Press Release
Beyond the Click: Onescreen’s 68% Q1 Surge Signals a New Era of High-Confidence Marketing in the Real World
BOSTON, MA — May 13th, 2026: Onescreen, the modern partner for out-of-home (OOH) advertising, today announced a massive surge in Q1 2026 growth, reporting a 68% increase in revenue compared to Q1 2025. This performance marks a definitive inflection point for the company, following a breakout year in 2025 that saw 67% year-over-year growth in H2. The rapid acceleration signals a broader market migration: the world’s most sophisticated brands are moving away from the diminishing returns of digital "walled gardens" and placing high-conviction investments on the physical world. As performance marketers face soaring customer acquisition costs (CAC) and tracking limitations, out-of-home has re-emerged, going from a legacy medium to a core, data-driven necessity. However, for most, two massive hurdles remain: the Confidence Gap, the struggle to defend that investment in a room full of digital data-driven stakeholders, and the Execution Gap, the distance between believing in OOH and running a great campaign. Closing the Brand Confidence Gap Onescreen’s record growth is fueled by its focus on solving the Confidence Gap, the psychological and strategic barrier that prevents marketers from investing even when they know the channel works. While marketers recognize the need to break out of crowded digital ecosystems, the lack of traditional measurement tools in the OOH space has historically made the spend difficult to defend. "The problem isn’t conviction; marketers already know OOH works. The problem is confidence in their ability to defend it internally," said Greg Wise, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Onescreen. "Marketers know they need OOH to scale, but they hesitate because the industry hasn't given them the tools to justify the investment to a CFO. Onescreen closes this gap by replacing gut feel with front-end data intelligence. When you map your ICP to the real world with precision, you don’t have to wait for a post-campaign report to know the buy is defensible; you’ve already proven the rationale before a single dollar is spent." “We saw an opportunity to reach marketing leaders beyond digital channels by showing up at the industry moments where our prospects, customers, and partners were already engaged,” said Sandy Pell, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing at Invoca. “Onescreen helped us bring data, structure, and confidence to our OOH strategy, allowing us to activate high-impact placements in the right places at the right times. By extending those moments across social and digital, we strengthened brand credibility for Invoca’s AI agents with the audiences that matter most.” Bridging the Execution Gap Even when a marketer has the conviction to try out-of-home, the channel often fights back. Operating on fragmented legacy systems, OOH requires coordinating dozens of vendors, wildly varying formats, and unforgiving lead times. "The industry wasn’t built for a VP of Marketing who has five other channels to manage and needs an answer by Friday; it was built for manual transactions and 20-year-old processes," continued Wise. "This is the Execution Gap. Marketers either get burned by technical 'gotchas' or retreat to paid social because the friction is too high. Onescreen was built to close that gap. We provide one point of contact, one media plan, and a team that knows the inventory so the marketer doesn’t have to." H2 2025 Momentum & Q1 2026 Key Drivers: B2B & AI Adoption: High-growth tech sectors moved from experimental budgets to permanent unit purchases in Q1, investing in OOH as strategic infrastructure rather than fleeting ads. The DTC Comeback: Following 2025 market volatility, DTC brands returned to OOH in record numbers during H2, seeking the compounding brand equity that digital clicks can no longer provide. Operational Streamlining: Growth was driven by eliminating the need for brands to manage a dozen different contracts and specs for a single city. By providing a single media plan that aligns OOH with the broader marketing calendar, Onescreen has allowed brands to execute real-world campaigns at the same speed as their digital channels. "Onescreen is the partner marketers haven't had until now," said Alex Ewing, CEO at Onescreen. "While legacy vendors sell billboards, we build marketing programs that move business goals. Our Q1 performance is the result of making the most powerful advertising medium finally accessible to the most ambitious brands." About Onescreen: Onescreen is the modern partner for out-of-home advertising for companies like Rippling, Replit, Deepgram, Hexclad, Siebert Financial, Monks, and OUTSHINE. We bring the data intelligence of a tech company and the strategic guidance of an OOH specialist, so marketers at every level can invest in the real world with confidence and speed at the highest quality. Discover how our team helps businesses leverage AI-driven marketing, automation, and customer engagement strategies to improve campaign performance and drive measurable growth.
business 13 May 2026
LIONS and Brand Innovators launch Brand Marketer Academy North America Series
12 May 2026 - LIONS and Brand Innovators have announced a new strategic partnership to launch The Brand Marketer Academy North AmericaSeries, a multi-city learning programme designed to fast-track the careers of high-potential client-side marketers.??Building on the global success of the Brand Marketer Academy, the North America Series brings the established Cannes Lions programme into key markets in the region, delivering an intensive two-day experience that combines world-class content, practical leadership development, and powerful peer connection.??Launching in 2026, the programme will run in the US cities of New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. Beyond the dedicated programmes, participants will have access to year-round learning, connections and career development through the LIONS brand.??Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “The Brand Marketing Academy, launched in 2011, has helped shape the careers of hundreds of marketers globally. The North American Series is designed to extend the impact of our established Academies – meeting talent where they are, and delivering locally relevant learning while maintaining the global perspective and creative ambition LIONS is known for. We look forward to taking the Academy experience to the US and meeting the future CMOs of our industry.”?Bringing the calibre of LIONS content and speakers into an intimate classroom setting, the Academy equips marketers to navigate an increasingly complex landscape, where creativity, performance, technology and culture must work collaboratively. Participants will engage with senior industry leaders, explore real-world case studies and build lasting professional networks within their city and across the wider LIONS community.??Each City Edition is designed for rising brand leaders with up to seven years’ experience. There is no fee to attend; however, participants must be nominated by their senior marketing leadership team, ensuring a curated cohort of high-potential talent.??Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder, Brand Innovators, added: “Since 2011, Brand Innovators has partnered with Cannes Lions to create meaningful connections and learning opportunities for brand leaders. Our partnership with LIONS allows us to bring a globally respected learning platform into cities where marketers are hungry for practical, career-defining development.” ?The first edition will be hosted by PepsiCo in New York on 1 and 2 June 2026 led by Mark Kirkham, Chief Marketing Officer at PepsiCo Beverages US. Mark leads brand strategy and marketing across the core soft drinks portfolio including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Starry, Bubly and Mug. A 15-year PepsiCo veteran with extensive global leadership experience, he has driven international growth, led major global partnerships including the UEFA Champions League, and built award-winning brand and innovation programmes across multiple markets. Further details on programme content, speakers and applications will be announced in the coming weeks. ??Since launching in 2011, the Brand Marketing Academy has supported over 450 graduates worldwide, many of whom have gone on to become CMOs, founders and award-winning marketing leaders. The launch of Brand Marketer Academy North America Series marks the next evolution of the programme, expanding access while maintaining its selective, high-impact approach. ??About Informa?Informa PLC is a leading international B2B events, digital services and academic research group. ??We champion specialists. Through hundreds of market-leading brands, we connect people with knowledge so they can learn more, know more and do more.We operate in over 30 countries and serve businesses and professionals working in over a dozen specialist markets.Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.???About Brand Innovators ?Brand Innovators, LLC is a leading community and platform dedicated to advancing innovation in marketing and brand strategy. Through a robust calendar of events, thought leadership, and curated experiences, Brand Innovators connects senior-level marketers from the world’s most influential brands with the technologies and ideas shaping the future.??The company fosters meaningful collaboration across industries, empowering executives to navigate a rapidly evolving landscape with confidence. With a global footprint and a commitment to driving impactful conversations, Brand Innovators serves as a trusted resource for insights, inspiration, and connection at the intersection of creativity, data, and technology.? Discover how our team helps businesses leverage AI-driven marketing, automation, and customer engagement strategies to improve campaign performance and drive measurable growth.
business 12 May 2026
World Password Day 2026: Treat Identity as the Perimeter (and Act Like It)
World Password Day is no longer just a nudge to pick stronger passwords, it’s a moment to rethink identity. Attackers rarely “hack” systems today; they log in as you. Combine expert guidance on phishing, MFA, password managers, behavioural defences, and new threats from AI and quantum computing to better secure your accounts now and for the future. Key takeaways (The TL/DR): · Use a password manager; generate unique passwords for every account · Enable phishing?resistant MFA or passkeys wherever possible · Secure account recovery paths and remove old devices/contacts · Treat unexpected login prompts like a street risk: pause, verify the URL, don’t follow login links in unsolicited emails/DMs · Move toward passkeys and reduce password reliance over time · For human-created passwords, aim for 25+ characters because AI and future quantum threats reduce effective strength; even better: let a password manager generate long, truly random passwords The Evolving Threat Landscape Criminals rarely need to “break in” anymore: they steal credentials via phishing, malware, or breached lists and simply log in, and reused passwords let them pivot across multiple services and platforms. At the same time, advances in AI are improving pattern?based guessing and cracking tools, with real?world tests suggesting AI can reduce the effective strength of non-random passwords by roughly two to five characters, and quantum techniques (e.g., Grover’s algorithm) would demand substantially longer random keys to maintain parity - a trend defenders must plan for. Finally, identifying signals and user behaviour at the moment of login, such as mouse movement and typing cadence, are increasingly valuable: risk?based authentication and behavioural biometrics can detect anomalous activity and stop account takeovers before attackers succeed. A Practical 30-Minute Identity Security Checklist The following is a practical 15 to 30 minute checklist and guidance for best practices: · Install and configure a password manager; import or create unique passwords for your top accounts · Turn on phishing?resistant MFA or register a hardware security key/passkey for email, banking, cloud, and primary social accounts · Secure recovery options: update backup email addresses, phone numbers, and remove old devices from account lists · Pick your top five accounts (email, banking, main social, cloud storage, work) and secure them first · Check for breached credentials using manager/breach?monitoring tools and rotate compromised passwords · Audit where passwords are stored physically - remove sticky notes; if a written record is necessary for a high? value admin credential, lock it in a safe Expert Guidance from KnowBe4’s CISO advisors For practical and future-proof password guidance, the CISO Advisors from KnowBe4 recommend the following: · “Best practice: use a password manager to create truly random passwords that are 25+ characters long when possible. Bonus: you don’t have to memorise them.” -Roger Grimes · “If you cannot use a password manager or MFA: create passphrases or a memorable formula, but aim for 25+ characters for human?created passwords to counter AI-assisted guessing and anticipated quantum risks.” -Kawin Boonyapredee · “Prioritise length and uniqueness over predictable complexity rules; AI is strong at pattern discovery, so avoid predictable schemes.” -Anna Collard, Roger Grimes · “Where websites limit length, use MFA and passkeys; pressure vendors to support longer passwords and modern authentication standards.” - Roger Grimes Behavioural and organisational controls · “Require phishing?resistant MFA across sensitive systems.” -Kawin Boonyapredee · “Deploy Risk?Based Authentication and behavioural biometrics to detect unusual login rhythms and automatically prompt for extra verification or block access. Identity integrity is continuous, not one?off.” -Anna Collard · “Use centralised keys management for service accounts and rotate keys regularly; do not store credentials in shared docs or plaintext.” - Kawin Boonyapredee · “Run phishing simulations and training so employees develop “street smarts” at the moment of login.” -Anna Collard Why Act Now? World Password Day 2026 is a call to stop treating passwords as the perimeter and start treating identity as the perimeter: reduce password reliance, use long unique ones (25+ characters) when you must, adopt phishing?resistant MFA and passkeys, and make behavioural and risk?based checks part of every login. Small steps today greatly reduce the chance an attacker can simply “log in as you.” This day matters because it creates a predictable, global moment to act; not later, not when an incident happens, but now. Regularly scheduled reminders overcome human inertia: people and organisations are far more likely to adopt a password manager, enable phishing?resistant MFA, update recovery contacts, or audit shared credentials when prompted by a recognisable event. That collective action reduces the pool of easily exploitable accounts, raises the baseline of resilience across services, and makes large-scale automated attacks such as credential stuffing and mass phishing less effective. A 90-Day Roadmap for Identity Resilience The following is a 90-day roadmap on how to make progress: · Week 1-2: Install a password manager; secure top five accounts with phishing?resistant MFA or passkeys · Week 3-6: Import other high?value accounts into the manager; update recovery options and remove old devices · Month 2: Roll out a policy requiring phishing?resistant MFA organisation-wide and begin RBA / behavioural biometric pilots · Month 3: Move service and admin credentials into centralised vaults and enforce rotation. Push vendors to accept 25+ character passkeys Special days like World Password Day also focus attention on future risks that are easy to postpone: AI?assisted guessing and the coming quantum threat. It is an opportunity to pressure vendors to accept longer passwords and modern authentication (passkeys, FIDO2), to roll out organisation?wide RBA and behavioural biometrics, and to shift culture from “memorise and reuse” to “protect and delegate” (use password managers, MFA, and vaults). Small, repeated improvements driven by these annual prompts compound over time, moving individuals and organisations from reactive cleanup after breaches toward proactive identity resilience. Common Identity Security Mistakes to Avoid · Reusing passwords across sites, where a breach at one service becomes a door for many · Relying on SMS?based MFA when phishing?resistant options exist · Ignoring account recovery paths - old phone numbers or emails often provide an easy takeover route · Leaving written passwords visible - physical security still matters In conclusion, World Password Day is more than a reminder: it's a call to reclaim control over your digital identity. Take decisive action now: install a password manager, enable phishing?resistant MFA or passkeys on your most important accounts, secure recovery routes, and start using 25+ character unique passwords (or let a password manager do it for you). Every small step you take reduces the chance that an attacker can simply "log in as you" and raises the cost for adversaries targeting everyone else. Make this World Password Day the turning point where you stop defending networks and start defending identities, because in today’s threat landscape, identity is the perimeter and your behaviour at login is one of your strongest lines of defence.
events 7 May 2026
Heading to the World Cup, Brahma shows the world the mystique of Brazilian football in a new film
Campaign recreates historic moments of the Brazilian National Team with appearances by Carlo Ancelotti and Ronaldo to reinforce the belief in the sixth title São Paulo, May 7, 2026 – On the eve of the 2026 World Cup, Brahma continues its “Tá Liberado Acreditar” (Let Yourself Believe) campaign, a movement inviting Brazilians to reclaim their confidence in the National Team and the mystique of national football. Developed by Africa Creative for the biggest AMBEV brand in Brazil, the new short film starts from a scenario of skepticism regarding the "hexa" to reinforce that, historically, it was precisely in the most improbable moments that Brazil defied the odds and won its five World Cup titles. A historic partner of the Brazilian National Team and a constant presence in the country's football culture for over a century, Brahma builds the campaign narrative from a current context surrounded by unfavorable statistics: 24 years without a title, a short coaching cycle, and probabilities that, for the first time, do not list Brazil among the primary contenders. A survey by Genial, facilitated by Quaest, indicates that only 28% of Brazilians claim to believe that Brazil will win the sixth title, reflecting a low-expectation scenario—and it is in this context that the "Tá Liberado Acreditar" concept gains strength. Filmed in Rio de Janeiro, the movie relies on a nostalgic atmosphere inspired by the 1990s and 2000s—the period when Brazil consolidated its image as one of the world's greatest football powers. The “Brazilcore” aesthetic, present throughout the visual narrative, mixes elements of street culture, the national passion for football, and the aura of the yellow jersey, recovering visual codes that remain globally trending. The content depicts a Brazilian skeptic who, upon witnessing an improvised match in the streets, is captivated by the mystique of national football and, along with everyone around him, begins to believe in the National Team again. Throughout the narrative, emblematic moments from past editions of the tournament are recalled—unlikely plays, historic dribbles, and moves that marked generations—recreated in a lighthearted way with an aesthetic inspired by street football. These scenes are blended with real footage of historic matches, reinforcing the idea that talent, unpredictability, and the joy of playing have always been part of the identity of Brazilian football. Watch here. More than revisiting the aesthetic of Brazilian football, the film aims to portray Brazil authentically with its energy, creativity, and irreverence in a narrative built by Brazilians for Brazilians, but one that echoes globally by presenting the essence of the country to the world both on and off the pitch. The recreations of iconic plays in urban settings with the language of street football reinforce this genuine and popular perspective on Brazilian culture. The soundtrack is set to the song “Tamanco no Samba” by Cauby Peixoto, a 60s hit that strengthens the production's nostalgic atmosphere. The production also features special appearances by Carlo Ancelotti, head coach of the Brazilian National Team, and Ronaldo Nazário, a symbol of Brazil's last world title and a long-time partner of the brand. At the end of the short film, Ancelotti appears making the “Tá Liberado Acreditar” gesture, a reinterpretation of the iconic “number one” gesture immortalized by Ronaldo in historic Brahma campaigns. “Brazilian football has always had something that numbers cannot explain. We grow in the improbable, transform pressure into creativity, and find unique ways to surprise. This film is born precisely from this provocation: to remember that the mystique of Brazilian football was built when nobody believed. The film is an invitation for the fan to dream together with the National Team again,” says Nicholas Bergantin, co-CCO of Africa Creative. ABOUT AFRICA CREATIVE:With over two decades of history, Africa Creative is one of the world's most creative and innovative agencies, managing communications for major national and global brands. Known for transforming ideas into cultural impact and business results, the agency is the only Latin American company in the 2026 Warc Creative 100 Top 10 and ranks among the most awarded agencies in Brazil and globally at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The agency also holds the top position in Cenp-Meios' national media buying ranking, reinforcing its stability as a business partner. With creativity at its core and a naturally disruptive profile, it maintains offices in São Paulo and New York, serving as a strategic bridge for Brazilian brands expanding their international presence. For 20 consecutive years, it has led every edition of Scopen's biennial Agency Scope ranking.
marketing 7 May 2026
AI Engines Just Ranked the Athlete Economy. Hamilton, Ronaldo, and Curry Lead the List.
Talent Resources and 5W release The Athletes 50 — the first independent index of which athletes ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity treat as primary sources on AI in sport. Talent Resources, the global talent marketing agency, and 5W, the AI Communications Firm, today released the third volume in a joint research series that began with The Celebrity-Brand Fit Index (Vol. I) and The 50 Celebrities Most In Tune With the AI Era (Vol. II). The full index is at https://www.talentresources.com/post/athletes-50-ai-engines-2026. TIER I — THE PIONEERS #1 Lewis Hamilton (96) — Perplexity AI ambassador; Mission 44 + IBM SkillsBuild #2 Cristiano Ronaldo (95) — Perplexity AI investor; Whoop investor at $10.1B #3 Stephen Curry (93) — Co-anchor, Penny Jar Capital #4 Kevin Durant (91) — 35V family office; ScorePlay AI Series A investor #5 Serena Williams (90) — Serena Ventures with documented AI portfolio Tier II adds LeBron James, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Naomi Osaka, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Travis Kelce, Andre Iguodala, Eli Manning, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Hawk, and Alex Morgan. Tier III rounds out the fifty across F1, the Premier League, La Liga, the IPL, the WNBA, and women's tennis. Twenty-three of the fifty compete outside the United States. "The athlete endorsement market is being repriced in real time, and most agencies do not yet realize what is repricing it," said Ronn Torossian, Founder of 5W. "The engines are now the gatekeeper between every athlete and every sponsor dollar moving in the next decade. The athletes on this list have built a relationship with that gatekeeper. The athletes outside it are paying a tax they cannot see." "Hamilton at Perplexity. Ronaldo at Whoop. Curry at Penny Jar. Durant at ScorePlay. Serena at her own firm. Five different sports, one shared instinct — the equity is the asset, not the endorsement," said Michael Heller, Founder of Talent Resources. "Brands evaluating athlete partnerships should treat this list as the starting point for any AI-relevant deal." FIVE FINDINGS 1. AI partnership is the new endorsement currency. Sponsor dollars will follow the index. 2. Operators outrank ambassadors. Investors outrank operators. Athletes with documented AI investments score 27 points higher than paid spokespeople without equity. A $25K SAFE the engines will cite outperforms a $250K ambassador deal they will not. 3. Ten platforms run the show. Whoop, Hyperice, ScorePlay, Catena Labs, Sorare, Perplexity, Autograph, Tonal, Alan, and Penny Jar Capital appear repeatedly across the Athletes 50 cap tables. 4. The story is global, not American. F1, the Premier League, La Liga, the Saudi Pro League, the IPL, and SailGP all produce engine-recognized AI figures. 5. The platform is the moat. Athletes who own their media outscore peers of equal fame by 14 points. METHODOLOGY A structured Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) audit conducted by 5W's research team and validated by Talent Resources' global talent intelligence. Athletes scored on AI Recognition (30%), Association Sentiment (25%), Engagement Depth (25%), and Cross-Engine Consistency (20%) across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. AVAILABILITY Free to read at https://www.talentresources.com/post/athletes-50-ai-engines-2026 and 5wpr.com/research. 5W's AI Visibility Audit — the same methodology applied to a single athlete, brand, agency, league, or federation — includes citation-source mapping, competitive benchmarking, and a 90-day remediation plan. Inquiries: research@5wpr.com. ABOUT 5W5W is the AI Communications Firm, building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research. Founded more than 20 years ago, 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O'Dwyer's, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, and honored as a Top Place to Work in Communications in 2026 by Ragan. 5W was also named to the Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year list. More at www.5wpr.com. ABOUT TALENT RESOURCESTalent Resources is a premier global marketing agency founded in 2007 by Michael Heller, creating fully integrated traditional and social campaigns powered by celebrity, athlete, and influencer relationships. More at talentresources.com.
artificial intelligence 7 May 2026
AB InBev wins Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year for an unprecedented third time
The world’s leading brewer’s approach to creativity as a competitive advantage results in strong performance and increased revenues 6 May 2026 - The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced AB InBev as the 2026 Creative Marketer of the Year. The honorary accolade is presented to a marketer that has amassed a body of iconic, Lion-winning work over a sustained period of time. AB InBev’s continued commitment to using creativity as a growth lever across its portfolio resulted in it winning an impressive 37 Lions at last year’s Festival.AB InBev is the first company in Cannes Lions’ history to be honoured with the award for a third time. Since 2021 the global brewer has embarked on a journey of inorganic to organic growth, betting on creativity as a key competitive advantage that has contributed to strong performance and increased revenues.About the honour, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “AB InBev has embedded creativity into how it operates, not just how it leverages marketing, and it is consistently outperforming as a result. By prioritising creativity at a C-suite level and implementing an internal creative effectiveness system, it continues to demonstrate the clear and compelling link between creative excellence and commercial performance. This is a historic win, recognising a company that has made creativity scalable, measurable and sustainable across hundreds of brands globally.” AB InBev’s published Q1 2026 business results demonstrate strong momentum across its global footprint, achieving all-time high revenues and increased beer volumes. Its focused and consistent consumer-centric strategy builds brands to drive sustainable long-term growth – with 20 “+1 billion-dollar” brands. About the award, Marcel Marcondes, Global Chief Marketing Officer, AB InBev, said: “Creativity is always in service to driving growth. To be named Creative Marketer of the Year for the third time in the last five years reflects our consistent and sustainable approach to building brands people love. It’s also a credit to the amazing teams and agency partners we have around the world that are delivering all-time high revenues. Cheers to everyone that helped make this history-making recognition possible.” At Cannes Lions the Juries have consistently recognised AB InBev and last year awarded work from 10 countries across a breadth of 15 different Lion Awards. Additionally, the Global Effie Index ranked AB InBev as the World’s Most Effective Marketer for the fourth year in a row, and in the Kantar BrandZ rankings, AB InBev brands lead the world’s most valuable beer brands, taking eight of the top 10 places, with Corona ranked number one for two years in a row.AB InBev will open the 2026 Cannes Lions programme, delivering a keynote on the Lumière Theatre stage at 10am, Monday 22 June. Following this, it will be honoured as Creative Marketer of the Year at the final Awards Show of the Festival on Friday 26 June.Cannes Lions will run from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. To view the full programme and see the range of Festival passes available, visit www.canneslions.com. ?
business 7 May 2026
Cannes Lions announces 2026 Shortlisting Jury line-up
Record number of independent agencies join the line-up, alongside talent from leading established creative agencies and brands 7 May 2026 - Cannes Lions has announced the Shortlisting Jury for this year’s Festival. The Jury will shortlist world-class creative work that will go on to be judged, awarded and celebrated during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place 22–26 June 2026.This year’s global line-up brings together a diverse collection of experts reflecting the full breadth of disciplines across the creative landscape. The line-up welcomes increased representation from across Pacific and Africa, including Jurors from Ethiopia, Namibia and Zimbabwe for the first time, alongside over 40 independent agencies making their Jury debut this year. Among the notable firsts is HumanSense, an independent agency that marks Sri Lanka’s first-ever Cannes Lions Juror.Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “The Shortlisting Jury play a crucial role in the Awards. Their work in recognising groundbreaking creativity establishes the standard of excellence celebrated at the Festival. This year’s line-up brings together an exceptional cohort of talent from across a breadth of specialisms and markets. Their unique expertise will ensure the shortlist champions the innovative work driving the industry forward. Thank you to our Jurors for dedicating their time to curating the body of work that will set the global creative benchmark for the year ahead.” The 2026 Shortlisting Jurors have been named as:Brand Experience & ActivationAlkisti Stolp | CEO, McCann, Germany Anton Kim | Chief Marketing Officer, Forte, Kazakhstan Cristina Re Calegari | Head of Marketing and Communication, Synlab Italia, Italy Deh Bastos | Creative and Content Director, Paim, Brazil Delali Dzidzienyo | Head, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, First National Bank Ghana, Africa Eka Kipiani | Creative Director and Founder, Supermarket, Georgia Florencia Loda | Chief Creative Officer, draftLine, AB InBev, Argentina Heinrich Vejlgaard | Executive Creative Director, Robert/Boisen & Like-Minded, Denmark Humza Ijaz | Managing Director, Head of Design and Digital Products, Accenture Song, Middle East Ivan Landzhev | Chief Creative Officer, gutsandbrainsDDB[LR1] , Bulgaria Jan Ott Hendrik | Executive Creative Director, BBDO Beijing, Mainland China Jon Biggs | EMEA Executive Creative Director, Monks, EMEA Jonelle Ricketts | Head of Marketing, IKEA, Canada Josephine Muvumba | Managing Director, MetropolitanRepublic, Uganda Karla Bonilla | President and Chief Creative Officer, Fire Creative, Puerto Rico Kit Koh | Group Executive Creative Director, Leo Shanghai, Mainland China Laurent Marcus | Innovation and Technology Director, Special Group, Australia Mabel Adeteye | Head of Brands and Marketing Communications, Wema Bank, Nigeria Márton Jedlicska | Executive Creative Director, Publicis Groupe, Hungary Moumita Pal | National Creative Director, Dentsu Creative, India Nina East | Group Creative Director, Ogilvy, Australia Penny Sadlier | Managing Director, LePub Singapore and PG One APAC, Singapore and APAC Ricardo Aspiazu | SVP - Creative and Brand Design, Verizon, USA Ricardo Mendoza | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, Guatemala Rizek Jildeh | Head of Strategy, Adpro&, Jordan Rob Longuet | Creative Director, Dentsu Creative, Aotearoa New Zealand Saakshi Verma Menon | Chief Marketing Officer, Foods, PepsiCo, India Sebastien Zanini | Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative Paris, France Shu Hung | Global Chief Creative Officer, AKQA, Global Veronica Ruiz del Vizo | CEO, Amarillo Creative Lab, Venezuela Warunyoo Sorasetsakoon | Executive Creative Director, BBDO Bangkok, Thailand Winston Binch | Chief Brand and Experience Officer, GALE, USA Creative StrategyAki Spicer | Chief Strategy Officer and Consultant, formerly Cashmere and Monks, USA Amine Bennis | CEO, Tribal Casablanca, Morocco Carmen Rodriguez | Global Chief Growth Officer, GUT, Global David Halter | Chief Practice Officer, Dentsu Creative, Australia Emeka Obia | Regional Head of Strategy, Publicis West Africa, West and Central Africa Gil Kemami | CEO Pan-Africa, Twotone Global, Kenya Lulu Cuevas | Strategy Director, Cultura de Marcas, LATAM Maria Galleriu | Chief Strategy Officer, International, 72andSunny, Global Nilakshi Medhi | Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe, Indonesia Rowena Bhagchandani | CEO and Co-Founder, BLKJ Havas, Singapore Shawna Ross | Chief Strategy Officer, Dentsu Creative, USA Taciana Lopes | SVP of Marketing and Communications, Mastercard, Brazil Tarek Sioufi | Chief Strategy Officer, Grey London, UKDesign Akinpelumi Okelola | Senior Design Specialist, NBCUniversal, Global Andrea Castro | Art Director, Joystick, Costa Rica Anna Yates | Executive Creative Director, Host Havas, Australia Anselmo Tumpi? | Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director, Studio Tumpi?/Prenc, Croatia Anthony Shea | VP, Design Director, Arnold, USA Bastien Baumann | Chief Design Officer, Publicis Groupe, USA Bronwen Rautenbach | Co-Founder and Creative Partner, Sunshinegun, Africa Camila Moleta | Founder, MORE GRLS, Brazil Colin Yesutor | Creative Director, Havas Africa, Ghana and Nigeria David Allard | Executive Creative Director, Sid Lee, Canada David Fischer | Creative Director and Executive Board Member, Scholz & Friends, Switzerland Elin Eskilsson | Creative Director and Brand Designer, Kid Collective AB, Sweden Emma Barratt | Global Executive Creative Director, Wolff Olins, Global Eva Stetefeld | Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director, DDB, GermanyJoachim Roncin | Head of Design, Maison Fantôme, France Jyrki Poutanen | Chief Creative Officer, United Imaginations, Finland Nina Granath | Creative Director, Stockholm Design Lab, Sweden Raya AbuJaber | Creative Director, Jordan Direct Alex Pineda | Chief Creative Officer, Horizon FCB , MENA Arthur Tsang | Chief Creative Officer, McCann China, Greater China Ashish Khazanchi | Managing Partner, Enormous, India Awing Chen | Founder and Creative Partner, Good Percent, Asia David Fraser | Executive Creative Director, BMF, Australia Dudu Mokholo | Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard, Africa Middle East Emmanuel Amankwah | Executive Creative Director, ReZultz Advertising M&C Saatchi, Ghana Felipe Paniago | Chief Marketing Officer, Reclame AQUI, Brazil Gabriela Ortiz Chacón | Creative Director, PARADAIS TBWA, Ecuador Jenny Mak | Executive Creative Director and Partner, jnr., Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Jesús Rasines | Chief Creative Officer, Havas Creative, Spain Johan Køhler | Creative Director, NoA | &Co., Denmark Kelsey Hodgkin | CEO and Partner, Special US, USA Mateusz Mroszczak | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Singapore Nobuhiro Arai | Executive Creative Director, AKQA Tokyo, Japan Odile Breffa | Strategy Director, Innocean Berlin, Germany Pannarai Juanroong | Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Thailand Sally Alzaza | Regional Creative Director, Interesting Times, MENA Sehee Kim | Creative Director, Innocean, South Korea Shani Gershi | VP Creative and Strategy, Kendago, Global Steph Mackie | Co-Founder and Co-Chief Creative Officer, Mackie Biernacki Inc., Global Tawanda Mahobele | Creative Lead, TBWA, Zimbabwe Third Domingo | Founder and Chairman, IdeasXMachina Hakuhodo, the Philippines and APAC Volkan Dalk?l?ç | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, Türkiye Zeynep Orbay | Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, the Netherlands Entertainment Amy Mowafi | Co-Founder and CEO, MO4 Network, Egypt Andrea Corvetto | Managing Director, Circus Grey, Peru Brian Carley | Chief Creative Officer, Razorfish, USA Georgina McKinnon | CEO of Content, Omnicom Media Group, APAC Jason Harvey | Executive VP and General Manager, BET+, USA Justin Gomes | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Bananas, South Africa Mauro Ramalho | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Brasil, Brazil Michael Nagy | Executive Creative Director and Partner, Jung von Matt DONAU, Austria Olena Martynova | Chief Marketing Officer, Starlight Media and CEO, Starlight Creative, Ukraine Yune Aranguren | Core Brands Director, AB InBev, MexicoFilm Alvaro Rodrigues | CEO, Chief Creative Officer and Founding Partner, Made, Brazil Ángela Pacheco | Executive Creative Director, El Ruso de Rocky, Spain Asli Sahin | Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, Germany Dimitri Guerassimov | Chief Creative Officer, VML France and Chief Creative Officer, Colgate-Palmolive, WPP, EMEA Graeme Jenner | Executive Creative Director, LePub Johannesburg, South Africa Ie Tjer Wang | Executive Creative Director, The Shout Group, Malaysia Imani Ellis | CEO and Founder, CultureCon, USA Ion Cojocaru “Lutzu” | Content Director, McCann, Romani Jenny Glover | Chief Creative Officer, Zulu Alpha Kilo, Canada Kanit Mingmuang | Executive Creative Director, Wolf BKK, Thailand Nonthaporn Ketmanee | Senior Creative Director, Leo, Hong Kong SAR Otavio Schiavon | VP, Creative Director, BETC HAVAS, Brazil Penny Brown | Head of Production, Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, Australia Quods Ouaissi | Chief Creative Officer, TNC - thenext.click, Morocco Richard Williams | Group Executive Creative Director, VML, Australia Ruchi Sharma | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, HumanSense, Sri Lanka Sean Vij | Creative Director and Writer, USA Steve Cochran | Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, Aotearoa New Zealand Thabang Manyelo | Executive Creative Director, The Odd Number, South Africa Theodore Perdikakis | Vice Chairman and Head of Creative, attp, Greece Toby Allen | Chief Creative Officer, Anomaly, London, UKFilm Craft Akanksha Seda | Director, Good Morning Films, India Ale Houston | CEO and Founder, The Lab, Paraguay Ali Rguigue | CEO, Artcoustic, Morocco Amy Coomber | Chief Production Officer, Neverland, UK Amy Gozalka | Group Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day Chicago, USA Archie López | CEO, Panamericana Films, Dominican Republic August Jorfald | Director and Scriptwriter, NewsLab, Norway Colin Foo | Senior Creative Director and VFX Supervisor, thequietlab, Singapore Diana Revelo | Founder and Executive Producer, Akira Cine, Colombia and LATAM Hélène Daubert | VP Create, BETC POP, France Iwona Mnich | Executive Producer, Papaya Films, Global Izzy Ehrlich | Senior Editor and Partner, School Editing, Canada Jet Omoshebi | Senior Colourist, Goldcrest Post Production, UK Katlego Baaitse | Film Director, Spitfire Films, South Africa Luciana Pessoa | Executive Director and Partner, Lado Animation, Brazil Mohamed El Zayat | Film Director, Independent, Egypt Nadine Kriegelstein | Head of R&Studios, Das Rund GmbH, Austria Nathalie Le Caer | Executive Producer, Iconoclast, France Oshoveli Shipoh | Executive Creative Director, StreetLeader Creative, Namibia Phuong Vu | Creative Director, Antiantiart, Vietnam Rebekah Kelly | Executive Producer, FINCH, AUNZ Rodrigo Butori | Group Creative Director, McCann New York, USA Rodrigo "Coco" Casas | Group Creative Director, VML México, Mexico Thom Glover | Chief Creative Officer, American Haiku, USA Tim LeGallo | Chief Production Officer, Ogilvy, North America Wendi Chong | Head of Production and Executive Producer, BBH, Singapore Yoshiki Ishii | CEO and Executive Producer, kirameki inc. and TAKAKKEI Inc., Japan Zelalem Woldemariam | CEO and Chief Creative Director, Zeleman Communications, EthiopiaHealth & Wellness Dr. Adjoa B. Asamoah | THE CROWN Act Champion and CEO, ABA Consulting, USA Arjen Tarras | Executive Creative Director, VML, Belgium Catherine Huang | Director, Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences, Taiwan Charlie Godinet | Executive Creative Director, Daylight, Aotearoa New Zealand Karl Johnson | VP, Group Creative Director, Klick Health, USA Kate Torrance | VP, Head of Brand, SickKids Foundation, Canada Katie McMorran | Group Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Health, Global Lina Polimeni | SVP and Chief Marketing Officer - Consumer, Eli Lilly and Company, USA Mohamed El Nagdy | Creative Director, ? and us, UAE Patty Huang | Executive VP, Group Creative Director, 21GRAMS, a Part of Real Chemistry, USA Sadie Mayes | Associate Creative Director, VCCP Health, UK Sarah Amatori | Creative Director, McCann Health Boot, ItalyMedia Ahmed Kapadia | Chairman and CEO, Synergy Group, Pakistan Aurelia Noel | Head of Innovation and Transformation, dentsu X, Global Binh Le Ba An | Chief Commercial Officer, Zalo Business, Vietnam Chris Colter | Managing Director, Media Strategy A/NZ, Accenture Song, AUNZ Christina Lu | CEO, Zenith China, Mainland China Duncan Southgate | Global Creative and Media Specialist, Kantar, Global Eileen Ooi | APAC President, PHD Asia Pacific, Malaysia Hemalatha Subramanian | Omnichannel Marketing Lead, M.H.Alshaya, UAE Jackie Lyons | Chief Planning Officer, Havas Media Network, North America John Halpin | CEO, WPP Media, Aotearoa New Zealand LaToya Christian | Founder and Strategic Advisor, Brazen, USA María José Ezquerra | CEO, Havas, Argentina and Uruguay Martin Woska | Chief Creative and Strategy Officer, TRIAD, Slovakia Maya Kusybi | Business Director - Strategy, Zenith Media, MENA Michelle Sarpong | Head of Activation, the7stars, UK Monica Blanco | Strategy Director, PHD, Costa Rica Preeti Nadgar | Chief Strategy Officer, Starcom, USA Promise Oduh | Associate Director, mediaReachOMD, Nigeria Rafael Urbano | CEO, Carat, Spain Rafet Fatih Özgür | SVP Brand and Promotion, Turkish Airlines, Turkey Rajna Cuculi? | Managing Director, WPP Media, Croatia Swapnil Patel | Co-President, Attention Arc, USA Urania Agas | Chief Operating Officer, WPP Media, Canada Valeria Brasil | Comms and Media Director, Wieden+Kennedy, BrazilOutdoor Andi Olbés | Group Creative Director, BBDO Guerrero, the Philippines Anthony Eigbe | Chief Creative Officer, West Africa, TECNO Mobile Global, Nigeria Biboy Royong | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Creative Philippines, the Philippines Camilo Carvajal | Chief Creative Officer, LePub Bogotá, Colombia Danger Bea | Executive VP, Executive Creative Director, West BBDO, USA Erika Kohnen | Group Creative Director, Droga5 New York, part of Accenture Song, USA Galaletsang Kgoathe | Creative Partner, Ogilvy, South Africa Jose Ignacio Solari | Chief Creative Officer, Puerto Chile, Chile Kayoung Seo | Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide, South Korea Leopold Kreczy | Head of Creative Performance and Creative Director, Wien Nord Serviceplan, Austria Lisa Carrana | Executive Head of Art, M+C Saatchi, UK Madis Ots | Creative Director, Salama, Estonia Magda Szmilewska | Media Director, Oatly, Global Malek Ghorayeb | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Communications Levant, Lebanon Mandy Wong | CEO, TBWA\Singapore, Singapore Miguel Durão | Creative Partner, Stream and Tough Guy, Portugal Mohamed Bareche | Executive Creative Director, Havas, Paris and Middle East Rafael Barthaburu | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Uruguay Ramy El Sakka | Chief Creative Officer, BPG, UAE Sarah Dornieden | Creative Director, Jung von Matt SPREE, Germany Suchitra Gahlot | National Creative Director, McCann India, India Tamara Cross | Chief Creative Officer, MG OMD, UK Tejali Shete | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Roll Dot Agency, Global Thea Heber B Iversen | Creative Copywriter, Monologtheateret, Norway Thembalethu Msibi | Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, BlackSwan, South Africa Tommy Cehak | Executive Creative Director, Leo, Australia Wei Wen Kong | Creative Director, Muma, MalaysiaPR Andres Ortiz | Partner and General Director, LLYC, Colombia Björn Mellstrand | Head of Strategy and Advisor, JMW Kommunikation / JMWGolin, Sweden Chad Song | Chief Vision Officer, CRACK THE NUTS Inc., Global Deirdre Murphy | Global Client Partner, Ketchum, Global Eleanor Sullivan | Chief Strategy Officer, Burson, UK Felipe Braz Costa | Executive Creative Director, Edelman, EMEA Keri-Ann Stanton | Chief Strategist and Founder, K.A.Muses Group (Pty) Ltd, South Africa Khaled Elseginy | Head of Brand Communications, Feminine Care and Levant E2E Commercial Lead, P&G, Asia, Middle East and Africa Louisa Hager | Group Creative Director, Weber Shandwick, USA Marc Antoine Koreki | Managing Director, Havas Africa Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast Max Burt | General Manager, One Plus One Communications, Aotearoa New Zealand Nozipho Tshabalala | CEO, The Conversation Strategists, Global Omawumi Ogbe | Founder and Managing Partner, GLG Communications, Nigeria Peter de Albuquerque | Executive Strategist and Founder, PEDAL, Global Shelley Sorensen | Executive VP, Dentsu Creative, USA Silvia Lenberger | Head of Global Brand Experience, Nestlé, Global Sonia Huria | Head - Brand, Social and Corporate Comms, Maddock Films, India Vladimír Bystrov | Managing Partner, Bison & Rose, Czech RepublicSocial & Creator Aditya Sunilkumar | Executive Creative Director and Head of Digital, Havas Creative Worldwide, India Adriano Abdalla | Chief Creative Officer, PROS, Brazil Ben Lilley | Creative Chairman, HERO/McCann Australia, Australia Bridget Harpur | Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Group Africa, South Africa Carla Leveratto | Head of Creative Works, Google, Italy Carlos Rodriguez | Global Creative Director, Frank at Omnicom, Global Corianda Dimes | Senior Manager, Ads Marketing Strategy, Netflix, USA Dawid Szczepaniak | Creative Chairman, VML, Poland Francesco Grandi | Chief Creative Officer, LePub London, UK Genevieve Gransden | Executive Creative Director, DAVID London, UK Jan Propach | Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Global and Europe Joel Rodriguez | Head of Context Planning, Translation / UnitedMasters, USA Monica Tailor | Chief Social Marketing Officer, McCann Content Studios, Global Patt Nitikarn | Managing Director, We Are Social, Thailand Sanya Grujicic | Executive Creative Director, Monks, Canada Sarah-Jane Lowes | Head of Social and Digital, Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, UK and Ireland Sharon Mills | Lead Creative Consultant, SMC Consulting, Ghana Shinsuke (Sawa) Sawasaki | Group Executive Creative Director, Havas, Japan Sibu Mabena | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Duma Collective, South AfricaThe 73rd edition of the Festival takes place from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. Pass options can be found at www.canneslions.com.
business 7 May 2026
SurveyMonkey integrates with Anthropic to help customers collect, analyze, and act on feedback from real people using Claude
SAN MATEO, Calif., May 5, 2026 – SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, today announced the launch of its connector for Claude, powered by Anthropic. The MCP connector enables users to collect, analyze, and act on SurveyMonkey feedback directly within Claude, turning a single conversation into a complete feedback workflow. As AI tools accelerate work for many teams, SurveyMonkey remains committed to surfacing real feedback from real humans who matter most to businesses—their customers, future customers, and employees. The SurveyMonkey connector for Claude puts that feedback front and center within Claude’s AI-powered problem solving solution. With the connector, customers can create and send surveys, analyze responses, and surface patterns right in the flow of work. By combining AI with real feedback data, the connector helps teams move faster and make more informed decisions, without breaking momentum. “This launch reflects how people are starting to work now,” said Eric Johnson, CEO at SurveyMonkey. “Instead of jumping between tools, people expect workflows to happen where they are. With our Claude connector, we’re bringing real survey feedback into the tools where people already work.” With the SurveyMonkey connector for Claude, users can: Create, edit, and send surveys directly within Claude using natural language, turning questions into insights in seconds. Access and analyze survey data in real time, including identifying trends and patterns, without needing to export data. Combine SurveyMonkey feedback with other data sources for richer insights. Manage the entire survey process in one place, from creation to analysis, without leaving the chat interface. The connector is powered by Model Context Protocol (MCP), a secure standard that allows Claude to access and interact with SurveyMonkey data. It is available starting today via the Claude connector directory. For more information, please visit /curiosity/surveymonkey-claude-ai-integration. 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.
artificial intelligence 7 May 2026
Operative Appoints Dang Ly as Chief Product Officer to Accelerate Data-Driven Innovation and Growth
NEW YORK, May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Operative today announced the appointment of Dang Ly as Chief Product Officer, signaling the company's accelerating commitment to delivering the next generation of audience intelligence and data-powered solutions for the world's leading media brands. Ly joins Operative to accelerate product innovation and help customers turn audience data into growth.In this role, Ly will lead Operative's product strategy and roadmap across the full portfolio that includes AOS, Operative.One, Adeline AI, and STAQ, deepening the company's data unification capabilities, expanding its omnichannel intelligence layer, and accelerating AI integration across the product suite. The work advances Operative's strategy to help customers move from fragmented insights to fully connected data ecosystems that drive monetization across every platform.Ly has spent more than two decades scaling customer-facing products and building the data platforms beneath them across media, entertainment, hospitality, and retail. Most recently, as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Universal Destinations & Experiences, leading global enterprise technology transformation behind some of the most ambitious guest experiences in the industry. He oversaw the technology strategy that leveraged data and AI to unify customer, operational, and transactional data into the workflows, automation, and personalized experiences that define how millions of guests interact across every touch point.Previously, Ly spent nearly a decade at NBCUniversal, where he led technology and engineering teams supporting ad sales. This included responsibility for core ad sales systems and data platforms, like solutions Operative customers navigate every day."Media and advertising is evolving rapidly, and the companies that can unify trusted data and turn it into personalized audience experiences will define the next era," said Ly. "Omnichannel engagement and AI only deliver value when the data underneath is connected, reliable, and activated intelligently. Operative sits at exactly that intersection, and I'm energized to help our customers turn connected data into measurable, outcome-based growth."Ly's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. As consumer behavior fragments across channels and traditional models give way to data-driven decisioning, the ability to normalize signals across disparate systems and activate them inside buying workflows has become the central competitive advantage. Operative sits as the connective tissue between media operations and audience intelligence, and Ly's appointment reflects the company's intent to lead that transformation."Dang brings something rare," said Mike Napodano, CEO of Operative. "He has built audience data platforms at scale, and he has used them to deliver products that transform the way customers manage their business. He understands that 360-degree audience understanding isn't a dashboard or a report, it's an end-to-end discipline that starts with how you capture data and ends with how you act on it. That perspective is exactly what will shape Operative's product roadmap as we help our customers grow in an AI-driven world."This new appointment sets up the company’s strategic focus on omnichannel data strategies and advanced analytics. With Ly's leadership, Operative will continue to evolve its product portfolio to meet the needs of modern media organizations, grounding innovation in data, scaling across platforms, and enabling customers to turn insight into action.About OperativeOperative is the preferred advertising management solution provider for over 300 of the world's top media brands across 18 countries, including Fox, NBCU, Paramount, Disney/ABC, Seven Australia, and Sky. Operative brings unmatched solutions to manage digital, linear, and converged advertising workflows while connecting, unifying, and activating data across platforms. Since 2000, Operative has grown to process more than $60 billion in advertising revenue. https://www.operative.com/
business 4 May 2026
The End of the Marketing Blast: Retail Enters the Conversation Era
NEW YORK, NY – May 4, 2026 — Retail brands are no longer relying on one-off mass marketing to reach customers. Instead, they are increasingly engaging shoppers through continuous, personalized conversations across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, according to new data from Endear, the retail CRM for modern brands. After analyzing more than 22,000 personalized campaigns and billions of customer messages, Endear, the retail CRM for modern brands, has found that the era of the one-off marketing blast is ending. Personalized messaging to existing customers is up more than 50% year-over-year, and the highest email open rates of the year aren't happening in November — they're happening in February. The data points to a structural shift: retail messaging is becoming an always-on layer of operations rather than a periodic marketing tactic, with brands treating it as a continuous, relationship-driven function across email, SMS, and WhatsApp. Messaging is growing fastest among existing customers, signaling a deeper focus on building long-term relationships and encouraging repeat buyers. Overall, messaging to repeat and one-time buyers is up more than 50% year-over-year, while outreach to non-purchasers is growing at a slower pace. Together, the trend reflects a broader move away from acquisition-only messaging toward sustained customer relationships across the full lifecycle. “Retailers are focused on ongoing conversations with customers, where every message is part of building lasting relationships and brand loyalists,” said Leigh Sevin, co-founder and CEO of Endear. “Retailers that treat messaging as a relationship channel, not a broadcast tool are seeing the strongest results.” While messaging is becoming more of a focus all year long, seasonal patterns still play a role. November saw the highest-volume month, and Q4 accounts for just over a quarter of annual messaging volume. That said, peak volume is outside of peak shopping season - February shows the highest email open rates at 56.1%, suggesting strong opportunities for post-holiday re-engagement. Channel usage is also evolving. Email remains the primary channel for structured communication, SMS is increasingly used for real-time, high-intent outreach, and WhatsApp adoption began accelerating in late 2025 as retailers expanded into more conversational customer engagement. Endear supports more than 2,000 stores across 19 countries, powering clienteling and relationship-driven selling for brands including Reformation, AG Jeans, and Boll & Branch. For more information about Endear, visit https://endearhq.com.About EndearEndear is the retail CRM for modern brands that want to build more meaningful customer relationships that drive real results. Designed for growing mid-sized brands, Endear empowers store teams with unified customer profiles backed by real-time data, seamless integrations, and AI-powered tools that make clienteling scalable and effective. By streamlining outreach across channels like text, email, and WhatsApp, Endear helps deliver personalized, high-impact customer experiences that increase foot traffic and boost sales. By making every engagement trackable and actionable, Endear is redefining retail ROI so every store becomes a performance channel and every interaction becomes an opportunity for growth.
business 4 May 2026
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