Press Release
Cannes Lions announces 2026 Awarding Jury line-up
The line-up sees participation from established creative agencies, independents, brands and geographies The Dominican Republic and Venezuela join the line-up for the first time The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place 22–26 June 2026, has announced its Awarding Jury line-up for this year’s Festival. This exceptional group of global experts will convene in Cannes this June to set the global benchmark for creative excellence. This year’s Juries reflect the growing diversity of the voices shaping the global creative industry, with fresh perspectives from independent agencies and brands across an array of sectors. Amongst those making their Jury debut is French brand, AXA, following its success in 2025, winning 13 Lions. The line-up also welcomes increased representation from across Africa, Pacific, MENA and LATAM, including first-time Jurors from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Commenting on this year’s line-up, Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “The impact of the Cannes Lions Jury can’t be underestimated. Their time and expertise in recognising groundbreaking work sets the global creative benchmark for the year ahead and provides a view of the future shape of creativity. Each year, our Juries are carefully selected to uphold this standard, and this year is no exception. Welcoming new expert voices across a breadth of markets and disciplines, we are delighted to bring together some of the industry’s most well-respected leaders to define the creative standards driving our industry forward and celebrate the transformative power of creativity to create change, shape society, and build business.” Marian Brannelly, Global Director of Awards, LIONS, added: “The composition of this year’s Juries speaks to how creativity is evolving – it’s becoming more interconnected, more diverse, and more influential across every part of business. With more markets than ever represented and a growing number of leaders from independent agencies and brands, this year’s line-up will ensure that the work is judged through a truly global and contemporary lens. This is critical to setting the benchmark for creative excellence today. We thank all our experts for the care and dedication they will bring to the judging process.” The 2026 Awarding Jurors have been named as: Audio & Radio Oriel Davis-Lyons | Chief Creative Officer, Mother New York, USA Beto Nahmad | Executive Creative Director, VCCP, Spain Claudia Hesse | CEO, Hesse Voices GmbH, Global Chesley Maddox | CEO, American Urban Radio Network, USA Edu Luke | Sound Creative, HEFTY Music & Sound, Brazil Fran Palines | Creative Director, VML Manila, the Philippines Gautam Wadher | Chief Creative Officer, Memac Ogilvy, UAE Jabulani Sigege | Group Executive Creative Director, Machine_, South Africa Simon Langley | Chief Creative Officer, Bastion, Australia Zuza Duchniewska Sobczak | Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Warsaw, Poland Brand Experience & Activation Rafael Pitanguy | Deputy Global Chief Creative Officer, VML, Global Amy Weston | Executive Creative Director, Clemenger BBDO, Australia Brisa Vicente | Co-CEO, Droga5 São Paulo, a part of Accenture Song, Brazil Britt Nolan | Chief Creative Officer, North America, McCann, North America Defri Dwipaputra | Chief Creative Experience Officer, Dentsu Creative, Indonesia Helen Rhodes | Chief Creative Officer, Grey London, UK Julie Hogan | VP of Global Brand Experiences, Meta, Global Ricardo Avilés | Chief Creative Officer, LePub, Mexico Satoshi Chikayama | Executive Creative Director, Hakuhodo, Japan Zizwe Vundla | Chief Marketing Officer, Safaricom | MPESA, Kenya Creative B2B Ty Heath | Global Director, Thought Leadership, GTM Strategy, LinkedIn, Global Adelise Ashdown | Global Head of Brand and Client Experience and Regional Marketing Lead, APAC, JLL, Global and APAC Andre Athayde | Agency Partner, Meta, Brazil Benedict Buckland | Managing Director, alan. agency, UK Jim Curtis | Chief Creative Officer, LePub NY, USA Kelly McConville | VP of Marketing, Fourthline, the Netherlands Megha Dutta | Executive Creative Director, The Partnership Africa | Publicis, Africa Park Wannasiri | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Thailand Sam Stuchbury | Executive Creative Director and Founder, Motion Sickness, Aotearoa New Zealand Simon Higby | Nordic Creative Director, NORD, The Nordics Creative Business Transformation Gugu Mthembu | Chief Marketing Officer, Telkom, South Africa Andres Arlia | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Creative, USA Clare Pickens | CEO, Leo, Australia Diego Guerhardt | Executive Creative Director, Fbiz , Brazil Ikuko Ohta | Chief Strategy Officer, Droga5 Tokyo, part of Accenture Song, Japan Nadja Bellan-White | Group CEO, M+C Saatchi, North America Rakesh Menon | Chief Creative Experience Officer, Ulka, India Tarek Miknas | CEO, FP7McCann, MENAT Virginie Berçot | Global Brand Director, AXA, Global Virginie Briand | Partner, Deloitte, Germany Creative Commerce Phil Camarota | Chief Creative Officer, Flywheel, Global Giant Kung | Chief Creative Officer and Writer, Ogilvy, Taiwan Ian Loon | CEO, Media and Digital, Singapore and Chief Transformation Officer, Southeast Asia, Publicis Groupe, Singapore and Southeast Asia Kim Pick | Group Executive Creative Director, VML, Aotearoa New Zealand Mario Lagos | Chief Creative Officer, Name, Colombia Matt Gay | Executive Creative Director, adam&eve\TBWA, UK Oriane Canfrin | Head of Marketing and Communication, Ecobank, Ivory Coast Ruxandra Papuc | Global Executive Creative Director and Partner, AIN'T, Global Thanh Anh Nguyen | Head of Marketing and Commercial, Grab, Vietnam Creative Data Anupriya Acharya | CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia Félix del Valle | Chief Creative Officer, MRM, Spain Koert Bakker | Head of Insights & Innovation, PwC Netherlands, Global Mary Anne He | Head of Data & Insights, Havas Media, Middle East Pipo Morano | National Executive Creative Director, MARURI, Ecuador Susana Albuquerque | Executive Creative Director and Partner, Uzina, Portugal Tracey Cooke | Chief Marketing Officer, SVP, Nestlé, Canada Veli Ngubane | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Avatar, AMEA Xavier Serrano | CEO, TBWA\Colombia, Colombia Yuliya Tushina | CEO, Creative Division, DASM, Kazakhstan Creative Effectiveness Bertille Toledano | CEO, BETC and Havas Creative Middle East; President, Havas Creative Network, Global Aakriti Goel | Head of Strategy, Leo, UAE Adam Gerhart | Global Chief Client Officer, WPP Media, Global Ayu Sasaki | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan Brent Smart | Chief Marketing Officer, Telstra, Australia Danielle Jin | Chief Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific, Visa, APAC Glen Lomas | CEO Europe, Omnicom Advertising, Europe Jane Wakely | Executive VP, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer - International Foods, PepsiCo, Global Mpume Ngobese | Managing Director, Joe Public, South Africa Vinicius B. Reis | Partner and CEO, Crispin, Brazil and President, Stagwell, Brazil and Latin America Creative Strategy Sarah Lemarié | Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis, France Alejandro Fischer | Chief Strategy Officer, Havas, Middle East Bethany Omeri | Head of Strategy, SPECIAL New Zealand, Aotearoa New Zealand Boris Nihom | CEO, Dentsu, Benelux Dan Hill | Global Chief Strategy Officer, Wieden+Kennedy, Global Dheeraj Sinha | CEO, McCann, India Ellie Bamford | Chief Strategy Officer, VML, North America Jen Costello | Global Chief Strategy Officer, TBWA\Worldwide, Global Neo Makhele | Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy, South Africa Renan Damascena | Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, MUVUKA and AUÊ, LATAM Design Greg Quinton | Chief Creative Officer, Design Bridge and Partners, Global Ben Miles | Chief Design Officer, R/GA, APAC Kyungsin Kim | CEO and Executive Creative Director, Paulus, South Korea Lulu Raghavan | President, Landor, APAC Özge Güven | Visual Communication Designer, Studio Özge Güven, Turkey Patrick Bennett | Chief Creative Officer, Global Simone Rossum | Executive Creative Director, SHIFT, South Africa Vitor Hugo Favero | Global Design Lead, McCann, Global Yasmin Sindi | Senior Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Saudi Arabia Yoshihiro Kono | Senior Art Director, TBWA\HAKUHODO, Japan Digital Craft Andrés Ordóñez | Global Chief Creative Officer, McCann, Global Gurbaksh Singh | Chief Creative Officer and Chief Innovation Officer, Dentsu Creative, India Hannah Johnson | Head of Creative Strategy DACH, Snap Inc., DACH KK Walker | Executive Creative Director, Google, Global Martin Rabaglia | CEO, Genosha, Global Stephanie Mazingi | Creative Managing Director, Havas, South Africa Tiago Abreu | Chief Creative Officer, GUT São Paulo, Brazil Tim Devine | Global Chief Invention Officer, AKQA, Global Vicky Lee | Executive Creative Director, Medialand Digital Strategy, Taiwan Youssef Gadallah | Head of Creative Studio, TikTok - Bytedance, METAP Direct Joaquín Cubría | Chief Creative Officer, GUT, Argentina Hadi Alaeddin | Senior Creative Director, EMEA, .Pomelo, EMEA Juan Manuel Gaitán | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, Dominican Republic Khethiwe Makhubo | Creative Group Head, McCann Joburg, South Africa Lili Jiang | Executive Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong SAR Lorena Berges | Creative Director, DDB Latina Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Mark Elwood | Chief Creative Officer, Leo, UK Sophie Kelly | SVP, Global Tequila and Mezcal Categories, Diageo, Global Tanja Grubner | Global Marketing Director, Essity, Global Entertainment Chris Beresford-Hill | Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide, Global Damisa Ongsiriwattana | Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, SOUR Bangkok, Thailand Farah El Feghali | Executive Creative Director, McCann Paris, France Firas Ghannam | Executive Creative Director, VML Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Jason Williams | Head of Creative Excellence, APAC, Publicis Groupe, APAC Jung A Kim | CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Innocean, South Korea Ned McNeilage | Head of Creative, Sphere, USA Prachi Narayan | Managing Partner, Havas Play, India Rafael Donato | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, Brazil Sophia Lindholm | Head of Creative, Forsman & Bodenfors, Sweden Entertainment Lions for Gaming Lolly Thomson | Joint Global Chief Creative Officer, M+C Saatchi Group, Global Amitesh Rao | CEO, Leo, South Asia Asako Okuno | Global Creative Director, Hakuhodo, Global Danni Pinch | Executive Creative Director, Accenture Song, South Africa Gabriel Caramelo Eccher | Marketing VP, Clash Royale, Supercell, Finland Josh Gross | Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Chicago, USA Rogério Chaves | Co-Chief Creative Officer, Africa Creative, Brazil Teddy Kossoko | Founder, GARA and Masseka Game Studio, France Entertainment Lions for Music Matt Murphy | Global Chief Creative Officer, 72andSunny, Global Corinna Martínez | Partner and Head of Production, Mastodonte Films, Mexico Fizo Younis | Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe, Middle East Phiona Okumu | Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, Spotify, Sub-Saharan Africa Prerna Suri | VP, Communications, Sony Music Entertainment, Asia and Middle East Rick Sakurai | Creative Director and Managing Director, MassiveMusic Tokyo, APAC Ryan McManus | Chief Creative Officer, VML, UK Sergio Franco Tosso | Chief Creative Officer, Fahrenheit DDB, Peru Subhajit Mukherjee | Music Composer, India Toni Wallace | Partner and Head of Global Music Brand Strategy and Partnerships, United Talent Agency, Global Entertainment Lions for Sport Shannon Washington | Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner, 11 Ounces, Global A.P. Chaney | Senior Director - Creative, Sparkling Flavors (NAOU), The Coca-Cola Company, North America Andre Toledo | Chief Creative Officer, DAVID New York, USA Binda Dey | Global Chief Marketing Officer, Knight Riders Sports, India Bukky Moemeke | Independent Consultant, Sport and Entertainment Marketing, Global Guy Futcher | Regional Executive Creative Director, Octagon, APAC Jhon Da Silva | CEO and Creative Director, La Web Figital Agency, Venezuela Lucy Basden-Smith | Managing Director, Fuse International, Global Melody Li | SVP, Business Development, Dentsu Sports International, APAC Mohammed Sehly | CEO, BigTime Creative Shop, Saudi Arabia Film Pelle Sjoenell | Former Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, Droga5, part of Accenture Song, Global Alexis Ospina | Chief Creative Officer, Grey, Mexico Alice Chou | Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative, Taiwan Ash Chagla | Chief Creative Officer, Science & Sunshine, UAE Ben Sun Erhei | CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Havas Creative China, Mainland China Femi Odugbemi | Founder and CEO, Zuri24 Media Limited, Nigeria Janne Lysø | Executive Creative Director, POL, Norway Maiya Kinoshita | Creative Director, TBWA\Media Arts Lab Tokyo, Japan Marcelo Vergara | Executive Creative Director, Publicis Conseil, France Micah Walker | Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Bear Meets Eagle On Fire, Australia Film Craft Pip Smart | Executive Producer and Partner, Revolver, Australia Asma Humayun | Global Creative Director and Senior Producer, Shiny Toy Guns, Pakistan and Global Atta Hemwadee | Director, Attah Film, Thailand Eddy Rizk | CEO, BIG KAHUNA FILMS, UAE James Brook-Partridge | Head of Production, WPP Production, UK John Bleeden | SVP, Global Executive Creative Development, McCann, Global Maureen Hufnagel | Film Director, Landia, Argentina Mbithi Masya | Director, Fat Rain Africa, Kenya Melissa Tifrere | Chief Production Officer, Havas, USA Tato Bono | President, Publicis Production, Brazil Glass: The Lion for Change Monique Nelson | Executive Chair, UWG, USA andre (g.) gray | Chief Brand Officer, Overtime, USA Anna Johannes | Co-Founder, Culxtured, USA Breana Auberry | Global Brand Director, Culture Marketing and Collaborations, The LEGO Group, Global Rana Sadek | Senior Creative Director, IMPACT BBDO Dubai, UAE Sonita Alizadeh | Rapper, Global Suhana Gordhan | Chief Creative Officer and Founder, LoveSong, South Africa Zoe Hamilton | Global Chief Strategy Officer for Unilever, Ogilvy, Global Viviane Duarte | CEO, Plano Feminino, Brazil Health & Wellness Kainaz Karmakar | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy, India Allison Ceraso | Chief Creative Officer, Digitas Health, USA Amanda Fuller | Managing Partner, Omnicom Health, Oceania Donevan Chew | Chief Creative Officer, Havas, Malaysia Joseph Bonnici | Chief Creative Officer and Owner, Tadiem, Canada Marília Zanoli | Chief Marketing Officer, Kimberly-Clark, Brazil Muhannad Kadi | Chief Marketing Officer, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Saudi Arabia Norkor Duah | CEO, MullenLowe Accra, Ghana Raimundo Undurraga | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Chile Séverine Autret | Global Creative Excellence Lead, Opella, Global Industry Craft Rafael Gil | Chief Creative Officer, Artplan, Brazil Alistair Thompson | Executive Creative Director, Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann / DMB., Austria Damon Stapleton | Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ, Part of Accenture Song, AUNZ Derek Green | Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\RAAD, MENA Hiroyuki Kato | Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan and Global Krystle Mullin | Chief Creative Officer, john st. and T&P, Canada Lauren Kimball | Executive VP, Experience Design Director, Edelman, Global Liana Liebenberg | Creative Partner, Design Bridge and Partners, South Africa Maud Robaglia | Head of Art, Publicis Conseil, France Michael Wilk | Global Head of Art, Serviceplan Group, Global Innovation Kazuhiro Shimura | Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan Anna Nicanorova | Chief Technology Officer, Annalect, Global Craig Elimeliah | Chief Creative Officer, Code and Theory, Global Daniel Payan | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Colombia Emma Lax | Global Head of Intelligence and Innovation, Havas Creative Network, Global Hadleigh Sinclair | Group Creative Director, Colenso BBDO, Aotearoa New Zealand Juliet Ehimuan | Founder and CEO, Beyond Limits Global, Nigeria Kika Douglas Castroviejo | Chief Creative Officer, LePub, the Netherlands Pablo Vitale | SVP Executive Creative Director, Monks Buenos Aires, Argentina Sabaa Quao | Founding President, PlusCo Venture Studio, Canada Media Sindhuja Rai | Chief Client Officer, WPP Media, APMEA Anisha Iyer | CEO, OMD, India Azhar Siddiqui | CEO, Mediaplus Middle East, MENA Dashni Vilakazi | Managing Director, The MediaShop, South Africa Fabrice Plazolles | Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer, Havas Play, France Kendra Hatcher King | Global Chief Design Officer, Spark Foundry, Global Marta García Alonso | VP Marketing, HEINEKEN, México Paulo Ilha | Co-Founder and Chief Media Officer, Galeria Holding, Brazil Will Swayne | Global Practice President – Media and Integrated Solutions, dentsu, Global Outdoor Aaron Starkman | Global Chief Creative Officer, Rethink, Global Habiba Allam | Creative Director, Careem, Global Jake Barrow | Chief Creative Officer, VML, Czech Republic Leisa Wall | Chief Creative Officer, McCann New Zealand, Aotearoa New Zealand Marie Julie Gerbauld | Chief Creative Officer, DAVID São Paulo, Brazil Peter Dobbyn | Creative Director, Publicis Dublin, Ireland Pooja Manek | Creative and Founding Member, Talented Agency, India Sergio Chinchilla | General Creative Director, Garnier, Costa Rica Stéphane Gaubert | Chief Creative Officer, Havas Paris, France Tim Wasicki | Group Creative Director, OUTFRONT Media, USA Pharma Tracey Brader | Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Remedy Edge, UK Aleisia Gibson Wright | Founder and President, GW Health Public Relations, USA Alex Okada | Chief Creative Officer, Havas Lynx, UK Andrea Lillis | SVP, Executive Creative Director, Klick Health, North America Chris Charles | Executive Creative Director, 21GRAMS, USA Mandi Fine | CEO and Founder, FINE, South Africa Paola Aldaz | Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Marketing, Keralty Group and Colsanitas, Colombia Ryan Wallman | Executive Creative Director, Wellmark, Australia Sharon Tan | Head of Client and Growth, Publicis Health, APAC Wei Fei | Group Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Shanghai, Mainland China PR Dana Tahir | CEO, HAVAS Red, Middle East and Egypt Elaine Rodrigues | Managing Director, Golin, Brazil Hillary Andoh | Founder and CEO, HSA PR, Africa Jean Paoli | Executive Creative Director, Weber Shandwick, Europe Joe Mackay-Sinclair | Founder and CEO, The Romans, Global Lauren Thomson | VP of Creative Strategy and Integrated Communications, MSL, Canada Mina Sakai | Chief Consultant, Dentsu PR Consulting Inc., Japan Simone Gupta | Co-Founder, Supermassive, Australia Taj Reid | Global Chief Creative Officer, Burson, Global Tim Green | Chief Creative Officer, Edelman, APAC Print & Publishing Jessica Apellaniz | Chief Creative Officer, Wieden+Kennedy, Mexico Alexis Bronstorph | Chief Creative Officer, No Fixed Address, Canada Dhruv Warrior | Executive Creative Director, VML, India Fernando Pellizzaro | Global Executive Creative Director, AKQA, Global Iron Brito | Creative Director, AlmapBBDO, Brazil Jason Murison | Creative Lead, DAMAC Properties, Global Lorenz Langgartner | Global Executive Creative Director, Serviceplan Group, Global Mo Chen | Executive Creative Director, TBWA\China, Mainland China Nkgabiseng Motau | Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Think Creative Africa, Africa Riccardo Fregoso | Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative, Southern Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (SEMENAT) Social & Creator Mihnea Gheorghiu | Global Chief Creative Officer, LePub, Global Asia Ali | Founder and Managing Director, MKV Digital, UAE Anny Havercroft | Global Head of Product MarComs and Industry Education, TikTok, Global Ary Nogueira | Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy São Paulo, Brazil Guillermo Vega | Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy North America and Global Creative Network Lead, The Coca-Cola Company Katariina Ollari | Head of Social and Content, NoA | Bob the Robot, Finland Khangelani Dziba | Brand Communications Consultant, Independent, South Africa Munya Chawawa | Comedian, Actor and Founder of Munz Made It, UK Pedro Perez | Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, USA Victor Nguy?n-Long | Group Social Creative Director, Google, Global Sustainable Development Goals Kazoo Sato | Chief Creative Officer and CEO, Earth Centric Design, Japan Bogosi Motshegwa | Founder, CEO, and Chief Strategy Officer, Thinkerneur, Africa Flavia Martins | Founder and CEO, Diversidade Sustentavel, Brazil Laura Rogers | Executive Creative Director, AMV BBDO, UK Marcela Melero | Chief Growth Marketing Officer, Dove, Unilever, Global Mary Catherine Fixel | Managing Director, Head of Sustainability, Accenture Song, Global Nicolai Smith | Chief Creative Officer, AKQA, EMEA Rob Galluzzo | CEO and Executive Producer, FINCH, AUNZ Sergiy Biloshytskiy | Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Ukraine Sherri Aldis | Director, United Nations Communications, United Nations, Western Europe The line-up for the Creative Brand, Dan Wieden Titanium and Luxury Juries will be announced in due course. The 73rd edition of the Festival takes place from 22 to 26 June in Cannes, France. Pass options can be found at www.canneslions.com.
events 16 Apr 2026
Opal Launches Gem to Banish the “Alignment Tax,” Delivering an Antidote to AI Overwhelm
PORTLAND, OR — April 14, 2026: Opal, the connected planning platform for marketers, today announced the launch of Gem, an AI co-pilot aimed at marketing’s biggest operational drain: the “alignment tax.” Each year, executives and middle managers spend countless hours chasing down what’s going to market and how well it fits their brand strategy, while teams scramble to clarify what’s actually in motion. AI is now pushing this human infrastructure to the breaking point. To combat the “paddle faster” problem, Gem brings a distinctly modern approach: an AI agent steeped in a company’s marketing strategy and guidelines that can instantly identify misfits in a sea of campaign briefs and content. Gem is a force multiplier for human judgment, allowing marketers to move faster and with greater confidence. Global marketing alignment has always been a challenge. However, it’s estimated that the volume of machine-generated collateral will grow 5X by the end of this decade. The dance this creates across teams, channels, and regions becomes a “horrible game of telephone” between intent and execution. Marketing teams now have more content than ever, and more decisions to make. Gem repairs this overwhelm by systematically tying every executional element back to the governing strategy. “AI is often seen as a content vending machine, but more content without a compass only amplifies the alignment predicament,” said George Huff, CEO at Opal. “Gem is the steering wheel for the generative age. We aren't just helping marketers move faster; we’re helping them move together.” The idea of using AI to manage AI is not novel. But standalone chatbots lack the context to “know” a company’s brand, its strategy, guidelines, and best practices. By contrast, Gem is built directly into the scaffolding of Opal’s platform, where years of real marketing work live. It understands every brand brief, content execution, and larger initiative – as well as the hierarchical relationships between them. Gem knows how the brand operates, giving marketers a strategic lens to do the work that AI can’t: proof for taste, storytelling, and cultural nuance. Opal believes that marketing is a fundamentally human activity and its "human-in-the-loop" design principle reflects that philosophy. It puts the marketer squarely in the role of architect and arbiter, while Gem traverses the full array of structured and unstructured data. As execution volumes multiply, this human-plus-machine hybrid ensures brand consistency at hyper-speed. “Global social coordination has always meant navigating fragmentation across teams, markets, and content,” says Kelly Broili, VP of Global Social Media at SAP. “Opal gives us the foundation to do that well at scale, and from what we’ve seen of Gem, we’re excited about what an embedded AI layer could unlock. ” Opal remains committed to the rigorous security standards required by the world’s largest brands. Gem is deployed in a private environment within Azure, ensuring that no customer data is ever used to train underlying models. To learn more about Gem and connected intelligence, visitworkwithopal.com or contact info@workwithopal.com.
business 15 Apr 2026
Trilliad Appoints Global B2B Leader Rob Gold as President, EMEA
ANNAPOLIS, MD – April 14, 2026 – Trilliad, the market-leading, full-service B2B Growth Services Provider, today announced the appointment of Rob Gold as President, EMEA. Gold joins Trilliad's executive team following a distinguished career building and scaling some of the world's most prominent B2B agencies, most recently as President of Dentsu B2B. In his new role with Trilliad, Gold will lead their EMEA operations with a focus on three core priorities: · Executing Trilliad’s Growth Services Provider vision for the EMEA market · Expanding market penetration of Trilliad services · Driving client value and performance Gold brings nearly two decades of experience leading data-driven, technology-enabled B2B marketing organizations across the US, UK, and EMEA. Over the course of his career, he has built high-performing global teams, driven enterprise-scale demand generation programs, and served some of the world's biggest B2B brands. His expertise in connecting brand strategy to revenue performance is a direct fit for Trilliad's mission to unify Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success for enterprise B2B organizations. "Rob is one of the most respected leaders in global B2B marketing. Having him join Trilliad is an exciting moment for our company," said Craig Dempster, CEO of Trilliad. "He has spent his career breaking down silos, connecting strategy to execution, and driving measurable growth for some of the world's most respected B2B organizations." Prior to joining Trilliad, Gold served as President of dentsu B2B for seven years. Before that, he served as UK Managing Director at DWA, a Merkle company, which was later integrated into Merkle B2B, where he became UK CEO. "Trilliad is doing something genuinely different in the B2B space by bringing together the full spectrum of growth capabilities under one roof and putting data and alignment at the center," said Rob Gold. "That's the challenge every enterprise B2B brand is wrestling with right now, and Trilliad has built the model to solve it. I'm thrilled to be part of Trilliad - and excited to be part of growing what’s next." Gold's appointment continues Trilliad's momentum in assembling a best-in-class executive team, following the recent additions of Owen McCorry as Chief Growth Officer and Matt Naeger as Chief Solutions Officer. Together, this leadership team reflects Trilliad's commitment to building the industry's premier Growth Services Provider for modern Chief Revenue Officers and enterprise B2B growth leaders. About Trilliad Trilliad (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. Trilliad is the parent company of Sandler, a global leader in sales training and performance solutions, Just Global, a full-service B2B marketing agency, and Sercante, a technology consulting partner that specializes in marketing and sales solutions. Visit www.trilliad.com for more information.
business 15 Apr 2026
StackAdapt Launches Industry First Live Events Campaign Workflow for CTV
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StackAdapt (www.stackadapt.com), the leading AI advertising and orchestration platform, today announced the launch of its dedicated Live Events campaign workflow designed to help advertisers activate and manage CTV campaigns during live sports moments. The new workflow introduces a centralized planning hub, a dedicated campaign subtype, and enhanced pacing and frequency controls tailored for the short, high-demand event windows that define live sports advertising. As more broadcasters and streaming platforms introduce programmatic access to live sports, advertisers have new opportunities to reach audiences during premium live moments. At the same time, audience demand continues to grow as sports viewership shifts from linear television to streaming environments. Digital live sports viewership in the U.S. is projected to grow from 114.5 million viewers in 2025 to more than 137 million by 2029, reaching nearly 40% of the population, according to EMARKETER. Major global events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup are expected to accelerate this trend further, creating powerful opportunities for brands to reach highly engaged audiences in real time. Yet traditional CTV campaign workflows are designed for always-on delivery models, making it difficult to manage the sudden demand spikes, pacing constraints, and inventory coordination required during live events. StackAdapt’s Live Events campaign workflow addresses these challenges with a purpose-built solution designed specifically for live sports advertising within CTV, making premium live sports inventory more accessible to advertisers. Key Benefits Include:Purpose-Built Live Events Workflow: Advertisers can launch campaigns using a dedicated Live Events campaign subtype designed specifically for live sports activation. Simplified Event-Based Planning: A centralized inventory hub and integrated calendar allow advertisers to discover upcoming sports moments and align campaigns with specific events. Pacing for High-Demand Moments: Pacing settings to ensure campaigns spend effectively during unpredictable traffic spikes. Protect the Viewer Experience: Frequency controls to ensure ads don’t appear on repeat, creating a poor brand experience and ad fatigue. Greater Transparency into Performance: Package-level reporting and improved delivery visibility provide clearer insights into live sports campaign performance. Access to Premium Live Sports Inventory: Advertisers can activate campaigns across premium broadcast and streaming partners without rigid spend minimums or complex planning requirements. “Premium live events have become one of the most valuable environments in streaming, but it’s also one of the most operationally challenging for advertisers to execute effectively,” said Greg Joseph, VP of Inventory Development at StackAdapt. “With a dedicated Live Events workflow, advertisers gain a simpler and more reliable way to plan and activate campaigns around major sports moments while maintaining full visibility and control over pacing and performance.” StackAdapt’s Live Events campaign workflow is designed specifically for the operational realities of live sports, combining event discovery, event-based pacing controls, and transparent reporting within a single interface. The platform’s infrastructure also supports the high-concurrency traffic environments live sports generate, helping ensure reliable campaign delivery during periods of intense demand. “Live sports has always been high impact but difficult to execute,” said Sarah VanLandingham, Associate Director, Media Strategy at Silverback Strategies. “With StackAdapt’s dedicated Live Events workflow, we finally have more confidence in how our campaigns will pace and perform during critical moments. The added transparency and controls make it easier to activate around premium inventory without overcomplicating our setup.” The Live Events campaign workflow is now available to StackAdapt clients and represents the latest investment in the company’s CTV capabilities.
artificial intelligence 15 Apr 2026
Chinese Marketplaces Surge in U.S.; 41% Turn to TikTok Shop
A new survey from ecommerce marketing platform Omnisend finds that 41% of Americans are shopping on TikTok Shop, compared to a year ago when only 30% turned to the Chinese marketplace for goods. With an increasing number of big brands launching TikTok shop storefronts, is TikTok Shop the newest retail frontier? “The blending of ecommerce and social media continues to redefine what we consider to be a modern storefront,” said Mary Bauer, Ecommerce Expert Omnisend. “Regardless of the channel, the customer journey remains at the forefront, meaning always-on brands have unique opportunities to attract shoppers.“ Tariffs Show Little Impact as Americans Crave Value Interest in Chinese marketplaces has risen across the board with Temu shopping increasing 9% (53% last year to 58% today); Shein up 23% (40% to 49%) and AliExpress shopping rose 38% (26% to 36%.) This despite ongoing tariffs, with 46% of U.S. consumers now supporting tariffs, up 35% from last year when only 34% said they were pro-tariffs. While prices are up across the board – 74% admit they’re spending more money online this year than last year – consumers report greater increases on Amazon products (57%) and Walmart (48%) compared to TikTok Shop (12%), Temu (25%), Shein (19%) and AliExpress (12%). “Price increases are finding their way to U.S. shoppers via stores with traditional business models like Amazon and Walmart, continued Bauer. “However, since many Chinese sellers operate in a manufacturer-to-consumer model, even with tariffs, many are able to keep prices competitive. As shoppers seek value, stores like Temu and Shein continue to appeal to U.S. consumers.” What This Means for Retailers According to Omnisend, ecommerce brands can adjust their strategy to this growing increase. Specific tips include: For brands that are able to sell on TikTok Shop and other Chinese marketplaces, these avenues may be worth exploring. Because shoppers can turn from entertainment to commerce at a moment’s notice, these channels can be utilized as a growth lever. Use email marketing to drive awareness and sales. One in ten shoppers who click on an email makes a purchase, making it a sustainable and high-ROI marketing channel for any brand. Convert social media-referred web traffic into email subscribers by creating dedicated signup pop-ups for those visitors. Brands can create a segment of social media contacts to target, hopefully turning social-savvy email subscribers into social brand advocates. Appeal to shoppers by promoting value. Whether it’s free shipping, flexible return policies, or product quality, promote these consumer-friendly value-adds at all stages of customer communication. Methodology This Omnisend survey was conducted January 10-14, 2026 among U.S. consumers. Quotas were placed on age, gender, and place of residence to achieve a nationally representative sample of U.S. users.
business 13 Apr 2026
Honey Creek Legacy Acquired by Indiana-Born Entrepreneur Steven Hershberger, Renamed Legacy Maker Farms
Fairmount, IN (April 2, 2026) — Legacy Maker Farms officially launched today following the acquisition and rebranding of Honey Creek Legacy by an investor group led by entrepreneur Steven Hershberger. An Indiana-born business leader with deep roots in food manufacturing and consumer packaged goods (CPG), Hershberger will serve as CEO and President of the newly introduced Legacy Maker Farms.“With this acquisition, we can deliver the quality experience of Legacy Maker products to a much larger customer base,” said Hershberger. “At Legacy Maker Farms, we pledge to see ourselves as generational stewards of the land, the knife and the plate—and our commitment to the craft extends beyond remarkably good beef. Through the cultivation of absolute trust, a culture of care, the premium experience and enduring relationships, Legacy Maker Farms is set to bring a more intelligent, empathetic and innovative approach to serving our customers."Over the course of his career, Hershberger has led several technology, analytics and CPG-based manufacturing companies. With 13 U.S. patents in Internet of Things (IoT) and decision science, he has a proven track record of transforming insights and information into growth strategies and sustainable success. Born in Evansville, Indiana, he lives in Carmel with his wife of 31 years.CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL “As a culinary professional I understand the importance of quality, and as a retailer I understand the importance of experience. The Legacy Maker brand delivers some of—if not the finest—tasting Prime beef I’ve ever served,” said Craig Baker, Executive Chef, InterContinental Indianapolis. “I believe in this product so much that I put my reputation behind it every time I list it by name on my menu. I also believe in this brand’s mission of food contributing to high quality human-to-human experiences, which is something in this digital age we need more of.” MARKETING AND PRODUCT GUIDED BY ELIKey initiatives already underway at Legacy Maker Farms include facility upgrades, state-of-the-art customer support and AI-driven capabilities, as well as exclusive partnerships within media, grocery, specialty and food service industries—along with enhanced market intelligence guided by ELI, the pioneering predictive intelligence system developed by Sooth. Ian Baer, Founder and CEO at Sooth, will serve as Legacy Maker Farms’ CMO in a fractional capacity, and also as an advisor to Legacy Maker Farms’ Board of Directors. “Our partnership with Steve and the Legacy Maker team illustrates why I started Sooth and why we built ELI,” said Baer,who was named to ADWEEK’s inaugural Innovator 50 list for ELI's marketing industry impact. “Most companies develop products first, then position them as best they can, working from limited, often inaccurate data and hoping for the best. That's a bad bet, and why most product marketing and new brand launches fail. ELI flips the model. Every product and marketing decision Legacy Maker makes will be grounded in verified, predictive intelligence about what customers actually respond to. When a brand’s entire experience, from product to packaging and marketing, is built on that foundation, it works for the customer, not the other way around. We're honored to be part of this launch.”“Among food and beverage companies, there’s a traditional way of understanding the consumer. But Legacy Maker Farms is taking a different approach,” said Hershberger. “ELI sits at the nexus between consumers’ hearts and wallets, providing powerful insight into their needs, wants and purchasing decisions. With our marketing, product and broader growth strategy all guided by ELI and Sooth, our goal is to reshape what it means to be a food and beverage company that serves both commercial and consumer customers.”About Legacy Maker FarmsLegacy Maker Farms owns and operatesLegacy Maker Meats, an Indiana-based premium beef brand producing USDA Prime, all-natural beef through one of the most distinctive agricultural operations in the country. The Legacy Maker farm is a 100% closed-loop operation—a true sustainability model that puts every byproduct to use, generates renewable natural gas serving Low Carbon Fuel Standard states across the U.S., and produces enough energy to power more than 5,000 homes and businesses. In total, the operation keeps 200,000 tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere, diverts 128,000 tons of material waste from landfills, and conserves 36.5 million gallons of wastewater annually. Legacy Maker products are available direct-to-consumer online and through select retail and restaurant partners. For more information, visit legacymakermeats.com.About SoothSooth is a predictive intelligence company that uses neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and AI to anticipate buying decisions with extraordinary precision. Founded by Ian Baer, an ADWEEK Innovator 50 honoree, Sooth uncovers the emotional and cognitive triggers that drive behavior, enabling brands and agencies to connect more deeply, act more confidently, and achieve up to 12x better results than traditional marketing strategies, while eliminating as much as 80% of wasted spend. Sooth's proprietary AI engine, ELI (Emotional Logic Interface), analyzes behavioral signals across 300 million individuals to score audiences on more than 100 million live intent signals, delivering verified, predictive insights that inform product, marketing, and brand strategy before a dollar is spent. For more information, visit soothbetold.com.
business 2 Apr 2026
OOH Industry Advances Effort to Modernize Audience Measurement and Selects Ipsos for Pilot Program
NEW YORK, March 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Geopath, in partnership with the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), today announced a major step forward in modernizing audience measurement for Out of Home (OOH) advertising with the development of a next-generation measurement platform. Ipsos has been selected to support an industry pilot launching in the second half of 2026. The pilot is part of a coordinated industry effort to modernize OOH audience measurement for today’s evolving advertising marketplace. Led by the executive committees of Geopath and OAAA, the initiative reflects a broad commitment across the OOH industry to ensure that the medium provides advertisers with data that is consistent, credible, and aligned with the expectations of today’s marketers. “We’ve heard clearly from across the industry that the expectations for OOH measurement have evolved. Advertisers and agencies need a more modern, transparent, and interoperable approach to evaluate performance alongside other channels,” said Ali Broback, Chief Client Officer and Partner at ODN and Chairperson of the Board at Geopath. “This initiative is about meeting that moment. While there is still work ahead, selecting Ipsos as our pilot partner and moving into this next phase reflects real progress and a strong, collective commitment to building a measurement framework that supports the future growth of out of home.” The initiative began in early 2025, with a comprehensive review of the future requirements for OOH measurement. The process included a detailed needs assessment and interviews with stakeholders across the OOH and advertising ecosystems—including media owners, agencies, marketers, and research experts—as well as an evaluation of evolving measurement practices across the broader media landscape. That work culminated in a competitive RFP process that invited proposals for both partial and comprehensive measurement solutions. Following extensive review and evaluation, Ipsos was selected to partner with the industry on the measurement pilot. Ipsos brings significant global experience in audience measurement and media research, including providing foundational data or fully productized OOH measurement systems in more than 20 markets worldwide, including countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. “Out of Home has always delivered powerful real world reach and impact for advertisers,” said Scott Wells, Chairman of the OAAA Board and CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings. “As the media ecosystem continues to evolve, our measurement must evolve alongside it. This effort brings the industry together to ensure advertisers have the insight and confidence they need to grow investment in OOH. Ipsos brings deep expertise in media and audience measurement, including OOH, and we look forward to working with them to help advance measurement for our industry.” The pilot will evaluate a next-generation OOH audience measurement system across multiple formats and environments, including updated methods for estimating impressions, reach, and frequency. Findings from the pilot will help inform the development of an industry-standard measurement platform that provides advertisers with more transparent, credible, and actionable insight into OOH audiences and the medium’s role in the broader media mix. The measurement initiative comes at a time of continued growth for the medium. OOH advertising revenue reached $9.46 billion in 2025, increasing 3.6% year over year, according to OAAA, with digital formats continuing to drive expansion across the industry. Transit was the fastest-growing segment for the second consecutive year, increasing 9.2% annually, while street furniture and place-based media also posted gains. “The OOH industry has come together in an unprecedented way to define what the future of audience measurement should look like,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO of OAAA. “Advertisers expect clear, comparable measurement across every channel they invest in. This work will ensure that Out of Home continues to meet that expectation while strengthening the transparency and accountability marketers rely on.” Following the pilot phase, Geopath and OAAA will work closely with industry stakeholders to evaluate results and determine the path forward for implementation. The organizations anticipate an orderly transition from the current Geopath measurement system to a next-generation framework beginning in 2027, allowing time for industry testing, validation, and full adoption in 2028. Additional details about the measurement program and timeline will be shared with industry stakeholders as the pilot progresses. About the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA)The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) is the national trade association representing the out of home (OOH) advertising industry. OAAA’s mission is to protect, promote, and advance the medium through government affairs and advocacy, industry research and market intelligence, brand and agency engagement, and industry leadership and convening. OAAA works to ensure OOH’s essential role in the modern media mix by advancing standards, aligning the industry around shared priorities, and shaping the future of OOH. Founded in 1891, OAAA serves more than 850 member companies, including media owners, advertisers, agencies, ad tech providers, and suppliers. The association is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in New York City. For more information, visit oaaa.org.
business intelligence 1 Apr 2026
SurveyMonkey launches automated SMS survey invites directly from Salesforce
SAN MATEO, Calif., March 31, 2026 – SurveyMonkey, the world’s most popular platform for surveys and forms, today announced the general availability of automated SMS survey invites within its Salesforce integration, available on AppExchange. This update allows CX and support teams to automatically send personalized survey invites by text message when key events happen in Salesforce, such as closing a support case or completing a transaction. This mobile-first approach is essential for modern engagement, as mobile is now the primary way people respond to surveys. According to a 2025 report from SurveyMonkey, 58% of global survey responses were captured via mobile devices. In addition, using SMS instead of a web link collector has been shown to improve survey completion rates by 33%. Customers, such as Box, Greyhound Lines, and Hornblower Group, love that SurveyMonkey offers a robust and secure platform that’s also easy to use and highly connected. This new SMS invite capability in SurveyMonkey for Salesforce builds on the existing integration’s ability to help teams capture and act on timely feedback: Reaching customers on mobile: Organizations can now send survey invites via text, prioritizing a channel with higher open rates than traditional email. Automating outreach: Teams can create workflows that trigger personalized SMS survey invites when specific events occur in Salesforce—such as a closed case—so feedback is requested while the experience is fresh. Personalization at scale: Users can customize messages by inserting Salesforce data fields directly into the SMS. This allows teams to automatically include customer names, case numbers, and specific details to drive higher engagement without manual effort. Syncing feedback back to Salesforce: Survey responses automatically map to the appropriate Salesforce objects, keeping customer records up to date and helping teams route, escalate, and resolve issues based on real-time data. “Customer insight is only useful if it’s captured in the moment,” said Cormac Kelly, vice president, customer success at SurveyMonkey. “By connecting SurveyMonkey’s feedback platform with Salesforce’s customer data, we’re removing manual work and helping teams reach customers on their most interactive channel: mobile. This shift ensures feedback isn’t just a lagging report, but a real-time signal that allows teams to act while the experience is still top-of-mind.” Salesforce AppExchange, the leading enterprise marketplace for partner apps and experts, enables businesses to power their agentic enterprise with our trusted and open ecosystem. Since its launch in 2006, AppExchange has grown to include more than 9,000 apps and experts, with over 14 million customer installs and 177,000 customer reviews. AppExchange enables customers of all sizes and across industries to extend their agentic enterprise with pre-built, customizable apps and Salesforce-certified consultants to help solve their business challenges and accelerate time to value. The automated SMS feature is now available as an add-on for Enterprise customers with the Salesforce integration. To learn more, visit: /curiosity/automate-SMS-survey-invites-salesforce-integration. Salesforce, AppExchange, and others are among the trademarks of Salesforce, Inc.
automation 1 Apr 2026
Gain Theory Exposes Why Most Marketing Insights Are Failing to Drive Growth
31 March 2026, New York - Global marketing effectiveness and foresight consultancy, Gain Theory, today published a new report, ‘Unfinished Business: Closing the Insight-to-Action Gap’, challenging conventional wisdom that marketing insights fail to be actioned because of data. Despite the clear link between data-driven decision-making and revenue growth, Forrester findings suggest more than half (54%) of business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing decision-makers say the insights their teams deliver are not actionable. And companies that are using insights, can expect to see 32% higher revenue growth than those that don’t. This demonstrates that for many organizations business value is consistently going unrealized. The new report warns that most organizations are fighting the wrong battle. When insights stall, the instinct is to invest in better data, faster analytics or more advanced technology. Gain Theory’s report argues that the true barriers are human, cultural, and organizational. And until those are addressed, even the most sophisticated measurement programs will fail to deliver sustained business impact. “Brands invest heavily in marketing effectiveness, yet business impact often doesn't materialize. Every marketer knows the frustration of unacted insights. The real disconnect isn't in the 'what' or 'how much,' but in the human willingness to trust, adapt, and drive those discoveries forward,” said Rachel Brook, Global Client Growth Leader at Gain Theory. The report identifies three uncomfortable truths facing marketers: 1: You're generating reports, not actionable insights. Most measurement programs answer ‘what happened?’ but stop short of explaining ‘why’ or ‘what to do next’, leaving decision-makers without the context to act with confidence. 2: Your organization favors familiar discord over clarity. Fragmented measurement and organizational silos create competing versions of the truth, enabling inertia and avoiding accountability. 3: You're treating a people problem like a technology problem. Over-reliance on tools overlooks the behavioral, cultural and leadership challenges that determine whether insights drive action or stall. Against each truth, the report maps five strategic steps organizations can implement to close the gap between insight and impact, including: 1: Generate contextualized insights that answer not just ‘what happened?’, but ‘why and what next?’. 2: Prioritize purpose-driven, unified measurement to establish a single source of truth and eliminate conflicting data narratives. 3: Be strategic about priorities and deliberate in progress, building momentum with early wins while planning for larger transformation. 4: Secure leadership commitment and cross-functional alignment, making the business case for executive sponsorship, stakeholder workshops and a culture of low-risk experimentation. 5: Build internal momentum through advocates and accountability, sustaining transformation via empowered champions, continuous education and performance incentives. Rooted in change management principles, Unfinished Business provides a clear, commercially grounded blueprint for transforming marketing into a data-driven engine for enduring business growth. It reframes best-in-class marketing effectiveness as a cultural and organizational challenge and offers tangible mechanisms for overcoming it. The findings are supported by “Closing the Insight-to-Action Gap”, a recent pulse survey of senior marketing leaders across multiple industries and regions, conducted by Gain Theory during Q1 2026. Responses were collected anonymously and analyzed in aggregate. ‘Unfinished Business: Closing the Insight-to-Action Gap to Drive Business Growth’ can be accessed here: https://gaintheory.com/unfinished-business-marketing-effectiveness-transformation-report
business 31 Mar 2026
New Endear Survey Finds Many Consumers Still Prefer Shopping In Store, More Than Half Spend Again When Associates Follow Up
NEW YORK, NY – March 31, 2026 — Even as digital commerce continues to grow, new research suggests brick-and-mortar stores remain a critical driver of revenue, especially when brands follow up personally with shoppers after a visit. A survey of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 24-54 commissioned by Endear, the retail CRM for modern brands, and conducted by Censuswide, found that 63% of consumers are more likely to return to a store if a store associate follows up with them personally. When they do visit, more than a quarter report going to a store because they needed a specific item immediately, while fewer than one in ten cite promotions or coupons as the primary reason for their visit. But the in-store experience doesn’t end when a shopper walks out the door. Follow-up from store associates significantly shapes repeat behavior. More than 60% of respondents aged 24-54 are likely to shop again if a retail associate reaches out personally after their visit, with over a third saying they are very likely to return. More than half reported making an additional purchase because of an associate’s follow-up, and nearly four in 10 said they’ve done this multiple times. “Getting a new customer to visit the stores shouldn’t be the finish line,” said Leigh Sevin, co-founder and CEO of Endear. “Our survey shows shoppers value human relationships and personalized communication. When sales associates follow up thoughtfully, it drives a 70% increase in order frequency and helps transform stores and sales associates into revenue drivers.” Brands using Endear’s platform to send personalized, one-to-one messages see average order values increase 31.6%, including a 23.7% boost per customer, with more than 45% of Endear customers’ sales now coming from repeat shoppers - highlighting the impact of tailored interactions on both loyalty and revenue. When you compare that to the reality that 70% of first-time shoppers never shop the brand again, personalized outreach seems like a high-leverage opportunity for brands. “Our stores are more than just points of sale, they’re opportunities to build lasting relationships,” said Amanda Aldecoa, Regional Director at Jones Road Beauty. “As an Endear customer, we’ve been able to equip our associates with the tools to follow up personally after every visit. We’ve seen firsthand that thoughtful and intentionally timed outreach brings shoppers back and often leads to additional purchases. A simple reminder to restock mascara can turn a one-time visit into long-term loyalty.” The survey also underscores the importance of personalized communication. Six in ten consumers say outreach from a store associate, not automated marketing, plays an important role in their shopping decisions. Exclusive in-store offers also influence repeat visits, cited by nearly half of respondents, while early access to new products motivates roughly 23% of shoppers to head to the store. Endear supports over 2,000 stores in 19 countries, powering relationship-driven selling for brands including Reformation, AG Jeans, Boll and Branch, and UNTUCKit. By equipping store associates with unified customer profiles and tools for personalized outreach via text, email, and WhatsApp, Endear makes it possible to turn every store visit into a measurable, long-term growth opportunity. Now, Endear is taking it further with the launch of AI Opportunity Engine, which turns customer data into a turnkey personalized outreach strategy, making it easier for store associates to identify who to reach out to, when to contact them, and what to say. “As retail becomes more competitive, the associate is one of the most underleveraged growth channels,” added Sevin. “With the right tools, every store visit can become the start of a lasting customer relationship that goes beyond a single transaction.” To learn more, download the full Endear Shopper Survey Study, including a detailed breakdown of demographics and regional insights. To connect with Endear or schedule a demo, email sales@endearhq.com or visit endearhq.com/contact-us.
business 31 Mar 2026
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