Today, NiftyKit, the renowned no-code NFT platform, announced its integration with Base, the Ethereum L2 incubated by Coinbase. NiftyKit makes it easy to create and sell NFTs with no-code smart contracts. This integration with Base not only amplifies the creative potential for artists by providing a more scalable and efficient blockchain platform, but also enhances the experience for creators and collectors through improved transaction speeds and reduced costs, fostering a more vibrant and accessible NFT creation tool. It empowers creators and makes NFT technology more accessible than ever, which will ultimately help bring NFTs into the mainstream.

Introducing 'Base Diamonds' NFT

To commemorate this integration, NiftyKit proudly unveils the 'Base Diamonds' NFT. This unique NFT features the mesmerizing artwork of Sarah Script, a trailblazer in blending traditional calligraphy with digital art. Sarah Script, celebrated for her work with prestigious clients like Goop and Tiffany & Co., and known for her book "Copperplate Calligraphy from A to Z," has also been honored as CoinDesk's Most Influential Artist. The 'Base Diamonds' NFT embodies the spirit of onchain innovation and the collaborative spirit of the creator community.

Expanding Opportunities for Builders and Creators with Base Integration

NiftyKit's Base integration helps extend NFT innovation beyond artists to encompass innovators, builders, and creators of all kinds. This collaboration combines Base's scalable blockchain with NiftyKit's intuitive tools, offering an accessible, efficient path to digital asset creation and management. At the heart of this integration lies the Diamond Smart Contracts on Base, which simplify technical challenges and empower creators to evolve their digital assets with ease and flexibility, even without a technical background. Low cost and fast onchain transactions help open doors to a more diverse, inclusive, and creative digital future.

Base's affordability empowers innovators to invest more in their creative endeavors and less in technical complexities. NiftyKit's Diamond Smart Contracts provide the agility and adaptability needed to stay at the forefront of innovation and imagination. It simplifies the process and helps creators stay on top of their collections' evolution.

"We believe that this integration with Base will be a game-changer, empowering creators and brands alike with accessible and affordable experiences," said Dan Carr, Co-founder and CEO of NiftyKit. "Our mission revolves around enabling creators and brands to launch distinctive Web3 experiences effortlessly. We are thrilled to continue our journey of innovation by enabling no-code smart contracts for NFTs on the Base platform."

Jesse Pollak, Creator of Base, said, "We're excited to welcome NiftyKit to Base, and to enable creators to more easily launch their projects using NiftyKit contracts."

2024 Future Digital Awards for Telco Innovation recognise how VodafoneZiggo revolutionised customer engagement using BlueConic

Working with market-leading customer data platform (CDP) BlueConic, Dutch telecommunications company VodafoneZiggo has revolutionised its customer engagement strategies, resulting in a 17.6% increase in website interactions and a 4.53% reduction in churn. The collaboration has earned both companies a Platinum award for Best Customer Data Platform Solution in Juniper Research’s Future Digital Awards for Telco Innovation. 

Presented by Juniper Research, the awards recognize the most innovative and disruptive telecommunications solutions operating across numerous areas. VodafoneZiggo has already won several awards for its dedication to data-driven decision-making and experimentation but knew it needed to unify its first-party customer data across numerous disparate systems and sources in order to boost engagement, deliver better customer experiences, and ultimately drive customer acquisition and retention. While some CDPs mostly focus on data unification and others tout personalization offerings, VodafoneZiggo is able to do both with BlueConic.

Leveraging the platform to understand customer preferences, easily segment their audiences, and target customers and households across channels with real-time data, VodafoneZiggo was able to transform its customer engagement strategy in several key areas:

• Product recommendations: Using BlueConic, the conversion rate optimization (CRO) team can identify which operating system (OS) a customer is using while browsing their website. Knowing customers are likely to purchase the same type of phone again, they can personalize the shopping experience by only showing them phones with the same OS. For customers using a different OS, product recommendations dynamically update to show recently browsed devices. Within the first six months, this strategy drove a 3.5% increase in clickthrough for returning mobile visitors. On the B2B side of the business, they saw a 2.26% increase on product detail page visits and a 2.95% increase in add-to-carts. For B2C, there was a 17.6% increase in interactions for both new and returning visitors.
• Targeting and personalization: VodafoneZiggo also leverages BlueConic to automatically send segments into custom audiences in Facebook – eliminating the need for manual uploads from their CRM system. Because segments update in real-time, ads are automatically suppressed for customers who have already purchased a new phone or renewed a subscription, thereby optimising their targeting efforts while increasing their return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Churn prevention: By connecting churn probability scores from their Advanced Analytics department to BlueConic profiles, VodafoneZiggo can automatically route at-risk customers to chat with customer support specialists online. This strategy resulted in a 4.53% reduction in churn, a 7.14% increase in chats, and decreased web-to-call by 7.14%.

“While we’re no stranger to winning awards, it’s even more rewarding when we can share that recognition with our customers to celebrate their success,” said Ifoma Smart, VP of Global Customer Success at BlueConic. “When it comes to innovation, technology is just one part of the puzzle. You also need strong processes and a skilled and talented team – attributes VodafoneZiggo has in abundance. They quickly discovered BlueConic not only provides a better way to access and utilize first-party data to drive customer engagement but also offers the flexibility to grow with their business. We’re delighted their success with our customer data platform has been recognized by the esteemed analysts at Juniper Research.”

TikTok emerges as the top marketing platform for SMBs, offering superior ROI and audience interaction, finds Capterra’s TikTok Marketing Survey.

TikTok has surged past its competitors, becoming the premier platform for small to midsize businesses (SMBs) aiming for high engagement and a robust return on investment. According to Capterra’s TikTok Marketing Survey, 71% of small businesses, including retailers and restaurants, will increase their TikTok marketing spend next year—up from 52% last year. 

The survey underscores a pivotal shift in digital marketing, highlighting TikTok’s effectiveness in engaging audiences, especially among Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers. A staggering 96% of SMBs who market themselves on TikTok report the most engagement on TikTok compared to Meta platforms. The average small business on TikTok maintains a follower count between 10,000 to 25,000 with posts receiving an average of 1,000 to 10,000 views, illustrating the platform’s expansive reach. Additionally, 65% of SMBs post content daily, a testament to TikTok’s popularity.

In 2024, TikTok’s user-centric, diverse content and authentic engagement opportunities are prompting businesses to rethink their marketing budgets. Most SMBs plan to increase their TikTok marketing spend while around one-third will concurrently reduce their investment in Facebook (37%) and Instagram (32%). This strategic shift comes as businesses recognize the unique appeal of TikTok’s content, which fosters a blend of entertainment and utility unseen on other platforms. Moreover, this engagement is not just superficial; over half of SMBs using TikTok’s paid ads report a positive ROI.

The platform’s role in supporting businesses isn't limited to organic content. The introduction of TikTok’s advertising suite, especially its popular Smart Targeting feature, changes the game by enabling SMBs to achieve rapid ROI, often within just five months. The efficiency of TikTok’s ad tools is so compelling that 85% of successful SMBs are gearing up to increase their TikTok advertising spend in 2024.

However, building a TikTok presence isn’t without its challenges. As TikTok expands into eCommerce with TikTok Shop, SMBs face logistical hurdles, including inventory management and fulfillment complexities. Around 45% of businesses have found that deriving ROI from TikTok Shop is challenging, signaling a need for strategic adoption.

“SMB performance on TikTok is strong. Most are seeing a positive return on ad spend, rising sales attributable to TikTok, and engagement above and beyond what they receive on any other social media app, including Instagram and Facebook,” says Molly Burke, senior retail analyst at Capterra. “However, as TikTok’s eCommerce marketplace evolves, businesses must focus on creating content that is entertaining and helpful to avoid adding to users’ growing ad fatigue.”

TikTok is set to dominate social media in 2024, and it’s clear that SMBs have much to gain from this platform. While challenges in eCommerce persist, the overall benefits of TikTok present a way for businesses to thrive through engaging content and effective advertising strategies.

Today, DOmedia and Placer.ai launched PeopleToMySpot.com, a website designed to help local marketers and business owners understand and impact foot-traffic patterns near brick-and-mortar locations.

BeyondID, a leading managed identity solutions provider, today announced its successful completion of its System and Organization Controls 2 Type II (SOC 2 Type II) examination. This certification highlights BeyondID's commitment to ensuring the security and privacy of its users' data.

The company also announced that its platform is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant and can provide a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) to customers that ensures the proper handling of protected health information.

The independent examination, conducted by leading cybersecurity assessment firm A-LIGN https://www.a-lign.com/validates that BeyondID's security practices and controls meet the Trust Services Principles and Criteria for security, availability, and privacy over an extended period of time. 

"Every day, our certified identity professionals and Security Operations Center help customers identify threats to their environment and data, and protecting them is our top priority," said  Sasi Kelam, co-founder and CTO at BeyondID. "We are also proud to achieve HIPAA compliance, ensuring that BeyondID can handle sensitive healthcare data securely. This combination of SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance assures our customers that we take security as seriously as they do." 

In addition to performing a SOC 2/HIPAA audit on an annual basis, BeyondID will make the report available to current or potential customers upon execution of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). 

Integration Enables Advertisers, Agencies, and Publishers to Navigate the Post-Cookie Era While Prioritizing User Privacy and Audience Effectiveness 

Optable, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) data management & collaboration platform designed for the advertising ecosystem, announced today the commencement of its Early Access Program for its Privacy Sandbox activation capabilities. This marks an unprecedented step for a company synonymous with data collaboration, as it boldly integrates with the new Google API, becoming the go-to "easy button" for privacy-safe advertising.

"At Optable, our mission to enable growth through privacy-safe advertising products has led us to extend our data management and collaboration capabilities by deeply integrating with the Google Privacy Sandbox," said Bosko Milekic, Chief Product Officer and Co-founder, Optable. "Our customers require solutions that empower them to leverage both authenticated and anonymous user data in innovative, privacy-centric ways for audience-based planning, activation, and measurement. This integration fundamentally strengthens our platform and will redefine what people expect to get out of data management and collaboration platforms in the era of privacy."

The Optable Early Access Program empowers advertisers and agencies to construct and target audiences while preserving user privacy. This suite also facilitates the measurement of advertising effectiveness within a privacy-centric framework. Further, it offers publisher networks the ability to develop and launch privacy-safe advertising products, engaging user cohorts across owned, operated, and third-party media.

Seamlessly integrated with Optable's robust data management solution, Optable DMP, and its collaborative data clean room suite, Optable Collaborate, this development benefits key industry stakeholders:

• Publishers: Empowers publishers by enabling them to regain control over audience data, enable emerging revenue streams, expand their reach across various media, prioritize user privacy, and optimize audience activation and measurement within a privacy-centric environment.
• Marketers: Ensures continued audience reach, offering privacy-centric solutions, innovative measurement tools, opportunities for early adaptation, and access to new, privacy-safe approaches in audience engagement and campaign optimization.

"We're encouraged by the industry's continued efforts to test innovative solutions using the building blocks provided by the Privacy Sandbox," said Victor Wong, Senior Director of Product Management, Privacy Sandbox, Google. "As we enter 2024, we look forward to working with all parts of the industry as more companies shift towards privacy-centric advertising solutions."

PRWeek and Cision examine opportunities and challenges for PR pros, including generative AI adoption, influence in the C-suite, and budget constraints

Cision, the global leader in consumer and media intelligence, engagement, and communication solutions, today released its 2024 Global Comms Report: Elevating & Evolving in partnership with PRWeek, highlighting the evolving role of strategic communicators as business drivers. Now in its seventh year, the annual report examines the perspectives of more than 400 PR and corporate communications professionals across 10 countries on what it means to be a strategic communications professional today. The report sheds light on the challenges and opportunities they currently face amid factors like increased pressure to prove impact, more sophisticated data and analytics, emerging technologies like AI, shifting consumer behaviors, and a complex media landscape.

Among the report's most intriguing findings is the growing role of – and dependencies on – PR and corporate communications teams within the C-suite. Nearly half (41%) of senior-most communications leaders report to the CEO directly, and a remarkable 92% say their C-suite sought their counsel more often last year than in years prior, up from 87% who said the same in 2021. With this level of influence comes greater expectations of how communicators can impact the bottom line. PR and comms teams indicated feeling increased pressure to play a key role in moving the needle on business factors such as revenue, share of voice, and overall brand equity. When asked to name the factors they consider CEOs' biggest priorities for comms, nearly two-thirds (60%) of respondents cited "building sustainable growth and value," an increase of 6 percentage points from just a year ago. Other priorities include the ability to respond in a timely manner to changing marketplace dynamics and opportunities (55%), customer acquisition/engagement (43%), and driving sales/revenue (42%).

"Strategic communicators have more than proven their value to the C-suite and have earned a seat at the table when it comes to influencing strategy and driving business outcomes," said Carrie Parker, Chief Marketing Officer at Cision. "High-performing PR and Comms teams are aligning their arsenal of tools and expertise with organizational goals to drive transformative change."

Additional Report Takeaways:

• Generative AI: The majority of PR and comms professionals (65%) have started experimenting with generative AI for things like content creation, press release writing and audience research; however, the degree of adoption varies, with 32% of comms teams describing their usage as "frequent," and 33% saying it is "infrequent." The rest are only in the consideration stages of experimentation (27%), unlikely to use them at all (7%) or unsure about their plans (1%).
• Identifying Influence: Everyday consumers are considered the most effective influencers, as brands look beyond celebrities to boost awareness and enhance sales.
• Need for Reliable Data: Comms professionals are increasingly focused on measurement, with 42% saying they very much rely on data and analytics - up from 30% who said the same last year.
• Social Media Dominance: Reliance on both earned (53%) and paid (46%) segments has increased year on year.

"PRWeek has been collaborating with Cision on the Global Comms Report since 2017, and I have always been proud of the enlightening and detailed global PR snapshot we've been able to provide, along with valuable counsel from various industry leaders," said Gideon Fidelzeid, Editorial Director at PRWeek.

LiveRamp is the first company in the industry to become Addressable Media Identifier (AMI)-certified by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), the ad industry’s self-regulatory body for relevant digital advertising. Publishers, marketers, and the broader ecosystem can leverage and build upon LiveRamp’s solutions with confidence they will endure beyond third-party signal loss. With this certification, companies can recognize LiveRamp as a partner that is suited to help both the buy- and sell-side to better connect data and improve customer experiences, as they work to ensure they stay compliant with varying legal and regulatory requirements.

LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution, as well as its durable, privacy-centric identifier, RampID, have been successfully reviewed and found compliant with the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) Policy Framework for Addressable Media Identifiers. In a rigorous process, TRUSTe, a subsidiary of TrustArc, reviewed LiveRamp’s solutions in five critical areas, validating the steps LiveRamp has taken to establish, maintain, and continually improve privacy practices aligned with the DAA’s self-regulatory AMI frameworks. The areas of evaluation included:

• Policies and Standards, including ensuring that controls are in place to limit the use of AMIs to only those purposes allowed under DAA policy
• Processes, including processes to maintain records and reports to demonstrate compliance with the DAA Policy Framework for AMIs
• Use, Retention, and Disposal, including purpose limitation, special requirements outlining prohibited uses of AMIs, and the use of sensitive information with AMIs that require the individual’s opt-in consent
• Transparency, including providing enhanced notice and website notice regarding the use of AMIs and adherence to the DAA Policy Framework for AMIs
• Reporting and Certification, including accessibility to AMIs under equal, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms and conditions

“LiveRamp has been an industry leader in adopting rigorous industry-backed, independently-enforceable standards to strengthen privacy practices while improving partner outcomes, and we are delighted that they’ve become the first company to complete the DAA’s AMI certification,” said Lou Mastria, CIPP/US, executive director of the DAA. “This achievement serves as a clarion call for the industry to move quickly to ensure their cookie-based and next-generation advertising solutions are compliant with the DAA’s past and current standards. LiveRamp is setting a model for the industry at making meaningful and timely progress towards this goal.”

The DAA and its standards are supported by the leading ad industry trade groups, including the 4As, American Advertising Federation, Association of National Advertisers/ANA, Interactive Advertising Bureau, and Network Advertising Initiative. The DAA’s AMI Certification advances the industry’s commitment to consumer privacy self-regulation by, among other things, introducing the concepts of permitted and prohibited uses of data. Through responsible data collection and use, coupled with transparency and control, AMI Certification shows a renewed commitment to high standards by responsible actors in the digital advertising ecosystem.

“We’re grateful for the DAA’s focus on maintaining critical functionality across the digital ecosystem, something we’ve championed ourselves with LiveRamp’s connectivity and interoperability,” said Travis Clinger, Chief Connectivity & Ecosystem Officer. “With the 100% deprecation of the third-party cookie just months away, for anyone that’s just getting started or shifting their focus to their cookieless transition, this can give them the confidence of picking a solution that enables the scale and performance they need.”