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Gloo Closes $22.75 Million Public Stock Offering to Support Growth

Gloo Closes $22.75 Million Public Stock Offering to Support Growth

financial technology 14 Jul 2026

Technology platform Gloo Holdings has completed a $22.75 million underwritten public offering of Class A common stock, raising capital to fund acquisitions, technology investments, and general corporate operations. The financing underscores the continued use of public markets by software and technology companies to support product expansion, strategic investments, and long-term growth initiatives.

Gloo Holdings Inc. has completed its previously announced underwritten public offering of Class A common stock, raising $22.75 million in gross proceeds before underwriting fees and offering expenses. The capital raise provides the technology company with additional financial flexibility as it pursues acquisitions, product development, and broader corporate growth initiatives.

The offering closed on July 10, 2026, with 7 million shares priced at $3.25 per share. Gloo also granted the underwriting syndicate a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1.05 million shares, which could increase total gross proceeds to approximately $26.16 million if exercised.

The company said it plans to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including strategic acquisitions, investments in businesses and technologies, working capital, operating expenses, and capital expenditures. Such flexibility allows technology companies to allocate capital across multiple growth initiatives as market opportunities emerge.

Founded as a technology platform serving the faith and flourishing ecosystem, Gloo provides digital tools and services that help organizations connect communities, improve engagement, and manage operations. The company's platform supports churches, ministries, nonprofit organizations, and mission-driven institutions through software, data, and digital collaboration technologies.

The financing arrives as software companies continue to balance growth investments with disciplined capital allocation. Rather than relying solely on debt financing, many publicly traded technology firms continue to access equity markets to strengthen balance sheets, fund acquisitions, and expand product portfolios without increasing leverage.

Gloo's announcement also highlighted notable participation from company leadership. Board members, including Scott Beck, Pat Gelsinger, and affiliated entities, purchased approximately $6 million of Class A common stock as part of the offering. Insider participation in public offerings can be viewed by investors as an indication of continued confidence in a company's long-term strategy, although it does not guarantee future business performance.

The transaction was led by Citizens Capital Markets as lead book-running manager, with Roth Capital Partners serving as book-running manager. Benchmark, a StoneX Company, and Loop Capital Markets participated as co-managers.

Capital raises remain an important component of the technology sector's investment cycle, particularly for companies pursuing expansion through acquisitions and platform development. Across enterprise software markets, organizations continue investing in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, data analytics, and industry-specific SaaS solutions to strengthen competitive positioning.

Technology platforms increasingly operate within ecosystems that combine software, digital services, analytics, and community engagement. Similar trends are evident across enterprise platforms from Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, Adobe, and Amazon, where ongoing investment in AI, cloud services, and platform capabilities continues to shape product roadmaps and long-term growth strategies.

For investors, equity offerings often represent a trade-off between immediate shareholder dilution and the opportunity to finance future expansion. Companies that successfully deploy new capital into revenue-generating initiatives, product innovation, or strategic acquisitions may strengthen their competitive position over time. Conversely, the effectiveness of capital deployment ultimately depends on execution, market conditions, and business performance.

Industry analysts note that technology firms continue to prioritize financial flexibility amid evolving economic conditions. According to Gartner, enterprise software spending remains resilient as organizations continue investing in digital transformation and AI-driven technologies despite broader macroeconomic uncertainty. IDC also forecasts sustained growth in enterprise software and cloud services, supported by increasing demand for automation, analytics, and digital business platforms.

For enterprise technology providers such as Gloo, access to additional capital can support product development, expand platform capabilities, and accelerate strategic investments. As organizations increasingly seek digital solutions that improve engagement, collaboration, and operational efficiency, funding initiatives like this may help technology companies compete more effectively in specialized software markets.

The successful completion of the public offering provides Gloo with new resources to pursue its growth strategy while maintaining flexibility to respond to future acquisition opportunities and technology investments. How effectively the company converts this capital into long-term business growth will remain an important focus for investors in the quarters ahead.

Market Landscape

Public equity markets continue to serve as an important funding source for technology and SaaS companies seeking capital for acquisitions, product innovation, AI development, and platform expansion. As enterprise software demand remains strong, many organizations are balancing growth investments with disciplined capital allocation and long-term financial sustainability.

Investor attention increasingly focuses on how technology companies deploy newly raised capital to strengthen competitive positioning, accelerate innovation, and create shareholder value.

Top Insights

  • Gloo completed a $22.75 million public stock offering, with the potential to raise approximately $26.16 million if the underwriters fully exercise their additional share option.
  • The company plans to invest the proceeds across acquisitions, technology development, working capital, and strategic corporate initiatives.
  • Approximately $6 million of the offering was purchased by board members and affiliated entities, including Pat Gelsinger and Scott Beck.
  • The financing reflects continued use of public equity markets by technology companies seeking capital for platform expansion and long-term growth.
  • Enterprise software providers continue investing in AI, cloud infrastructure, and digital transformation initiatives as demand for specialized technology platforms grows.

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Fastmail Launches EU Data Center for GDPR-Compliant Email Hosting

Fastmail Launches EU Data Center for GDPR-Compliant Email Hosting

email marketing 14 Jul 2026

Fastmail has introduced a European Union-hosted email infrastructure with the launch of a new data center in Amsterdam, giving customers the option to store the primary copy of their email data within the EU. The move responds to growing enterprise demand for stronger data residency controls, privacy assurances, and regulatory compliance as organizations navigate evolving GDPR requirements and cross-border data transfer rules.

Independent email provider Fastmail has expanded its global infrastructure with the launch of a dedicated European data center in Amsterdam, offering customers the ability to host the primary copy of their email data within the European Union. Scheduled to become available in August, the new hosting option is designed to help businesses address growing concerns around data residency, privacy, and regulatory compliance.

The expansion reflects a broader industry trend as enterprises increasingly seek technology providers that offer greater transparency over where customer data is stored and processed. For organizations operating under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other regional privacy frameworks, localized infrastructure has become an important consideration when selecting cloud services and enterprise software.

Under Fastmail's new architecture, the primary copy of customer data will reside in the EU while a replicated copy will continue to be maintained in the United States to support business continuity and disaster recovery. According to the company, the infrastructure will continue to evolve as its European operations expand.

The announcement comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny surrounding international data transfers. Since the introduction of GDPR, organizations have faced increasing pressure to demonstrate appropriate safeguards for personal data, particularly when information is transferred outside the European Economic Area. While legal mechanisms such as the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework continue to support transatlantic data transfers, many enterprises prefer regional hosting to simplify governance and compliance processes.

For enterprise IT leaders, localized email infrastructure offers benefits beyond regulatory alignment. Reducing the physical distance between users and data centers can improve application responsiveness and reduce network latency, contributing to a better user experience for geographically distributed workforces.

Fastmail says the Amsterdam facility will operate alongside its existing U.S. infrastructure, enabling European users to access services with lower latency while maintaining resilient cross-region replication. Although the company notes its infrastructure is engineered to perform effectively across high-latency environments, hosting services closer to end users can improve responsiveness for everyday email interactions.

A distinguishing aspect of Fastmail's infrastructure strategy is its decision to own and operate its own hardware rather than relying exclusively on third-party public cloud providers. Unlike many Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendors that build services on hyperscale infrastructure from providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure, Fastmail manages its own physical servers and infrastructure stack.

This vertically integrated approach gives the company greater control over hardware configuration, performance optimization, security policies, and data management. It also enables Fastmail to provide more explicit commitments regarding where customer data is stored and how infrastructure is operated—an increasingly important consideration for organizations with strict governance requirements.

The infrastructure investment aligns with broader enterprise technology trends emphasizing data sovereignty and digital resilience. Across Europe, governments and private organizations are placing greater emphasis on maintaining control over sensitive information while reducing dependence on foreign-hosted cloud infrastructure. These priorities have accelerated demand for regional cloud services, sovereign cloud initiatives, and locally hosted SaaS platforms.

The launch also reinforces Fastmail's position as an independent alternative to advertising-supported technology platforms. Unlike many consumer email providers whose business models incorporate advertising or broader ecosystem monetization, Fastmail operates as a subscription-based service focused on privacy, customer ownership, and operational transparency.

Industry analysts continue to identify privacy and trust as major factors shaping enterprise technology decisions. According to Gartner, data governance and privacy capabilities are becoming strategic differentiators as organizations modernize digital operations. IDC likewise projects continued investment in cloud infrastructure that supports regional compliance, cybersecurity, and data residency requirements as enterprises expand digital transformation initiatives.

For enterprise marketing and IT teams, email remains one of the most critical communication platforms supporting customer engagement, sales operations, marketing automation, and internal collaboration. Decisions regarding where email infrastructure resides increasingly intersect with broader discussions around customer trust, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance.

Fastmail's expansion illustrates how infrastructure strategy is becoming a competitive differentiator in enterprise software. As organizations evaluate cloud vendors, email providers, and collaboration platforms, transparency around data location, infrastructure ownership, and privacy practices is emerging as an important component of long-term technology selection.

With its Amsterdam deployment, Fastmail joins a growing number of technology providers investing in regional infrastructure to address evolving customer expectations around performance, compliance, and digital sovereignty. As data governance requirements continue to evolve worldwide, localized hosting options are likely to become a standard feature across enterprise cloud services.

Market Landscape

The enterprise email and cloud services market is experiencing growing demand for data sovereignty, regional cloud infrastructure, and privacy-first SaaS platforms. Organizations operating under GDPR and similar regulations increasingly prioritize technology vendors that provide transparent data residency options, strong governance controls, and resilient infrastructure architectures.

At the same time, enterprises are balancing compliance requirements with performance, security, and operational continuity, making localized infrastructure a strategic differentiator for cloud and communication providers.

Top Insights

  • Fastmail has launched a European data center in Amsterdam, enabling customers to store the primary copy of their email data within the European Union.
  • The new hosting option helps organizations address GDPR compliance, data residency requirements, and increasing scrutiny around cross-border data transfers.
  • Fastmail continues to differentiate itself by owning and operating its infrastructure rather than relying solely on third-party cloud providers.
  • Regional hosting is expected to improve service responsiveness for European users while maintaining resilient cross-region replication for business continuity.
  • The launch reflects broader enterprise demand for privacy-focused, transparent, and sovereign cloud infrastructure across digital communication platforms.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts

Acxiom Report Finds Identity Infrastructure Is Key to AI-Ready Marketing

Acxiom Report Finds Identity Infrastructure Is Key to AI-Ready Marketing

artificial intelligence 14 Jul 2026

A new research report from Acxiom and EMARKETER suggests that fragmented customer data remains one of the biggest barriers to enterprise marketing performance, even as organizations increase investment in identity resolution. The study argues that interoperable identity infrastructure has become a strategic business asset, enabling marketers to improve personalization, AI-driven decision-making, and cross-channel customer experiences.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in enterprise marketing, organizations are facing renewed pressure to modernize the customer data and identity systems that power personalization and measurement. A new report from Acxiom, developed in partnership with EMARKETER, concludes that many businesses are still constrained by fragmented data environments, limiting their ability to create unified customer experiences and maximize marketing performance.

The report, "Data and Identity: From Marketing Capability to Company Asset," examines how enterprise marketers are evolving identity strategies beyond campaign execution into a foundational layer supporting customer intelligence, AI, and digital transformation.

According to the research, 80% of marketers report improved return on investment from identity initiatives, with personalization emerging as the most frequently cited benefit. Yet despite those gains, many organizations continue to struggle with disconnected customer records and siloed first-party data.

The findings highlight a significant maturity gap across enterprise marketing operations. Approximately 42% of respondents describe their customer data foundation as somewhat or very immature, while 55.4% say their first-party data remains siloed or only partially connected across systems.

These challenges are becoming more significant as organizations increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to automate customer engagement, predictive analytics, and marketing decision-making. AI systems perform best when supported by accurate, consistent, and interoperable customer identities that connect interactions across websites, mobile applications, CRM platforms, advertising channels, and offline touchpoints.

Rather than relying on a single identifier, marketers are adopting multi-identifier identity strategies that combine several authenticated data sources. According to the report, hashed email addresses (65.2%), first-party authenticated identifiers (52.7%), and device or mobile identifiers (50%) now form the foundation of modern identity frameworks. This layered approach helps organizations maintain customer recognition across multiple digital environments while supporting privacy requirements and data governance standards.

The study also identifies interoperability as one of the industry's largest remaining challenges. Although businesses continue adopting additional identity signals and data sources, only 23% of marketers report having fully interoperable systems capable of connecting customer information across platforms. Without interoperability, customer data often remains fragmented between marketing automation platforms, customer data platforms (CDPs), CRM systems, analytics solutions, and advertising technologies.

The importance of unified identity extends well beyond marketing departments. Increasingly, organizations are treating identity as enterprise infrastructure that supports customer service, sales, analytics, compliance, and AI initiatives. Reflecting this shift, 60.7% of marketers surveyed expect to increase investment in identity resolution over the next two years. Their primary objectives include creating unified customer profiles, supporting AI and advanced analytics programs, and improving website personalization.

The findings mirror broader enterprise technology trends. Companies including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe, and Amazon continue expanding AI capabilities across their cloud and marketing platforms, placing greater emphasis on trusted first-party data and identity management. As third-party cookies decline and privacy regulations evolve globally, organizations increasingly require durable identity frameworks capable of supporting both personalization and regulatory compliance.

For marketers, identity infrastructure is becoming a prerequisite for delivering relevant customer experiences. Personalized recommendations, omnichannel engagement, attribution modeling, customer lifetime value analysis, and predictive audience segmentation all depend on consistent identity resolution across multiple systems.

Industry analysts have also emphasized the growing strategic value of unified customer data. According to Gartner, organizations are prioritizing first-party data strategies and customer identity capabilities to improve marketing effectiveness while adapting to changing privacy expectations. Forrester similarly notes that customer identity and data integration have become essential foundations for AI-powered marketing and customer experience initiatives.

Acxiom argues that organizations should move toward what it describes as a "glass-box" approach to identity management—one that provides greater transparency, interoperability, and control over customer data while integrating directly with existing enterprise infrastructure. This model is particularly relevant for industries such as financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and retail, where regulatory compliance, data accuracy, and security requirements are especially stringent.

As AI continues reshaping enterprise marketing, customer identity is evolving from a technical marketing capability into a strategic enterprise asset. Organizations that invest in interoperable identity systems and connected first-party data will likely be better positioned to deploy AI responsibly, improve customer experiences, and generate more accurate business insights across the digital ecosystem.

Market Landscape

The transition toward AI-driven marketing is accelerating enterprise investment in identity resolution, first-party data, and customer data infrastructure. Organizations are moving beyond isolated marketing databases to build interoperable identity frameworks that support personalization, analytics, privacy compliance, and omnichannel engagement.

As third-party identifiers become less reliable, connected identity systems are emerging as core infrastructure for Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), marketing automation, advertising technology, and enterprise AI initiatives.

Top Insights

  • Acxiom and EMARKETER found that 80% of marketers report improved ROI from identity initiatives, with personalization delivering the most significant measurable business impact.
  • More than half of organizations still operate with fragmented first-party data, limiting customer intelligence, AI effectiveness, and cross-channel personalization capabilities.
  • Multi-identifier identity frameworks combining authenticated IDs, hashed emails, and device identifiers are becoming the foundation of enterprise customer recognition.
  • Only 23% of marketers report fully interoperable identity systems, highlighting ongoing challenges in integrating customer data across marketing and technology platforms.
  • Growing investment in identity resolution reflects the industry's shift toward treating customer identity as enterprise infrastructure supporting AI, analytics, and privacy-first marketing.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts

Syncro Scales Outbound Sales with ZoomInfo AI Audience Building

Syncro Scales Outbound Sales with ZoomInfo AI Audience Building

artificial intelligence 14 Jul 2026

Syncro, a provider of IT management software for managed service providers (MSPs), has significantly expanded its outbound sales efforts after adopting ZoomInfo's AI-powered audience-building capabilities. According to ZoomInfo, the initiative enabled Syncro to launch more outbound campaigns within a few months than it had over the previous two years, contributing approximately $400,000 in sales pipeline and $150,000 in revenue while accelerating campaign execution through automation and data-driven targeting.

Syncro is reshaping its go-to-market (GTM) strategy by moving beyond an inbound-only sales model and embracing AI-powered outbound marketing built on ZoomInfo's customer intelligence platform. According to results shared by ZoomInfo, the IT management software company generated approximately $400,000 in qualified sales pipeline and $150,000 in revenue within months after implementing a new outbound motion supported by self-service audience building and automated buyer identification.

The initiative reflects a broader shift occurring across B2B software organizations as revenue teams increasingly use artificial intelligence, first-party intent signals, and automation to identify prospects and personalize outreach at scale.

Before adopting the new workflow, Syncro relied primarily on inbound demand generation, with paid search serving as its principal acquisition channel. Marketing teams had limited autonomy because building prospect lists required requests to operations teams and manual CSV-based data transfers. This slowed campaign execution and made experimentation difficult.

The company's target market presented an additional challenge. Syncro primarily serves managed service providers (MSPs), but many businesses within that sector do not explicitly identify themselves using the "MSP" label. Traditional firmographic filtering therefore struggled to accurately identify qualified prospects, limiting the effectiveness of outbound sales initiatives.

To address this problem, Syncro rebuilt its outbound strategy using ZoomInfo's AI-driven audience-building capabilities. Instead of relying solely on predefined company attributes, marketing teams describe target audiences using natural language prompts. The platform analyzes company websites for contextual indicators—such as references to IT support, technology services, or managed infrastructure—to classify organizations that fit the desired customer profile.

This approach represents a growing trend in AI-powered B2B audience intelligence, where contextual understanding increasingly complements conventional firmographic and demographic data. Similar advances are emerging across enterprise platforms from Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe, as AI becomes central to customer segmentation, predictive marketing, and revenue operations.

Syncro structured its outbound engine around three primary workflows. The first focuses on identifying managed service providers at scale through AI-based classification. The second re-engages previously closed-lost opportunities by personalizing outreach using historical sales call transcripts. The third identifies organizations visiting high-value website pages, such as pricing or product information, and automatically enrolls those prospects into outbound sales sequences based on real-time buying intent.

Together, these workflows combine buyer intent data, conversational AI insights, and marketing automation into a more dynamic go-to-market process. Rather than waiting for prospects to submit forms or request demonstrations, the company can proactively engage organizations showing behavioral signals associated with purchase consideration.

According to the reported results, Syncro launched 35 outbound campaigns within several months—more than the total number launched during the previous two years combined. The company attributes approximately $400,000 in sales pipeline and $150,000 in revenue to the initiative. Individual automated plays also generated measurable business impact, including more than $100,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR) from website visitor identification and another $100,000 from re-engagement campaigns targeting previously lost sales opportunities.

Campaign execution has also become substantially faster. Processes that previously required coordination across multiple departments can now reportedly be completed in roughly one hour, allowing marketing teams to rapidly test messaging variations, industry-specific campaigns, buyer personas, and lookalike audiences. This level of operational agility supports continuous experimentation, an increasingly important capability in modern B2B demand generation.

The initiative also coincided with the creation of Syncro's Business Development Representative (BDR) function. Rather than relying exclusively on inbound leads, the newly established team now works opportunities generated through automated outbound sequences, reflecting the organization's broader investment in scalable revenue operations.

Looking ahead, Syncro says it aims to build a fully autonomous go-to-market engine capable of supporting more than 100 always-on campaigns that continuously analyze fresh data, monitor buyer signals, and trigger personalized engagement automatically. While autonomous GTM remains an emerging concept, advancements in AI, predictive analytics, and workflow automation are accelerating adoption across enterprise sales organizations.

Industry analysts view this evolution as part of a broader transformation in B2B marketing. According to Gartner, AI is becoming an increasingly important component of revenue generation, enabling organizations to improve targeting, forecasting, and customer engagement. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company reports that generative AI has the potential to create substantial productivity gains across sales and marketing by automating research, personalization, and customer interactions.

For enterprise marketing and revenue teams, Syncro's implementation illustrates how AI-powered audience intelligence, intent data, and automation can help overcome long-standing challenges in identifying niche customer segments. As organizations seek to balance efficiency with personalization, integrated GTM platforms are evolving from sales databases into intelligent systems capable of supporting continuous prospect discovery, campaign execution, and revenue optimization.

Market Landscape

Modern go-to-market platforms are rapidly evolving beyond contact databases into AI-powered revenue intelligence ecosystems. Organizations increasingly combine buyer intent signals, first-party website engagement, conversational AI, and automated workflows to identify prospects and personalize outreach across the customer journey.

This shift is driving demand for platforms that integrate audience intelligence, marketing automation, sales engagement, and predictive analytics, enabling revenue teams to execute scalable outbound programs with greater speed and precision.

Top Insights

  • Syncro transformed its GTM strategy by adopting ZoomInfo's AI-powered audience-building platform, generating approximately $400,000 in pipeline and $150,000 in revenue within months.
  • AI-based company classification helped identify managed service providers that traditional firmographic filters often failed to recognize, improving outbound targeting accuracy.
  • Automated website visitor identification, closed-lost account re-engagement, and intent-driven outreach became the foundation of Syncro's scalable outbound engine.
  • Marketing teams reduced campaign creation time to roughly one hour, enabling rapid testing of messaging, verticals, buyer personas, and lookalike audiences.
  • The initiative reflects a growing enterprise trend toward autonomous GTM systems powered by AI, real-time buyer intent, and marketing automation.

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts

WTWH Media Rebrands as Arrowfly to Expand Omnichannel B2B Media Strategy

WTWH Media Rebrands as Arrowfly to Expand Omnichannel B2B Media Strategy

marketing 14 Jul 2026

WTWH Media has officially rebranded as Arrowfly, introducing a new corporate identity that reflects its evolution from a traditional trade publishing company into an omnichannel B2B media, events, and marketing organization. The move brings together more than 40 industry media brands and 45 events under a unified corporate umbrella while preserving the editorial identities of its established publications.

WTWH Media has unveiled a new corporate identity, rebranding as Arrowfly as the company positions itself for the next phase of growth in the rapidly evolving B2B media and marketing landscape. While its portfolio of publications and industry events will continue operating under their existing brands, the new corporate identity is designed to unify the company's expanding media, events, and marketing businesses.

The rebrand reflects a broader transformation that has taken place over the past several years. Originally known as a specialized trade publisher, the company has steadily expanded into an omnichannel B2B media organization that combines editorial journalism, industry events, audience engagement, and performance marketing services. Today, Arrowfly serves professionals across three primary industry ecosystems—Engineering, Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Food, Retail and Hospitality—through a network of more than 40 vertical media brands and over 45 conferences, executive forums, and trade events.

Rather than representing a change in editorial direction, the new identity signals an effort to create a stronger corporate brand behind the publications and communities professionals already recognize. Individual media brands will retain their established names and editorial independence, while Arrowfly becomes the parent organization representing the company's broader capabilities across publishing, events, audience development, and B2B marketing.

The announcement follows several years of expansion accelerated by a strategic partnership with Mountaingate Capital in 2022. Since then, the company has broadened its industry presence through acquisitions spanning healthcare systems, behavioral health, senior care, engineering, and foodservice markets. These acquisitions have strengthened its reach into specialized professional communities that often require highly targeted content and advertising strategies.

Leadership has also played a role in shaping the company's growth strategy. The appointment of CEO Matt Logan in 2025 marked a new phase focused on scaling operations while maintaining the editorial expertise that has traditionally differentiated the business. According to the company, the Arrowfly identity better reflects its current scale, diversified portfolio, and long-term ambitions within B2B media.

One of the company's notable technology investments is Clara, its proprietary campaign performance platform. Clara provides advertisers with real-time reporting on campaign engagement, audience quality, and conversion metrics, moving beyond traditional post-campaign reporting models. As enterprise marketers increasingly demand measurable return on investment, real-time analytics platforms have become an important differentiator for B2B publishers seeking to compete for marketing budgets.

The introduction of platforms such as Clara reflects broader changes occurring across digital publishing. Modern B2B media companies are no longer limited to content distribution. Increasingly, they combine first-party audience data, digital events, sponsored content, webinars, account-based marketing (ABM), and marketing analytics into integrated demand generation ecosystems.

This evolution mirrors broader trends across enterprise marketing technology. Organizations using platforms from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Adobe, and Amazon increasingly expect publishers to provide measurable audience intelligence, marketing attribution, and omnichannel engagement rather than simply advertising inventory. As privacy regulations reshape digital advertising and third-party cookies become less central to audience targeting, publishers with trusted first-party relationships are becoming more valuable partners for B2B marketers.

Industry analysts continue to highlight the importance of trusted professional communities in enterprise buying decisions. According to Gartner, B2B purchasing journeys involve multiple stakeholders who consume information across numerous digital channels before making purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company reports that buyers increasingly rely on digital research, expert content, and self-guided experiences throughout complex purchasing processes, increasing demand for authoritative industry media platforms.

Arrowfly's strategy aligns with these shifts by combining editorial journalism with professional communities, industry events, and measurable marketing solutions. Rather than treating publishing, events, and advertising as separate business units, the company is positioning them as interconnected components of a full-funnel engagement strategy designed to support both audiences and marketing partners.

The decision to preserve the identities of its established publications while introducing a new corporate brand also reflects a common approach within modern media organizations. Maintaining well-recognized editorial brands helps preserve audience trust, while a unified corporate identity simplifies partnerships, acquisitions, and enterprise marketing offerings across multiple vertical markets.

As B2B media companies continue adapting to changing buyer behavior, AI-driven marketing, first-party data strategies, and digital event ecosystems, corporate transformations such as Arrowfly's illustrate how publishers are redefining their role within the enterprise marketing landscape. The focus is increasingly shifting from content production alone toward integrated platforms that combine trusted journalism, audience intelligence, community engagement, and measurable marketing performance.

Market Landscape

The B2B media industry is undergoing significant transformation as publishers evolve into integrated marketing and audience engagement platforms. Beyond editorial content, organizations now provide digital events, first-party audience data, marketing analytics, demand generation, and performance measurement to enterprise advertisers.

This shift is being accelerated by privacy regulations, AI-powered marketing, and growing demand for measurable campaign outcomes. Publishers with trusted professional communities and proprietary marketing technology are becoming increasingly important partners within enterprise MarTech ecosystems.

Top Insights

  • WTWH Media has rebranded as Arrowfly, creating a unified corporate identity that brings together more than 40 B2B media brands and 45 industry events.
  • The rebrand reflects the company's evolution from a trade publisher into an omnichannel B2B media, events, and marketing organization serving multiple professional industries.
  • Arrowfly's proprietary Clara platform provides advertisers with real-time campaign analytics, supporting enterprise demand for transparent marketing measurement and performance reporting.
  • Strategic acquisitions and investment since 2022 have expanded the company's presence across healthcare, engineering, senior care, behavioral health, and foodservice markets.
  • The move highlights broader industry trends as B2B publishers integrate journalism, first-party data, events, and marketing technology into unified engagement platforms.

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SUSO Digital Wins Drum Award for AI-Driven Search Strategy

SUSO Digital Wins Drum Award for AI-Driven Search Strategy

artificial intelligence 14 Jul 2026

SUSO Digital has earned a Bronze award in the Search category at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2026, recognizing a search optimization campaign that combined traditional SEO, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and user experience improvements. The award-winning project helped a global online fitness coaching brand significantly increase organic visibility, AI-driven referral traffic, and lead generation in one of Google's most competitive search categories.

SUSO Digital has received Bronze in the Search category at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2026, highlighting the growing industry recognition of search strategies that extend beyond traditional SEO to include AI-powered discovery platforms.

The agency's winning campaign, "Engineering Search Visibility in a Human-Led Health Brand," focused on rebuilding the digital search presence of a global online fitness coaching company. Rather than relying solely on content production, the initiative combined website architecture optimization, entity-based SEO, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), structured data, and conversion rate optimization to improve search visibility and business outcomes.

The campaign addressed a challenging competitive landscape. Operating within Google's health and wellness ecosystem—an area subject to heightened quality standards under Google's Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) framework—the client was competing against well-funded fitness applications and digital coaching platforms. At the beginning of the project in April 2025, the website generated approximately 1,609 monthly organic sessions, ranked at an average search position of 18, and produced relatively few qualified enquiries.

Instead of expanding the site's existing content footprint, SUSO Digital adopted a structural SEO strategy centered on improving relevance and authority. The agency replaced a blog-heavy website with dedicated landing pages aligned to specific services and user intent, enabling search engines to better understand the site's topical focus while improving the customer journey for prospective clients.

A key element of the strategy involved strengthening entity relationships using structured data. By implementing schema types including Person, Service, Offer, FAQPage, and Article, the agency established clearer connections between the business founder, coaching services, and program offerings. Entity optimization has become increasingly important as search platforms and AI assistants—including Google Search, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini—rely more heavily on structured information to interpret content and generate responses.

The campaign also included a comprehensive content audit that resulted in the removal or redirection of more than 300 low-value blog posts. Rather than pursuing content volume, the strategy concentrated ranking authority on high-intent commercial pages designed to answer specific user needs and support conversions.

Recognizing the rapid evolution of AI-powered search, SUSO Digital developed dedicated pages optimized for conversational search queries. These pages were structured to improve extractability by generative AI systems, reflecting the broader industry shift toward Generative Engine Optimization, an emerging discipline that focuses on improving visibility within AI-generated answers rather than solely traditional search engine rankings.

User experience optimization remained another important component throughout the campaign. Using behavioral insights from Hotjar, the agency identified friction points affecting mobile visitors and redesigned service pages to create a more streamlined path from search result to enquiry submission. The SEO strategy was also maintained during a complete website redesign, helping preserve search performance throughout the transition.

The results demonstrated measurable improvements across both traditional search metrics and emerging AI discovery channels. Between April 2025 and February 2026, monthly organic sessions increased from 1,609 to 4,674, representing 190% growth, while monthly Google Search Console clicks rose by 317%. Search impressions expanded from 170,000 to 390,000, and the site's average Google ranking improved from 18 to 7.4.

One of the campaign's more notable outcomes was the growth in AI-generated referral traffic. Monthly visits originating from platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini increased from 16 to 82 sessions, representing 413% growth. Although AI referral traffic currently represents a relatively small portion of total website traffic for many organizations, its rapid growth reflects changing search behaviors as enterprise users increasingly interact with conversational AI platforms to research products and services.

The campaign also produced tangible business outcomes, with monthly coaching enquiries increasing from approximately 15 to more than 100, illustrating the relationship between technical SEO improvements, user experience enhancements, and conversion-focused website design.

The recognition arrives as search marketing continues to evolve beyond keyword optimization. According to Gartner, organizations are increasingly adapting digital marketing strategies to accommodate AI-powered search experiences and conversational interfaces. Meanwhile, McKinsey & Company reports that generative AI is reshaping how consumers discover information and engage with digital content, prompting businesses to invest in structured content, trusted entities, and AI-ready websites.

For enterprise marketing teams, the campaign highlights a broader industry trend: effective search optimization now extends beyond rankings to encompass structured data, entity authority, AI discoverability, and user experience. As AI search platforms become a larger part of the digital discovery ecosystem, organizations that build technically robust, trustworthy, and conversion-focused digital experiences may be better positioned to maintain visibility across both traditional search engines and emerging AI interfaces.

Market Landscape

Search optimization is entering a new phase as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) becomes increasingly relevant alongside conventional SEO. Enterprise organizations are investing in structured data, entity-based optimization, conversational content, and user experience improvements to improve visibility across Google Search as well as AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini.

As AI-generated search experiences continue to grow, marketers are shifting focus from keyword rankings alone toward creating authoritative, structured, and machine-readable content that supports both traditional search engines and generative AI systems.

Top Insights

  • SUSO Digital won Bronze at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2026 after delivering a search strategy that combined SEO, GEO, structured data, and UX optimization.
  • The campaign increased monthly organic traffic by 190% while improving Google rankings and generating over 100 monthly coaching enquiries for the client.
  • Entity-based SEO, schema implementation, and AI-ready content played a central role in improving visibility across Google Search and AI platforms including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
  • Removing more than 300 low-value pages helped consolidate topical authority and strengthen high-intent landing pages designed for conversions.
  • The campaign reflects the growing importance of Generative Engine Optimization as enterprise marketers adapt to AI-powered search and conversational discovery.

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Graphic Packaging Expands Recycled Paperboard Portfolio with PaceSetter Ridgeline Launch

Graphic Packaging Expands Recycled Paperboard Portfolio with PaceSetter Ridgeline Launch

marketing 14 Jul 2026

Graphic Packaging Holding Company has expanded its sustainable packaging portfolio with the introduction of PaceSetter Ridgeline, a new uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) grade designed for industrial and specialty packaging applications. The launch marks the company's entry into the growing URB market, broadening its product portfolio beyond coated recycled paperboard and positioning the packaging manufacturer to address increasing demand for recycled fiber-based materials across consumer and industrial sectors.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company has entered the uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) market with the launch of PaceSetter Ridgeline, extending its paperboard portfolio into a segment increasingly shaped by sustainability initiatives, circular economy goals, and evolving packaging requirements.

The new paperboard grade is designed for a broad range of applications, including folding cartons, laminations, tubes and cores, edge protectors, and other specialty packaging products. By adding an uncoated recycled paperboard option alongside its existing coated recycled paperboard offerings, the company is seeking to serve manufacturers that require durable, recycled fiber-based materials across diverse packaging environments.

PaceSetter Ridgeline is manufactured from 100% recycled fiber, including at least 45% post-consumer recycled content, and is available in calipers ranging from 14 to 30 points. Production takes place at Graphic Packaging's Waco, Texas, paperboard facility, which has been engineered to support manufacturing of both coated and uncoated recycled paperboard grades. That operational flexibility enables the company to adjust production in response to changing customer demand while maintaining manufacturing consistency across product lines.

The launch reflects broader changes within the global packaging industry, where manufacturers are investing in recyclable materials and fiber-based alternatives to meet corporate sustainability targets and regulatory expectations. Many consumer brands are reevaluating packaging materials to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product protection, print quality, and supply chain efficiency.

Uncoated recycled paperboard occupies a distinct position within the packaging market. Unlike coated grades commonly used for premium retail packaging, URB is widely adopted for industrial packaging components, structural applications, protective packaging, and converting processes where strength, durability, and recycled content are key purchasing criteria. By entering this category, Graphic Packaging expands its addressable market beyond traditional consumer-facing packaging applications.

The company's Waco mill also represents a strategic manufacturing asset. The ability to transition between coated and uncoated paperboard production provides operational flexibility that can help manufacturers respond more efficiently to fluctuations in demand, raw material availability, and customer requirements. Consistent sheet quality, color uniformity, and converting performance remain important considerations for converters and packaging producers operating high-volume production lines.

The announcement comes as the paper packaging sector continues to experience sustained investment driven by environmental regulations and changing consumer expectations. According to McKinsey & Company, sustainability has become a major purchasing consideration for both consumers and businesses, prompting companies across industries to redesign packaging strategies around recyclable and renewable materials. Industry analysts at Statista also project continued growth in the global paper and paperboard packaging market as brands increasingly replace less recyclable packaging formats with fiber-based alternatives.

For enterprise packaging buyers, the availability of additional recycled paperboard options can improve sourcing flexibility while supporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives. Companies operating across food, consumer goods, industrial manufacturing, and logistics increasingly seek packaging materials that balance recycled content, operational performance, and manufacturing reliability.

The introduction of PaceSetter Ridgeline also aligns with wider digital transformation efforts within packaging manufacturing. Advanced production technologies, automated quality inspection systems, and data-driven manufacturing processes are becoming standard across modern paper mills. Similar to how companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, and Adobe leverage automation and artificial intelligence to optimize enterprise operations, manufacturers are increasingly using digital technologies to improve production consistency, inventory planning, and supply chain resilience within packaging operations.

While several established suppliers already compete in the uncoated recycled paperboard segment, Graphic Packaging's existing manufacturing scale and established relationships across the consumer packaging industry may provide advantages as customers seek suppliers capable of delivering both coated and uncoated recycled paperboard from a single production network.

As sustainability regulations continue to evolve worldwide, recycled fiber-based packaging is expected to remain an important area of investment. Expanding product portfolios that support multiple packaging applications may help manufacturers respond to changing market demands while strengthening long-term supply chain resilience.

Market Landscape

Demand for uncoated recycled paperboard is increasing as manufacturers pursue recyclable packaging materials that align with sustainability commitments and circular economy initiatives. Enterprise brands across consumer goods, food packaging, e-commerce, and industrial manufacturing are placing greater emphasis on recycled fiber solutions to reduce environmental impact while maintaining packaging performance.

At the same time, packaging manufacturers are investing in flexible production facilities capable of serving multiple paperboard categories from a single manufacturing network. This approach helps improve operational efficiency, shorten lead times, and respond more quickly to changing customer requirements.

Top Insights

  • Graphic Packaging has entered the uncoated recycled paperboard market with PaceSetter Ridgeline, expanding its recycled paperboard portfolio for industrial and specialty packaging applications while broadening its customer base.
  • Manufactured from 100% recycled fiber with at least 45% post-consumer recycled content, the new paperboard grade supports enterprise sustainability goals without compromising converting performance.
  • Production at the company's Waco, Texas, mill enables flexible manufacturing between coated and uncoated recycled paperboard, improving responsiveness to changing market demand and customer requirements.
  • Rising global demand for recyclable fiber-based packaging continues to create opportunities for packaging manufacturers investing in sustainable materials and modern production technologies.
  • Enterprise packaging buyers increasingly prioritize recycled content, supply chain reliability, and manufacturing quality as sustainability regulations and ESG initiatives reshape packaging procurement strategies.

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Thryv Survey: AI Adoption Among SMBs Reaches 66%, but Skills Gap Persists

Thryv Survey: AI Adoption Among SMBs Reaches 66%, but Skills Gap Persists

artificial intelligence 13 Jul 2026

Artificial intelligence adoption among U.S. small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) continues to accelerate, but many business owners acknowledge they are still learning how to use the technology effectively. According to Thryv's 2026 AI and Small Business Adoption Survey, two-thirds of SMBs now use AI in their operations, yet 70% say they need additional training to maximize its value, highlighting a growing gap between AI adoption and workforce readiness.

Artificial intelligence is becoming a mainstream business tool for small and medium-sized enterprises, but widespread adoption is exposing a new challenge: many business owners are implementing AI faster than they are developing the skills needed to use it effectively.

That is one of the central findings from Thryv's 2026 AI and Small Business Adoption Survey, which examined responses from 561 U.S.-based small and mid-sized business decision-makers across industries including construction, professional services, retail, restaurants, and personal services.

The report found that 66% of surveyed SMBs now use AI, representing a notable increase from 55% a year earlier. The findings suggest that AI is rapidly transitioning from an experimental technology into a core business productivity tool for Main Street businesses.

Despite this momentum, the survey reveals that adoption is outpacing proficiency. Seventy percent of respondents reported needing additional training to use AI effectively, even though 86% described themselves as somewhat or extremely comfortable using the technology.

The distinction between comfort and capability is becoming increasingly important as businesses integrate AI into everyday operations. While conversational AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and other generative AI tools have lowered technical barriers to entry, many organizations continue to struggle with implementing AI strategically and responsibly.

Rather than relying on structured corporate training programs, small business owners are largely educating themselves. According to the survey, 57% primarily learn through YouTube and social media, while 49% depend on online resources and webinars. One-third also use AI tools themselves to learn how to use AI more effectively, reflecting a growing trend of AI-assisted learning.

Industry experts caution that familiarity with AI interfaces should not be mistaken for operational expertise. Effective AI adoption requires understanding when AI-generated recommendations are reliable, where human oversight remains essential, and how AI can be integrated into existing business workflows.

The survey also indicates that AI is increasingly influencing workforce planning. Nearly 46% of respondents said they would choose AI software over hiring an additional employee if both could perform the same task equally well—an increase from 38% reported in 2025.

However, current hiring patterns suggest AI is complementing rather than replacing employees. More than half (55%) reported hiring the same number of workers as originally planned during the past year, while only 13% indicated that AI had reduced hiring.

Instead of workforce replacement, respondents primarily view AI as a productivity tool. Ninety-two percent of AI users said the technology helps them save time, with 79% expecting to recover between 11 and 60 hours per month—equivalent to several additional working days.

These productivity gains are translating into measurable business outcomes. According to the survey, 70% of SMBs reported revenue growth associated with AI adoption during the past year, while 55% said AI contributed to lower operating costs.

Financial investment in AI is also increasing. More than half (53%) of respondents now spend at least $100 per month on AI software, reflecting growing confidence in the technology's business value.

Among respondents, 61% estimated that AI could generate monthly savings between $500 and $2,000, while 81% said AI had improved their strategic decision-making by helping them allocate time and resources more effectively.

The findings align with broader industry research. A recent Goldman Sachs survey similarly reported that 73% of small businesses believe they require additional AI training to fully leverage emerging technologies. Together, the studies suggest that workforce enablement may become as important as technology investment in determining long-term AI success.

For marketers and customer-facing businesses, AI adoption is reshaping activities including content creation, customer communication, appointment scheduling, marketing automation, advertising optimization, and business analytics. However, the effectiveness of these applications increasingly depends on employees' ability to understand AI capabilities, validate outputs, and integrate automation into broader business strategies.

According to Gartner, AI literacy is becoming a critical organizational competency as enterprises expand generative AI across business functions. McKinsey & Company has likewise found that organizations combining AI investment with employee training and organizational change initiatives are significantly more likely to realize measurable business value.

For the broader SMB ecosystem, Thryv's research highlights a pivotal stage in AI adoption. Businesses are no longer deciding whether to implement AI—they are determining how to build the skills, governance, and operational practices necessary to use it effectively. As AI becomes embedded across sales, marketing, customer service, and business operations, the competitive advantage may increasingly belong to organizations that invest as much in people as they do in technology.

Market Landscape

Small and medium-sized businesses are rapidly adopting AI to improve productivity, automate repetitive work, and strengthen customer engagement. At the same time, organizations face growing demand for AI education, governance, and workforce development as employees integrate generative AI into daily business operations.

Research from Gartner identifies AI literacy as an emerging business priority, while McKinsey & Company reports that organizations combining AI implementation with workforce enablement achieve stronger business outcomes. These trends indicate that AI training is becoming a strategic investment alongside software adoption.

Top Insights

  • 66% of surveyed U.S. SMBs now use AI, up from 55% a year ago, demonstrating continued acceleration in AI adoption across small businesses.
  • Although 86% of business owners are comfortable using AI, 70% believe they require additional training to apply the technology effectively.
  • AI is improving business performance, with 70% reporting revenue growth, 55% citing reduced costs, and 92% saying the technology saves time.
  • Nearly half of respondents would choose AI over hiring another employee for equivalent tasks, although most businesses report no immediate changes to hiring plans.
  • Growing AI investment and workforce upskilling suggest that long-term competitive advantage will depend on combining technology adoption with employee capability development.

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