Press Release
5W PR Scales Digital Marketing Capabilities to Support B2B Growth and Lead Generation
NEW YORK, March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W PR one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the U.S., today announced a major scaling of its digital marketing services, aimed at helping B2B technology companies and enterprise clients generate more leads, deepen engagement, and accelerate growth across increasingly complex sales cycles. As B2B buyers demand more from content, channels, and experiences, 5W is enhancing its capabilities to meet those needs with precision and impact. The expanded services include comprehensive digital marketing offerings such as generative engine optimization (GEO), SEO and search engine marketing (SEM), conversion-optimized content marketing, email automation, account-based marketing (ABM), paid media, social media for professional platforms, and performance analytics. These capabilities are designed to work in harmony with PR and reputation management, ensuring that brand visibility and trust translate into measurable business outcomes. "B2B growth today hinges not just on being heard, but being valued, understood, and trusted," said Matthew Caiola, CEO of 5W. "By scaling our digital marketing capabilities, from content that educates to campaigns that convert, we are helping our clients not only reach more leads, but engage them in meaningful ways that drive sustainable growth." 5W's approach blends storytelling with strategy: content assets such as whitepapers, case studies, webinars, and blog posts are crafted to address decision-maker pain points, while data-driven tactics like ABM and GEO optimization make sure those assets reach the right audience at the right time. Performance measurement, attribution modeling, and iterative optimization are built into every campaign, so clients can see how investments translate into pipeline, not just impressions. The scale-up reflects 5W's commitment to adapting to market shifts where digital presence is table stakes, and where B2B buyers expect informative, timely content paired with seamless digital experiences. Whether a fast-growing tech startup or a global enterprise, clients can now leverage 5W's bolstered suite to accelerate lead generation and build stronger, more credible brands in their sectors. For more information about 5W's enhanced B2B digital marketing capabilities, lead generation strategies, and how they integrate with PR services, visit www.5wpr.com. About 5W PR 5W is a full-service PR agency known for cutting-edge programs that engage with businesses, issues, and ideas. Founded in 2003, 5W has been named a top US and NYC PR Agency by leading industry publication O'Dwyer's, as well as awarded Agency of the Year in the 2024 American Business Awards®, and continuously brings leading businesses a resourceful, bold, and results-driven approach to communication. The agency has more than 250 professionals serving clients in B2C (Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, Nonprofit), B2B (Corporate Communications and Reputation Management), Public Affairs, Crisis Communications and Digital Marketing (Social Media, Influencer, Paid Media, SEO). In addition to its business accolades, 5W was named to the 2024 Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year list. For more information and to join our team, visit 5W Careers.
digital marketing 20 Mar 2026
DemandScience Earns 39 Badges and 18 Top-3 Rankings for Precision Performance Marketing in G2® Spring 2026 Reports
Danvers, MA, March 18 2026. DemandScience, a global leader in Precision Performance Marketing, today announced strong performance in the G2 Spring 2026 Reports. DemandScience earned 39 badges, its highest total on record, up 50% from 26 in Winter 2026, and appeared in 173 reports across account-based orchestration, web and content experiences, advertising, and marketing account intelligence. G2 is the world’s largest software marketplace, with more than 100 million annual visitors including buyers at every Fortune 500 company; all rankings are based exclusively on verified customer reviews. The results arrive as B2B marketing teams face growing pressure from tool sprawl and eroding ROI. DemandScience’s own “2026 State of Performance Marketing” research found that 66% of organizations now use 11 or more marketing technologies, yet 79% report martech costs rising without clear ROI improvement and high-performing teams use 18% fewer tools. Recognition across Results, Usability, and Implementation in the Enterprise segment reflects what that looks like in practice: a managed system that delivers outcomes instead of adding complexity. “Our customers operate in an environment where more tools and platforms consistently means less clarity and efficiency,” said Derek Schoettle, CEO of DemandScience. “Earning 39 G2 badges, our highest ever, along with top-3 Enterprise rankings for Results, Usability, and Implementation means something important: when intelligence and orchestration work together in one managed system, pipeline becomes predictable. That’s exactly what the market needs right now. We give customers all the power of a platform but without another tool to log into. Our experts do the work for you.” Spring 2026 G2 Highlights DemandScience earned 18 top-3 placements in the Spring 2026 cycle, with Enterprise strength across three dimensions: Results: Customer ratings for measurable outcomes, pipeline impact, and ROI: #2 Enterprise Results Index for Account-Based Web and Content Experiences #3 Enterprise Results Index for Account-Based Orchestration Platforms Usability: Ease of adoption at enterprise scale, a consistent challenge for complex ABM platforms: #3 Enterprise Usability Index for Account-Based Web and Content Experiences #3 Enterprise Usability Index for Account-Based Orchestration Platforms Implementation: Time-to-value and deployment success, where many enterprise ABM investments stall: #2 Enterprise Implementation Index for Account-Based Advertising #2 Enterprise Implementation Index for Account-Based Web and Content Experiences #3 Enterprise Implementation Index for Account-Based Orchestration Platforms Enterprise Grid: Overall competitive positioning, combining satisfaction and market presence: #2 Enterprise Grid Report for Display Advertising (up from #5 last quarter) #3 Enterprise Grid Report for Account-Based Advertising #3 Enterprise Grid Report for Account-Based Web and Content Experiences What Customers Are Saying The most direct evidence comes from the customers themselves. “DemandScience is effectively solving our ‘Cold Start’ problem as we enter a new market. By providing access to verified, high-intent data, they allow our new brand to bypass the months of slow organic growth usually required for market entry. The benefit is twofold: we get immediate visibility with our ICP and a predictable stream of leads that have already signaled a readiness to engage, which is instrumental in proving the viability of this new territory to our stakeholders.” — Verified G2 Reviewer *G2 badges and rankings are based on verified customer reviews and satisfaction data.
business 18 Mar 2026
Canto Adds New Shopify and Amazon Integrations to DAM for Products, Helping Brands Manage and Distribute Product Content Across Every Commerce Channel
ATLANTA, Ga. — March 18, 2026 — Canto, the leader in AI-powered digital asset management, today announced continued capability expansion of DAM for Products, its platform for brands that manage, launch, and sell physical goods. As product content complexity accelerates across ecommerce, social marketplaces, and retail channels, Canto is deepening its investment in the tools and integrations that help teams create, manage, and activate product content at scale—including new Shopify and Amazon integrations.Marketing, ecommerce, and creative teams waste too much time chasing down assets, correcting channel inconsistencies, and manually pushing updates across storefronts. DAM for Products eliminates that. Built on Canto's leading digital asset management platform, it connects product images, SKUs, and attributes in one place — and activates them across every channel automatically.“Getting product content right across every channel is one of the hardest operational challenges brands face, and the cost of inconsistency compounds the more channels you add,” said Alan Beiagi, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Canto. “DAM for Products gives brands the infrastructure to move faster without sacrificing accuracy or consistency, and our expanding integrations make those benefits even stronger.”New integrations with Shopify and Amazon enable brands to synchronize product assets and metadata from Canto directly into their storefronts, eliminating manual uploading and ensuring that every product page reflects current and brand-approved content. Canto Media Publisher, part of DAM for Products, ensures approved assets are delivered via CDN at the speed and scale commerce requires. Canto is also expanding its partner ecosystem to support additional commerce endpoints, with new syndication partnerships underway to help customers distribute product assets and information across more channels.“Before Canto DAM for Products, our product data was scattered across Word docs, spreadsheets, emails, and team conversations, which created a real risk of using outdated or incorrect information,” said Christine Baker, Senior Graphic Designer & Production Lead at Marini SkinSolutions. “Now, we can keep our product imagery and data in one place and ensure updates are reflected in Shopify.”For marketing and ecommerce teams managing frequent product launches, catalog updates, and multi-channel distribution, DAM for Products provides a single connected system that links creative assets to commerce outcomes. The result is product content that moves faster and arrives consistently across every channel.About CantoCanto is a leader in digital asset management (DAM), helping global brands maximize the value of their digital content with an intuitive, AI-powered platform. Our solutions make it easy for businesses to centralize, organize, and share digital assets, streamlining workflows and driving real business impact. From pioneering early DAM solutions to leading AI innovation and product content capabilities, Canto continues to shape how modern organizations manage and activate digital content. Backed by best-in-class support and implementation, Canto empowers industries like retail, manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and more to manage their growing content libraries. Headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in Berlin, Cork, and Sydney, Canto supports teams worldwide in optimizing their content workflows. For more information, visit www.canto.com.
advertising 18 Mar 2026
StackAdapt Ranked #1 in Cross-Channel Advertising in G2 Spring 2026 Report
Toronto, ON – March 17, 2026 — StackAdapt (www.stackadapt.com), the leading AI advertising and orchestration platform, today announced it has been ranked #1 in the Best Cross-Channel Advertising Software category in G2’s Spring 2026 Report. StackAdapt holds #1 rankings across key programmatic categories, including Best Connected TV (CTV) Advertising Platforms, Best Digital Audio Advertising Software, and Best Demand-Side Platform. This continued recognition reinforces its position as one of the industry’s leading platforms for unified, performance-driven advertising. G2, the world’s largest software marketplace used by millions of buyers each year, ranks products based on verified customer reviews and market presence. The Spring 2026 rankings reflect feedback from marketers and agencies evaluating platforms across usability, performance, and customer satisfaction. “Being ranked the #1 Cross-Channel Advertising Platform reflects the trust our customers place in our platform,” said Vitaly Pecherskiy, Co-Founder and CEO of StackAdapt. “Marketers don’t operate in silos, and their technology shouldn’t either. StackAdapt was built to unify data, media, and measurement, so brands and agencies can drive better performance across every channel.” As media consumption continues to fragment across platforms and devices, marketers increasingly need solutions that unify campaign management, optimization, and measurement across channels. StackAdapt’s AI-powered platform enables advertisers to activate campaigns across CTV, digital video, native, display, audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home (DOOH) while delivering integrated insights and seamless access to premium inventory. Because G2 rankings are based entirely on verified user reviews, the recognition reflects how advertisers experience the platform in practice. Customers frequently highlight StackAdapt’s ease of use, advanced targeting and optimization capabilities, strong customer support, and transparent reporting as key differentiators. This latest recognition further underscores StackAdapt’s momentum as one of the fastest-growing programmatic platforms, helping brands and agencies execute high-performing, AI-driven advertising strategies across an increasingly complex media landscape. About StackAdapt StackAdapt is the leading AI advertising and orchestration platform marketers rely on to drive brand growth and revenue. Built entirely in-house with an easy-to-use interface, StackAdapt unifies programmatic and owned channels—including CTV, DOOH, display, native, audio, email, and more—into one seamless experience. The platform makes it easy to find the right audience, personalize creative, run campaigns, optimize, and measure results in one place. Trusted by the most forward-thinking brands and agencies, StackAdapt combines speed of innovation, deep vertical expertise, and partnership that powers real business growth. For further information, visit www.stackadapt.com.
business 18 Mar 2026
Regional Insurers Turn to ZestyAI to Strengthen Property-Level Intelligence Across Diverse Markets
San Francisco, CA - 12 March 2026: As insurers expand across regions with increasingly diverse risk profiles, regional carriers are increasingly using advanced analytics to strengthen property-level intelligence and improve underwriting discipline. Two insurers operating across multiple US states - Harford Mutual Insurance Group and American European Insurance Group (AEIG) - are today announcing partnerships with ZestyAI, the Risk and Decision Intelligence Platform for the insurance industry, to enhance exposure visibility and portfolio resilience through verified, structure-level insight. Regional insurers operating across multiple states must navigate an ever more complex mix of weather patterns, building characteristics, and regulatory environments. Traditional underwriting signals often lack the precision needed to fully understand the drivers of loss volatility across diverse portfolios. By applying computer vision and machine learning to aerial imagery, building permits, and verified property data, ZestyAI enables insurers to evaluate property risk at the individual structure level. These insights help carriers refine underwriting decisions, improve pricing alignment, and better manage exposure concentration across expanding regional portfolios. Harford Mutual Strengthens Commercial Portfolio Visibility Harford Mutual Insurance Group has selected the ZestyAI Platform to enhance property-level exposure insight across its commercial portfolio serving markets across the Mid-Atlantic and South. The insurer is adopting ZestyAI’s Roof Age and Z-PROPERTY™ models to ground its book in verified, structure-level intelligence. Roof Age cross-validates building permit records with more than 20 years of aerial imagery to detect roof replacement events and assign confidence scores across 97% of U.S. properties. Z-PROPERTY™ further evaluates roof complexity, materials, condition, and surrounding risk factors that materially influence underwriting outcomes and exposure management. Wayne Gearhart, Senior Vice President and COO of Harford Mutual Insurance Group said: “With ZestyAI, we have verified property-level intelligence that changes how we evaluate and manage risk. The platform improves our visibility into exposure across the portfolio and supports disciplined, resilient growth in our commercial book.” AEIG Enhances Multi-Peril Underwriting Across Multi-State Portfolio American European Insurance Group (AEIG) has selected a suite of ZestyAI models to enhance underwriting, pricing, and exposure management across its property portfolio spanning states including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Nevada and Arizona. Through the ZestyAI platform, AEIG has adopted models for non-weather water (Z-WATER™), hail (Z-HAIL™), wind (Z-WIND™), along with Z-PROPERTY™ to deliver property-level risk insight. These models analyze the interaction between property characteristics, environmental conditions, and peril behavior to predict claim frequency and severity at the individual property level, helping the insurer align underwriting and pricing with expected loss performance while managing exposure across diverse markets. Steve Hartman, President and CEO of AEIG said: ““As we operate across states with varied exposure profiles, we need consistent, property-level insight into what drives losses across wind, hail, and non-weather water. ZestyAI gives us the precision to align underwriting and pricing with expected loss performance, support our agent partners with greater transparency, and maintain disciplined growth. Corporate experience alone is no longer sufficient to intelligently compete in a crowded marketplace, and the ability to leverage both traditional and non-traditional data in best-in-class account underwriting and pricing is a requirement for sustained profitability.” Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI, said:“Regional insurers like Harford Mutual Insurance Group and American European Insurance Group are balancing expansion with the need to stay highly disciplined in how they evaluate property risk. Harford Mutual has a long history of doing what’s right for its agents and policyholders, and that starts with understanding risk accurately at the property level, while AEIG is applying the same principle across a highly diverse, multi-state portfolio. By grounding underwriting and pricing decisions in verified property-level intelligence, both organizations are strengthening underwriting discipline, improving portfolio resilience, and showing how regional carriers can leverage trusted AI to navigate today’s risk environment.”
business 13 Mar 2026
Trilliad Releases 2026 Growth Imperatives: A Guide for Growth Rooted in Data-driven Principles to Engage Modern B2B Buyers
ANNAPOLIS, Md., March 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trilliad has released their 2026 Growth Imperatives, a strategic playbook for Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success leaders navigating the AI-driven transformation of B2B buying behavior. The Growth Imperatives follow a long history of forward-looking, strategic insights that revenue leaders have leaned on to help them navigate industry evolutions. The 2026 Growth Imperatives tackle an inflection point in B2B revenue generation: buyers have fundamentally changed how they research and make purchasing decisions, but most organizations haven't adapted. Buyers now conduct independent research, consult AI, and make decisions before companies even know they exist. When buyers are ready to engage with the brand, there is limited data visibility with insights in silos across complex tech stacks. Preventing marketing and sales from accessing enough context to deliver meaningful engagements. To help organizations address these new behaviors and drive sustainable success in this modern era, Trilliad's 2026 Growth Imperatives focus on three strategic priorities: Imperative 1: Scaling Connected Brand-to-Demand Experiences: Powering Creative Memorability at Scale Through AI and Integrated Data: To engage the modern B2B buying group at scale, the strategy requires a full-funnel, multi-channel approach, from AI search engines to streaming platforms, and beyond. By grounding emotionally resonant brand experiences in integrated data, this framework aligns account progression with sales to establish marketing as a definitive value-creation engine. Imperative 2: Architecting Progressive Sales Performance Systems That Enable Sustainable Seller Effectiveness: Organizations must transition from episodic sales training to progressive performance systems that leverage data and AI. By codifying high-impact behaviors and personalizing development at scale, these systems ensure retention under pressure and directly link seller effectiveness to increased win rates and revenue growth. Imperative 3: Operationalizing the Data Layer to Unlock AI Impact That Drives Scalable Growth: To power a modern GTM engine, leaders must prioritize an integrated data layer that serves as the foundation for impactful AI. Transitioning from siloed pilots to full AI operationalization requires a customer-centric approach to data integration. By focusing on high-value outcomes, organizations can deliver the seamless, data-driven experiences essential to engaging the modern B2B buyer throughout the customer lifecycle. "This is an important year for our Growth Imperatives to help business leaders see around corners and leapfrog competition. We are now fully in the midst of an inflection point with AI transforming the buyer journey," said Craig Dempster, CEO of Trilliad. "What we're seeing now is that AI is fundamentally reshaping how B2B organizations attract, engage, and retain customers. This shift creates a unique opportunity for sales, marketing, and customer success teams to work together, leveraging data across the organization to shape and deliver personalized experiences, and influence decisions at every stage of the customer lifecycle. The organizations that do this well will create competitive advantage." Built on decades of collective expertise with a portfolio that includes respected brands such as Just Global, Sercante, and Sandler, Trilliad is redefining what it means to drive sustainable growth in today's changing B2B landscape. With a commitment to industry leadership, Trilliad continually invests in research to guide business leaders. Last year it released its 2025 Sustainable Growth Study, a research initiative that surveyed 350+ senior B2B growth leaders to uncover the alignment gaps holding B2B organizations back and provide actionable solutions to fuel revenue growth. Download the 2026 Growth Imperatives here. About TrilliadTrilliad (www.trilliad.com), a market-leading Growth Services Provider (GSP), solves challenges and drives results for Growth Leaders across Sales, Marketing and Customer Success. Trilliad’s full-service solutions deliver competitive advantage for the brands it works with by optimizing their sales and marketing strategies, processes, skills and technology. Trilliad drives efficiency and predictability at the intersection of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to increase seller productivity, lower cost per lead, decrease cost per sale, accelerate time to close, and drive customer lifetime value.
business 12 Mar 2026
East West Manufacturing™ Strategic Motors Partner, CBM, Opens New AC Induction Motor Plant in Thailand
March 12, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - East West Manufacturing, a leading full-solution technology manufacturer, has today announced that its strategic motors partner, Changzhou Baojie Motors (CBM), has opened a new AC induction motor plant in Pinthong Industrial Park, Thailand, to expand its production capacity in Asia. Located within the industrial zone at the facility, the new factory is only 12km away from Laem Chabang, Thailand's largest port. This strategic location provides Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with a competitive advantage around tariff mitigation, with Thailand offering a favorable reciprocal tariff percentage compared to China. As a result, East West is able to offer a lower overall unit price and tariff flexibility for AC induction motors. The new partner site is primarily focused on the manufacture of goods bound for the U.S. and subject to tariffs, offering OEMs a strategic advantage around key areas that include supply chain diversity as well as geopolitical benefits. East West has been actively working with its partner, CBM, as part of the setup of the new Thailand facility in order to ensure that all quality and regulatory expectations are met. Headquartered in Changzhou, China, CBM has been a strategic motor partner of East West in manufacturing permanent split capacitor (PSC) and other types of electric motors for over 20 years. Dave Purvis, Senior Director of Motor Business Development at East West, commented: “This new facility helps us offer customers access to Thailand for motor production. The CBM team identified the final location after researching and exploring a number of options in South Asia. We are looking forward to continuing our long-standing collaboration with CBM to ensure a seamless transition between our respective manufacturing sites in China and Thailand.” Charlie Simons, Technical Director of OEM Motor Products at East West, added: “The support of CBM has been invaluable as our teams worked hard to meet all of the required quality and regulatory requirements at the new plant during the setup phase. Our partnership will continue to grow from here, with CBM relying on East West to drive new customer growth opportunities and leverage higher level assembly operations, while we in turn rely on CBM for its design and manufacturing expertise.” - ENDS - About East West Manufacturing Since 2001, East West Manufacturing has been a trusted, full-solution technology manufacturing partner for some of the world’s most recognizable brands and new disruptive players. As a proactive, concept-to-scale partner, East West provides complete end-to-end services solving the most complex design, manufacturing, and supply chain challenges. With more than 2,700 employees at 9 facilities in 7 countries, East West’s global team serves a broad spectrum of dedicated end markets knowing that the quality products made today can truly make a difference for all of us. For more information, visit: https://www.ewmfg.com / LinkedIn
business 12 Mar 2026
New research from SurveyMonkey and Reddit reveals why trust is the new currency in B2B buying
SAN MATEO, Calif., March 10, 2026 – SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, and Reddit, where real people form communities, get answers, share ideas, discuss life, and offer advice, today announced a new co-branded research study titled “The hidden B2B journey.” The data reveals a fundamental shift in how business decisions are made, and uncovers how buyers prioritize peer validation over traditional vendor marketing in the early stages of the buying journey. As the B2B landscape becomes increasingly fragmented, the study found that over half (55%) of decision-makers struggle to know which information sources to trust. This skepticism means buyers now complete much of their discovery and evaluation independently, often before ever engaging with a sales team. The research phase no one sees. B2B buying no longer begins with a sales pitch. According to the study, 83% of B2B decision-makers self-research before ever speaking to sales. While the majority of buyers move quickly—with 65% spending a week or less on research—a critical 31% spend several weeks or more researching before making a decision. This extended research window is most pronounced in high-stakes sectors: 40% of software buyers spend several weeks to a month or more researching before buying. 37% of professional services buyers and 37% of HR buyers follow a similar extended timeline due to complexity, risk, and long-term impact. The crisis of trust in early research. The study highlights a growing gap in clarity. Over half (55%) of all decision-makers find it difficult to identify trustworthy information sources. Key obstacles include: Challenges finding real user testimonials (48%). Challenges in parsing through seller/vendor-provided information (46%) and getting details on specific sellers/providers (44%). Frustration separating "marketing hype" and sales pitches from true product value and fit. The discovery-to-validation pathway. While search engines (57%) remain the most commonly used channel during early B2B research, the study identifies search as a "navigation layer" rather than a destination. Buyers use search to identify options, but then move beyond vendor websites to validate claims through peer discussion and firsthand experiences. With over 121 million daily active unique users growing 19% year-over-year, Reddit content is increasingly part of that validation process. The unspoken power of online communities. Among all information channels, peer recommendations stand out as the most trusted source, with nearly three-quarters (73%) of decision-makers trusting peer insights above vendor websites (55%), search engines (54%), review sites (46%), AI chatbots (39%), and social media (36%). The study found that nearly three-quarters (70%) of decision-makers have used social media at least once to research business purchases. Within these spaces, Reddit emerged as a critical hub: 23% of decision-makers have used Reddit for research, including a third (32%) of software buyers. Reviews and testimonials (77%) are the top reason for choosing Reddit, but buyers are looking for other information there as well: 45% are looking for pricing, 42% for capabilities, and 36% for compatibility or integrations. “The mandate for B2B marketers is clear: We need to start selling how we buy,” said Katie Miserany, chief communications officer and head of global marketing at SurveyMonkey. “When we’re looking for new tools and technology, we ask around, read the reviews, search for competitors, and do our homework long before we ask to talk to sales. To compete, brands must show up in all of those spaces with empathy, transparency, and proof. Authenticity wins, especially when you’ve got substance to back it up." "B2B marketing has never been more challenging. Buyers are skeptical, channels are fragmented, and it is harder than ever to know if your message is reaching the right people," said Evan Wolf, head of mid-market, North America at Reddit. "On Reddit, decision-makers are already comparing notes, pressure-testing vendors and sharing real-world advice they trust, giving brands a way to reach high-intent audiences they might not find through traditional campaigns alone." For the full findings, please visit https://www.business.reddit.com/resources/the-hidden-b2b-journey. Methodology This Reddit survey, powered by SurveyMonkey, was conducted December 23, 2025 - January 7, 2026, among a sample of 1,202 business decision-makers in the United States. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 3 percentage points. About SurveyMonkey SurveyMonkey is the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, built for business and loved by users. We combine powerful capabilities with intuitive design, effectively serving every use case, from customer experience to employee engagement, market research to payment and registration forms. With built-in research expertise and AI-powered technology, it’s like having a team of expert researchers right at your fingertips. Trusted by millions—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—SurveyMonkey helps teams gather insights and information that inspire better decisions, create experiences people love, and drive business growth. Discover how at surveymonkey.com.
business 11 Mar 2026
Freestar Appoints Former Washington Post Executive John Ilacqua as Executive Vice President of Growth and Publisher Development
PHOENIX, March 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freestar, the leading publisher services and monetization partner for the world’s most trusted digital media brands, today announced the appointment of John Ilacqua as Executive Vice President (EVP) of Growth and Publisher Development, where he will lead the expansion of Freestar’s global footprint and deepen the organization's relationships across the advertising ecosystem. In this new role, Ilacqua will oversee the company’s go-to-market strategy and expansion of its publisher partner base. He will also work alongside Freestar’s leadership team to identify new market opportunities, ensuring the company continues to deliver measurable value to its publisher partners and advertisers. Ilacqua joins Freestar from The Washington Post, where he most recently held the position of Managing Director, Arc XP, with a focus on publisher growth, strategy, content operations, and sustainable revenue streams. Before The Washington Post, Ilacqua held leadership positions at The Media Trust, EMX Digital, Jun Group (now Verve), and CBS. “John is an incredibly well-respected leader in the publishing ecosystem,” said Kurt Donnell, CEO of Freestar. “He truly understands firsthand the pressures that today’s publishers face – from juggling fragmented tools and data to the new complexities brought on by AI. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Freestar leadership team as we continue to scale our impact for publishers.” Freestar is a publisher-first partner for mid-sized to enterprise publishers that want to streamline programmatic monetization, optimize yield, and reduce operational burden through integrated technologies, innovation, and white-glove customer service. Most recently, the company announced its new publisher operating system, pubOS, providing digital publishers with a single, integrated platform to manage monetization, operations, and growth. “Supporting news institutions, journalism, and new media has always been near and dear to my heart,” said John Ilacqua, EVP of Growth and Publisher Development at Freestar. “Publishers deserve experienced partners who can help them build and grow sustainable businesses, so that they can remain focused on what matters most: news gathering, quality journalism and storytelling. Freestar has earned a reputation for being one of the most trusted partners for premium publishers, who can strategize around today’s complex monetization challenges. I’m excited to bring more of the world’s best publishers into the Freestar ecosystem so they can truly thrive.” To learn more about Freestar’s team and offerings, visit: www.freestar.com. ABOUT FREESTAR Freestar is a leading publisher services and monetization partner to many of the world’s most trusted digital media brands. Through pubOS — the Publisher Operating System, Freestar combines enterprise-grade technology, an integrated partner marketplace, and white-glove service to help digital publishers maximize revenue and navigate the AI Age. Over the past decade, Freestar has driven over $1 billion in revenue for publishers. It manages more premium Jounce Media Bellwether publishers than any other publisher services partner. Headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, it has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States on the annual Inc. 5000 list for seven consecutive years, most notably earning the number one spot in 2019. Additional honors include AdWeek’s AI Tool of the Year and the Titan Business Awards Customer Service Team of the Year. Learn more at www.freestar.com.
business 11 Mar 2026
Cannes Lions honours Susan Credle as its Lion of St Mark
Credle will be honoured with the lifetime achievement award, recognising a remarkable career in advertising, during the Festival in June10 March 2026 - The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that it will honour Susan Credle with its lifetime achievement award, the Lion of St Mark. The award recognises Credle's remarkable career and contribution to the industry that started with an internship at BBDO New York and has spanned more than 40 years.Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Susan Credle is a trailblazer and a creative force. Throughout her career she has consistently built cultures where creativity thrives, producing iconic work while shaping the values, standards and conditions for success. Cannes Lions has had the privilege of witnessing Susan’s brilliance many times. She has served on our Juries eight times, three of those as Jury President, including Titanium, and her influence on the work itself is undeniable. She understands deeply that creativity is more than a driver of progress; it is an economic multiplier. Beyond the iconic campaigns, Susan has been a generous mentor to leaders, peers and generations of creatives, and a tireless advocate for inclusion and the next wave of talent. Her contribution to the industry is significant, passionate and generous, and we are honoured to recognise Susan with the Lion of St Mark. We look forward to celebrating her extraordinary legacy in Cannes.” Over the years, Credle has been behind award-winning work across a breadth of brands. In 1996, she and her art director partner, Steve Rutter, launched the comedic ensemble of M&M’s characters that kickstarted her inexorable rise to the top of the industry. She’s helped guide work like Allstate’s Mayhem, Secret Deodorant’s grassroots Mean Stinks anti-bullying, and McDonald’s Happy Meal literacy campaigns. About the Award, Susan Credle, Interpublic Global Creative Advisor, said: “When I walked into the lobby of BBDO on Madison Avenue in the summer of 1985, I saw a poster celebrating Pepsi’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning ‘Archaeology’, directed by Joe Pytka. The Jury that honored that work set the bar for what great advertising could be. It was provocative and beautifully crafted and showed real respect for the audience. More importantly, it launched something much bigger – the ‘Choice of a New Generation’ platform that took the Cola Wars to another level. That Cannes Lions Award taught me something I’ve carried with me ever since: the best ideas don’t just succeed in the moment – they strive to be NVRFNSHD.” Across three of the industry’s most storied agencies – BBDO, Leo Burnett, and FCB – Credle’s work has been notable, not just for the headlines or awards but for the vision it carried, the possibilities it inspired and the values it left behind. During her tenure as Global Chief Creative Officer, FCB North America was named the Cannes Lions North America Agency of the Year for six consecutive years, while FCB was honoured with the coveted title of Global Network of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2020/21, and the network was also ranked the #1 Creative Agency for Effectiveness in the WARC Effective 100 in 2023. Susan Credle will be honoured with the Lion of St Mark at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. She will also speak onstage in the Lion of St Mark seminar, taking place on Monday 22 June. Cannes Lions runs from 22 to 26 June, in Cannes, France. Further information on entering the Awards and options to attend can be found at www.canneslions.com.ENDS
business 11 Mar 2026
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