforms. Gartner identifies generative AI as a key driver of marketing transformation, while McKinsey & Company reports that AI adoption is accelerating across customer engagement functions. At the same time, enterprises are investing in connected event management, CRM, analytics, and customer data platforms to better measure business outcomes and personalize attendee experiences.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Ironmark has introduced Ignition AI, an AI-powered distributed marketing platform designed to help franchise networks, healthcare systems, dealer organizations, and other multi-location enterprises streamline brand-to-local marketing. The platform combines campaign management, brand governance, marketing fund administration, and AI-driven performance analytics into a single system, addressing a growing need for centralized oversight with localized execution.
Ironmark has expanded its enterprise marketing technology portfolio with the launch of Ignition AI, a distributed marketing platform that leverages artificial intelligence to help organizations coordinate marketing activities across large networks of independently operated locations. The announcement comes as enterprises increasingly seek unified marketing infrastructure capable of delivering consistent customer experiences while giving local teams the flexibility to execute campaigns tailored to regional audiences.
Distributed marketing has long presented operational challenges for franchise organizations, dealer networks, financial services firms, healthcare providers, and retail brands. While corporate marketing teams typically establish brand strategy, messaging, and compliance requirements, execution often occurs across hundreds—or even thousands—of local branches with varying levels of marketing expertise. This decentralized model can create inconsistencies in branding, fragmented reporting, and limited visibility into which campaigns generate measurable business results.
Ironmark's Ignition AI is designed to bridge that gap by consolidating campaign execution, brand asset management, marketing development fund (MDF) administration, co-op marketing workflows, audience targeting, and ROI measurement within a unified platform. By integrating artificial intelligence into each stage of the marketing process, the company aims to provide both corporate teams and local operators with actionable insights while maintaining brand consistency across distributed organizations.
A key component of the platform is Ask Iggy, an embedded AI assistant that converts complex marketing reports into conversational recommendations. Rather than requiring marketers to interpret dashboards and performance metrics manually, the chatbot explains campaign results in plain language, identifies underperforming initiatives, highlights successful tactics, and recommends next steps for individual locations.
The addition reflects a broader trend across enterprise MarTech, where AI-powered assistants are becoming integral to marketing operations. Similar capabilities are being introduced across platforms from technology providers including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe, as vendors increasingly use generative AI to simplify campaign management, automate workflows, and improve decision-making through natural language interfaces.
According to Ironmark, the platform was developed specifically for organizations operating under a centralized brand model with decentralized execution. Chief Product Officer Kip Rapp drew on his own experience as a multi-unit franchise owner, where balancing corporate brand standards with local marketing execution proved difficult without dedicated resources or sophisticated reporting tools.
That challenge extends well beyond franchising. Healthcare systems managing regional clinics, insurance agencies operating under national brands, automotive dealer groups, hospitality chains, and financial services organizations all face similar issues when coordinating campaigns across geographically dispersed locations. Marketing leaders must ensure brand compliance while enabling local teams to adapt messaging, promotions, and outreach to regional customer preferences.
Ignition AI addresses these requirements through a modular architecture, allowing enterprises to deploy specific capabilities based on operational priorities. Organizations can centralize digital and print campaign management, oversee brand governance, manage co-op and MDF funding, build audience segments using customer data, and measure marketing effectiveness across multiple channels from a single platform.
The emphasis on measurable outcomes aligns with a growing enterprise focus on marketing accountability. Modern CMOs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate how marketing investments contribute directly to revenue growth rather than reporting isolated engagement metrics such as clicks or impressions. Platforms capable of connecting campaign execution with business performance are becoming increasingly valuable as organizations prioritize data-driven decision-making.
Industry analysts have identified distributed marketing as an area undergoing rapid digital transformation. According to Gartner, AI is expected to become a foundational capability across marketing technology platforms, helping automate campaign optimization, customer engagement, and performance analysis. Meanwhile, IDC forecasts continued growth in enterprise AI spending as businesses invest in intelligent automation and customer experience technologies to improve operational efficiency.
The launch also reflects the broader evolution of distributed marketing software. Earlier generations of platforms primarily focused on digital asset management or localized advertising templates. Today's enterprise solutions increasingly combine customer data, AI-powered analytics, workflow automation, attribution modeling, and conversational intelligence into integrated ecosystems capable of supporting complex, multi-location operations.
Ironmark estimates that organizations operating under centralized brand management with decentralized execution represent more than 1.16 million locations and a $27.9 billion market opportunity. As enterprises continue investing in digital transformation, platforms capable of connecting corporate strategy with local execution are expected to play a larger role in enterprise marketing technology stacks.
For enterprise marketing teams, Ignition AI illustrates a growing shift away from fragmented point solutions toward unified platforms that combine governance, automation, analytics, and AI-driven decision support. As customer expectations continue evolving across digital and physical channels, organizations increasingly require marketing infrastructure that delivers both operational consistency and localized relevance at scale.
Distributed marketing is becoming a strategic investment area as franchise systems, healthcare networks, financial institutions, and retail brands modernize customer engagement across multiple locations. Gartner predicts AI will increasingly automate campaign optimization and marketing operations, while IDC expects enterprise AI spending to continue growing as organizations prioritize intelligent automation and customer experience. At the same time, leading MarTech vendors including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe are embedding generative AI into marketing platforms, accelerating innovation in brand management, analytics, and localized customer engagement.
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marketing 16 Jul 2026
Marketing and analytics firm iQuanti has appointed Jonathan Gagliano as its new Chief Growth Officer, signaling a stronger focus on AI-driven, outcomes-based marketing as enterprise brands adapt to rapidly changing consumer discovery and decision-making behaviors. The leadership move reflects a broader shift across the marketing technology industry, where artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs), and unified customer data are reshaping how organizations engage consumers across digital channels.
iQuanti has named Jonathan Gagliano as Chief Growth Officer, expanding its executive leadership team as enterprises increasingly rethink marketing strategies for an AI-first digital landscape. The appointment comes amid accelerating adoption of generative AI, conversational search, and predictive analytics, all of which are changing how consumers research products, compare brands, and complete purchasing decisions.
The company said Gagliano will oversee its next phase of growth by aligning artificial intelligence, marketing technology, and customer experience initiatives to help clients improve measurable business outcomes rather than relying solely on traditional campaign metrics.
The announcement reflects a wider transformation occurring across the MarTech industry. Consumer journeys are becoming less linear as users increasingly move between AI assistants, search engines, social platforms, retailer ecosystems, and digital experiences before making purchasing decisions. This evolution is encouraging enterprises to modernize marketing infrastructure with connected data platforms, AI-powered analytics, and automation technologies.
According to iQuanti, today's customer interactions extend beyond conventional search, with discovery increasingly taking place through large language models, AI-powered recommendation engines, conversational interfaces, and personalized digital experiences. These shifts are particularly significant in sectors such as financial services, where consumers frequently evaluate multiple providers before making high-value financial decisions.
Gagliano brings more than two decades of experience across financial services, digital transformation, and enterprise marketing. Prior to joining iQuanti, he led financial services initiatives at Dentsu Americas and previously held leadership positions at Merkle, Affinity Solutions, and Regions Bank. His background spans go-to-market strategy, digital transformation, organizational change, and marketing technology implementation.
His appointment highlights an emerging priority for enterprise marketing organizations: integrating AI capabilities into business strategy rather than treating them as isolated productivity tools. Many organizations are now investing in AI platforms that combine customer data, predictive modeling, automation, and real-time decision intelligence to improve engagement throughout the customer lifecycle.
One of the technologies expected to play a central role in iQuanti's strategy is iQ.Impact, an AI orchestration platform designed to connect offline customer interactions, digital engagement, and conversational data into a unified intelligence layer. Rather than optimizing individual marketing channels independently, the platform aims to provide marketers with broader visibility into customer behavior across multiple touchpoints.
AI orchestration platforms represent a growing category within enterprise marketing technology. Unlike traditional marketing automation systems that primarily execute campaigns, orchestration platforms analyze data from numerous sources and recommend or automate actions based on customer intent and contextual signals. Similar trends are influencing product development across major technology vendors including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe, all of which continue expanding AI capabilities across marketing, analytics, and customer experience platforms.
The broader market is increasingly recognizing that customer journeys no longer begin and end with keyword-based search. Consumers frequently interact with AI assistants, conversational interfaces, recommendation engines, online communities, and social media before visiting a company's website. As a result, brands are placing greater emphasis on unified customer intelligence and cross-channel measurement.
For enterprise marketing teams, this shift changes both technology priorities and performance measurement. Success increasingly depends on understanding customer intent across fragmented digital ecosystems while maintaining consistent messaging throughout discovery, evaluation, and purchase stages. AI-powered analytics, first-party data strategies, customer data platforms (CDPs), and predictive marketing models are becoming essential components of modern MarTech stacks.
Industry analysts have consistently identified artificial intelligence as one of the fastest-growing enterprise software investments. Gartner has projected that generative AI will fundamentally reshape marketing workflows, while IDC forecasts continued growth in enterprise AI spending as organizations prioritize automation, customer intelligence, and digital transformation initiatives. These investments are expected to accelerate adoption of AI-enabled marketing platforms over the next several years.
Rather than representing a standalone executive appointment, iQuanti's leadership change illustrates how agencies and marketing service providers are repositioning themselves around AI-enabled customer engagement. As enterprises seek partners capable of combining data science, AI technologies, analytics, and business strategy, leadership with deep expertise in digital transformation is becoming increasingly valuable.
The appointment also underscores a broader industry reality: competitive differentiation is shifting away from simply executing campaigns toward delivering measurable business outcomes through connected customer data, intelligent automation, and AI-assisted decision-making. For organizations navigating increasingly complex consumer journeys, leadership focused on integrating technology with marketing strategy may become a defining advantage in the evolving digital economy.
Enterprise marketing is entering an AI-driven transformation phase as organizations modernize customer engagement strategies beyond traditional search and channel-based marketing. Gartner identifies generative AI as a major force reshaping marketing operations, while IDC projects sustained growth in enterprise AI spending as businesses invest in automation, customer intelligence, and digital experiences. At the same time, leading technology providers such as Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe continue embedding AI into marketing clouds, analytics platforms, and customer experience solutions, accelerating competition across the MarTech ecosystem.
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