Winterberry Group research and white paper explores rapidly evolving Content Management Systems, including evidence-based use cases, considerations, tradeoffs and value in six unique types of CMS platforms

The latest evolution of Content Management System (CMS) platforms indicate rapid change to enable consistent, personalized delivery of messaging and content across an array of media and channels, according to a new research report from Winterberry Group “Content Management Systems: The Key to Omnichannel Media Experiences” (October 2023).

“What initially began as a means to manage content for basic web pages has undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving into versatile platforms capable of facilitating and managing diverse digital experiences and offline content,” according to the report.

“With so many channels – the need to give audiences consistent content is challenging in itself,” said Michael Harrison, managing director, Winterberry Group, who co-authored the new CMS white paper with Charles Ping, managing director, EMEA, and Stephanie Loutsenko, senior engagement manager, both of Winterberry Group. “Thankfully, the technology driving today’s state-of-the-art CMS is enabling organizations to adapt.”

“We’ve identified six types of CMS platforms – each with their own considerations for ownership costs, data security and legal compliance concerns, among others,” Ping said, all of which are detailed in the 28-page report. The white paper findings are based on survey research of more than 150 experienced US-based decision makers and influencers of CMS tools, from both tech and non-tech backgrounds, as well as in-depth interviews with experts in the field – all conducted from June through August 2023.

Source: Winterberry Group, Content Management Systems: The Key to Omnichannel Experiences, 2023.

The research identifies four current market forces driving today’s CMS platform development: proliferation of channels, omnichannel personalization at scale, growing investment in content, and growth of digital commerce.

Furthermore, the paper investigates newer innovations – such as enriched analytics reporting, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered content creation to support data-driven personalization for customer-facing systems, and CMS tools’ ability to “out-of-the-box” integrate with tech stacks and legacy systems – reflecting current desires and priorities of the CMS marketplace.

The paper is sponsored by Brightspot, a leader in CMS technology.

"This research highlights how a content management system should empower evolving business strategies over a long duration, not just a snapshot in time” says Raleigh McClayton, CEO at Brightspot. “Companies must take the time to understand their own content needs so they can select a CMS that has enough sophistication to make their specific digital experiences thrive across multiple channels.”

Additionally, the research found:

• Among organization users of CMS platforms surveyed in the report, 88% say they use such systems for consistent brand experience across websites; 72% for email; and 64% for digital display advertising;
• Online and offline content development consistency is also a driver of CMS investments with numerous challenges cited: legacy technology (47%); dispersed data and content assets (45%) and budgetary/time restraints (44%);
• 41% of organizations look for CMS platforms that include integrated personalization capabilities, such as content management and deployment, marketing automation and customer relationship functionality; and,
• 40% of organizations have integrated their CMS platform with their marketing automation or commerce platform, underscoring the need for robust partner integration capabilities of CMS tools.

Even with most AI initiatives relatively early stage, 84% of marketers are already seeing value from new AI tools

Kaltura, the Video Experience Cloud, today released a new report titled “Riding the Wave: 2024 Survey Report on the Use of AI Technologies in Marketing Teams”. Based on a global survey involving hundreds of marketing professionals, the report provides a comprehensive overview of AI’s influence on the marketing and events industry, exploring how they harness AI to enhance their marketing operations. 

The marketing industry has largely embraced AI tools, with 88% of respondents having already adopted or experimented with them, with the remaining 12% planning on experimenting in the near future. 69% of respondents have at least one paid AI service, with 39% having multiple subscriptions. Regardless of the level of adoption, marketing teams see the most significant impact of AI in asset creation and personalization, with content personalization (47%) and content production and creation (44%) being the top areas.

The report found that AI has also made a notable impact on lead generation as well. Among marketers who reported frequent use of AI tools, 25% reported a positive impact on lead-gen.  While only 7% of respondents report being able to attribute leads to AI with certainty. An additional 41% have observed an increase in lead generation that could be attributed to AI.

“We are not even a year into the GenAI revolution, and already 84% of marketing teams are seeing value and are using AI to hyper-personalize their marketing materials and activities in ways that marketers could only have dreamt of merely a few years ago,” said Lisa Bennett, EVP Marketing of Kaltura. “The fact that frequent users of AI tools are reporting measurable impact on key metrics such as content creation and lead-gen this early in the era of AI shows that the true scale of change has yet to be realized. However, it’s critical that we understand how marketers and others are using AI so that we can continue to build tools that best support their growing range of use cases and needs as they navigate the unchartered power of AI.”

Despite the rapid pace of adoption, the perceived value of AI widely varies. While 71% of respondents view AI tools as “somewhat” valuable, 17% currently see little to no value, and 13% see it as a greatly valuable tool.  Interestingly, among marketers who frequently use AI tools, 33% of that demographic view AI as greatly impactful. Additional concerns abound regarding data security and privacy (50%) and the difficulty of integration with existing systems (49%).

For a deeper dive into the report and AI’s ramifications, join Renan Gutman, EVP Product at Kaltura at Virtually Live! ‘23. Virtually Live! ‘23 will take place online on November 2nd EST, with a re-broadcast on the 7th GMT.

Kaltura plans to continue inserting generative AI capabilities into its broad range of products to enhance content creation, search and discovery, interactivity, and analytics reporting. These include, for example, content repurposing along with auto-generation of content and improved insights intended to streamline event creation, grow attendance, boost content discovery and end-user experience, and increase engagement.

Now, Fortune 500 companies can execute unlimited, modern CX use cases leveraging advanced generative AI and automation.

Innervate, the dynamic customer experience company, today announced a powerful next generation of its industry-first AI-powered Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution. The release is packed with new generally available features, including AI HTML5-Asset Generator, AI Marketing Copy Generator, Enterprise Catalog Image & Video Generator, Multi-Variant Manager and Digital Asset Traceability — all available alongside nearly 100 other dynamic CX apps within the Innervate AppXchange. Unlike AI tools for highly technical users, Innervate's industry-first DAM capabilities empower non-technical users with generative AI to orchestrate world-class dynamic customer experiences seamlessly at scale at a tiny fraction of the time and effort previously required.

"With the rise of generative AI, Fortune 500 companies can no longer view a DAM as just a static repository of searchable content," Serge Ioffe, cofounder and CTO of Innervate, said. "Now, with the next generation of our industry-first generative AI technology, Innervate clients can easily generate and manipulate content dynamically at scale, then deliver AI-powered customer experiences to any consumer touchpoint or other internal system."

AI HTML5-Asset Generator

With the new AI HTML5-Asset Generator, marketers can now create a human-readable text prompt to describe the dynamic atomic asset envisioned and watch AI bring the idea to life, displaying an initial draft before the asset is saved to the Asset Cloud, thus integrating it into the vast capabilities of Innervate's HTML5 Asset processing tools.

As marketers describe their creative assets, including layout and animation, using natural language, the process is effortless.

AI Marketing Copy Generator

Updates to the AI Marketing Copy Generator will enable marketers to seamlessly collaborate with text asset-management tools, such as Creative Builder, Iterator, Smartforms and Multi-Variant Manager. By aligning with predefined rules, tone, length, emphasis, audience and safety preferences, it delivers tailored marketing copy that resonates and is fine-tuned to the client's needs.

Anyone looking to optimize their text assets for marketing purposes — including slogans, headlines, disclaimers and other content tailored to predefined target audience groups — can find value in the feature regardless of their level of expertise. The tool benefits marketers, brand managers, copywriters and other creators of targeted content, helping them solve the following challenges:

• Creating Product-Specific Copy: Generate campaign-specific copy, a process that — until now — has been too tedious for enterprises with millions of products in their catalogs.
• Time-Consuming Content Creation: Streamline the content creation process by generating a range of tailored options, reducing the time and effort required to create engaging content.
• Lack of Copywriting Expertise: Empower individuals with limited copywriting skills to create impactful copy.
• Generating Engaging Content: Generate creative suggestions that capture attention and resonate with target audiences.
• Adapting to Different Audiences: Generate copy that caters to different audience segments, adapting the tone and emphasis accordingly.
• Balancing Length and Impact: Suggest copy of varying lengths, helping users find the optimal combination for their messaging.

Enterprise Catalog Image & Video Generator

The Enterprise Catalog Image & Video Generator is designed for businesses with large product catalogs. It facilitates the dynamic creation of a vast number of images or videos based on specific parameters, preferences or data inputs related to individual products. It offers a blend of automation, personalization and integration, ensuring that products are showcased in the best light possible, ready for marketing campaigns or online displays. The software is capable of generating a wide variety of content quickly and efficiently so marketers can keep up with the dynamic nature of online marketing, always having fresh and tailored content at their fingertips. Core features include:

• Dynamic Image Generation: Create thousands or even millions of tailored images or videos based on the enterprise's product catalog.
• Pixel-Level Assembly: Combine various image assets — such as product photos, logos and text overlays — pixel by pixel, ensuring a high level of customization and precision.
• Video Creation from Templates: Beyond static images, transform assets into video content using predefined or custom templates.
• Automated Sync: Sync newly generated dynamic customer experiences directly to walled gardens or any served environment.

Multi-Variant Manager

The Multi-Variant Manager is an advanced tool designed to establish the optimal combination of atomic assets for every creative project while simultaneously measuring their efficiency. The feature offers comprehensive support for the creation of variants, previewing permutations and combinations; conducting variant testing with diverse asset combinations; automatically filtering out the least effective assets; and generating detailed visual reports of the results.

The Multi-Variant Manager significantly benefits creative teams, marketers and designers seeking to optimize their campaigns. It empowers them to make automated data-driven choices when selecting assets, resulting in impactful and efficient creative projects. By providing a comprehensive toolkit for creating variants, conducting tests and generating visual reports, Multi-Variant Manager simplifies the asset selection process and ensures that users can confidently choose the best asset combinations for their projects.

Digital Asset Traceability

This feature is designed to provide detailed metadata about the origin and history of atomic digital assets. It allows enterprises to track and understand the full lineage of a digital asset, from its creation or source to its current state, along with "where used" and performance reporting. This understanding of an asset's history is especially vital in an age where digital assets can originate from various sources, including AI generation or other third-party systems.

In a digital era where the authenticity and appropriate use of assets are paramount, having a comprehensive understanding of each asset's history ensures not just compliance but also the credibility of business operations. Core features include:

• Detailed Metadata: For every atomic digital asset, Innervate captures comprehensive metadata, shedding light on its origin, modifications and other pertinent details.
• Chain of Custody Tracking: Allows enterprises to trace the complete history of an asset, including every instance of ownership, modification or transfer.
• AI Generation Indicator: Identifies whether the asset was produced using AI, providing clarity on its authenticity.
• Integration with Other DAM Systems: If an asset has been imported from another DAM system, the software can capture and display the metadata from that system.
• Metadata-Driven Enforceability: Rules can be set based on metadata. For instance, assets can be programmed to become unusable after a certain period or under specific conditions.
• Automatic Recompilation: If an asset is linked to certain creatives and has conditions, such as expiration, those creatives can be automatically recompiled according to predefined schedules or triggers.

AI-driven platform enables anyone to create how-to guides for any software process

Guidde, the video documentation platform harnessing generative AI, today announced a $11.6 million Series A funding round led by Norwest Venture Partners, joined by existing investors Entrée Capital, Honeystone Ventures, Crescendo Ventures, and new investor Tiferes Ventures. The Series A funding comes within a year of the company's product launch, bringing its total capital raised to $15.6 million. Guidde will use the capital to expand its engineering and data science teams and grow its go-to-market team as it looks to develop its presence around the globe.

Organizations today rely on over 200 software apps on average to deliver on their mission, according to Okta's Businesses at Work 2023 Report. As a result, employees are tasked with operating more tools with less training than ever before, negatively impacting software adoption and engagement. Video is seen as the most effective medium for driving adoption with 69% of people preferring video over text when learning about a product or service - but creating video-based knowledge at scale is still lagging behind. This is where Guidde steps in by empowering teams with AI-driven video documentation. The product leverages generative AI to enable anyone to create, edit and share how-to guides for any software or process - without requiring any prior design or video skills.

"Software apps have become essential to businesses of all types yet adoption challenges such as knowledge sharing, onboarding, training, and support remains an ongoing pain point across the board. What today's software is missing is an effective navigation system," said Yoav Einav, Co-Founder and CEO of Guidde."  "At Guidde we are building the 'Waze for software', which helps you navigate any application using video. In today's landscape, if users struggle to grasp a product's functionality, they're unlikely to remain engaged. We've harnessed generative AI to craft a solution that boosts application adoption, engagement, and retention rates."

Video creation today is fragmented, lengthy and hard - it typically involves multiple tools, multiple people and entails sometimes weeks of work to produce even a single video. Guidde fuses multiple point products with the power of AI to establish a single platform that allows anyone in an organization to create, edit, publish and analyze video and documentation for any software in less time that it takes to make a cup of coffee. Combining application workflow intelligence with AI generated storyline, voiceover, motion and interactivity, the platform enables organizations to capture and deliver their know-how at scale.

"We recognized the need to accelerate onboarding and time to value for our customers and have always felt that video was the right approach," explains Savinder Chauhan, Vice President of Support at Perforce. "Guidde has been a key enabler - not only by expediting video creation, but also by increasing our capacity to produce rich, diverse content across our portfolio. In the past, crafting a typical video would require several tools and take many hours including the video creation, overlaying graphics, recording a voiceover, etc. Now, we accomplish that in less than five minutes."

The business applications software industry has long struggled with technical writing for complex software products, as evidenced by Guidde's initial and impressive market velocity," said Dror Nahumi, General Partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "Guidde's product roadmap harnesses AI and editing technologies and creates a solid direction to streamline the creation, generation and maintenance of technical content for any organization".

"Guidde is helping usher the Generative AI age for software. They have built a product that empowers anyone to create and share knowledge very quickly in a visual and interactive way, regardless of their technical skills or budget. We are excited to continue supporting Yoav, Dan and the team as they continue pursuing their mission" said Eran Bielski, General Partner at Entrée Capital.

Guidde has experienced rapid revenue growth since its launch late last year and is already being used by over 500 organizations such as  SentinelOne, LiveNation, Nuvei and Redis, for training, onboarding, new feature announcements, FAQs, integrations and much more.

Persona's industry-leading unified identity platform provides LinkedIn users with a free, secure, and frictionless verification experience across LATAM, APAC, and EMEA

Leading identity platform Persona today announced that LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network, is leveraging its platform to offer members in Brazil and Australia free identity verification. With Persona, millions of LinkedIn members across both countries will now be able seamlessly and securely confirm their identity through LinkedIn and add authenticity to their networks.

"We're pleased to be partnering with Persona to help users add an extra layer of trust and authenticity to their LinkedIn experience," said Oscar Rodriguez, LinkedIn Head of Trust and Privacy. "We're looking forward to continuing to scale verification with Persona's flexible, robust approach to identity." 

Persona is a unified identity platform that provides businesses with the building blocks they need to customize verification experiences, while mitigating fraud, and meeting ever-evolving compliance standards. With Persona, LinkedIn will now be able to offer members a frictionless and secure way to verify their government-issued NFC passports. Once a profile is verified, a verification badge will be visible on member's profiles.

"We share a common vision with LinkedIn to build authentic connections, regardless of where users are based," said Rick Song, CEO, Persona. "We're excited to continue collaborating with their team and support their global expansion."

New Version of TransPerfect's Visual Localization Software Adds Key Features

Alchemy Software Development, the world leader in visual localization solutions and a division of TransPerfect, marks its 21^st anniversary with the release of Alchemy Catalyst 2023, the latest iteration of its enterprise localization solution. Already recognized for its pioneering support of leading software formats, Alchemy Catalyst 2023 includes new features that further streamline the software localization process.

Alchemy Software Development's Catalyst platform is the translation solution of choice for multinational organizations looking to automate their localization for foreign markets. Visual reporting tools help to identify risks throughout the localization process, while advanced translation memory technology increases overall translation accuracy and further reduces implementation costs and turnaround times.

Alchemy Catalyst 2023 includes the following new features:

Support for Dot Net 5+:
Users are now able to localize binaries and .resx files written in the latest .NET versions from .NET 5 onward (currently .NET 5, .NET 6, .NET 7).

Native support for markdown files:
Markdown files (.md, .markdown) are now parsed natively and rendered as html for fully visual localization.

Filter navigator by resource status:
A feature request from our user base, this allows users to filter files by status at the navigator level (e.g., showing only files containing untranslated segments, or only files containing fuzzy segments, or only files containing memos, etc.).

Enhancement of segmentation engine:
Automatic segmentation has been extended to String Tables inside Win32 and .NET binaries, as well as database files (DDF). This allows automatic segmentation of html/xml content embedded in those resources. Segmentation can also be manually tweaked post-parsing (by further segmenting or joining previously segmented text). Moreover, custom segmentation rules now accept tags as delimiters, for improved accuracy.

"Catalyst 2023 is unique in its sophistication of support for software file formats," said Mark Hagerty, Chief Technology Officer of TransPerfect. "No other translation tool can be seamlessly integrated into the software build process while also mitigating the challenges faced by developers and engineers tasked with simultaneous shipment of software to world markets."

Frequence, a leader in advertising sales automation and workflow software, announced today a new integration with the Triton Digital audio streaming and podcast platform that will unify media proposals, workflow and analytics into a single dashboard that allows audio-focused media companies to sell more of their owned-and-operated inventory alongside comprehensive omnichannel campaigns.

“Streaming audio and podcasting are growing channels with unique requirements to get the most out of ad performance, and this integration will allow audio providers to maximize their advertising revenue and improve their workflow efficiency,” said Matt Robles, VP of Product at Frequence. “With the integration, Triton users will be able to create proposals, submit orders, and view their reporting performance all through Frequence’s platform as a unified solution for their advertising needs.”

The integration will allow account executives to propose a media plan that includes Triton-supported audio channels, collect the necessary information required to submit a Triton Digital order, and have Frequence output the order information to run campaigns within Triton Digital. It will also enable reporting on Triton Digital campaign performance, all through Frequence’s platform as a unified platform for media sales and planning.

“Triton Digital is all about optimizing audio content for distribution and monetization, and we’re always expanding our partnerships to drive better results,” said Benjamin Masse, Chief Product Officer of Triton Digital. “Audio is one part of an increasingly omnichannel advertising ecosystem, and our integration with Frequence gives our partners and customers more options than ever before.”

The world's largest and most sophisticated audio publishers and advertising agencies rely on Triton’s comprehensive suite of audio advertising technology to support their streaming strategies. With Frequence, users can leverage a multi-channel offering suite that includes managed products and best-in-class automation. Other features will enable users to:

• Select targeting information related to geography, demographics, and interests.
• Submit budget information related to monthly spend, duration, and CPM.
• Create data-driven omnichannel media plans that highlight the benefits of Triton.
• Ensure order details are automatically staged and prepared for seamless launch into Triton.
• Access detailed, real-time analytics, providing valuable insights into listener demographics, behavior, and preferences.

“Digital audio represents a powerful addition to omnichannel media campaigns, and Frequence is committed to driving performance for our partners across the ecosystem,” said Tom Cheli, CEO. “Our integration with Triton Digital will open up new opportunities for local-market media companies and advertisers to strengthen their businesses with the power of technology and automation.”

Setting a new standard for the most secure blockchain domain management and wallet custody solution available in the Web3 industry

Markmonitor, an industry-leading enterprise-level provider of corporate domain management solutions, today announced the launch of its new Web3 solutions to provide the most secure and robust blockchain domain management and wallet custody solution available in the Web3 industry.

The Web3 landscape and blockchain domains (also known as NFT or Web3 domains) represent new challenges for companies as this emerging space lacks traditional domain rights protections and regulation, amongst other risks. Brands need a deliberate strategy today to effectively mitigate these risks and protect their brands online, both now and in anticipation of Web3's future growth.

For over two decades Markmonitor has been instrumental in establishing and protecting major global brands online – and its trusted advisory role has grown even more vital in the evolving Web3 landscape. In response to customer feedback, Markmonitor has introduced a wide range of strategic NFT domain services that guide and protect companies in the evolving Web3 landscape, addressing the demand for guidance, support and security in blockchain and Web3 domain management.

The key solutions include:

• NFT Domain Registration and Management (including .eth)
• NFT Domain Protection Services 
• NFT Domain Acquisition
• NFT Domain Custody Solutions 

These solutions provide strategic guidance that helps companies better understand the functionality and complexity of blockchain domains.

Markmonitor has developed relationships with the most prominent NFT domain providers and other Web3 security partners – such as BitGo and MetaMask Institutional (MMI) – to provide a broad range of NFT domain solutions catered to corporate brands and their needs in the Web3 space.  

A key brand protection measure in the Web3 space is defensive registration of exact match NFT domains to prevent misuse by bad actors. NFT Domain Protection is a service that defensively registers Markmonitor's selection of extensions offered by Unstoppable Domains. By blocking a brand's Web3 domains, bad actors are unable to capitalize on them as opportunities for fraud. 

In the rapidly evolving Web3 environment, forward-thinking companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of securing desired blockchain domains before they become unavailable. If a desired blockchain domain is already registered, Markmonitor's NFT Domain Acquisition Services offer enterprises a strategic advantage, reducing both the cost and complexity of blockchain domain acquisition by having the Markmonitor team of experts takes charge of the process. Markmonitor NFT domain experts also coordinate the post-sale transfer of Web3 domains custody.

Markmonitor has implemented multiple best practice security procedures, including Multi-Signature transactions and wallet cold-storage, to enable our enterprise-grade wallet custody service to ensure the highest levels of security of our client's NFT domain assets.