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Sensor Tower Collaborates with Google Ads
By Sophia Bennett (July 29, 2026)
Powered by Pathmatics, the integration provides advertisers with access to their existing Meta and TikTok creative assets directly within Google Ads.
AskNicely Introduces AI Review Routing Agent
By Sophia Bennett (July 15, 2026)
Review Routing Agent joins Dynamic Surveys, Insights Agent and Response Agent as another product in AskNicely's NiceAI suite.
Agentio Brings Automated Creator Advertising to Facebook and Instagram
By Sophia Bennett (July 15, 2026)
Brands can run cross-platform creator campaigns across YouTube and Meta from a single platform on Agentio.
What WhatsApp Usernames Mean for CRM, Consent and CX
By Anushka Pandit (June 30, 2026)
WhatsApp usernames may improve privacy for users, but for marketers, they also mark the start of a handle-first, consent-led and platform-controlled messaging era.
AI-Powered Discovery is Reshaping Brand Visibility
By Martechvibe Editorial (June 29, 2026)
The study reveals how brands are mentioned, cited, and represented across AI-powered discovery environments, and why marketers need integrated SEO, content, and brand strategies to compete.
PropellerAds Launches Paid Social Traffic
By Sophia Bennett (June 22, 2026)
The format makes audiences active on Facebook, Instagram, X, and other social feeds available within the PropellerAds platform, with supply aggregated through its partners.
impact.com Unveils AI and Creator Commerce Innovations at iPX
By Sophia Bennett (June 15, 2026)
impact.com’s new capabilities across AI, creator commerce, paid media, and payouts further help brands scale partnerships as a measurable, performance-driven growth channel.
PropellerAds Launches Agent NIKO
By Sophia Bennett (June 03, 2026)
NIKO empowers advertisers to create and launch campaigns in natural language, making programmatic advertising accessible and straightforward.
Integral Ad Science Expands Meta Content Block Lists to Threads
By Sophia Bennett (May 20, 2026)
The expansion of its Social Optimization solution provides advertisers with even greater brand protection and the ability to maximise their return on investment (ROI) on Meta.
Zefr Deepens Meta Partnership, Bringing AI Pre-Bid Controls to Threads Feed
By Sophia Bennett (May 19, 2026)
The announcement marks a significant milestone in Zefr's mission to bring trusted, actionable brand suitability controls across the major social walled gardens.
Canva Launches AI Campaign Creation in Claude for Small Businesses
By Sophia Bennett (May 15, 2026)
As the creative AI layer in Claude for Small Business, Canva turns marketing briefs into fully editable, on-brand campaign assets owners can refine, publish, and scale, all from a single workflow.
Khoros Launches Iris AI
By Sophia Bennett (April 14, 2026)
Alongside Aurora AI, Khoros' reimagined community product, Iris AI, completes a system that covers community forums, brand care, social media management and customer service, all AI-native and all sharing context.
OpenAI Partners with Smartly to Bring Conversational Ads to ChatGPT
By Sophia Bennett (April 03, 2026)
The partnership marks a quiet but significant escalation from the static, labelled placements that OpenAI introduced when it first confirmed its advertising plans.
Thryv Introduces Thryv AI Lead Flow
By Sophia Bennett (March 25, 2026)
Thryv AI Lead Flow combines Thryv Marketing Center’s online visibility tools with Keap software’s sales automation engine to create a continuous automated pipeline from first online impression to closed deal.
AI Optimisation is The New Media Buying Frontier
By Vladyslav Zhovtenko (November 28, 2025)
Conversion API and first-party data are becoming the foundation of smarter ad strategies, with AI optimisation enabling media buyers to improve targeting, efficiency, and ROI.
The Mobile Marketer's False Choice: Why Web2App Isn't Your Enemy
By Igor Lyubimov (October 20, 2025)
As mobile marketing evolves, the debate between direct-to-app campaigns and web qualification flows continues to divide the industry. Igor Lyubimov, CEO of web2wave, shares why mobile marketers should see Web2App not as a rival but as an essential part of a diversified growth strategy.
AI as the UA Optimiser: Smarter Targeting, Faster Iteration
By Ashutosh Zutshi (June 26, 2025)
As rising UA costs impact mobile app growth, marketers turn to AI to help spot patterns, recommend changes in ad buying, and automate actions to move swiftly. Can this efficiency help offset increasing CACs? Martechvibe spoke to the gaming experts to find out…
Media Waste Isn’t an Accident — It’s a Choice
By Chandni U (May 15, 2025)
From wasted budgets to data-backed decisions, Will Post, Vice President, Growth at Measured discusses why the future of media performance depends on incrementality and trusted measurement and more.
Without Consent, AI Doesn’t Scale—It Crashes
By Kate Parker (April 25, 2025)
Personalisation, automation, and AI agents all hinge on one thing: real-time, user-granted consent. Without it, trust breaks, data dries up, and innovation stalls.
The Great Retail Tech Land Grab
By Khushbu Raval (December 28, 2023)
How brick-and-mortar stores use acquisitions to stay ahead in the digital age.
Rio SEO Launches New Local Experience Platform
By Sophia Bennett (June 06, 2023)
Rio SEO is also debuting a new brand design as part of advancing its integration with Forsta.
SproutLoud Expands Organic Social Posting, Reporting Capabilities
By Sophia Bennett (May 12, 2023)
Channel partners using SproutLoud’s social media integration can now post content on LinkedIn personal and business pages, extending already existing capabilities to do so on Facebook and Twitter. 
Chatmeter Adds Generative AI Features
By Sophia Bennett (May 11, 2023)
The features are available in Chatmeter’s Brand Intelligence and Reputation Management Platform.
SureCritic Introduces Smart Automated Response Assistant (SARA)
By Sophia Bennett (April 26, 2023)
SARA can handle both positive and negative feedback in multiple languages and identifies positive reviews and recommends them for sharing on Google Business Profile and Facebook pages. SureCritic, providers of an online platform for business reviews and customer feedback, has launched Smart Automated Response Assistant (SARA), powered by artificial intelligence to provide automated responses to […]
How Can Taxi Apps Benefit from Programmatic Advertising?
By Kateryna Novatska (April 12, 2023)
Drive downloads and bookings for your taxi app with programmatic advertising and hyper-local geo-targeting. Learn how top ride-hailing companies leverage social media, local marketing strategies, and geofencing to connect with their target audience and establish a strong brand identity. As the competitive landscape of ride-hailing apps continues to evolve, staying ahead of the game requires […]
SOCi, Punchh Partner For Localised Listings, Review Management
By Sophia Bennett (April 12, 2023)
The partnership allows SOCi users to consolidate their workflows across multiple platforms, while also ensuring their data health and accuracy.  SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location brands, and Punchh from PAR Technology (PAR), announced a strategic partnership that integrates SOCi’s industry-leading localised listings management and reviews solutions with Punchh’s loyalty and engagement platform. The partnership […]
Martechvibe’s Weekly News Round-Up
By Sophia Bennett (April 07, 2023)
In case you missed it, here’s a look at the top headlines in the marketing and technology landscape. The news selected presents a snapshot of the evolving consumer terrain, how technology is being optimised to solve growing marketer challenges and significant drivers of customer experience trends.  Meta Rolls Out AI-Driven Brand Safety And Verification Tools […]
Tiger Pistol Launches Interactive Reporting Dashboard For Marketers
By Sophia Bennett (April 06, 2023)
This dashboard allows users to efficiently consolidate, visualise, connect, and explore local social campaign data in real-time. Tiger Pistol, an advanced collaborative advertising platform, recently unveiled a new interactive reporting dashboard that empowers marketers to easily analyse location-based, social advertising campaign data.  This dashboard allows users to efficiently consolidate, visualise, connect, and explore local social […]
Meta Rolls Out AI-Driven Brand Safety And Verification Tools
By Sophia Bennett (April 05, 2023)
The controls define high-, medium- and low-risk content. Advertisers can choose from three settings to control the types of content that appear above and below an ad. Meta recently launched new inventory filters for Facebook and Instagram for advertisers in English and Spanish markets.  The tools use a multi-stage AI review system to classify text, […]
Sprinklr Introduces Self-Service Plan With ChatGPT
By Sophia Bennett (April 03, 2023)
This version of Sprinklr Social includes publishing, engagement, and reporting tools integrated with OpenAI’s generative AI models. Sprinklr, a unified customer experience management platform provider, has launched a self-service version of its social media management solution Sprinklr Social. Social media teams can now access Sprinklr Social on a self-service basis by subscribing to its Advanced […]
RedTrack Adds Tool To Measure Ad Performance For Shopify, WooCommerce
By Sophia Bennett (March 27, 2023)
The new Unlock plan from RedTrack can help them access a range of features typically only available to ecommerce stores with bigger budgets and possibilities. RedTrack.io brings Unlock solution to ecommerce businesses to help them see actual advertising results across Google, Facebook, and TikTok Ads. It improves conversion numbers and attributes 100% of the revenue […]
CM.com Partners With SpeechLogix
By Sophia Bennett (March 24, 2023)
The companies will leverage SpeechLogix’s advanced contact centre solution and CM.com’s omnichannel business messaging API. CM.com, a provider of conversational commerce solutions, is partnering with SpeechLogix, a provider of automated voice technology. Together, the companies will leverage SpeechLogix’s advanced contact centre solution and CM.com’s omnichannel business messaging API. The integration of CM.com’s API into SpeechLogix’s […]
SureCritic Launches Social Campaign
By Sophia Bennett (March 21, 2023)
The product features a user-friendly offer builder, enabling businesses to create customised promotions that will engage their audience. SureCritic, Inc, a provider of reputation management and ratings and review solutions, has launched Social Campaigns, a new product that simplifies social media management for businesses.  With Social Campaigns, businesses can streamline their social media strategy with […]
Plex Chooses unitQ To Gauge Sentiment, Bolster User Experience
By Sophia Bennett (March 16, 2023)
Powered by machine learning and AI, unitQ captures user feedback in more than 100 languages from dozens of sources unitQ, the AI platform empowering organisations to take a user-centric, real-time data-driven approach to enhance the customer experience, announced that free global streaming media giant, Plex, is embracing unitQ to supercharge the user experience for millions […]
“No One Has an Unbiased View of Reality”
By Sophia Bennett (March 13, 2023)
Brands that want to influence customer behaviour must begin with understanding it. Behavioural data is the gold standard because it’s a direct measure of what consumers care most about, says Patrick Fagan, a behavioural scientist and CX consultant.    “We all live in a reality which is mostly constructed in our heads,” says Patrick Fagan, […]
Uberall Unveils Digital Revenue Assistant With ChatGPT
By Sophia Bennett (March 09, 2023)
The innovation, currently being piloted, connects Uberall’s Local Inventory solution with ChatGPT, allowing retailers to dynamically promote locally in-stock products online. Uberall, a digital marketing platform provider, introduced Digital Revenue Assistant with ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence integrated across the Uberall CoreX platform, including in messages, reviews, and local Inventory solutions. Uberall is helping companies […]
Martechvibe’s Weekly News Round-Up
By Sophia Bennett (March 03, 2023)
In case you missed it, here’s a look at the top headlines in the marketing and technology landscape. The news selected presents a snapshot of the evolving consumer terrain, how technology is being optimised to solve growing marketer challenges and significant drivers of customer experience trends.  Snapchat Launches ‘My AI’ Chatbot Powered By ChatGPT Snapchat […]
What Are Lookalike Audiences and How Can They Hike Your Sales?
By Kumar Gandharv (March 02, 2023)
Adidas, Uber, Airbnb, Walmart and Sephora have achieved growth in customer base and spike in ad effectiveness with lookalike audience targeting. The process lets a brand dissect its customers to spot common characteristics and reel-in previously unreachable high-quality customers. Airbnb, the leading online marketplace for short-term homestays, collects a wide range of user data, including […]
Intellimize Releases AI Content Studio
By Sophia Bennett (March 01, 2023)
Intellimizes’ latest generative AI release expands the capabilities of their no-code visual editor suggest copy feature, released in 2022. Intellimize, the only programmatic conversion rate optimisation (CRO) platform, announced the release of their new AI Content Studio to inspire and quickly create the content that marketers need to convert. Intellimizes’ latest generative AI release expands […]
Zuckerberg Announces New Team At Meta Working on AI Products
By Sophia Bennett (March 01, 2023)
Zuckerberg said the team would build “creative and expressive” tools for use inside Meta’s products. Meta will create a new product group inside the company focused on generative AI, a new machine-learning technique that allows computers to generate text, draw pictures, and create other media that resemble human output. The move comes as big tech […]
Explained: k-Nearest Neighbours
By Kumar Gandharv (February 28, 2023)
Netflix, Amazon, Uber and Facebook have used KNN for personalised marketing, clustering, segmentation, and predicting customer behaviour. Measuring distances between data points, the algorithm helps recommend items to customers based on their purchase history An eCommerce store worth it’s salt is always good at one thing – recommendations. A crucial psychological strategy to hold your […]
What Marketers Can Learn From the Auto Industry CX Roadmap
By Christina Wofford (February 24, 2023)
Auto dealerships and car salespeople notoriously have dealt with a bad rap. However, most of today’s dealerships and sales teams are about customer experience.  Dealers know their reputation matters more than ever to keep consumers away from their competitors online and down the street. Since the pandemic started, auto dealers have made great strides in […]
Netography Launches Network Visibility For Social Media Policies
By Sophia Bennett (February 23, 2023)
These capabilities enable customers to quickly validate and enforce policy changes and verify that users are compliant and that controls are working properly. Netography, the security company for the Atomized Network, announced enhancements to Netography Fusion’s operational governance dashboards providing analysts with real-time comprehensive views of all social media traffic. These capabilities enable customers to […]
CommBox Announces Amazon Connect Integration
By Sophia Bennett (February 23, 2023)
The integration of Amazon Connect will ensure enterprises can deliver quality customer experiences across digital channels with one-stop-shop platform that includes both voice and automated messaging CommBox, a SaaS-based omnichannel autonomous customer communications platform, announced its expansion into the US market with the opening of an office in Boston, MA. Additionally, CommBox has integrated Amazon […]
Consistent Omnichannel Service Is Still A Concern
By Sumair Sayed (February 21, 2023)
Martechvibe spoke to Mostafa Kamel - Head of User Experience | Mrsool about how various technological advancements can help brands improve CX, omnichannel service, and CX strategies.
SOCi Integrates ChatGPT To Its Review Response Management Tool
By Sophia Bennett (February 13, 2023)
The integration enables intelligent and automated workflows across major marketing channels like search, social, reviews, ads, and more. SOCi, a provider of a marketing platform for multi-location brands, has integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT natural language model into its review response management tool to enable instant intelligent responses to online reviews. The release is the first in […]
Meta Partners With Freshworks
By Sophia Bennett (February 07, 2023)
Powered by the Freshworks Neo platform, the Freshworks CX and CRM integrations with WhatsApp, Instagram Messaging, and Facebook Messenger enable teams to deliver intelligent and personalised messages at scale Freshworks Inc. announced that companies worldwide have increased customer retention by using Freshworks’ conversational AI bots to automate communication with buyers through WhatsApp, Instagram Messaging, and […]
CX NXT Announces Workshops that Deep Dive into Technologies Driving Experience 
By Sophia Bennett (February 06, 2023)
Behavioural Psychologist Patrick Fagan and Regional CX Director of MRM – Oliver West will lead workshops on leveraging CX solutions to drive business outcomes at CX NXT – the customer experience summit taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 15, 2023 CX NXT 2023, organised by Martechvibe, will take place in the […]
Martechvibe’s Weekly News Round-Up
By Sophia Bennett (February 03, 2023)
In case you missed it, here’s a look at the top headlines in the marketing and technology landscape. The news selected presents a snapshot of the evolving consumer terrain, how technology is being optimised to solve growing marketer challenges and significant drivers of customer experience trends. Twitter And IAS To Offer Advertisers With Brand Safety […]
Quiq Expands Conversational AI To UK and Europe
By Sophia Bennett (February 03, 2023)
Quiq will build an international commercial team and deepen its partner ecosystem to improve the customer experience for businesses while reducing call volumes and costs Quiq, the technology company creating the future of conversations between businesses and their customers, announced an expansion of its services to the United Kingdom and Europe to meet the growing […]
Dealer OMG Introduces vinAMP Marketing Platform
By Sophia Bennett (February 01, 2023)
A vinAMP platform is a tool linking consumer identity data, vehicle ownership data, behavioural and contextual data, and predictive analytics on over 190 million vehicle owners across the U.S Dealer OMG, a tech-enabled leading automotive social marketing service provider focused on delivering advanced social media solutions to dealerships and OEMs, launched vinAMP , a comprehensive […]
CedCommerce Launches Social Ads for Buy with Prime 
By Sophia Bennett (January 31, 2023)
CedCommerce to partner with Amazon to help ecommerce merchants overcome one of the most difficult challenges they face – driving traffic – through Social Ads for Buy with Prime. CedCommerce, a leading multichannel ecommerce enabler, announced the launch of Social Ads for Buy with Prime, which helps merchants to drive targeted traffic on their ecommerce […]
Fluree, Fabric to Give Consumers Control Over Data-Sharing
By Sophia Bennett (January 30, 2023)
Fabric removes middleman companies like Facebook and Google that currently collect consumer data and sell it to advertisers without express permission from the consumers.  Fluree, providers of a graph ledger database and data pipeline toolset for secure-data management and sharing, is partnering with Fabric, a financial technology company, to enable consumers to control and monetise […]
Air France Embarks on WhatsApp for a Direct Relationship with its Customers
By Sophia Bennett (January 27, 2023)
Eager to adapt to the digital habits and uses of its customers, Air France is offering a new communication channel with customers on WhatsApp. This free service is now available 7 days a week in 22 countries and in 4 languages (French, English, Italian, Brazilian/Portuguese). Messaging is transforming interactions between people and businesses, and with […]
Can AI Help You Pick The Right Influencer?
By Yash Raaj (January 27, 2023)
Finding the right influencer with the reach and niche that aligns with your brand can be tricky. Marketers are using algorithms to spot profiles with fake followings, identify patterns of interest and amplify brand messages Audiences are smarter than ever and less impressionable to cookie-cutter marketing tactics. If you are a brand that is looking […]
How Voice Commerce Transforms Online Retail
By Roman Davydov (January 24, 2023)
Running an ecommerce business today is more challenging than ever. Competition is getting tougher while consumers are growing more demanding and will not miss the chance to switch to a competitor if your service quality is poor. One of the criteria for success in retail is multiple well-functioning customer interaction channels. According to the Getting […]
Are You Measuring Your Video ROI Right?
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (January 19, 2023)
More than 30% of marketers plan to use more short-form videos over other social media content in 2023. YouTube and TikTok are competing for ad dollars. Is it time to update how we measure video ad effectiveness? The true measure of a video’s effectiveness must go beyond the view. You may be missing out on […]
Loyalty In a Data Privacy-Centric World
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (January 11, 2023)
In the era of future-proof marketing, first-party data helps brands maintain direct relations with their customers and drive cross-selling and upselling. Last week, the Irish Data Protection Commission ordered Facebook’s parent company Meta to pay two fines totalling €390 million for being in breach of the EU’s overarching privacy law. The ruling is significant as […]
Steven Van Belleghem Shares CX Trends For 2023 
By Steven Van Belleghem (January 09, 2023)
These are difficult times for consumers, companies and their employees. The post-pandemic and politically unstable world of recession has an impact on many. It is no wonder we see quite a few companies making hard decisions and looking into cost-cutting. That’s only normal in the current context. But the budget cuts resulting in a decreased […]
The Marketers 2023 To-Do List
By Sophia Bennett (January 06, 2023)
These are difficult times for consumers, companies and their employees. The post-pandemic and politically unstable world of recession has an impact on many. It is no wonder we see quite a few companies making hard decisions and looking into cost-cutting. That’s only normal in the current context. But the budget cuts resulting in a decreased […]
Tomato Galaxy Launches On Meta Horizon Worlds
By Sophia Bennett (January 03, 2023)
One of the first multi-brand interactive virtual reality (VR) worlds, Tomato Galaxy, officially launched on Meta Horizon Worlds. The project is led by Tomato US, a subsidiary of BlueFocus Intelligent Communications Group Co. Ltd, with the world itself created by designers at Vidyuu. Meta Horizon Worlds is a social VR platform where users can explore […]
Seasalt Partners With Twilio On SeaX Contact Centre Bundle
By Sophia Bennett (January 02, 2023)
SeaX includes Twilio Flex plugins that address common contact centre requirements while keeping the flexibility of customisation. Seasalt.ai, an advanced cloud communication artificial intelligence provider specialising in customisable speech solutions for contact centres, has partnered with Twilio, a customer engagement platform provider, to launch SeaX, a quick deployment bundle built on the Twilio Flex platform. […]
22 Big Product Announcements Of 2022
By Aarti Chawla (December 27, 2022)
The big product news from 2022 is reflective of how the Martech landscape is changing. Martechvibe tracks the tech trends shaping the industry. The year 2022 is almost at an end. Looking back at how the solutions market has evolved gives us a clear understanding of where the demand lies and which technologies are gaining […]
CPA In 2023: What Trends Will Define The Partnership Industry
By Zeid Nasser (December 26, 2022)
During 2022, partner (affiliate) marketing continued to grow in the MENA region, driven by the fast-paced increase of the ecommerce market and the emergence of innovative publishing channels. Brands are no longer content with the simple benefits of the CPA model. Recent regulatory changes and new challenges for the global economy are forcing them to […]
Uberall Adds Messages to CoreX Platform
By Sophia Bennett (December 01, 2022)
Uberall, a provider of hybrid customer experience (CX) solutions, has enhanced its Uberall CoreX platform with Messages, a complete messaging solution that helps multilocation businesses shorten their customers’ paths to purchase via live agents and AI chatbots. “While many companies understand the importance of customer convenience, they often consider it a daunting proposition to give […]
Chatbot Markets Poised For Exponential Growth
By Sophia Bennett (November 29, 2022)
Stand-alone chatbots have an appealing graphical interface, easy use, and a simple installation process, reveals the report. Research firm Acute Market Reports expects the global chatbot market to undergo “exponential growth” through 2030, spurred by the growing popularity of interactive online channels, the need to improve customer relationships, and research dedicated toward integrating them with […]
Bloomreach Announced New Snapchat Ad Integration       
By Sophia Bennett (November 28, 2022)
Bloomreach, the Commerce Experience Cloud, announced businesses can now integrate Snapchat ads with Bloomreach Engagement. The integration will allow marketers to drive more efficient ad spending by using customer data and key segments from Bloomreach Engagement to reach the right shoppers with each ad, ultimately lowering customer acquisition costs. A platform with 319 million daily […]
Sprinklr Partners with Salesforce
By Sophia Bennett (November 14, 2022)
Sprinklr has expanded its partnership with Salesforce, becoming an official Technology Partner and supporting Salesforce’s efforts to meet client demand for an enterprise software platform that helps them bring customer experience data from across digital channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more) together with CRM data in one place. Together, Sprinklr and Salesforce will enable […]
Does Fragmentation Impact Your Omnichannel CX?
By Sophia Bennett (November 08, 2022)
Martechvibe spoke to CX experts in the Middle East about how to overcome the challenges brands face while delivering omnichannel customer experience.  Omnichannel platforms are becoming indispensable for brands to streamline customer interactions across multiple channels.  Marketers believe it is a worthy task to delight customers across diverse touchpoints—both online and offline. Ensuring consistency in […]
We Have A Presence In Every Dubai Food Delivery App
By Aishwarya Rasane (November 04, 2022)
Leo Dovbenko, CEO and Co-Founder at Yalla!Market shares the critical elements of CX and how Yalla!Market is achieving doorstep delivery of products all across UAE in 15 minutes flat. Leo Dovbenko has 15 years of experience in food tech, retail and HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, café) He has led 15 successful projects alongside three successful start-ups […]
Online Reputation Management Systems and Why You Need Them
By Kumar Gandharv (November 01, 2022)
Distorted content or unattended genuine customer feedback holds the potential to destroy a hard-earned reputation. The long journey to a better business starts with ORM. A whopping 89 per cent of consumers say they would be ‘fairly’ or ‘highly’ likely to use a business that responds to all reviews – be it positive or negative, […]
Martech Spotlight: KFC
By Kumar Gandharv (October 28, 2022)
Global restaurant chain brand KFC is rolling out automated kitchens, deploying analytics and digitising customer experience to spice up its future growth perspective. KFC, the acronym for Kentucky Fried Chicken, is the de facto chicken fast-food restaurant chain worldwide. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, the journey of KFC goes from a backroom in the fuel station […]
Travellers Are 2.45x More Likely To Click On Personalised Push Notifications
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (October 26, 2022)
MoEngage report covers customer preferences in MEA, and how often they receive relevant information from brands. Spoiler alert – it’s very low.  As dependency on third-party data draws to a sudden halt, first-party data has become significant in increasing the likelihood of a purchase and driving customer lifetime value (LTV), revealed a customer engagement benchmark […]
Claravine Integrates with Google Ads, Snapchat, Pinterest
By Sophia Bennett (October 18, 2022)
It will ensure uniformity and adherence to the taxonomy and rules our clients have put in place. Claravine has integrated its data standards cloud data integrity platform with Google Ads, Snapchat Ads, and Pinterest Ads Manager. It will help Claravine users improve naming compliance, metadata capture, and enrichment while maintaining connection points between key datasets […]
Tackling The Big Mistakes Marketers Make 
By Yolande DMello (October 17, 2022)
Are vanity metrics throwing off your content marketing plan? Global martech leader Neil Patel takes on the big mistakes that marketers make with martech investments, choosing the right influencers, using real-time data and more… Neil Patel needs little introduction in the marketing community. He is a New York Times Bestselling author for his 2016 release […]
5 Things We Learned at Meta Connect 2022
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (October 13, 2022)
Meta launched the much anticipated Meta Quest Pro, a high-end VR headset, at its annual Meta Connect 2022. With this new headset, avatars will finally get legs. With closer-to-reality addition, avatars who were just torsos earlier will now look like real people. At last year’s Meta connect, Facebook announced that it would be known as […]
Many Channels – One Experience
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (September 27, 2022)
In an exclusive interview with Martechvibe, Dr Chris Humphris, Head of Digital First Engagement (EMEA) at Verint, shared how automation enables consumers to self-serve lower-level inquiries while freeing up agents to address more complex issues. This could create capacity in contact centres to improve overall customer sales and consumer service experience. Tell us about your […]
PayTabs Launches Social Commerce In Gulf
By Sophia Bennett (September 20, 2022)
Paymes will serve as PayTab’s social commerce platform across the MENA region. Micro merchants and freelancers across UAE & KSA can set up free web stores and receive social media payments with Paymes. PayTabs announced that millions of freelancers, artisans, consultants, home-based business owners, personal trainers and micro vendors across the United Arab Emirates and […]
The Algorithms Behind Social Media’s Stickiness 
By Kumar Gandharv (September 20, 2022)
Machine learning algorithms form the backbone of social media platforms. Keeping users hooked and presenting a curated slice for brands to leverage effectively. But how do they work?
Martech Radar: Influencer Marketing Platforms
By Aarti Chawla (September 16, 2022)
Did you know that 93 per cent of consumers turn to social media platforms to get questions answered and get the most out of a product or service? If you haven’t thought of expanding your marketing strategy with influencers, keep reading to find out about influencer marketing platforms. With audiences migrating to over-the-top (OTT) platforms, […]
How The Metaverse is Shifting the Content Conversation
By Sophia Bennett (September 14, 2022)
Overheard at VMF: The Metaverse promises next-level experiences driven by the three Cs; co-presence, continuity and co-creation. Priya Patel-Chomel, Head of Product Marketing, Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Meta, decodes how brands can put the first foot forward Vibe Martech Fest, the Middle East’s largest marketing and technology leaders summit, concluded last week with […]
Loading Your Metaverse Tool-Belt 
By Aarti Chawla (September 13, 2022)
There is a big opportunity for consumer-facing companies in the metaverse. There are numerous business applications for virtual reality, from training future surgeons to showing products to retail employees. Consumers are likely to use the metaverse more than ever before to communicate, transact, and connect. Are you ready for this generation of the internet? The […]
Emplifi Social Commerce Cloud Integrates With Oracle Commerce
By Sophia Bennett (September 01, 2022)
With the integration between Emplifi and Oracle Commerce platforms, companies can access product collections, and catalogues configured in Oracle Commerce, then synchronise and sell across social media storefronts. Emplifi, a customer experience platform provider and member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), has integrated its Social Commerce Cloud with Oracle Commerce and made it available on the […]
Meta, Jio Launch In-App Shopping Product On WhatsApp
By Sophia Bennett (September 01, 2022)
Shoppers can add items to their cart, and make a payment to complete the purchase without leaving the WhatsApp chat. WhatsApp, the messaging service owned by Meta Platforms, launched the online shopping service, JioMart on WhatsApp. It will enable people in India, including those who have never shopped online, to browse through JioMart’s entire grocery […]
39% Say Gathering Real-Time Analytics Is A Challenge: Report 
By Sophia Bennett (August 12, 2022)
The report indicates the importance of actionable insights into customer behaviour to build an impactful engagement strategy and provide a delightful customer experience. MoEngage, the insights-led customer engagement platform, released the findings of The State of ILE Report 2022 | Middle East Edition. The report indicates the importance of actionable insights into customer behaviour to […]
Consumers Value Security More Than Price
By Sophia Bennett (August 10, 2022)
Most consumers (79 per cent) said they would switch stores or online shopping sites and apps based on the payment methods offered, with most consumers indicating a strong preference for digital payments over cash. Unlike the traditional understanding that all consumers care about is price, the 2022 Stay Secure survey, jointly conducted by the Department […]
Martech Spotlight: Careem 
By Shivam Pandey (August 10, 2022)
The makings of a multi-service platform begin with a sound vision, a willingness to leverage automation to do the heavy lifting and using data as a compass to pivot The pandemic tested most enterprises. For the team at Careem, it was an opportunity to realise its vision since Careem was never a pure mobility service. […]
No Live Shopping On Facebook from October 1
By Sophia Bennett (August 06, 2022)
This announcement came a few days after, Meta reported a revenue drop for the first time in the platform’s history and cautioned that it would further decline in the year’s second half. Starting from October 1, there will be no Live Shopping streams on Facebook. The social media giant is wrapping up this option less […]
Why is Google Delaying the Cookie Deadline?
By Kaumudi Kashikar Gurjar (August 01, 2022)
Experts are in no mood to decelerate their efforts to be ready for the cookieless era. The marketing community is preparing to use data to make decisions in the more private world. Google has further delayed the deadline to phase out third-party cookies till 2024. Earlier, the company had announced its plans to get rid […]
July Round-Up: All The Tech News You Need To Know
By Khushbu Raval (July 30, 2022)
Here is our monthly round-up of carefully selected news stories so you don’t miss out. From cloud and digital payment solutions to cybersecurity tools, from Meta’s digital payment tool to Google’s google earth, July has been a month of technological growth across industries, especially in the ecommerce and banking industries. We’ve been keeping track of […]
It’s The Time To Build The Meta Muscle
By Sophia Bennett (July 29, 2022)
“As an enterprise, you don’t want to be behind in understanding the new world. Don’t end up in that space ten years later when the metaverse comes to life,” shares Elizma Nolte, Regional Manager for Sub Saharan Africa and Meta at Vibe Martech Fest’s South Africa edition “It is a journey, and we can get […]
Martech Radar: Top CRM Tools
By Aarti Chawla (July 15, 2022)
Do you need a CRM tool that is easy to use? We compiled a list of top CRM tools in this week’s Martech Radar. With many CRM tools available in the market, understanding which one to choose can be tricky. Here is your guide to find out what each CRM tool can offer. This post […]
Meta Announces New Virtual Reality Login System
By Sophia Bennett (July 12, 2022)
Meta Platforms is modifying how users log onto its virtual reality headsets, backtracking on an earlier change to require accounts from the company’s flagship Facebook app on the devices while preserving links to social connections there. The company will roll out its new “Meta accounts” starting in August, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a […]
Martech Radar: Top SEO Tools
By Aarti Chawla (July 08, 2022)
You want to rank number one on Google, but you don’t have the budget to hire an SEO specialist to help you with that. What are you going to do? A common dilemma for any business is hiring an expensive SEO specialist or spending thousands on learning the skill yourself. There is no other choice. […]
Martech Spotlight: Lego
By Sophia Bennett (July 06, 2022)
The iconic toy company is a serious business. Innovations and a customer-centric focus helped it become a superbrand.
DirectIQ Launches Email Marketing Software
By Sophia Bennett (July 04, 2022)
DirectIQ, a technology company, has recently launched an email marketing software that enables businesses to launch effective email campaigns by automating the process and integrating the platform with numerous popular websites. The software offers multiple beneficial features including a dashboard with a clear and user-friendly interface that shows detailed information of relevant metrics. Email marketing […]
TryMyUI Acquires Web Analytics Tool Stitchology.ai 
By Sophia Bennett (July 03, 2022)
TryMyUI, a user experience testing provider, announced that it has acquired Stitchology.ai, a session replay and comprehensive web analytics tool. This new acquisition will allow TryMyUI to create the first-ever product for maximising product-led growth. Together, the companies will provide an end-to-end digital experience solution to help businesses drive online revenue. With the integration of […]
82% of Gen Z Consumers Use Social Media To Find New Brands
By Sophia Bennett (July 02, 2022)
Smartly.io, the social advertising automation platform for creative and performance marketers, recently conducted two surveys to understand the role social media plays in how consumers connect and engage with brands and how the Gen Z mindset differs from the generations before it when it comes to interacting with social ads. The data collected provides brands […]
Meta Launches Meta Pay
By Sophia Bennett (July 01, 2022)
Meta has launched Meta Pay, a dedicated digital wallet for use within the metaverse. The new wallet is essentially a rebrand from the company’s former Facebook Pay service and will keep fulfilling the same functions that its predecessor did in the past. This time however it will also be a universal way of paying for […]
Martech Radar: Top Self-Service Tools 
By Aarti Chawla (June 24, 2022)
Providing self-service to customers empowers them to resolve problems for themselves. Customers don’t always want to get in touch with support. Many prefer to find the answer on their own and move on. To provide excellent customer service, self-service is an important component of your support as long as you back it up with human […]
Martech Radar: Top AdTech Tools
By Aarti Chawla (June 17, 2022)
As your business expands, you'll need to update your business procedures and strategies to keep up with the changes to maximise efficiency. For instance, when analysing its advertising technology (AdTech) strategy, the company should be strategic about each new move it makes -- how the tools will help them to automate tasks to make ads more effective and cost-efficient, give actionable customer insights that can increase conversions, and improve ROI and ROAS.
Video Advertising Workflow Provider Peach Acquires Cape
By Sophia Bennett (June 15, 2022)
Peach, a video advertising workflow and delivery provider, has acquired Cape, providers of a cloud-based creative and campaign automation platform for digital and social. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cape’s software for the creative workflow includes creative versioning for display, social, video, and digital out of home; approval flows; user collaboration; data […]
Digital Assistant Tool DXwand Raises $1 Million
By Sophia Bennett (June 13, 2022)
The omnichannel conversational AI and digital assistants tool, DXwand, has announced the closing of its pre-Series A investment round of $1 million. The round was led by Huashan Capital, with commitments from angel investors Mr Mohsen Abulleil and Mr Ahmed Bakeer. US-based VC firm SOSV, the earliest investor in DXwand’s seed round, has also supported […]
Brand-Stamping Through AR filters 
By Yash Raaj (June 08, 2022)
AR filters enable every brand to be a media company. But marketers are using it as a tool to get customers hooked to interactive content Augmented reality came into the marketing big picture in 2019 when Facebook and Instagram launched Spark AR, enabling brands to create their AR filters for free. These filters could be […]
FanIQ Launches Landing Page Creation And Optimisation Product
By Sophia Bennett (June 07, 2022)
FanIQ, the direct-to-consumer ticket selling platform for teams, venues, and festivals, has announced the launch of FanIQ LP, a landing page creation and optimisation tool. Built specifically for mobile-first advertising, FanIQ LP tracks campaign performance on Snap, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google Display Network, and Twitter. FanIQ sells through all major primary ticketing platforms including […]
Why Brands Should Care About Creator Monetisation
By Yolande DMello (June 03, 2022)
Twitter is talking about Super Followers, and TikTok is offering subscriptions for live streams. How does the members-only element affect marketers? Twitter has always been proud of the sub-cultures it manages to connect. The brand is now rolling out a new subscriber-only element for creators to offer more to their Super Followers by adding a […]
Data Privacy In Metaverse Is An Evolving Concern
By Victor Dey (June 02, 2022)
Amidst the emergence of the metaverse, which is proving to be a revolution, several hazards to data privacy are emerging
Meta Adds Range Of Data Protection Measures
By Sophia Bennett (May 30, 2022)
Meta, formerly Facebook, has ‘rewritten and redesigned’ its privacy policy to make it ‘easier to understand’ and also to ‘make it clearer’ to users how it used or shared their information. The updated Meta Privacy Policy will kick in from July 26, and covers Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other Meta products. It won’t cover WhatsApp, […]
Brands Struggle to Keep Up During Ramadan
By Sophia Bennett (May 27, 2022)
Consumer behavioural shifts during Ramadan see social media service expectations surge. During the holy month of Ramadan, it’s not uncommon for businesses to extend their opening hours or run special offers. But how well are top brands accommodating to their consumers’ behavioural shifts on social media? DataEQ conducted a cross-industry social media trends study on […]
Vericast Expands Advanced Influencer Marketing Solution
By Sophia Bennett (May 26, 2022)
Vericast announced the expansion of its best-in-class influencer and paid social marketing solution to include TikTok. Following a year of nearly 40 per cent growth and success among clients in the consumer packaged goods vertical, the solution is available now to Vericast’s retail and restaurant clients. The announcement is another example of the company’s broader […]
What Is Universal Speech Translator By Meta?
By Khushbu Raval (May 18, 2022)
Meta has announced the ambitious new AI-research project to create translation software as part of its metaverse goals. “The ability to communicate with anyone in any language is the superpower people have dreamed of forever, and AI will deliver that within our lifetimes,” said Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. Although existing translation technologies cater to […]
Zendesk Launches Conversational CRM, Employee Experience Solutions 
By Sophia Bennett (May 12, 2022)
Zendesk unveiled solutions that put conversations at the centre of CRM and an employee experience offering to help companies transform internal operations for hybrid work experiences. “The last few years have made it obvious that digital is the front door, convenience is paramount and relationships are anchored in conversations,” said Mikkel Svane, CEO and founder […]
RD&X Network Rolls Out Marketing And Advertising AI Automation Platform
By Sophia Bennett (May 12, 2022)
RD&X Network launches ReBid, a unified marketing and advertising AI automation platform uses proprietary AI based algorithms that leverages MadTech (MarTech + AdTech) to simplify digital marketing.  ReBid has unified workflows, data harmonisation and real-time automated reporting. This translates into an immediate saving of 40 per cent on resources and leads to incremental Returns on […]
Are Micro-Moments Still A Gamechanger For Brands?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (May 11, 2022)
Understanding what customers want and delivering it to them seamlessly is the perfect recipe for growth Technology can go all sorts of places, but design and focus on the end-user, gives it a greater purpose. Connecting with digital consumers in a micro-moment and how best to reach them can’t be emphasised enough, as brands have […]
Lightspeed Launches Innovative Omnichannel Retail Platform
By Sophia Bennett (May 06, 2022)
Lightspeed Commerce Inc, the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale and create exceptional customer experiences, announced the launch of Lightspeed Retail. Lightspeed Retail is a new retail commerce platform that unites advanced POS, payments, and eCommerce into one cohesive and powerful solution. Leveraging the power of headless commerce, powerful integrations, […]
Meta Announces New Business Messaging Tools
By Sophia Bennett (May 05, 2022)
Meta has announced some new options to help brands utilise its messaging tools, including improved ad creation on WhatsApp, the merging of WhatApp messages into the Meta Business Suite inbox and quote requests on Instagram. Improving the WhatsApp ad creation flow, businesses will soon be able to create and launch their campaigns in the WhatsApp […]
Syniverse Collaborates With ConnectionsGT
By Sophia Bennett (May 04, 2022)
Syniverse is collaborating with ConnectionsGT to integrate the Syniverse CPaaS Concierge software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering into ConnectionsGT’s Communications Platform for use by retail, healthcare, and hospitality companies. ConnectionsGT incorporated Syniverse’s CPaaS Concierge due to the WhatsApp Business Platform, built explicitly for medium-to-large businesses to send messages at scale using automation, personalisation, and interactive options. The collaboration […]
Integrate Launches Precision Social And Cross-Channel Insights
By Sophia Bennett (May 04, 2022)
Integrate launched Precision Social and cross-channel Insights in its Demand Acceleration Platform. Precision Social helps users activate target account lists in social, rounding out Integrate’s cross-channel activation offerings, which also include Precision Syndication, Precision Digital, and Precision Events. Data from these solutions are funnelled into a new cross-channel Insights experience in Integrate’s Demand Acceleration Platform, […]
Sustainable, or Just a Shenanigan?
By Yolande DMello (May 04, 2022)
On the occasion of Earth Day, which went by on April 22, travel agency Trip.com and Etihad Airways launched a month-long campaign that invited users to Travel with a smaller footprint. Users who were booking were given the choice to select flights that came with the “carbon-offset free” tag. What does that mean? According to […]
Tradeswell Launches Its First Public App On The Shopify App Store
By Sophia Bennett (May 03, 2022)
Tradeswell, the eCommerce operating system technology that DTC and multichannel brands use for automated insights into their retail, marketing, inventory and finance data, has launched a new app in the Shopify App Store. The app is designed to make onboarding and integration into the platform seamless for both existing clients who are expanding to Shopify […]
Yellow.ai Launches Dynamic Agents
By Sophia Bennett (April 29, 2022)
Yellow.ai, an experience automation platform provider, has augmented its marketplace with pre-built, low-code Dynamic AI agents. Yellow.ai’s Marketplace enables companies to deploy AI Agents in just a few clicks. Prebuilt Industry Templates support use-cases across key industries, while Prebuilt Channel Integrators support more than 35 channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Wechat, Slack, Twitter, Microsoft Teams, […]
Qualtrics Launches Digital Customer Service, Social Listening Solution
By Sophia Bennett (April 28, 2022)
Qualtrics launched Qualtrics Social Connect, a digital customer service and social listening solution that enables contact centre, marketing, and customer experience teams to capture, analyse, and respond to customer service requests through chat, email, and social media. Qualtrics Social Connect provides a single unified inbox, automated chat responses, and deep insight into the social trends […]
Freshworks Launches CRM For eCommerce
By Sophia Bennett (April 27, 2022)
Freshworks launched Freshworks CRM for eCommerce, creating a unified customer record across conversational marketing, sales, and customer support. The new Freshworks CRM solution empowers companies to engage buyers directly through modern messaging channels,including WhatsApp and text messaging.  It natively integrates with eCommerce platforms and packages marketing automation, multichannel campaigns (email, chat, WhatsApp, and SMS), and […]
eCommerce Acceleration Provider Edgemesh Launches Ad Protect
By Sophia Bennett (April 27, 2022)
Edgemesh, an eCommerce acceleration platform provider, launched Ad Protect, a major feature upgrade to its Edgemesh Server that identifies and protects companies against ad fraud and click fraud at the infrastructure level. Edgemesh combines real-time bot detection and IP reputation with machine learning to detect fraudulent clicks and then tag these visitors for real-time exclusion […]
Mutiny Raises Fund To Help Turn Wasted Marketing Spend Into Revenue
By Sophia Bennett (April 21, 2022)
Mutiny announced a $50 million Series B funding round co-led by Tiger Global and Insight Partners with participation from prior investors Sequoia Capital, Cowboy Ventures, and Uncork Capital. The round also includes current and former CMOs from world-class companies like Uber, Visa, Salesforce, Square, Figma, Condé Nast, Carta, Snowflake, and Atlassian, who see in Mutiny […]
You GAN Do Whatever You Want
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (April 14, 2022)
From content creation to fraud detection and identifying errors in lab results, practical applications of GAN AI are many. And businesses aren’t shying away from exploring the technology In 2018, when Portrait of Edmond Belamy sold for an incredible $432,500, created by an algorithm fed with a data set of 15,000 portraits painted between the […]
Emerging Turkish AdTech Startups 
By Aarti Chawla (April 06, 2022)
Turkish advertising market offers many opportunities and is experiencing significant growth. The Adtech industry has been impacted by privacy concerns, as seen by Google’s decision to stop supporting third-party cookies in Chrome, as well as Apple’s privacy enhancements in iOS 14. Internet advertising is changing rapidly as a result of these developments. Organisations are becoming […]
Look At Any Kind Of Disruption As An Opportunity
By Aarti Chawla (April 06, 2022)
Senior Lecturer of Marketing Jonathan R. Copulsky digs deeper into challenges, crises and disruptions faced by marketers “One of the challenges that marketers have faced over the last two years and will continue to face is the set of crises, disruptions and how to pivot quickly to cut losses,” says Jonathan R. Copulsky, Senior Lecturer […]
Meta Celebrate Ramadan With Immersive Campaign For Muslim Creators
By Sophia Bennett (April 06, 2022)
#RAMADAN22 Meta launches #MonthofGood campaign with new immersive experiences across its technologies. Throughout #MonthofGood, Meta will be sharing the stories of Muslim communities making positive impact, providing Muslim creators with an entry point into immersive technology and offering ways for people to express themselves across our apps. Muslim creators and communities are increasingly using our […]
Over 70% Ramadan Shoppers Will Make Shopping Discoveries: Meta Report
By Sophia Bennett (April 02, 2022)
#RAMADAN22 Consumers in the UAE are increasingly open to trying out new products and services from abroad during Ramadan From rustling up meals using recipes on YouTube to listening to prayers via Zoom, Ramadan in 2021 was celebrated under exceptional circumstances, with technology and restricted Iftar get-togethers. It’s going to be different this year, as […]
CM.com Partners With WebEngage To Leverage Conversational Commerce
By Sophia Bennett (March 31, 2022)
CM.com, a cloud software for conversational commerce provider, announced that it has partnered with WebEngage, a full-stack Retention Operating System, for consumer businesses. This partnership combines WebEngage’s domain expertise in retention and CM.com’s software suite for conversational commerce that empowers marketing, sales and customer service across industries. WebEngage customers can now use CM.com’s communication solutions […]
March Round-Up: All The Tech News You Need To Know
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (March 31, 2022)
Acquisitions, EU tech regulation and Nvidia data breach are highlights of the month Show me a big tech player who says it doesn’t get excited by acquisition, and I’ll show you a liar. After all, who wouldn’t want a company that could double in value in a year or propel them to become some of […]
Vibe Martech Fest To Kick off South Africa Edition in July
By Sophia Bennett (March 30, 2022)
Vibe Martech Fest’s (VMF) second South Africa edition will take place on July 27 and 28, 2022.  The two day virtual conference will present experts in the field to talk through a practical approach to multi-touch attribution, securing first-party data, using low-code platforms to accelerate digital transformation, integrating MarTech with legacy systems and look ahead […]
Smartly.io Enhances Its Advertising Automation Capabilities
By Sophia Bennett (March 30, 2022)
Smartly.io, a social advertising automation platform provider, has enhanced its advertising automation capabilities with the release of Budget Pacing Visualiser, Dynamic Local Inventory Ads, and Cross-Campaign Budget Optimisation. “By unifying media, creative, and data in one platform, we allow retailers to hit shoppers with the right message at the right time, all while providing them […]
Get SaaS-sy With Self-Service
By Sophia Bennett (March 30, 2022)
Why is self-service support important for SaaS? Read on to find out. What’s not to like about self-service SaaS, it’s less intrusive, and users can explore and solve their problems at their own pace. Making the case stronger for SaaS providers are the various surveys – users want to be in control, and 40 per […]
Zoomd Acquires AI Marketing Platform Albert Technologies
By Sophia Bennett (March 29, 2022)
Zoomd Technologies Ltd. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Zoomd Ltd, the MarTech user-acquisition and engagement platform, announced its acquisition of Albert Technologies Ltd. Albert is an artificial intelligence marketing platform for advertisers, driving fully autonomous digital campaigns for some of the world’s leading brands. Albert processes and analyses audience and tactical data at scale, thereby autonomously […]
Explained: Incrementality
By Yolande DMello (March 28, 2022)
TLDR: Attribution is simply the math that goes into distributing credit for conversions across the various marketing channels. The incrementality approach begs the question—how many of those conversions would we have gotten organically?   Earlier in March, London-based Machine Advertising announced their always-on incremental measurement solution, a plug-and-play AI platform. It is specially targeted towards […]
Dialpad Adds Digital Channels, Virtual Agents To Its AI Contact Centre
By Sophia Bennett (March 23, 2022)
Dialpad, a provider of solutions for business communication and collaboration, has strengthened its AI Contact Centre with new digital channels and virtual agent support. “Dialpad is delivering game-changing AI across every mode of employee and customer communications at an unprecedented pace with smart virtual agents and intelligent omnichannel that work out of the box. This […]
Can Deep Learning Shape The Future Of Digital Advertising?
By Khushbu Raval (March 22, 2022)
By mixing fundamental marketing concepts from previous generations with state-of-the-art AI technology, today’s ad agencies and brands can harness machine learning to stay relevant. Marketers have a bit more time to prepare for the post-cookie future now that Google has delayed the end of third-party cookies until 2023. Even said, the sooner marketers start implementing […]
Forethought Integrates With Zendesk For Improved CX Across Channels
By Sophia Bennett (March 16, 2022)
Forethought has integrated its Solve conversational artificial intelligence agent, with Zendesk’s Sunshine Conversations to help support teams deliver customer experiences across any channel. With this integration, companies can now connect their messaging channels, including SMS, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Twitter, to Sunshine Conversations and leverage Forethought’s AI capabilities to provide automated support through preferred channels. […]
Zefr Appoints New Senior Vice President EMEA 
By Sophia Bennett (March 15, 2022)
Zefr, the brand suitability in walled garden environments provider, has announced the appointment of Emma Lacey as Senior Vice President EMEA. Lacey brings over 15 years of experience in building successful commercial teams across the advertising industry. In her most recent role, Emma was part of the EMEA leadership team at OpenX, working as senior […]
SMS: A Goldmine for Retail Sector
By Raviteja Dodda (March 09, 2022)
Post adoption of SMS marketing, retailers have realised an uptick in sales, have enhanced their brands’ awareness and built loyal customers… World over, marketers have found a reliable way of reaching out to their customers. With an open and read rate of 98 per cent, SMSes is the most reliable way to send promotion or […]
Key Takeaways From Mobile World Congress 2022
By Sophia Bennett (March 07, 2022)
There was plenty of technological innovation on display, spanning the metaverse and Wi-Fi 7 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which made a big comeback. Last week, thousands gathered at the event in Barcelona to hear the latest advancements in 5G and mobile technologies. Here are some highlights from the event that concluded last Friday.  […]
Small Tech Tools Have a Greater Impact
By Chandni U (March 07, 2022)
Growth Marketer Nicholas Scalice discusses tools and strategies to help marketers increase customer retention rate, provide personalisation and more “Get on TikTok if you can. I know it’s not available in all countries, but if you have it, this is where all of the engagement seems to be headed. Look for trends, post content, follow […]
Social Network MyPlace Raises Funds For Global Expansion, Awareness
By Sophia Bennett (March 06, 2022)
MyPlace, the social network that helps friends share their homes, announced it has secured $5.8 million in seed funding. Freestyle led the round, joined by Haystack, Oceans, and OnDeck, as well as notable angel investors from Tesla, Facebook, and PayPal. This new funding will enable the platform to launch its iOS app as well as […]
WeVideo Adds Meta Business Integrations To Empower Marketers
By Sophia Bennett (March 04, 2022)
WeVideo has integrated its video creation platform with Meta Business Suite for Facebook and Instagram, empowering marketers to create and publish social media video content to both platforms with greater speed and efficiency. “As businesses strive to connect with consumers, video is a critical component for companies to engage with key audiences and convert target […]
Go Figure: Saudi Arabia in Numbers
By Sophia Bennett (March 03, 2022)
Here we deduce the kingdom in numbers to capture its advancement in digital space and investment in technology
Zyda Adds Food Ordering Feature on Social Media For Better CX
By Sophia Bennett (March 02, 2022)
Zyda, an online ordering platform that enables restaurants and food and beverage businesses to build their own online ordering platforms directly without incurring commission charges, announced the launch of the “Order Food” feature on social media. This new feature contributes to providing a smoother direct ordering experience, as by simply clicking on “Order Food”, customers […]
Ownit Launches Connected Checkout Links To Drive Sales Conversion
By Sophia Bennett (March 01, 2022)
Ownit announced it has launched its core product, Ownit Connected Checkout links, to help brands drive sales conversion. This checkout experience allows brands to easily sell products with one tap at the point of discovery. Whether from a social media post, email, text message, or an online ad, when a shopper clicks an Ownit Connected […]
How Metaverse Is Changing The World of In-Game Advertising
By Victor Dey (February 24, 2022)
VR ads in metaverses can be a great way of raising revenues, and many ad giants have already sensed it
Facebook Expands Reels Worldwide With More Ads, Editing Features
By Sophia Bennett (February 23, 2022)
Facebook is launching Reels for iOS and Android users in more than 150 countries for creators around the world to grow their communities. To help creators earn money from Reels, Facebook is expanding tests of overlay ads, starting with banner and sticker ads. “We’re creating a variety of opportunities for creators to earn money for […]
Clinch Launches SaaS Platform To Empower Advertisers
By Sophia Bennett (February 23, 2022)
Clinch, the “Personalisation Everywhere” company that leads the industry in AI-driven omnichannel personalisation (DCO) and dynamic ad-serving, announced the launch of Flight Control, the very first powerful SaaS platform built to eliminate complexity in campaign workflows and make agencies and internal brand media organisations more efficient and profitable. Already integrated with the audience, data, and […]
Does The Adtech Ecosystem Need A Rehaul?
By Yolande DMello (February 21, 2022)
The Trade Desk’s latest move to pull out of Google’s Open Bidding and pitch a new product that aims to level the playing field could build stronger relationships between advertisers and publishers. The global ad market is predominantly managed by three companies, namely: Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Amazon. According to WARC’s analysis […]
Mozilla, Meta Partner For Conversion Measurement Solution
By Sophia Bennett (February 16, 2022)
Mozilla and Meta have collaborated on a conversion measurement solution that would allow advertisers to track campaign performance across devices and browsers without collecting data on individual users. Called Interoperable Private Attribution (IPA), it has been designed as a solution that would work within the boundaries of browser-based and mobile privacy restrictions. The phasing out […]
Facebook, Instagram Marketplaces Rife With Fake Luxury Goods: Report
By Sophia Bennett (February 11, 2022)
Meta is trying to stop fake luxury goods from circulating on its platforms, including big names from Gucci to Chanel, according to a Reuters report. The platforms have become concentrated areas for counterfeit offenders. The brands’ work on policing services like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has been like “whack-a-mole.” Research has said that counterfeiters have […]
Are You Ready To Level Up Your NFT Game? 
By Aarti Chawla (February 11, 2022)
From McDonald’s and Ray-Ban to Adidas and Prada, we spotlight the most exciting forms brands used non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in their marketing mix Over the past few years, blockchain adoption has grown exponentially in businesses, including sports. After NBA partnered with Canadian-based Dapper Labs, makers of the CryptoKitties game, to make its version of a collectible […]
Look Who’s Talking
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (February 07, 2022)
Voice technology is advancing by leaps and bound – innovation in the space, including multilingual voice applications, is bringing a level of ease in interactions Nowadays, everything has a voice — your phone, car, and even the coffee machine. People use voice technology to shop, send messages, and look for information. And so credible voice […]
Marketing in the Age of Multi-screening
By Sophia Bennett (February 05, 2022)
Global digital studio TheSoul Publishing has released the results of its study on consumer content trends to understand how viewing and content consumption habits have changed over 2021. While it’s no surprise that the social landscape is constantly unearthing new digital trends, a survey demonstrates that reality and the virtual landscape have intertwined. With the […]
Tinuiti Launches New Omnichannel Performance Influencer Practice
By Sophia Bennett (February 03, 2022)
Tinuiti, the independent performance marketing firm across Streaming TV and the Triopoly of Google, Facebook, Amazon, announced the official launch of its full-service omnichannel Performance Influencer Practice, a full-funnel solution that delivers meaningful and measurable ROI for brands, specifically by leveraging Influencer Marketing. The unique breadth of in-house tools allows for better strategy and tactical […]
Adlucent Introduces Index For Ad Platform Automation
By Sophia Bennett (February 03, 2022)
Adlucent, a performance marketing agency, has introduced Adlucent Index to help digital advertisers gain control over ad platform automation. Adlucent Index works directly with Google Smart Bidding to give advertisers control over how conversions are valued and measured and how paid search and shopping ad campaigns are optimised. It ingests each advertiser’s first-party data and […]
January Round-Up: All The Tech News You Need To Know
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (January 31, 2022)
2022 is off to a flying start. From metaverse and experience cloud to Amazon’s Alexa and Cisco’s Webex going to the Moon, we’ve been keeping an eye on all the top tech news and releases, many of which might shape the trends and stories that will occupy us in the days ahead. Catch up on […]
Explained: Programmatic Advertising 
By Aarti Chawla (January 28, 2022)
TLDR: Programmatic Advertising uses artificial intelligence (AI) in real-time bidding to help automate and streamline the advertisement buying process. In short, programmatic campaigns allow you to specify a target market, budgets, and goals for the campaign.   Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, digital advertising spend has exceeded traditional media spend. Altogether, this is great news […]
How to Stay Competitive Without Losing Revenue?
By Nate Burke (January 27, 2022)
Nate Burke, CEO and founder, Diginius, shares his predictions for eCommerce trends in 2022, alongside helpful tips on how companies can adjust in an ever-changing market As we enter further into the decade, we adjust more and more to the changing landscape of the pandemic. It is not only the day-to-day lives of people where […]
Why Is Microsoft Paying $70B To A Candy Crush Maker?
By Khushbu Raval (January 20, 2022)
The proposed takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty videogames, by Microsoft would make the software giant the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, after Tencent and Sony. Microsoft plans to buy the powerful, but troubled video game company, for nearly $70 billion. It’s the biggest […]
Smartly.io Acquires Ad-Lib.io To Augment Social Advertising
By Sophia Bennett (January 09, 2022)
Smartly.io, providers of a cloud-based social advertising platform, has acquired Ad-Lib.io, a creative optimisation platform provider, extending its cross-channel reach from social to now include dynamic creative optimisation across programmatic, connected TV, and the entire Google ecosystem. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. With the acquisition, Smartly.io’s solution for social advertising will be […]
Meet the Always-on Conversationalists
By Yash Raaj (January 06, 2022)
How conversational AI bots can help create contextual engagement Do you remember chatting with Clippy – Microsoft’s rudimentary bot? He is arguably one of the most famous virtual assistants, who would pop in the corner of the screen, ready to guide you through any Microsoft software. That was in 1997. Since then, chatbots have come […]
22 Trends For 2022 
By Yolande DMello (January 03, 2022)
What’s next? Defining trends shaping the future of marketing. Rising pressure for rapid growth coupled with market changes has forced many marketing teams to accelerate their digital transformation. At the same time, budget reallocation means innovative campaigns don’t have comfortable timelines to prove their business effectiveness. Innovating on a deadline can be tricky. Moreover, the […]
Company Close Up: Sprouting Social Success
By Chandni U (January 01, 2022)
“I’m in total awe of what our people have been able to accomplish with everything going on. What I’ve seen in 2020 gives me total confidence that we’ll be OK,” said Justyn Howard, CEO and co-founder, Sprout Social. He turned out to be right, and more than OK. Like any other business offering digital solutions, […]
Facebook Shares Influencer Tips from Big Brand Wins 
By Sophia Bennett (December 31, 2021)
Why are big brands turning to micro-influencers to tell their stories? Here’s what we learned from Facebook’s guide to about what drives a good influencer strategy Influencer marketing is a good way to approach target demographics, increase audiences and strengthen loyalty among consumers. Businesses are adopting influencer marketing, with more substantial marketing budgets being allocated […]
Widewail Launches Invite Video Tool For Customer Reviews
By Sophia Bennett (December 29, 2021)
Widewail, a customer review and reputation management solutions provider, has added Invite Video to its Widewail Trust Marketing Platform. Building on the company’s SMS review generation technology, Invite Video helps marketing teams capture video testimonials from customers. “Word-of-mouth marketing has taken on a whole new shape with video playing a key role,” said Matt Murray, […]
The Rise of Creative Entrepreneurs
By Sophia Bennett (December 29, 2021)
Within a society that now seeks easy access to expertise, experiences and communities to engage with, the creator economy is built around highly motivated, creative and skilled individuals that are using digital platforms to start their own businesses, brands and communities. Of late, corporates are realising that there’s money being left on the table and […]
Can Meta’s New AI System Reduce Harmful Content on Facebook?
By Sophia Bennett (December 27, 2021)
Earlier this year, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen leaked internal company documents, and accused the social media giant of prioritising profit over safety by failing to adequately tackle the spread of misinformation and harmful content. The whistleblower also said that 87 per cent of misinformation spending is dedicated to English speakers, although only 9 per […]
CaaS Platform SimpliFi Raises Funds To Accelerate ME Expansion
By Sophia Bennett (December 21, 2021)
SimpliFi, a Cards as a Service (CaaS) platform for Mena and Pakistan, has raised $5.1 million in funding to accelerate its expansion across the region following its beta launch in August 2021. This round of funding saw participation from Global Founders Capital, Raed Ventures, 4DX Ventures and Rally Cap Ventures. Both Raed Ventures and Rally […]
Stats Perform And HEIM:SPIEL Partner For Better Fan Engagement
By Sophia Bennett (December 21, 2021)
Stats Perform, the sports tech provider and HEIM:SPIEL, a provision of content and solutions provider across the digital sports market, announced a new partnership to provide sports solutions utilising Stats Perform content. HEIM:SPIEL focuses on building and supporting customised solutions for clients across all market sectors including broadcast, media, leagues and federations. The solutions HEIM:SPIEL […]
Top News in 2021
By Chandni U (December 20, 2021)
A final glance at the top news announcements that made headlines in 2021 Customer is the king. They remained at the top of the priority list across sectors, as businesses tried to get back in the game. Marketing trends such as digitisation, automation, social selling, first party data, hybrid models, and cloud adoption made headlines. […]
Creating A Social Impact Scorecard 
By Aarti Chawla (December 16, 2021)
Consider a world in which everything you do has a beneficial impact. What if every time a coffee shop sold a cup of coffee, someone in need received life-saving water, or if every book an author sold resulted in the planting of a sapling, or if every time you used Zoom, a child in need […]
Introducing Automation Pays, a Full Service eCommerce automation Service
By Sophia Bennett (December 14, 2021)
Ex-military man Joseph Carter recently founded Automation Pays, a full-service eCommerce automation service helping people launch and maintain their stores on Amazon, Walmart and more. Automation Pays helps sellers automate and optimise on many different platforms, including Amazon, Walmart, Facebook, Target and Shopify. The company’s unique, full-service packages include eCommerce store management, customer service, returns […]
Beam Me Up, Scotty
By Chandni U (December 13, 2021)
The age of holograms in business events and customer interactions is only just beginning… Holographic displays are almost a thing of the past, at least in sci-fi movies. But haven’t you had the urge to be able to flick slides around, zoom into the tesseract and almost feel like an important scientist ready to save […]
AuxCHAT Launches AuxPay For Enhanced User Experience
By Sophia Bennett (December 12, 2021)
AuxCHAT launches a new customer experience feature called AuxPAY feature. Powered by Authvia’s text payment technology, the TXT2PAY functionality allows AuxPAY users to send payment requests directly through the conversation thread, and the customer can pay simply by texting back a secure four-digit code. “With AuxCHAT, our subscription cost is lower than our previous solution, […]
Meta Opens Virtual Reality World, Horizon Worlds 
By Sophia Bennett (December 12, 2021)
Meta announced that it is launching Horizon Worlds, its virtual reality world of avatars, to people 18 and older. Horizon Worlds launched in beta last year to select Oculus VR users, who answered invitations to join the virtual world. “Horizon Worlds is a social VR experience where you can create and explore together. Since launching […]
Facebook Adds Professional Mode For Profiles, And Other Features
By Sophia Bennett (December 10, 2021)
Facebook is facilitating more opportunities for creators in its app, with new ‘Professional Mode for Profiles’ to welcome new creators in, and updates for Creator Pages. The main added tool is the Professional Mode that provides an alternative platform for emerging creators to gauge audience insights, and connect. Professional Mode for Profiles will provide more […]
Cryptogram Turns Into MetaFocus For Immersive CX In the Metaverse
By Sophia Bennett (December 10, 2021)
Cryptogram, an Asian blockchain public relations company, has officially upgraded its brand to MetaFocus, an online platform for metaverse content that will lead in the virtual economy and break through the imagination of digital marketing. MetaFocus integrates resources in the metaverse industry chain to provide customers with one-stop communication solutions. The new brand advocates encouragement […]
Meta and TBWA/RAAD Launch #LoveLocal Campaign To Promote SMBs 
By Sophia Bennett (December 08, 2021)
Meta has teamed up for the second year with regional creative agency, TBWA/RAAD to launch #LoveLocal consumer campaign on Facebook and Instagram during the holiday season. Aiming to amplify the voice of local small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the MENA region and inspire people to rethink the significance of their individual action, #LoveLocal brings […]
Are Chatbots Taking Over The Conversation?
By Sreya Paul (December 08, 2021)
According to a Drift survey, most customers prefer chatbots over online forms. They expect chatbots to reply instantly but prefer to have a chat with a human instead of a bot. A brief look at how brands are leveraging bots Brands are leveraging chatbots to further their relationship with consumers, anywhere, any time. Businesses have […]
TikTok Goes All In On eCommerce
By Michal Fuchs (December 07, 2021)
From the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt to new in-app shopping functionality, TikTok is pushing hard into eCommerce. This focus on eCommerce isn’t surprising as the social platform experienced a 553 per cent increase in shopping in 2020, according to data compiled by Bazaarvoice. But despite the tremendous growth, there are still a lot of untapped eCommerce opportunities […]
Top 10 Martech Podcasts: Hit Play
By Chandni U (December 06, 2021)
Martechvibe looks at some martech podcasts that have been helping marketers keep up with the latest trends and technology The buzz created around podcast charts is no less than those around music charts. There are more than 48 million episodes in over 100 languages on the cloud today, making blogs look old school. The business […]
mePrism Opens Consumer Data Beta 
By Sophia Bennett (December 05, 2021)
mePrism, a start-up focused on helping consumers take control over their data, announced that it is opening up its beta trial to new users. This is the latest step in the organisation’s mission to give consumers greater control over their personal data and open up the data marketplace to everyone. “We want to give back […]
Metaverse in the Making 
By Yolande DMello (December 05, 2021)
The metaverse means many things to many companies. The future as we know is about to change completely. There is no doubt that Meta (formerly Facebook) is hard at work. Earlier in October, CEO and chairman of Meta Mark Zuckerberg announced the company’s plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union over the next […]
Atento Introduces Xtrabot, an Omnichannel Solution for Customer Interactions
By Sophia Bennett (December 02, 2021)
Atento, a CRM and business process outsourcing services provider, has launched Xtrabot, an automated omnichannel solution for remote customer services. Atento estimates that approximately half of the volume handled by standard remote customer service functions consists of repetitive and/or simple interactions that can be automated and processed by Xtrabot. With Xtrabot, customer telephone requests can […]
Sprout Social Integrates With Yelp
By Sophia Bennett (December 01, 2021)
Sprout Social, a provider of cloud-based social media management software, has added Yelp to its review management capabilities. Recent studies show that 86 per cent of consumers read online reviews, and 91 per cent of consumers aged 18-34 trust reviews as much as a personal recommendation. As brands seek to manage the growing volume and […]
Company Close Up: It’s More Than Just ‘Web’Engage
By Chandni U (December 01, 2021)
“Two pivots, five near death situations and three buyout offers later — here we are — a 200 people strong team spread across three countries and five offices, and $15m in annual recurring revenue,” said Avlesh Singh, the co-founder of WebEngage. A customer data platform, personalisation engine, omnichannel campaign manager, and an analytics engine all […]
Social Proof: Why it Works
By Aarti Chawla (November 29, 2021)
Does social proof have the ability to influence the target audience to take action, convert, and eventually become a customer? There is a general tendency that when people find themselves in an uncertain situation, unsure how to act, they look at the environment around them to find cues and guidance. And they’re especially influenced by […]
Etihad Airways Tops Facebook Performance, Emirates Tops Instagram: Report
By Sophia Bennett (November 28, 2021)
Ad spend on Facebook and Instagram in the Middle East increased by 33.32 per cent year-over-year (YoY) during Q3, and by 7.38 per cent between Q2 and Q3, said Emplifi, a unified customer experience (CX) platform. Etihad Airways had the top three performing posts on Facebook, generating 1,605,310 interactions, and Emirates the best performing post […]
Diesel Labs To Allow TikTok Data Integration Into Analytics Engine
By Sophia Bennett (November 24, 2021)
Diesel Labs, the predictive media analytics company producing comprehensive audience insights for the entertainment industry, recently announced that TikTok data will now be integrated into its analytics engine. It will unlock a new layer of intelligence about the films, TV shows, and more content categories with which audiences are engaging. Diesel is also formally launching […]
Twitter Launches Livestream Shopping Platform
By Sophia Bennett (November 24, 2021)
Twitter launches an online shopping initiative that includes livestreams, and Walmart is already on board as the first retailer to try out the platform. Walmart and Twitter will co-host Cyber Deals Sunday stream event on Twitter, during which viewers can follow along with a live broadcast, shop featured products through Twitter’s Shop Tab and post […]
HyperSpace Raises $11 Million To Build Physical Park with AR Layer
By Sophia Bennett (November 20, 2021)
HyperSpace, a company building the world’s first blockchain-enabled and Extended Reality (XR) native physical attractions, has raised $11 million in equity and development seed funding. The company aims to use the investment to create immersive entertainment attractions for a social media and metaverse generation. Led by Introsight and Dubai financier Mohammed Afkhami, the funding is […]
Demandbase Delivers Account-Based Advertising For Social Platforms
By Sophia Bennett (November 20, 2021)
Demandbase, the B2B go-to-market platform, breaks ground with new Audience Management Destinations for Demandbase. B2B marketers will be able to reach account-based targets on traditionally consumer platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Bing, and Adobe, as well as an expanded integration with LinkedIn. This new functionality is yet another way Demandbase enables marketers to […]
Brand Awareness Aside, Mobile Marketers Eye AI
By Sophia Bennett (November 19, 2021)
MENA marketing professionals are expecting growth in their mobile budgets. MMA conducted a survey with WARC to showcase the region’s mobile marketing strategies Increased focus on agility and effectiveness has been a key lesson for marketers in the last year, and brand awareness has turned out to be the most common objective when running mobile […]
Turkish eCommerce Player Hepsiburada Announces Ad Partnership With Facebook
By Sophia Bennett (November 15, 2021)
Hepsiburada, a Turkish eCommerce platform, announced a joint performance advertising platform in partnership with Facebook. Managed Partner Ads (MPA) is a next-generation social media advertising platform designed to be used exclusively by Hepsiburada’s small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs). The platform allows SMEs to place targeted adverts on Facebook and Instagram. Once live, the adverts will […]
A Whole New Ball Game: Tech Is Changing Sport
By Chandni U (November 14, 2021)
Minimal immersive experience in the stadium or through the screen does not cut it anymore. It is about luring fans with advanced technological experiences. Let’s talk about the Miracle of Istanbul. It was the 2005 UEFA Champions League when AC Milan astounded the Reds by scoring in the first minute. Liverpool was in trouble when […]
MakeSEA Ties Up With LEVR.tv For Enhanced Sports Fan Experience
By Sophia Bennett (November 12, 2021)
makeSEA.com has joined forces with LEVR.tv to offer a new sense of reality at live sporting and entertainment events. For the first time ever, users can attend live and pre-recorded pay-per-view event experiences in VR and AR devices, along with others as if physically present together at the venue. Attendees experience live content produced by […]
DoubleVerify To Acquire OpenSlate For Comprehensive Advertising
By Sophia Bennett (November 12, 2021)
DoubleVerify, a software platform for digital media measurement, data and analytics, has entered into an agreement to acquire OpenSlate, a pre-campaign contextual targeting platform that enables brands to align advertising with suitable or contextually relevant content across social video and CTV, for $150m (£111m). OpenSlate’s solutions provide insight into the nature and quality of ad-supported content […]
Dude, Where’s Your Cart?
By Yolande DMello (November 09, 2021)
On shopping carts and abandonment issues…  Cart abandonment is pretty high up on the list of things that keep marketers up at night. And with good reason. According to a report from SaleCycle the average rate at which a consumer abandons their shopping cart before making a purchase is over 84 per cent. The travel […]
Meta Reportedly Planning Retail Stores As It Pushes Into Metaverse
By Sophia Bennett (November 08, 2021)
Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is discussing opening its first retail stores as it looks to break into the metaverse, according to The New York Times. The stores, which have no slated opening date, will allow the company to showcase devices like virtual reality headsets and teleconferencing gadgets that allow people to video chat through […]
Microsoft Cloud Enhances Digital Experiences Through Metaverse And Hyperconnectivity 
By Sophia Bennett (November 07, 2021)
Microsoft presented more than 90 new services and updates at Ignite 2021, exploring the breakthrough ways of connecting people, organisations and ideas. “Every industry in the region has felt the full force of the digital transformation, as enterprises have had to adopt drastically different strategies to keep their organisations secure and stable, requiring them to […]
Green Writing On The Wall
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (November 02, 2021)
As COP 26 is underway in Glasgow, we look at what the tech sector is doing to tackle the climate crisis The 26th edition of the UN climate summit, or COP 26, is underway in Glasgow with diplomatic negotiations by almost 200 countries on how to tackle the common challenge of the climate crisis, as […]
The Power of Synergy
By Ahmed Hafez Younis (November 02, 2021)
Discussing how MENA’s media and creative industry can work hand-in-hand to deliver award-winning campaigns The past year has been dominated by insights and developments of the COVID age, but another potentially industry-changing dynamic has seen tremendous growth – the power of synergies. It is the additive effect of two or more media working together to […]
Company CloseUp: The Buffer Way
By Chandni U (November 01, 2021)
The social media management company serves seven million users and helps 75,000 brands today. But the journey has been a rollercoaster ride… A profit of $5 in his PayPal account got Joel Gascoigne so excited that the floorboards creaked as he jumped around his room. This was a promising beginning for Buffer, the social media […]
The Privacy Pivot: Following First-movers in Data Ethics
By Yolande DMello (October 31, 2021)
The most successful brands see the new age of privacy as an opportunity to build innovative products, deliver great experiences and earn the customers’ trust. Edward Snowden says, “I use Signal every day.” The quote by the whistleblower and privacy advocate is highlighted on the website of Signal, an encrypted instant messaging service. The company […]
Facebook Rebrands. But Does It Meta?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (October 29, 2021)
A decade ago, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, was on Time magazine’s 2010 Person of the Year. He was dubbed “the Connector”. A decade later, the social media company that connected people around the world and was called the industry trendsetter faces a humongous crisis. This month, Time placed Zuckerberg on its cover again, with a […]
360VUZ Scales Operations In Saudi Arabia Building On The Metaverse 
By Sophia Bennett (October 28, 2021)
360VUZ, an immersive social mobile app, scales its operations further in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a larger office and a Saudi team of superstars. As part of its growth plan, the 360VUZ Saudi office will focus on business development, building the latest immersive technologies, and initiating new partnerships in order to build on the metaverse […]
Cart.com Partners With Google Cloud for eCommerce Expansion
By Sophia Bennett (October 23, 2021)
Cart.com, the eCommerce-as-a-Service (eCaaS) provider, recently announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to advance its mission and deliver robust, unified analytics for its 2500+ brands. As an eCommerce solution provider equipping merchants with critical marketing, technology, and fulfillment capabilities, Cart.com helps brands harness the benefits of treating data as part of their core DNA. […]
41 Per Cent IT Firms Lack Social Media Activity Budget: TechBehemoths
By Sophia Bennett (October 20, 2021)
TechBehemoths performed a survey among 310 IT companies recently. The report “How IT Companies Use Social Media” revealed insights about social media channels and how IT companies use these platforms to promote themselves. The poll of respondents was randomly selected from a total of 56.000 companies the platform hosts, and it turned out that most […]
Facebook is Training AI to Build First-person Perspectives 
By Sophia Bennett (October 20, 2021)
Building the Metaverse: The social network isn’t the only one working on the metaverse, and Facebook acknowledged that no single company will own and operate it. In August, Mark Zuckerberg discussed a high-level view behind the ‘metaverse,’ a vision for the future of Facebook Inc in a news announcement. “In the coming years, I expect […]
Winning Moments in Social Commerce
By Aarti Chawla (October 17, 2021)
Motom, currently mobile web beta, was launched in April 2021 with strong early adoption among creators and their audiences. Motom is a social shopping platform that gives creators the power to launch their own storefront in such a way that their content from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube can be made shoppable in one place. It […]
Instagram Testing Feature To Notify Users of Outage 
By Sophia Bennett (October 15, 2021)
Facebook Inc’s Instagram said it is testing a feature to notify users of outages or technical issues directly on the photo-sharing app, days after two outages disrupted the social media giant’s services. On October 4, a six-hour long outage prevented the company’s 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services, including WhatsApp, […]
State Of Martech In Saudi Arabia
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (October 11, 2021)
Reversing the pandemic-driven downturn, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economic recovery has taken off in 2021. It is poised to grow from 2.2 per cent to 4.8 per cent in 2021 and from 4.1 per cent to 6.3 per cent in 2022, said a Capital Economics report. Focused on economic diversification — from a natural […]
How Customer Identity Helps Marketing Deliver Better CX 
By Sreya Paul (October 06, 2021)
According to an Optimizely report, Reimagining Commerce Report 2020, most consumers use six or more channels and two devices before making a purchase. They research products on the brand’s website while multitasking on their laptop, check another retailer’s mobile app for in-store availability, then go to Amazon because they got an email about a deal […]
Adjust Report Explores Networks Driving Mobile Advertising Trends Globally
By Sophia Bennett (October 02, 2021)
Mobile marketing analytics platform Adjust announced the results of a global interactive Partner Benchmarks report that shows the app economy is expanding worldwide, even as growth drivers vary by geography. The global study analysed over 270 advertising networks with six billion paid installs from more than 5,000 apps, across nearly 250 countries and 12 verticals. […]
Apple’s Privacy Regulations --  Not An Endgame
By Chandni U (September 30, 2021)
“Some things shouldn’t be shared. iPhone helps keep it that way. Privacy. That’s iPhone.” Last year, Apple made its purpose clear in this privacy-focused ad tagline. And with the latest iOS update being downloaded on millions of phones worldwide, brand advertisers are trying to keep calm. Last year, Apple rolled out the App Tracking Transparency […]
Facebook Experiments With Additional Business Context Elements in Ad Display
By Sophia Bennett (September 29, 2021)
Facebook’s testing another way to provide more context on paid promotions, this time via a horizontal scrolling display of additional information below the ad image display.  Some users are now seeing additional advertiser info – like business location, user check-ins and Page followers – below the ad visual. That could be particularly beneficial in weeding […]
Emplifi Acquires Live Commerce Software Provider Go Instore 
By Sophia Bennett (September 27, 2021)
Emplifi, announced the acquisition of Go Instore. Go Instore enables live commerce by connecting online customers with in-store product experts using immersive HD live video. Their leading-edge video technology provides brands with a new channel via which they can engage with and serve their customers, strengthening Emplifi’s omnichannel approach – meeting customers, wherever they are. […]
Can Interactive Content Get You First Party Data?
By Yolande DMello (September 27, 2021)
Call it the cookiepocalypse or the death of the third-party cookie. For years, marketers have been using cookies to collect data about their audience that helps them target ads to the right segments. But Google’s efforts to phase out the third-party cookie on Chrome browsers by 2022 means marketers need to change the way they […]
Explained: Marketing Mix Modelling
By Yolande DMello (September 26, 2021)
TLDR: Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM) is a statistical analysis technique that lets marketers measure the impact of their marketing and advertising campaigns to determine how various elements contribute to their objection. The insights help optimise ad spends and allow marketing teams to refine their efforts based on various factors that contribute to conversion or engagement In […]
Modernising CX: A Last Mile Delivery Story
By Yolande DMello (September 23, 2021)
Aramex’s early adoption of communication APIs and opening new channels for customers elevated engagement and prepared the logistics company for its future expansion   Aramex, the leading global provider of logistics and transportation solutions, was looking for solutions to offer more personalised customer interaction channels in 2018. It operates in over 65 countries with more than […]
Emplify Launches Social Commerce Cloud
By Sophia Bennett (September 16, 2021)
Emplifi, the unified customer experience platform, recently announced the launch of Emplifi Social Commerce Cloud, offering industry-first social commerce capabilities for CMOs, eCommerce leaders and social media teams charged with driving high conversion rates and increased revenue across social platforms. The innovative, first of its kind platform delivers a full suite of solutions to enable […]
Why Are Podcasts Perking Marketers’ Ears? 
By Yolande DMello (September 16, 2021)
Earlier in July, Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG), the group behind media brands like Argaam, Arab News, Asharq Al-Awsat, and Asharq News acquired a 51 per cent stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah. The acquisition was part of the group’s new digital-first, multi-platform approach and commitment to delivering original, unique, and exclusive content to […]
Has Live Streaming Become A Critical Marketing Strategy?
By Chandni U (September 14, 2021)
Last year, Chinese steamer Yuansan live-streamed himself sleeping for two days, attracting 18 million viewers. Yes, you read it right.  In 2016, live streams began to grow in Japan and Germany on YouNow, Periscope, and UStream. While common motivators to host such sessions were reaching target audiences, and creating communities, another reason that got brands […]
Luxury Institute And Datalucent Debunk Data Myths
By Sophia Bennett (September 13, 2021)
During the past few months, as economies recover and enter a new normal, Luxury Institute and DataLucent have engaged in rich, candid dialogue with C-level executives at top-tier luxury, premium and mass brands. During these conversations, a series of myths that are pervasive among brand executives have come to light – be they marketing, digital, […]
MediaKits Launches Platform To Help Manage Brands With Real-Time Data
By Sophia Bennett (September 13, 2021)
MediaKits launched its first of its kind platform for creators to develop a custom media kit online with real-time data and analytics.  MediaKits plugs into the API’s of all social platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, and soon it will be integrating with Spotify, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, SoundCloud, and more. MediaKits pulls real-time data on numbers […]
TikTok, Snap Alums Launch mayk.it, A Social Music Creation App
By Sophia Bennett (September 09, 2021)
TikTok, Snap, and Google alums, recently announced the launch of mayk.it that connects users to simple music creation tools, a medium that is less represented in favor of photo and video-focused mediums.  The free application provides a personal recording studio for its users, instantly equipping people with access to professional-quality voice filters, produced beats, lyrical […]
Taking eCommerce to the Next Level
By Omri Argaman (September 07, 2021)
Globally, the Gulf Cooperation Council has been one of the fastest-growing eCommerce markets, increasing from $5.3 billion in 2015 to $17.7 billion in 2019, and forecast to reach $50 billion in 2025, according to data from Kearney Middle East and Statista. In any digital market, maintaining strong growth is a challenge. It’s one thing to […]
GlassHive and Marketopia Announce New Partnership
By Sophia Bennett (September 03, 2021)
GlassHive, formally known as Honey CRM, announced a partnership with Marketopia, which brings a holistic offering to technology businesses of every size by combining the scalable sales and marketing platform of GlassHive with Marketopia’s unique knowledge and award-winning marketing services. “We are excited about this new opportunity,” said Rafael Sanguily, Vice President of Strategic Alliances […]
Video Marketing Demands Attention: Why Is It So Powerful?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (September 02, 2021)
A couple of years ago, the New York Times wrote that we are living in a “post-text” world — consumers prefer to not read walls of text or receive dozens of emails. The defining narrative is the reach and power of video. No doubt, video marketing is here for a long haul, with online videos […]
Company Closeup: The Hootsuite Story
By Chandni U (September 01, 2021)
It was 2008, and Ryan Holmes was engrossed in work at his digital services agency, Invoke Media when it suddenly hit him: social media would be a gamechanger and rule the marketing industry someday. So he dived into market research to find out if there was a tool available to manage multiple social media networks. […]
ByteDance Acquires Virtual Reality Startup
By Sophia Bennett (August 31, 2021)
Beijing-based ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, has acquired a startup Pico to expand its business into virtual reality (VR), CNBC reported. The transaction will enable ByteDance to enter the emerging VR field by benefitting from Pico’s software and hardware technologies and the expertise of the team. Also Read: What Will Facebook’s Metaverse Look Like? During […]
Digital-First Retailers Are More Focused on Customer-Centred Strategies
By Sophia Bennett (August 30, 2021)
Digital-first retailers are emerging from the pandemic in a greater position of strength compared to incumbent retailers (those who started in stores, catalogues or wholesale before adding eCommerce) — even as people begin to resume their pre-pandemic ways of life. According to a recent survey of more than 100 retailers by CommerceNext and sponsored by […]
Shopify Partners With TikTok to Allow Shoppers Buy From App
By Sophia Bennett (August 28, 2021)
Canada’s eCommerce giant Shopify Inc. is partnering with TikTok to work on a feature that would let shoppers buy directly from the social media app. Shopify merchants who have a TikTok business account would soon be able to add a shopping tab to their profiles for the first time ever, the company said in a blog post. The pilot version […]
Facebook Launches New Tools to Mark 10th Birthday of Messenger
By Sophia Bennett (August 27, 2021)
Marking its 10th birthday, Facebook Messenger announced a range of new Messenger features, designed to both spark a celebratory mood, while also adding entirely new functionality to prompt further messaging interaction and usage.  New Poll Games, an interactive polling option that enables you to find out new things about friends. Users can now also write […]
Is RFID Reinventing Retail? 
By Yolande DMello (August 26, 2021)
During World War II, radars were used to warn about approaching planes. The problem was that these radars couldn’t identify if the detected plane was an enemy or it belonged to their own forces. As a solution, the Royal Air Force (RAF) members instructed their pilots to roll the planes while approaching to alter the […]
FaceBook Announces the Date for FaceBook Connect AR/VR Showcase
By Sophia Bennett (August 25, 2021)
Facebook recently announced that they are going to launch their FaceBook Connect AR/VR showcase on October 28 this year.  Facebook Connect is where the company traditionally makes big announcements related to its AR and VR tools. Last year, Facebook unveiled its Quest 2 VR headsets, while it also provided more detail on its Project Aria AR wearables […]
From Survive to Thrive: How Retention OS is Driving Brand Loyalty 
By Yolande DMello (August 24, 2021)
The new phase for marketers is about delivering an experience that encourages brand loyalty. This can be achieved by creating moments that are carefully curated and informed by data. Marketers must deliver contextually relevant interactions that are seamlessly assimilated into the consumer’s lifestyle and build emotional connections. According to a recent McKinsey report, the pandemic […]
Facebook Seeks to Capitalise On Short Form Video Trends
By Sophia Bennett (August 23, 2021)
Facebook recently announced that they will enable users to create and share Instagram Reels within the main Facebook app. In an attempt to halt TikTok’s momentum, Facebook has been testing Reels creation and sharing within Facebook over the past few months, which has also included an experiment with a new Stories/Reels/Rooms feed at the top of user feeds. […]
TikTok accounts for around 15% of the total time spent on social: Red Seer Report
By Sophia Bennett (August 22, 2021)
Red Seer Consulting recently published their research on MENA’s digital media environment. Following an era of Facebook and Youtube, and more recently the image phase in the form of Instagram and SnapChat, the strategic research consultancy experts deem short-form video content to be the next big thing. Last year, online users increased their time spent […]
Is Contextual Changing Content Monetisation Models?
By Yolande DMello (August 18, 2021)
While publishers are looking to keep consumers engaged with personalised content that offers added value, advertisers seekmore contextual opportunities to engage consumers without disrupting their experience. Through progressive profiling, data analytics tools and diversified revenue streams, both parties stand to gain by giving consumers what they want — more relevance without compromising on quality. These […]
Digital Citizens Alliance and White Bullet Release Report on Piracy Websites
By Sophia Bennett (August 17, 2021)
Web safety coalition the Digital Citizens Alliance and anti-piracy firm, White Bullet recently released a report, Breaking (B)ads: How Advertiser-Supported Piracy Helps Fuel a Booming Multi-Billion Dollar Illegal Market  that details a year-long investigation into how brands and advertising intermediaries help support the operators of illegal piracy websites and apps through the placement of ads. Online criminals who […]
Lead Generation Tools You Should Know About
By Khushbu Raval (August 17, 2021)
Cold outreach, live chat, social media and pop-up forms are just a few ways to generate marketing leads. Over 60 per cent of businesses say developing traffic and leads is one of their biggest marketing challenges. However, it’s important to remember that you can’t implement new lead generation apps if your funnel is leaky or […]
Medal.tv Acquires Live Streaming Platform Rawa
By Sophia Bennett (August 16, 2021)
Medal.tv, a short-form video clipping service and social network for gamers, is entering the livestreaming market with the acquisition of Rawa.tv, a Twitch rival based in Dubai, which had raised around $1 million to date. The seven-figure, all-cash deal will see two of Rawa’s founders, Raya Dadah and Phil Jammal, now joining Medal, and further […]
Abacus.AI Debuts MLOps and DLOps Platform
By Sophia Bennett (August 16, 2021)
Abacus.AI debuts as an end-to-end real-time MLOps and DLOps platform. Customers can stream real-time events, such as clickstream data, social media interactions, online purchases, media views and readings from iOT sensors to Abacus.AI through a streaming API. Abacus.AI will process and transform that data, train deep learning models, and generate contextual predictions in real-time. Real-time deep […]
Mobile Marketing Trends To Watch 
By Khushbu Raval (August 16, 2021)
In 2021, the number of mobile devices operating worldwide stands at almost 15 billion, the numbers will increase, and it is expected to reach 18.22 billion by 2025. Statista predicted that, on average, consumers spend 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their mobile devices. This provides businesses with an opportunity to take advantage […]
Instagram to Introduce Ads In Shop Tab
By Sophia Bennett (August 14, 2021)
Facebook-owned Instagram is planning to test a new advertising feature. According to an online report, the social networking platform has started testing a new feature which will put ads on its Shop tab. Instagram introduced the Shops tab last year as part of its efforts to expand into the eCommerce space. According to an online […]
Google Introduces New Child Safety Feature To Protect Minors
By Sophia Bennett (August 14, 2021)
After Apple and Facebook, Google has now introduced new child safety features on its platforms. While Facebook made changes to its advertising algorithms, and Apple is going to use automated tools to scan for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Google’s changes are more widespread, including changes to its policies. The company will limit advertising capabilities […]
Emplifi Report Reveals Heavy Reliance on Social Media Marketing
By Sophia Bennett (August 13, 2021)
The business industry was much different two years ago than it is today with altered customer behaviour, demands, and the advancements of technology. While it was the pandemic that changed the way marketers reach their audience with advertising, the shift is permanent. Emplifi’s recent State of Social Media and CX report reveals an increasingly heavy […]
Is Data The Key To Customer Conversion And Acquisition? 
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (August 12, 2021)
Our smartphones, tablets and social media accounts are beaming out information about us: where we’ve been, what we’ve been doing, our likes, preferences. Right now, data is seemingly everywhere. So, what does this mean for marketing professionals? Everything. Data can transform marketing initiatives from guesses to strategically focused campaigns. But that transformation can happen if […]
TikTok overtakes FB Becomes Most Downloaded App Worldwide
By Sophia Bennett (August 11, 2021)
TikTok has overtaken Facebook (FB) as the most downloaded social media app in the world. According to Nikkei Asia, a global survey of downloads in 2020 showed TikTok on top of the list of social media providers for the first time since the study was first conducted in 2018. The report said that TikTok’s parent […]
Power My Analytics Releases Data Connectors for Google Products
By Sophia Bennett (August 09, 2021)
Power My Analytics, a reporting automation tool that enables digital marketers to automate their data collection and integrate the metrics they need into their favourite data destinations, has released new data connectors for Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Search Console, Google My Business, and YouTube. Data connectors are ETL applications used to authenticate, collect, and […]
Can Privacy And Data-Driven Marketing Co-Exist?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (August 09, 2021)
The core of data-driven marketing is better characterisation of the individual. Google, Facebook and other platforms characterise users’ desires and match them to companies that can satisfy them. Users contribute to smart ecosystems, overlaid across devices and applications, and companies are analysing and capitalising on information quickly and in near real-time. It allows them to […]
What Will Facebook’s Metaverse Look Like?
By Yolande DMello (August 08, 2021)
When Steven Speilberg’s Ready Player One hit theatre screens in 2018, it was a glimpse into how virtual reality might one day transform the way we experience life. Set in a dystopian future, the year 2045, to be precise, the story shows us a world where people seek to escape from reality through the OASIS, […]
Nextech AR Solutions Integrates Mixed Reality Solution into HoloLens2
By Sophia Bennett (August 07, 2021)
Nextech AR Solutions Corporation has announced its integration of its mixed reality (MR) solution HoloX, a human hologram application into HoloLens2. It is expected to be available in September 2021. This implementation will support gesture controls across HoloX’s UI and UX, allowing users to navigate the application through eye-tracking and hand gestures. AR/MR smart glasses are […]
VMF SA Deliberates On Key Issues
By Sophia Bennett (August 06, 2021)
Adjusting to a new normal, the CMOs and heads of marketing agree that businesses are now doing more than merely paying lip service to customer empathy, while being innovative If Covid-19 has done one thing for business, it is an accelerated shift to a not only digital-first, but people-first mindset. And for marketers, the lack […]
5 Winning Moments With Virtual Reality
By Yolande DMello (August 03, 2021)
When Google released its Cardboard, a low-cost viewer where one could insert a smartphone, in 2015, it put an emerging technology like virtual reality (VR) into the hands of everyone. The excitement was palpable. A year later, Google announced that over 5 million Cardboard viewers had shipped, over 1,000 compatible applications had been published, and […]
Facebook’s Future Lies in Virtual ‘Metaverse’: Mark Zuckerberg
By Sophia Bennett (July 30, 2021)
Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t just want you logging in to his company’s products. He wants you living, working and even exercising inside them. That’s the very high-level idea behind the ‘metaverse,’ a vision for the future of Facebook Inc. and the entire internet that Zuckerberg started pushing aggressively in the past week. “In the coming years, […]
TikTok Adds Tinuiti To Marketing Partner Program
By Sophia Bennett (July 25, 2021)
Tinuiti, the performance marketing firm across the Triopoly of Google, Facebook, and Amazon announced that it has earned TikTok’s Campaign Management badge within the TikTok Marketing Partner Program, becoming the first US-independent agency to receive the accreditation from the leading destination for short-form mobile video. The accreditation will help Tinuiti clients leverage TikTok’s comprehensive suite […]
State Of Martech In Saudi Arabia
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (July 25, 2021)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is focused on economic diversification — from a natural resource-based economy to an innovation hub powered by technology. The large and growing local population means solid domestic demand for goods, services and infrastructure. As a result, the government is pouring billions of dollars into high-tech infrastructure, launching funds, moving […]
Tinuiti Signs Agreement to Acquire Bliss Point Media
By Sophia Bennett (July 23, 2021)
Tinuiti, announced the execution of a definitive agreement to acquire a leading purchaser of digital streaming media, Bliss Point Media, and its subsidiary, Prospect Point Media. The Santa Monica-based company provides a patented machine-learning technology to accurately measure and optimise performance for leading brands like Fabletics, Instacart, Square, Thumbtack and Tonal. The deal will allow […]
‘Implementation Of MarTech Solutions In Africa Is Transformational’ 
By Sophia Bennett (July 21, 2021)
Chuka Amadife, COO of Terragon Group, Africa’s leading data aggregation, enrichment and activation platform, talks about the company’s experience in data and MarTech, detailing the peculiarities about the African market, how its Customer Data Platform differs from others and why the real power and growth lies in making the solutions “African-first” to meet the unique […]
Zoom To Buy Cloud-based Call Centre Operator Five9 In $15 bln Deal
By Sophia Bennett (July 19, 2021)
Zoom Video Communications Inc announced a $14.7 billion all-stock deal to buy cloud-based call centre operator Five9 Inc in its largest-ever acquisition, as competition intensifies in its core video conferencing sector. The teleconferencing services provider has become an investor favourite in the year since the coronavirus pandemic, as businesses and schools adopted its services to […]
Amazon Acquires Facebook’s Satellite Internet Team
By Sophia Bennett (July 19, 2021)
Amazon acquired a team of more than a dozen satellite experts from Facebook to work on Project Kuiper. The wireless internet experts were hired by Amazon as it aims to launch thousands of satellites and roll out broadband services in the US and abroad. The employees moved from Facebook to Amazon in order to work […]
A Playbook to Win Over Shoppers
By Soumyadeep Roy (July 19, 2021)
The eCommerce market is growing in South Africa, and with it, the number of players is also increasing. The digital transformation of a society is the precursor of eCommerce. How well a market is growing can be measured by the rising number of internet users. A Hootsuite report titled Digital 2021 throws light on the […]
Aleph Acquires 86% of Connect Ads
By Sophia Bennett (July 19, 2021)
Aleph Holding announced its acquisition of 86 per cent of Connect Ads in a cash and shares’ swap transaction. The acquisition sees Aleph Holding entering the MENA market as it continues its drive to expand globally and increase its presence in new territories, now reaching 90 markets and territories. Aleph provides leading digital platforms such […]
UAE VP launches the National Program for Coders
By Sophia Bennett (July 12, 2021)
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the ‘National Program for Coders’ a major new initiative to foster the growth of the digital economy. The landmark Program will introduce a series of initiatives to develop talent, expertise and innovation in the […]
HubSpot Alums Close on $1M Pre-Seed Round for OOH Innovation 
By Sophia Bennett (July 12, 2021)
OneScreen.ai has closed $1 million in pre-seed funding. The investment is led by TechFarms Capital with participation from HubSpot co-founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, Wayfair’s alumni fund (Wayfund), Lola.com CEO Mike Volpe, BuySellAds.com CEO Todd Garland, HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar, HappyNest CRO Jeanne Hopkins and several OneScreen.ai customers who have become investors. OOH advertising, […]
South Africa’s CMOs To Watch
By Khushbu Raval (July 12, 2021)
As a run-up to Vibe Martech Fest’s South Africa edition, we put a spotlight on innovative marketing leaders who are transforming and redefining their role, business and the marketing industry in South Africa. Alan Buck Chief Marketing Officer at L’Oréal Alan Buck discovered his passion for marketing during business administration studies. Before joining L’Oréal, Buck […]
Mitto Adds Business Messaging Enablement for Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
By Sophia Bennett (July 11, 2021)
Mitto, a provider of global omnichannel communications solutions, announced messaging connectivity for three of the world’s most popular social media channels: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Mitto’s portfolio — which includes an industry-leading SMS routing system — now supports every top customer engagement channel, enabling marketers to extend and personalise campaign reach where customers already are, […]
Creating The Best CX Through Omnichannel Marketing
By Soumyadeep Roy (July 11, 2021)
Marketers use various tools to track successes and failures, a number of marketers also face challenges while choosing technology that maximises value and increases ROI. What makes selecting elements of a MarTech stack challenging? What should marketers keep in mind when creating the perfect stack for their business?  When it comes to understanding consumers, marketers […]
MatchCraft Announces the Launch of Multi-channel API Suite
By Sophia Bennett (July 10, 2021)
MatchCraft announces the launch of Powered by. In productising MatchCraft’s suite of APIs, third-party platforms gain access to the technology used by AdVantage to power search, social, and display campaigns for local businesses across the globe. At the core of Powered by is a suite of cross-functional, multi-channel APIs that provide access to robust and […]
TikTok Lets Users Apply for Jobs with Video Resumes
By Sophia Bennett (July 09, 2021)
Short-video sharing app TikTok launched a pilot program that lets users upload video resumes for US-based jobs ranging from a WWE Superstar to a senior data engineer at Shopify or a creative producer at TikTok itself. Under the “TikTok Resumes” program, companies including Chipotle Mexican Grill and Target Corp will accept video resumes for openings […]
20% of Gen Z Spends More Than 5 Hours A Day on TikTok
By Sophia Bennett (July 09, 2021)
YouTube and Instagram rank the highest when Gen Zers are asked what social media platforms they are currently using, followed by Snapchat and then TikTok, according to research undertaken by Joy Ventures and getWizer to track Gen Z’s social media habits. The research was conducted in the US during March 2021, among a representative sample […]
Caring for CX — MarTech in Healthcare 
By Yolande DMello (July 07, 2021)
In March 2020, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) collaborated with the telecom operator Du to set up the first virtual hospital in the Middle East to provide remote care to patients. In May, MoHAP upgraded all its hospital outpatient clinics to virtual. Later in July, Mulk Healthcare launched the first e-hospital as […]
Sprout Social Integrates with Shopify and Facebook Shops
By Sophia Bennett (July 06, 2021)
Sprout Social, a provider of cloud-based social media management software, has integrated with Shopify and Facebook Shops. These new integrations with Shopify and Facebook Shops enable Sprout users to deliver customer care and provide personalised interactions throughout the entire purchasing cycle, from discovery to sale and beyond. Sprout customers will now have quick access to […]
Second-hand Luxury Goods Market Using Digital Technology To Mimic In-store Experience 
By Sophia Bennett (July 05, 2021)
Live shopping and social commerce come as the latest eCommerce trends in the second-hand luxury goods market and combine technological advances and social media channels to provide the familiar, quaintly nostalgic concept of in-person shopping. According to Bain & Company, the GCC luxury goods market was valued at $7.4 billion in 2020 and is forecasted […]
Telegram Finally Adds Group Video Calling Option
By Sophia Bennett (July 05, 2021)
Messaging chat app Telegram has finally added a group video chat option to its mobile and desktop apps. This was something the platform had promised was coming back in April 2020. Voice chats in any group on the platform can be turned into video calls by tapping the camera icon to turn on your device’s […]
Facebook Testing Twitter-like 'Threads' Feature
By Sophia Bennett (July 05, 2021)
Facebook is reportedly testing a threads feature, just like Twitter, on Pages of some public figures that will provide them the ability to create posts related to previous ones on a related subject. The new feature which is under development ties the posts together more visually so fans can more easily follow updates over time, […]
Is the Creator Economy Coming of Age?
By Yolande DMello (July 05, 2021)
Understanding the creator economy and the revenue rigmarole will help markets to gauge the impact on brands and pivot efforts Twenty-three-year-old Noor Naim kicked off her YouTube career in 2014 with a vlog entitled What’s in my iPhone. Since then, the Iraqi influencer has become synonymous with her handle Noor Stars. Noor has more than […]
Stress Hurts Call Centre Employees and the Customer Experience: Jacada Study 
By Sophia Bennett (July 04, 2021)
Jacada, a provider of AI and RPA powered virtual assistants, recently released key insights on why contact centre employees are stressed and how their stress negatively affects the customer experience. “We wanted to get an unfiltered, insider look into how contact centre employees view their roles, what their pain points are, and what solutions they […]
Company Close-Up: Tealium - Marketer’s Secret Weapon
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (July 04, 2021)
In a competitive, on-demand world, customer expectations push brands to work harder and smarter with their data. Meanwhile, COVID-19 forced a broad shift to digital channels at the same time as marketers faced third-party cookie loss and increasing data privacy regulation — a perfect storm of issues that proved a first-party data strategy is the […]
Researchers Monitor Dynamic Brand Health 
By Sophia Bennett (July 02, 2021)
What do people really think of you? Big brands are always trying to find the answer to that question. Now a new method from researchers at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business makes getting a read on consumer sentiment easier and more accurate than ever. Maryland Smith’s Kunpeng Zhang and Wendy […]
Social Conversations That Solve CX Challenges 
By Sophia Bennett (July 01, 2021)
When it comes to knowing what customers want, engaging with them by talking about similar interests or issues that they care about, and dealing with customer complaints — now it’s all taking place on social media. It’s 2021, and following the pandemic-induced lockdown, which had a significant impact on customer behaviour change, customers are looking […]
Facebook’s Launches Newsletter Subscription Service called Bulletin 
By Sophia Bennett (June 30, 2021)
Facebook is launching a new service, called Bulletin, that allows writers to publish free and paid newsletters that can be posted to the web, sent to subscribers’ inboxes, and shared across Facebook. “The goal here is to support millions of people doing creative work,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said. At launch, Facebook has signed up […]
Kendago Appoints Izhar Shay as Chairman 
By Sophia Bennett (June 30, 2021)
Izhar Shay, Israel’s former Minister of Science and Technology, serial entrepreneur, senior high-tech executive and venture capitalist, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors at Kendago. Kendago is a digital marketing group that specialises in performance-based advertising for leading global companies and manages advertising budgets above $100M annually. Shay’s appointment is a substantial […]
Tableau Completes Redesigned Partner Network to Help Customers Accelerate Data Transformations 
By Sophia Bennett (June 28, 2021)
Tableau completed its redesigned Tableau Partner Network (TPN) that brings a number of new benefits to customers and partners. The newly revamped program enables Tableau’s partner ecosystem to deliver high-quality customer experiences and greater visibility into the commitment and skill level of Tableau’s partners. This is done using a new tiering system that divides the […]
The Evolving Customer Experience
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (June 28, 2021)
From basic experiences like in-store interactions and fair pricing to a world of predictive intelligence, customer experience has come a long way We may have a new normal, but one universal element that ties all businesses together across sectors is offering a better customer experience (CX). As it has always been, customers appreciate great products […]
Creator Platform Happs Raises $4.7 Million 
By Sophia Bennett (June 27, 2021)
Happs, the community-driven live video platform for independent creators, has raised a $4.7 million post-seed funding round led by Bullpen Capital. The round included participation from Crosslink, Goodwater and Corazon. This brings the total funding to date to $6.2 million. Rob Hayes of First Round Capital and former Instagram head of growth Bangaly Kaba also […]
TikTok Adds Brand Lift Study to Help Advertisers Measure Moments 
By Sophia Bennett (June 25, 2021)
TikTok is looking to help brands glean more insight into the performance of their brand and marketing efforts by adding a new Brand Lift Study option, which will enable businesses to poll the TikTok audience through promoted campaigns. TikTok Brand Lift Study (BLS) is a first-party measurement solution for advertisers. BLS helps to empower advertisers […]
Facebook Launches Live Audio Rooms and Podcasts
By Sophia Bennett (June 24, 2021)
Facebook Inc launched its own Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way to find and play podcasts on its platform, marking a push into social audio by the world’s largest social network. Facebook’s rollout of a potential Clubhouse rival follows the explosive early success of the invite-only live audio app, which became a hit as […]
Companies To Watch
By Soumyadeep Roy (June 24, 2021)
Marketers face a multitude of problems in their quest for better customer engagement and ROI. As the world goes through yet another wave of digital transformation, we can see a democratisation of solutions.  In this month’s Companies To Watch Out, we take a look at companies that serve marketers and consumers in various ways. From […]
Seasoning the Sale with Martech
By Chandni U (June 23, 2021)
With the Dubai Summer Surprises and the Amazon Prime Day Sale, experts suggest bands leverage sound marketing strategies Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) and the Amazon Prime Day Sale make a perfect mix of excitement and an on-demand hustle. While shoppers are getting their shopping lists updated, expecting to see big discounts, brands are awaiting much-needed […]
Facebook Tests Ads In Virtual Reality Headsets
By Sophia Bennett (June 21, 2021)
Facebook has begun displaying ads in its Oculus virtual reality headsets, despite the founder of the platform saying it would never do so. In what the social network described as an experiment, ads will begin to appear in a game called Balston with other developers rolling out similar ads. It said it would listen to feedback […]
Men Trust Influencers on Social Media More than Women, GRIN Survey 
By Sophia Bennett (June 20, 2021)
Influencer marketing platform studies online attitudes and buying habits between male and female groups to find men are more likely to spend higher amounts if an influencer recommends it.  GRIN released the results of its survey revealing a divergence in attitudes and habits on social media for male and female consumers. The data details specific […]
Can No-code Upskill the Non-Technical Marketer? 
By Yolande DMello (June 20, 2021)
Marketers who take advantage of no-code and low-code platforms now will have an edge over others. Those who ignore the shift may soon be relics.  Marketing teams and the way they function have gone through some serious evolution in the last decade. Marketing and sales tasks increasingly blur into each other since the funnel is […]
Spotify Launches Greenroom, Takes Clubhouse Head-On
By Sophia Bennett (June 18, 2021)
Spotify launched a live audio app called Greenroom, the Swedish online music streaming giant’s answer to the popular platform Clubhouse. Greenroom allows users to join live discussions or to host their own. Spotify launched Greenroom after acquiring Betty Labs, the company behind the popular sports-focused audio platform Locker Room. Along with podcasts, social audio has […]
Influence Mobile Acquires Blind Ferret; Forays In Mobile Game Advertising Market
By Sophia Bennett (June 18, 2021)
Rewarded engagement company Influence Mobile announced its acquisition of Blind Ferret, an agency that works with mobile app developers to acquire new users through targeted advertising campaigns. The companies are joining forces to scale Influence Mobile’s rewarded engagement platform [E]ngageTM, which delivers high-value players to game developers and publishers like Scopely, Playtika and Peak Games, […]
Google Puts User Experience First
By Soumyadeep Roy (June 17, 2021)
Most of the time Google’s updates do not attract much attention and end-users keep using their products. Google’s algorithm tweaks affect SEO professionals who try to keep themselves abreast of all the factors that will help their websites remain on ‘page one of Google’s Search.  Google’s updates for 2021 are slightly different from the company’s […]
UK Authorities Oversee Google During Third-Party Cookie Phase-out From Chrome
By Sophia Bennett (June 16, 2021)
UK regulators are monitoring Google during the phasing out of ad-tracking technology from its Chrome browser. Google has committed itself to be monitored to head off a competition investigation. The UK competition watchdog has been investigating Google’s proposals to remove third-party cookies over concerns they would undermine digital ad competition and entrench the company’s market […]
Facebook's New 'Smart Crop' Feature for Automated Video Editing Now Available In Creator Studio
By Sophia Bennett (June 16, 2021)
This could be handy for those looking to re-purpose their video assets, and/or run experiments without having to invest in significant re-shoots or editing. In March 2021, Facebook started testing a new ‘Smart Cropping’ option for video editing within Creator Studio, which utilises machine learning (ML) in order to identify areas of most interest within […]
‘Change Can Be For Good’
By Soumyadeep Roy (June 14, 2021)
Facebook organised a closed-door marketing summit that focussed on the EMEA region to help marketers with ideas and solutions to grow their business. The summit, titled “Beyond The Now”, saw marketers, content creators, and the top Facebook leadership discuss the future of marketing amid the changing data privacy and policy landscape.  The keynote address was […]
Facebook Acquires Game Studio BigBox VR
By Sophia Bennett (June 14, 2021)
Facebook has bought several virtual reality game studios over the past couple of years, and they added one more to their portfolio with the acquisition of Seattle-based BigBox VR reports Tech Crunch The studio’s major title, “Population: One,” was one of the big post-launch releases for Facebook’s Oculus Quest 2 headset and is a pretty […]
Is South Africa MarTech Ready?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (June 14, 2021)
Did you know that there are 38.19 million active internet users in South Africa? The population of South Africa is 58.9 million. So, that’s more than half the population.  Challenging, diverse and variable, the South African market is a space where innovation thrives. As in the rest of the world, the ongoing pandemic has changed […]
Do Consumers Trust Social Media Influencers? 
By Sophia Bennett (June 12, 2021)
SlickText survey reveals importance of legitimate influencer reviews for e-commerce, plus relevance of preferred posting and channel cadence. As businesses adopt digital marketing strategies, social and influencer marketing have become more integral to their multichannel approach. Now influencers fill people’s social feeds as brands work to capitalise on this marketing trend. A new survey from […]
Brands Need To Catch Up To Consumers’ Expectations: Gap Study
By Sophia Bennett (June 12, 2021)
The FleishmanHillard 2021 Authenticity Gap study across five markets and 300 companies shows the need for brands to close the gap between what they promise and how they really behave. FleishmanHillard launched the Authenticity Gap study in 2012 to analyse the alignment between consumer expectations and experiences, interviewing informed consumers in five countries about their […]
Google to allow Android users to opt-out of ad tracking, following Apple
By Sophia Bennett (June 11, 2021)
Google has announced that it will allow Android users to opt-out of being tracked by advertisers, according to a report by The Independent.  The move will come into play later this year, following Apple’s rollout of its controversial App Tracking Transparency, or ATT feature in iOS 14.5.  Users were previously able to opt-out of targeted […]
You Simply Cannot Ignore This Game
By Soumyadeep Roy (June 10, 2021)
Can you choose to ignore a consumer demographic that is three billion strong? No. This comprises the gamer community across the world. Whether a person plays chess online or is an avid gamer participating in multi-player esports tournaments, this group of people are technologically smart and are deemed high-value consumers by marketers worldwide.   So how […]
Throtle Connects Amperity's Customer Data Platform to Cookieless Media Through New Partnership
By Sophia Bennett (June 10, 2021)
Amperity, a Customer Data Platform (CDP) for consumer brands, announced its partnership with Throtle, a leader in identity resolution and data onboarding, to enable brands to target customers and prospects using emerging authenticated ID replacements such as Unified ID 2.0, ID5, and Britepool for the third-party cookie, and to also facilitate integration with over 20 […]
Bambuser Launches Social Multistreaming, Allows Live Streaming Of Events On Social Media  
By Sophia Bennett (June 09, 2021)
Bambuser announced the launch of social media multistreaming, a new capability that empowers retailers to broadcast Live Video Shopping events across popular social channels. The feature will amplify the impact of retailers’ interactive shopping implementations, enabling them to capture large, highly engaged audiences on third-party sites and drive them to owned e-commerce properties for engagement […]
Apple Opens Up FaceTime to Android and Windows
By Sophia Bennett (June 09, 2021)
Apple showed updates to its FaceTime video chat app, adding the ability to schedule calls with multiple attendees and making the software compatible with Android and Windows devices. The move, which puts Apple in more direct competition with companies like Zoom Video Communications Inc that gained prominence during the pandemic, was the first major announcement […]
Getting App Users to Stay 
By Yolande DMello (June 09, 2021)
It’s been a good run for app companies and marketers alike, with the pandemic-induced lockdown leading many users to turn to their phones for respite and entertainment. Many believe this consumer behaviour is here to stay long after the social restrictions are lifted and the pandemic is over.  According to App marketing analytics platform Adjust’s […]
A Token of Ad-ppreciation 
By Chandni U (June 08, 2021)
Advertisers are scrambling for ad tracking strategies as it directly affects their business ROI. The cookie crumbles at what expense? It was not until the mid-1960s that the word ROI made an appearance. At the time, marketing and advertising was only a linear concept of demonstrating new products. Tracking the impact and response of advertising […]
Put Gamers First Without Disrupting Gameplay 
By Yolande DMello (June 08, 2021)
In-game ad platform Anzu has been having a busy year. They were in the news for running a pilot programme with PepsiCo Labs and announced their partnering with Verizon Media to offer media buyers the ability to drive brand awareness among the gaming and e-sports community. The business of gaming has been booming with people stuck […]
Erem Media Partners With iZooto To Reduce Dependency on Facebook and Google 
By Sophia Bennett (June 07, 2021)
Erem Media Group announced its partnership with iZooto to double down on their audience engagement and retention efforts. iZooto, an audience marketing platform, helps media publishers reduce their dependence on Facebook and Google. Erem Media Group has been using iZooto for their flagship websites – Erem News and Foochia – and has seen their traffic […]
Genesys Announces Support for New Instagram Messaging
By Sophia Bennett (June 07, 2021)
Genesys, a global leader in cloud customer experience and contact centre solutions, has announced new Messenger API support for Instagram, providing companies with a new way to interact and orchestrate personalised experiences across marketing, sales and service for customers on one of the world’s largest social media platforms. Instagram is quickly becoming a preferred social […]
Heymarket Brings Enterprise-Grade Capabilities to Instagram Messaging
By Sophia Bennett (June 06, 2021)
Heymarket announced its support for Instagram Messaging, opening up enterprise-level tools for businesses to connect with followers. Heymarket, a leading conversational messaging platform for businesses, empowers brands to manage all of their messaging needs in a single, seamless interface. The platform offers cutting-edge features, including automations and popular SaaS integrations, to streamline workflows and improve […]
Digital Audio Strikes the Ad Chord
By Chandni U (June 06, 2021)
While podcasts are becoming a popular advertising tool in, many audio brands are looking to launch several ad formats for increased monetisation Traffic jams and long drives are not the only time when people lend their ears to audio. Over the years, audio streaming has evolved with smartphones and smart devices replacing traditional radio. The […]
Are You Deciphering Customer Sentiments?
By Chandni U (June 03, 2021)
Businesses are increasingly relying on sentiment analysis tools to determine their brand worth and tailor customer experiences.   What aspects of banking do customers despise the most? A bank in Johannesburg was deeply worried about its value perception in the highly competitive market and leveraged Repustate’s AI-powered sentiment analysis API to derive data from two […]
Company Close-up: A Fresh Start To Customer Engagement
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (June 02, 2021)
Providing organisations with SaaS solutions, Freshworks makes it easy for customer support, sales and marketing professionals to communicate effectively with customers for better service and resolve customer issues  Building relevant products might be fairly straightforward but incredibly difficult to execute and succeed at, and that is where Freshworks’ success lies. In 2010, a broken television […]
KERV Launches Social Product to Boost Shopability in Video Content 
By Sophia Bennett (May 29, 2021)
Interactive content and data company KERV Interactive launches social product, a mobile-only offering that is certified with Facebook and Instagram that allows in-video shoppability right within the Facebook/Instagram browser.  KERV partners with brands to transform their video assets into fully interactive storefronts (with pixel-level customisation), targeted and full of shoppable information that both enhances usefulness […]
Privacy and Personalisation Can Coexist, says Facebook
By Soumyadeep Roy (May 29, 2021)
On the long-standing dilemma about walking a fine line between wanting both personalisation and privacy, Facebook, which has been decrying Google and Apple’s moves to kill third-party cookies effectively, answered the crucial digital marketing question at a roundtable on May 27 attended by Martechvibe. “Privacy and personalisation can co-exist,” said Ben Savage, Software Engineer at […]
Why Is GCC Witnessing A Digital Marketing Boom?
By Chandni U (May 28, 2021)
The rising eCommerce revenues have impacted digital marketing in the GCC, indicating an increasing business value Hugo Boss recently announced their online expansion to another 12 countries, of which five are in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The increasing digital presence and marketing in the GCC look optimistic, but let us have an in-depth […]
Facebook and Instagram Will Let Users Hide Likes on Posts
By Sophia Bennett (May 28, 2021)
Facebook‘s photo-sharing app Instagram is launching the option for users globally to hide like counts on posts and the change will soon roll out on Facebook, after years of tests focused on lessening the pressure of using their services. Instagram users will be able to hide like counts on all posts in their feed and on […]
LinkedIn Onboards Paragone for Optimising Luxury Brands Reach On The Platform
By Sophia Bennett (May 25, 2021)
Paragone has become a part of the LinkedIn Marketing Partner Program, as the Actionable Performance Monitoring (APM) platform announces the partnership to optimise user reach. The collaboration will particularly help luxury brands as well as other categories of LinkedIn users to reach their target audience with relative ease. In a related development, the integration will […]
Snap Announces A Slew Of Features At Snap Partner Summit 2021
By Sophia Bennett (May 25, 2021)
Snapchat at Snap Partner Summit 2021 announced a slew of updates that are aiming to grow its presence among creators, businesses, and developers. Real-time wrist tracking Snap, the parent company behind Snapchat and chief rival of Facebook-owned Instagram, introduced features called Creator Marketplace and Gifting to help creators attract monetisation. The company has also brought […]
Companies To Watch
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (May 24, 2021)
In the dot-com era, in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, too many companies, vowing to change the world, were chasing what at the time were too few users, and they were doomed to failure, but we all know, there were clear winners such as Facebook, Amazon and Walt Disney. They survived the bust to […]
Admixer Releases White-Label RTB Stack for Programmatic Ads Trading
By Sophia Bennett (May 22, 2021)
Admixer, an independent provider of advertising technologies and services, has introduced an RTB Stack, a multipurpose programmatic platform to create and manage your own white-label SSP or ad exchange. Admixer’s twelve years of developing SaaS ad tech products and creating its own SSP, currently one of the world’s 30 biggest SSPs, resulted in the launch […]
Google Expands Partnership With Shopify To Enhance Shopping Experience
By Sophia Bennett (May 20, 2021)
Google announced on day one of the Google I/O 2021 conferences for developers that it has expanded its partnership with e-commerce platform Shopify, and that it will offer an enhanced shopping experience for Photos and Chrome users. The internet giant will let over 1.7 million merchants on Shopify display their products across its platform with […]
Spotify Reveals Most Streamed Tracks During Eid holidays in The UAE
By Sophia Bennett (May 18, 2021)
Spotify rounded up some of the top artists and songs streamed during Eid Al Fitr breaks in 2019 and 2020 in the UAE. Spotify has been taking particular interest in building a sense of community on and offline in the Middle East.  In 2018, Spotify was officially launched in a range of countries across the […]
Company Closeup: Genesys - Putting Customer Experience on Top
By Soumyadeep Roy (May 16, 2021)
Marketers always stress the importance of having omnichannel marketing to view the business from the customer’s perspective. Great customer experience is an upshot of an effective and well-designed omnichannel ecosystem. To achieve it, companies must understand customer journeys across devices and channels.  To support a marketer in their functioning, to help increase retention and boost […]
Events.com Launches Tool to plan Hybrid Events in 2021
By Sophia Bennett (May 10, 2021)
Events.com announced the launch of digital tools to help event planners create and manage hybrid virtual and live events within a mobile platform. As the event industry begins to re-engage in-person attendees after a year of virtual events, Events.com’s new features integrate with streaming platforms Clubhouse, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram; as well as wearable […]
Why Is FloC Getting Side-Eyed By Marketers?  
By Soumyadeep Roy (May 09, 2021)
Google’s alternative to the third-party cookie has met with suspicion from a section of marketers and internet companies. On the one hand, FLoC gives advertisers and marketers the freedom to do business without third-party cookies, on the other, FLoC has been called Google’s way of monopolising the search market industry. Why is Google’s act of […]
Facebook Announces 2021 Community Accelerator Grant Program to Assist Community Leaders
By Sophia Bennett (May 08, 2021)
Facebook has announced the next phase of its Community Accelerator Program, which is designed to help Facebook group admins, or organisations with a presence in Facebook groups, develop their leadership skills, and make better use of Facebook’s tools to maximise community impact. The program offers funding and training to the selected participants, in order to […]
Signal Tried To Use Facebook's Targeted Advertising Data Against It
By Sophia Bennett (May 07, 2021)
Facebook runs a massively successful digital advertising operation on the back of its granular categories based on user behaviour. Yet, many of the people who actively use its services aren’t aware of how the social network shares their data with advertisers. To shed light on the issue, privacy-focussed messaging app Signal tried to use Facebook’s […]
Facebook Sets Its Sights On Nextdoor With New Neighbourhoods Feature
By Sophia Bennett (May 07, 2021)
Facebook is testing Neighbourhoods, a Nextdoor-like feature that gives you a way to join community-based groups. The company will expand its availability to select US cities “soon,” as well. People started seeing glimpses of an early version of the feature last year, and the social network admitted at the time that it was indeed testing […]
Advertisers Can Now Activate Their First-Party Data Across Microsoft Advertising
By Sophia Bennett (May 05, 2021)
Advertisers using Microsoft’s year-old customer data platform – Dynamics 365 Customer Insights – to house their first-party data can now activate that data through the Microsoft Advertising platform, the company said Tuesday at its Business Applications Summit. The first-party segments can also be used to reach audiences through Facebook Ads and Google Ads. Microsoft Advertising […]
Why Are Marketers Investing in AdTech During The Pandemic? 
By Yolande DMello (May 05, 2021)
Ad tech giants are seeing a surge in business as marketers rejig their budgets to focus on targeted digital spends. As the economy recovers, forward-thinking brands are planning ahead to hit a significant ROI   It’s been a tough year for marketers. Most marketing teams saw their budgets slashed as consumption slowed. According to Statista, overall […]
What Facebook Taught us During Ramadan 
By Aarti Chawla (May 05, 2021)
Facebook IQ commissioned a survey of 17,758 adults across Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE. Here is what it taught us  Learning’s from Facebook’s Ramadan: This is the Joy of Discovery extends far beyond the Holy Month. This Ramadan season, people will want to come together, whether virtually or socially […]
Twitter To Introduce Ticketing For Audio 'Spaces' Feature
By Sophia Bennett (May 04, 2021)
Twitter Inc said it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its “Spaces” feature, as the social media company seeks to court more content creators. Until now, only some users who were part of Twitter’s pilot testing were able to host their own Space. Starting […]
Company Close up: Zendesk --  Adding Zen To Your Marketing
By Soumyadeep Roy (May 03, 2021)
For marketers, customer relationship management (CRM) is an integral part of their remit. And CRM software is an essential tool, strategy, or process that helps businesses organise their customer data in a meaningful way and access it through a centralised process. Something that connects the various organs of a business.  Zendesk takes pride in describing […]
Take The Stress Out Of Marketing, Map Your Customer Journey 
By Soumyadeep Roy (May 01, 2021)
The biggest challenge most marketers face isn’t attracting new customers and expanding the business. Or product innovation and the need to be on top of trends. It is customer retention. Digitisation has permeated every aspect of our lives, and marketers today are witnessing the rise of the “intelligent customer”. Before we look at how a […]
Zuckerberg Lays Out Plans for New Revenue Tools for Instagram Creators, and Improved Brand Promotional Offerings
By Sophia Bennett (April 30, 2021)
Facebook is planning to add more tools to help Instagram creators earn money from their efforts, included creator shops, new Branded Content promotional deal frameworks, and an improved influencer marketplace to connect users and brands. The new outline was shared by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a live-stream chat with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, in […]
Facebook's Monthly User Base Reaches 2.85 Billion Amid Record Sales
By Sophia Bennett (April 30, 2021)
Facebook now has 2.85 billion monthly active users (MAUs), an increase of 10 per cent (year-over-year) while its daily active user base has reached 1.88 billion on average, an increase of 8 per cent. The social network beat expectations and posted record revenue of $26.1 billion in the first quarter, 48 per cent more than […]
Facebook Partners on New Program to Provide Digital Skills Training to Minority Communities
By Sophia Bennett (April 30, 2021)
Facebook has announced a new initiative, in conjunction with Goodwill Partners and Coursera, that will provide accredited social media ad digital marketing training to over 6,000 job seekers in the US, free of charge, via a new scholarship program. The program is designed to help people from minority backgrounds to get back to work, and […]
Marketing Reimagined 
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (April 28, 2021)
Hyper personalised marketing campaigns and customer interactions need to be AI-powered and automated from planning, creative messaging to media targeting the retail experience. The world of Artificial intelligence (AI) acts as a force multiplier with marketers using AI for more personalised digital experiences, meeting customers’ brand expectations and communicating with them. Not just that, even […]
Top Creative Agencies of the Region
By Chandni U (April 26, 2021)
Whether it’s planning an innovative campaign or reworking your marketing strategy, here are our top picks of Digital Advertising agencies in the MENA region  FP7 McCANN Calling themselves the Middle East’s voice, the Full-Service Marketing and Advertising Company is a multi-award winner, including Cannes Lions. Headquartered in Dubai, with 15 other offices around 13 countries, […]
Apple Plans To Expand Ads Business
By Sophia Bennett (April 25, 2021)
Apple Inc is planning to expand its advertising business by adding a second advertising slot in its App Store search page’s “suggested” section, the Financial Times reported. Also Read: Measuring Consumer Attention in Advertising The new advertising slot, which will be rolled out by the end of the month, will allow advertisers to promote their […]
Snap Adds More Users, Exceeds Wall Street’s Expectations
By Sophia Bennett (April 23, 2021)
Snap Inc beat Wall Street estimates for user growth and revenue as the improved Android version of its popular messaging app Snapchat attracted more users, but growth slowed within North America Daily active users (DAUs), a metric closely watched by investors and advertisers, rose 22 per cent year-over-year to 280 million in the first quarter. […]
Microsoft Audience Network Introduces Facebook Import & Video Ads
By Sophia Bennett (April 23, 2021)
The Microsoft Audience Network, Microsoft Advertising’s native ad platform, will soon support Facebook campaign import functionality and video ads. Much like the Google Ads import feature that many are familiar with, advertisers will soon be able to import campaigns from Facebook Ads into Microsoft Advertising. This new feature, currently in open beta in select markets, […]
Facebook To Change Ad, Privacy Policies After Apple’s iOS Update
By Sophia Bennett (April 23, 2021)
Facebook said it is making changes to its advertising tools to comply with an upcoming privacy update by Apple, limiting the effectiveness of data collection features used by advertisers. The world’s biggest social media company has been at loggerheads with Apple’s ‘App Tracking Transparency’ feature, expected to kick in with the latest iPhone software update, […]
How do Brands Look at Social Media?
By Khushbu Raval (April 23, 2021)
Companies that lead with purpose and build around it can achieve continued loyalty, consistency and relevance in consumers’ lives. It has become increasingly important for enterprises, irrespective of size, to have a strong social media presence across various platforms and solutions to help manage the effort. Effective social media marketing helps customers connect with a […]
Platform War: TikTok v/s Reels
By Chandni U (April 22, 2021)
TikTok and Instagram Reels have become a go-to marketing strategy in social media.  Which platform is winning? Vines, Snapchat, and Spotify. Put the three together, and what do you get? TikTok. If you are wondering what happened to Musical.ly, well, it was purchased by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance. They did not want the competition. Four […]
Funding Raises Clubhouse Worth to $4 Billion
By Sophia Bennett (April 21, 2021)
Clubhouse has raised a Series C funding round, reportedly valuing the company at $4 billion. Clubhouse said the new round of financing was led by Andrew Chen of Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from DST Global, Tiger Global and Elad Gil. This round means Clubhouse has tripled the valuation it attained in January when Andreessen Horowitz […]
Facebook Expanding Spotify Partnership With New ‘Boombox’ Project
By Sophia Bennett (April 21, 2021)
Facebook is deepening its relationship with music company Spotify and will allow users to listen to music hosted on Spotify while browsing through its apps as part of a new initiative called “Project Boombox,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday. Facebook is building an in-line audio player that will allow users to listen to […]
Is Social Commerce The Future of Shopping?
By Soumyadeep Roy (April 20, 2021)
You’re browsing Instagram, scrolling through the various posts, all of a sudden, you see an advertisement of your favourite t-shirt on sale. Without wasting time, you hit the buy here option on the Instagram advertisement, and your purchase is made – without visiting the merchant’s site or the bank’s site. Once the purchase is made, […]
Facebook teams up with Arab podcast network Sowt
By Sophia Bennett (April 19, 2021)
Facebook has announced a partnership with a leading Arabic podcast network, Sowt, to spotlight inspiring community leaders from the Arab diaspora to speak about how they have been using Facebook’s family of apps – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – for acts of kindness, charity, fundraising and donations during the month of Ramadan.With the help of […]
Social Media News You Must Know 
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (April 18, 2021)
Here are our Top 10 social media news stories that you don’t want to miss this week. Social audio could be the next big frontier: Many apps are experimenting with live audio setups right now. Twitter’s live audio chat feature, Spaces, which had beta launched for IOS in December 2020, was made available for Android. […]
Is Your Social Ramadan Ready?
By Sophia Bennett (April 18, 2021)
Here’s a quick guide for businesses to get the most out of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp People live on social media, so as a channel, it’s absolutely core to day-to-day business. For many years, social media has been prevalent as an essential marketing tool, however, many businesses are still attempting to get a handle on […]
Brands  Relook  Digital  Ad  Strategy  as  Users  Guard  Privacy
By Sophia Bennett (April 16, 2021)
Big digital platforms are looking at removing like and dislike counts and restricting comments amid mounting consumer demand for measures to protect online privacy, prompting brands to mull changes too. These steps could also act to promote users’ mental well-being and do away with practices to store copious amounts of user data often used to […]
E-Commerce Spending in UAE, Saudi Arabia Surge this Ramadan 
By Sophia Bennett (April 14, 2021)
Digital spending is expected to surge further in the UAE and Saudi Arabia this month, with approximately 76 per cent consumers planning to buy more frequently online during Ramadan, according to a new survey.  About 60 per cent of people surveyed in the two countries said they expect to buy groceries more often this Ramadan, […]
Ramadan Marks Golden Opportunity For Mobile Marketing and Customer Engagement
By Sophia Bennett (April 13, 2021)
Recent data by AppsFlyer and customer engagement platform, Braze, indicate major shifts in consumer behavior and engagement in the weeks leading up to, and during Ramadan. This includes increases in mobile usage and consumer spending, as well as customer acquisition and retention in the Middle East, presenting a golden opportunity for brands and marketers.  This […]
Jun Group Launches Self-Service Advertising Platform for SMBs
By Sophia Bennett (April 13, 2021)
Jun Group, a mobile advertising platform that delivers connected TV, audio, full-screen video and rich media campaigns for Fortune 500 advertisers, has launched its new self-service advertising platform for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) called Business+. Business+ makes it easy for companies to access the most impactful online advertising inventory through a simple and intuitive […]
Are You Ready for a Virtual Ramadan?
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (April 13, 2021)
From live streaming prayers to prevent any potential spiritual vacuum to rustling up meals using recipes on YouTube, Muslims around the world are going high-tech We are in a pandemic mode for over a year now. But just as Ramadan has been extraordinary last year under the Covid-19 lockdown, this year as well, it will […]
How Netflix Knows What You Want To Watch Next
By Suparna Dutt DCunha (April 12, 2021)
The streaming platform’s secret formula to personalise viewer’s experience is driven by data and powered by intelligent AI algorithms. After a long tiring day at work, who doesn’t want an intelligent streaming platform that can understand our preferences, setting up an ideal evening viewing with minimal effort, truth be told, Netflix never fails to help […]
Mrkt360 Officially Accepts Bitcoin As A Form Of Payment
By Sophia Bennett (April 11, 2021)
With increasing demand and popularity for Bitcoin, Mrkt360 has officially begun accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment. As a result, both USDC and USDT tether coins will also be accepted. Bitcoin will allow for transactions with customers to become easier and completely digital. Mrkt360 was one of the first Canadian companies to utilise American […]
Tech Mahindra To Launch ‘Stablecoin-as-a-Service’ with Quantoz
By Sophia Bennett (April 09, 2021)
Tech Mahindra and Netherlands-based Quantoz – an innovative blockchain technology application incubator are set to launch ‘Stablecoin-As-A-Service’ blockchain solution for global banks and financial institutions. The usage of stablecoins as a payment mechanism has significant potential to reduce transaction costs and processing time, while providing auditability and enhanced security. The collaboration is in consideration of […]
WhatsApp Tests Chat History Migration Between iPhone, Android Devices
By Sophia Bennett (April 08, 2021)
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is testing the ability to migrate chat history between an iPhone and an Android device. According to a 9To5Google report, this feature is part of a strategic change in the WhatsApp app. The company had been exploring the possibility of using WhatsApp on multiple devices at the same time and the ability to […]
Facebook Lost Data of 533 Million Users in 2019 Leak
By Sophia Bennett (April 07, 2021)
Facebook acknowledged that hackers ‘scraped’ personal data of around half-billion users back in 2019 by taking advantage of a feature that was designed to help people easily find friends using contact lists. A trove of information of over 530 million Facebook users was allegedly shared at a hacker forum, prompting the leading social network to […]
Facebook Introduces Dynamic Ads for Streaming
By Sophia Bennett (April 06, 2021)
Advertisers can upload their content catalog and ensure people see titles relevant to them Facebook, the world’s most widely used social network, has come a long way since its founding in 2005, undergoing massive transformations in a relatively short time, becoming one of the most innovative companies in the world. On Monday, the tech giant […]
Shoppable Social Media Predictions
By Amelia Neate (April 06, 2021)
Who would have thought one year ago that popular high-street stores would now be closing their doors for good? Or that some of the country’s biggest brands would decide to focus solely on eCommerce? Well, neither did we. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, that is precisely what happened for many businesses, particularly within the […]
AppsFlyer Expands SKAdNetwork Suite With Predictive Analytics Offering
By Sophia Bennett (April 04, 2021)
AppsFlyer has announced the upcoming launch of a new predictive analytics solution PredictSK, which will be a part of its robust SKAdNetwork suite – SK360. The new product will be available after Apple starts enforcing its AppTrackingTransparency framework in early spring. The SK360 suite will continue to support the ecosystem throughout Apple’s upcoming privacy updates. […]
Google, Facebook Dominate AppsFlyer’s Latest Performance Index
By Sophia Bennett (April 03, 2021)
Google has extended its lead over Facebook at the top of the Retention Index’s Universal Power Ranking, while SHAREit took the top spot as the fastest-growing media source in the Middle East in AppsFlyer’s 12th edition of its Performance Index, AppsFlyer aims to empower marketers with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions, recently […]
Instagram launches its version of TikTok Duets
By Sophia Bennett (April 02, 2021)
Instagram has officially introduced its answer to TikTok Duets, launching its ‘Remix’ feature to the world in the latest instance of a Facebook-owned app ‘taking inspiration’ from another platform. The feature, which has been added to Instagram’s version of TikTok called ‘Reels’, enables users to create their own content alongside somebody else’s previously created video. […]
The Brit Awards Team up with TikTok, Amazon Music, Mastercard 
By Sophia Bennett (March 31, 2021)
The BRIT Awards has unveiled its sponsorship partners for 2021, as Amazon Music and TikTok line up for the May ceremony. Headline partner Mastercard returns for the 23rd year in a row, while Amazon Music is on board as Official Digital Music Partner for the second year running. TikTok also returns for a second year. […]
Customer Profiles That Businesses Can’t Ignore
By Soumyadeep Roy (March 31, 2021)
The world as we know is changing at a fast pace. The pandemic accelerated changes on many levels across industries. As people remained confined indoors, and all outdoor activities were severely restricted, online was the only way they could spend time with each other without flouting social distancing norms. The same applied to marketers too. […]
VMF 2021: Lessons From The Digital-first Leader And Their Success Mantra
By Sophia Bennett (March 23, 2021)
Everybody knows the importance of digitisation and the digital transformation of a company. Hear it from the digital-first leader Perihan Abouzeid, Head of Marketing, Viu Middle East, who embraced marketing technology to fast track business growth. Their ability to leverage digital tools has become critical for businesses to survive the on-going crisis. Here are the […]
VMF 2021: The Importance Of Assembling The Right Team 
By Sophia Bennett (March 23, 2021)
How important is it to have knowledge of both technical and quantitative skills? Sonia Lekhal talks about the importance of both technical and quantitative skills in order to assemble the right team. Sonia Lekhal, Chief Marketing Officer at Talabat. She has over 20 years of marketing expertise in e-commerce, digital marketing and digital transformation, as […]
The Key Sessions You Should Not Miss at VMF 2021
By Khushbu Raval (March 23, 2021)
Vibe MarTech Fest – Middle East’s biggest CX, Marketing and Advertising technology summit is back. It is taking place on March 23 and March 24, with some critical topics like Consumer Behavior, Omni-channel Transformation, CDP, and other latest trends to help maximise your marketing activity’s effectiveness.   Omni-channel Transformation: The Winning Formula For Retailers Omni-channel model […]
Ramadan 2021: Facebook Unveils Trends & Behaviours of Saudi Consumers During Festive Season
By Sophia Bennett (March 22, 2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the way people live, connect, shop and discover. This was more evident during Ramadan, a period of introspection and celebration for nearly 2 billion people. During Ramadan, people want to come together, whether virtually or socially distanced, to share their joy with loved ones. Despite inevitable differences to recent […]
Ramadan 2021: Facebook Study Showcases Trends and Behaviours of UAE Consumers During Holy Month
By Soumyadeep Roy (March 22, 2021)
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the way people live, connect, shop and discover. This was more evident during Ramadan, a period of introspection and celebration for nearly 2 billion people. During Ramadan, people want to come together, whether virtually or socially distanced, to share joy with loved ones. Despite inevitable differences in recent years, […]
Brands Turn To VR and AR to stay Relevant in Saudi Arabia
By Sophia Bennett (March 22, 2021)
The strength and influence of Saudi Arabia’s economy in the world marketplace has grown exponentially during the past few decades. As one of the world’s fastest growing markets, the Kingdom is putting its best foot forward in globalisation. According to a 14-market study conducted by Ipsos and Facebook IQ focusing on consumer trends and habits […]
TikTok extends brand safety solution to Australia, Canada, and the UK
By Sophia Bennett (March 17, 2021)
TikTok has extended its partnership with OpenSlate, a digital video-focused measurement and analytics company, to provide its brand safety solution to advertisers in Australia, Canada, and the UK. The ‘TikTok Brand Safety Solution’, previously only available in the US, applies OpenSlate ratings pre-campaign and then video-level reporting to ensure ads are delivered in a brand-safe […]
Instagram Ups Security for Teens; To Restrict Adults From Viewing Underage Content
By Sophia Bennett (March 17, 2021)
Instagram has made a host of updates to its platform as it seeks to increase its younger users’ safety, with a particular focus on the interactions teenagers may be having. The Facebook-owned app is introducing a feature that prevents adults from sending messages to people under 18 who do not follow them and will begin […]
Covid-19: Facebook’s Mega Initiative To Get Over 50 Million People Vaccinated Globally
By Sophia Bennett (March 15, 2021)
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, announced that Facebook, Inc. plans to help people get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. ‘We’re launching a global campaign to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting Covid-19 vaccines’.  ‘We’ve already connected over 2 billion people to authentic and verifiable Covid-19 information. Now that many countries […]
Best CRM Software for Every Business 
By Aarti Chawla (March 15, 2021)
CRM has transformed how businesses communicate and build relationships with their customers, leading to customer loyalty and customer retention. However, there are numerous solutions in the market.  Keep reading to know which CRM software can work well for you.  Strategies for marketing and selling have changed, so have the implementation of new technologies in marketing. […]
Google, Amazon Eye India’s Digital Payments Market
By Sophia Bennett (March 12, 2021)
India’s growing digital payments market has attracted the attention of tech giants across the world. Technology giants Facebook Inc, Amazon and Alphabet-led Google and credit-card providers Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc are among those vying for access to India’s digital payments market. The companies are part of four consortia preparing to apply for licenses in […]
It’s an App, it’s Multiservice, No it’s a Super App
By Chandni U (March 05, 2021)
With a powerful hold on the Chinese market, super apps are gradually finding a place in the global industry amidst hesitancy and optimism. A concept envisioned in 2010, super apps have created a niche market in the Chinese industry. A tremendous success in a country that was known for its copycat technology, the world wonders […]
Do you YouTube?
By Aarti Chawla (March 04, 2021)
Telling a story visually is often far more effective than the written word. And there is no better platform for video marketing than YouTube.  And with a smartphone, tripod, and editing software, video content doesn’t need to be an expensive proposition. The tourism industry was hit hardest hit last year, with holidays being the last […]
TikTok To Pay USD 92 Million To Settle Class-Action Suit 
By Sophia Bennett (March 03, 2021)
TikTok has agreed to pay USD 92 million to settle dozens of lawsuits alleging that the popular video-sharing app harvested personal data from users, including information using facial recognition technology, without consent and shared the data with third-parties, some of which were based in China. The proposed settlement, which lawyers in the case have called […]
MediaMath Expands Purpose Driven Advertising Initiative
By Sophia Bennett (February 27, 2021)
MediaMath announced the expansion of its Purpose-Driven Advertising initiative via its Multicultural Marketplace. The Marketplace is designed to activate advertising spending on nearly 1,000 multicultural publishers owned by or focused on building content for People of Colour. The Marketplace has enabled brands and publishers such as Penguin Random House to champion diversity and align their marketing […]
Oribi raises $15.5 million to challenge Google Analytics with no-code marketing insights
By Sophia Bennett (February 25, 2021)
Oribi, a no-code marketing analytics tool, has raised $15.5 million in a series B round of funding led by Ibex. The raise comes amid something of a boom for low-code/no-code platforms, spanning everything from web development and enterprise app-building to web testing, game development, and process automation. Founded out of Tel Aviv in 2015, Oribi […]
inConcert Commended by Frost & Sullivan for Enhancing Customer Service 
By Sophia Bennett (February 25, 2021)
Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes inConcert with the 2020 European Enabling Technology Leadership Award.  Its keen understanding of market dynamics, customer demands, and industry Mega Trends has helped the company design a remarkable product portfolio and position itself as an industry challenger.  Its inConcert Omnichannel Contact Center solution has steadily gained traction in […]
Facebook Launches #LoveLocal Lebanon SMB Program  
By Sophia Bennett (February 24, 2021)
As part of its wider initiative to support small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) economic recovery, Facebook is launching the #LoveLocal Lebanon SMB Program. The program was developed in recognition that SMBs in Lebanon have been among the hardest hit by the current economic situation due to the pandemic. The damage to the economy got worse […]
Cisco Completes Acquisition of IMImobile PLC
By Sophia Bennett (February 22, 2021)
News Summary: Cisco has completed the acquisition of IMImobile PLC. IMImobile brings key cloud communications software and communications platform as a service technology expanding the capabilities of Cisco Webex Contact Center to deliver a comprehensive Customer Experience as a Service (CXaaS) offer. The combined offering will enable businesses to deliver delightful customer experiences across the […]
Facebook will ban Australian users from sharing or viewing news
By Sophia Bennett (February 22, 2021)
Facebook announced that it will no longer allow publishers and users in Australia to share or view news content. It’s decision to ban Australian news stories from its service comes in stark contrast to Google, which struck a revenue-sharing agreement with News Corp. in accordance with the new law. Facebook announced that it will no […]
Extended Reality: Enhancing Customer Experiences
By Chandni U (February 09, 2021)
While competition among B2B and B2C companies increases, Extended Reality (ER) takes the lead in marketing strategies The era of digitisation has prompted an increased demand for Extended Reality, which constitutes AR and VR technologies. With the market expected to reach 333 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of over 50 from 2020 to 2025, […]
Strentos, AI-Driven Digital Advertising Tool, Launched 
By Sophia Bennett (February 02, 2021)
New artificial intelligence tech tool for small and medium businesses claims to cut marketing costs and opens new roads to generate awareness, identify online leads and boost sales Strentos the world’s first free digital advertising planning tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI), launched to help businesses streamline and maximise their marketing dollars online. Formed by […]
1.3 Million New Users Joined Social Media Every Day During 2020
By Sophia Bennett (January 28, 2021)
Digital 2021 shows significant increases in internet and social media users over the past 12 months. Hootsuite the global leader in social media management, and We Are Social, the socially led creative agency, have released Digital 2021, their latest annual report presenting the most salient global findings on social media and digital trends. With much […]
Building Brand Tribes In a Shifting Economic Landscape
By Amelia Neate (January 19, 2021)
It’s no secret that during the current coronavirus pandemic, the economy has changed, and quite dramatically too. And because of the times we’re all finding ourselves in, building brand tribes has never been more important for both brands and influencers. In today’s world, influencer marketing has become so much more than just gifted products and […]
Shift your eyes off Google for PPC success​
By Nate Burke (January 19, 2021)
Google has long been the PPC platform of choice for digital marketers. And for a good reason. The search engine giant hasn’t been given that name for nothing. It holds 88.14% of the market’s share, handles 5.8 billion searchers a day and expands business reach across the search, display and shopping networks, using Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, websites […]
Hootsuite Acquires Sparkcentral, the Digital Customer Engagement Platform
By Sophia Bennett (January 19, 2021)
Hootsuite has acquired Sparkcentral, a leading SaaS provider enabling digital customer engagement Hootsuite has acquired Sparkcentral, a leading SaaS provider enabling digital customer engagement through 1:1 conversational messaging channels including Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS, and Chat. It is a social and digital customer care platform, with deep integrations into the core business systems of […]
Maintaining the Retail Omnichannel Edge in 2021
By Nate Burke (January 19, 2021)
It’s that time of year where we reflect upon the prior year and make informative predictions for the months ahead to adjust our business activities and refocus strategies.  Unsurprisingly, due to the nature of 2020’s events, just about every industry and business will be looking to 2021 with hope and optimism, as well as a […]
Looking Beyond Google for PPC Success​?
By Nate Burke (December 10, 2020)
Google has long been the PPC platform of choice for digital marketers. And for a good reason. The search engine giant hasn’t been given that name for nothing. It holds 88.14% of the market’s share, handles 5.8 billion searchers a day and expands business reach across the search, display and shopping networks, using Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, websites […]
Who Will Thrive After the Third-Party Cookie Apocalypse?
By Sophia Bennett (December 06, 2020)
The third-party cookie apocalypse is upon us, even before Google Chrome brings an end to them in 2022 Other browsers like Safari and Firefox have effectively done away with them, and for marketers and data analysts that means that upwards of ⅓ of that data is already gone.  That’s making it more difficult to run advertisements […]
Building Brand Tribes In a Shifting Economic Landscape
By Amelia Neate (November 17, 2020)
It’s no secret that during the current coronavirus pandemic, the economy has changed, and quite dramatically too. And because of the times we’re all finding ourselves in, building brand tribes has never been more important for both brands and influencers. In today’s world, influencer marketing has become so much more than just gifted products and […]
Demandbase Unveils Demandbase One, The Next Generation Account-Based Marketing Platform
By Sophia Bennett (November 15, 2020)
Combining the best of Demandbase and Engagio into a single, no-limits B2B solution  Demandbase, the leader in Account-Based Marketing (ABM), today launched Demandbase One—the only ABM solution that connects everything Sales and Marketing teams need to win in today’s evolving B2B landscape. Demandbase One brings together the best of Demandbase and Engagio, helping B2B revenue teams […]
Global Social Media Ad Spend Soars, Signalling Brand Confidence in Digital Channels, Reports Socialbakers
By Sophia Bennett (October 22, 2020)
Despite ongoing turbulence of COVID-19, many brands are doubling down on their investment in social media ad spend, according to new Q3 2020 Social Media Trends Report Socialbakers, the leading social media marketing platform, today released a comprehensive report on Social Media Trends for Q3 2020.  The report reveals that despite a turbulent three quarters […]
Consumer Shopping Cultures and How to Adapt Digital Practices
By Nate Burke (October 20, 2020)
One of the many benefits of ecommerce is that it provides retailers with access to a global market But, despite being accessible to customers in seemingly the same way no matter where in the world they are based, consumption patterns and shopping habits differ across countries. As a result, businesses simply cannot adopt a ‘one […]
Zendesk Offers Instagram Messaging for Businesses
By Sophia Bennett (October 20, 2020)
Businesses Can Now Handle Instagram Messaging Requests at Scale with Zendesk Zendesk, Inc. today announced the addition of Instagram messaging to its customer support offering. This means businesses can now provide customer service on Instagram from directly within Zendesk.  As a leader in messaging for customer service, this aligns with the company’s continued investment in new social […]
Lytics Predictive Audiences gives marketers the tools to build accurate, powerful lookalike models in minutes
By Sophia Bennett (October 06, 2020)
Identify customers at key stages of their lifecycle and deliver personalised experiences in real-time using the right data Lytics, the insight-first customer data platform (CDP) built for marketing teams, has released Lytics Predictive Audiences, a powerful tool that builds lookalike models that allows marketers to reach out to their customers with timely, personalised experiences delivered […]
Social Native Acquires Olapic to Create Next-Gen Creative Optimisation Platform
By Sophia Bennett (October 01, 2020)
Social Native announces the acquisition of Olapic Social Native, a marketplace technology company that empowers marketers to source and optimise visual content to improve brand awareness and performance announced today the acquisition of Olapic, a leading user-generated, influencer, and short-form video content platform for hundreds of brands worldwide. As customer attention becomes harder and harder […]
Introducing CustomerLabs CDP Sources
By Sophia Bennett (September 30, 2020)
A No-Code way to connect & unify data across your CRM, Marketing Automation, Live Chat & Analytics tools Digital Marketing Infrastructure company, CustomerLabs, today announced the launch of CustomerLabs CDP Sources – a solution that enables SMB marketing teams to connect all the tools in their martech stack including Email, CRM, Live chat & Analytics platforms without writing a […]
Amobee and Lotame Unveil Partnership for Global Social Audience Activation
By Sophia Bennett (September 28, 2020)
Advertisers Worldwide Can Reach Valuable Custom Audience Segments Across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Twitter for Holistic Planning Amobee, the global advertising technology company reinventing advertising for the converging world, today announced a global social data partnership with Lotame, the leading global provider of data enrichment solutions to drive customer insights and turn personas into […]
Airship Acquires Conversational Commerce Pioneer ReplyBuy to Accelerate Expansion into Mobile Commerce
By Sophia Bennett (September 28, 2020)
For the first time, Airship will extend its platform beyond customer engagement to directly enable commerce, payments and customer conversations Customer engagement company Airship today announced that it has acquired ReplyBuy, a company that pioneered fully integrated solutions for payments over SMS.  This move extends Airship’s platform beyond customer engagement to directly enable commerce, as well as […]
Salesforce Announces Digital 360--Transforming Customer Engagement for the All-Digital, Work from Anywhere World
By Sophia Bennett (September 25, 2020)
Digital 360 delivers new technology, services and learning that help digital leaders create connected, personalised experiences across marketing, commerce and more Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, today announced Digital 360, bringing together key components and new innovations in the Salesforce Customer 360 platform to help digital leaders transform their customer engagement and accelerate growth […]
TAG LAUNCHES AD INDUSTRY'S FIRST GLOBAL BRAND SAFETY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
By Sophia Bennett (September 17, 2020)
More than 110 Major Companies Certified at Launch, Including Amazon, Facebook, Google, GroupM, Havas, Kroger, Omnicom Media Group, Twitter, Walmart The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), the world’s leading program to fight criminal activity and protect brand safety in digital advertising, today announced the launch of the TAG Brand Safety Certified Program, the ad industry’s largest and broadest […]
2020 State Of Email Report Reveals The Critical Need For Email Is Rising, As 78% Say Email Is Important To The Overall Success Of Their Company
By Sophia Bennett (September 17, 2020)
Survey of over 2,000 marketers conducted by Litmus and Convince & Convert unveils industry averages, best practices.  Litmus, a leader in email marketing, today releases its report, “2020 State of Email, Fall Edition,” during Litmus Live Week, the premier conference for email practitioners and marketing leaders.  The study found 77% of marketers say email is one […]
Being Insider, Hande Cilingir, Co-founder and CEO, Insider
By Sanjay Swamy (September 15, 2020)
Speaking exclusively to Martechvibe, Hande Cilingir, Co-founder and CEO, Insider talks about growth, the challenges marketers face and the role of technology in Marketing 1. Insider was formed in 2012 back when the MarTech space was nascent and almost unheard. What made you and your co-founders believe you were solving a problem? Tell us the […]
What does your MarTech Canvas look like?
By Jonathan Low (September 15, 2020)
MarTech, otherwise known as Marketing Technology, is the term for the software and tech tools marketers leverage to plan, execute, and measure marketing campaigns. The suite of tools a company leverages for marketing processes is known as the MarTech Stack. If you’re a marketer, it can be a great idea to create your own MarTech […]
BrandTotal Raises $12 Million in Series B Round to Expand Brand Marketing Analytics Technology
By Sophia Bennett (September 15, 2020)
INcapital Ventures Leads Latest Funding BrandTotal, the brand marketing analytics company providing social media competitive intelligence to brands and organisations, announced today that it has raised $12 million in its Series B investment round. The Series B round was led by INcapital Ventures, in participation with Maor Investments, Glilot Capital Partners, Flint Capital, KDC Media […]
Astute Acquires Socialbakers to Strengthen Customer Experience Offering with Social Media Marketing
By Sophia Bennett (September 15, 2020)
Two industry leaders, Astute and Socialbakers, join forces to provide a unified omnichannel platform for customer experience management and AI-driven insights for global brands Astute, Inc. (“Astute”) leading customer engagement and Voice of the Customer (“VoC”) platform, today announced its acquisition of Socialbakers a.s. (“Socialbakers”), a market-leading unified social media marketing platform.  The acquisition will allow […]
WebEngage and SparkPost Announce Strategic Partnership
By Sophia Bennett (September 10, 2020)
SparkPost, the world’s largest email delivery and analytics engine, has named WebEngage, a leading, cloud-based, marketing automation platform, as one of its strategic international partners The partnership with SparkPost expands WebEngage’s email portfolio, allowing its customers to leverage Sparkpost’s advanced technology to supercharge their email marketing efforts.  Through this partnership, WebEngage is expected to expand […]
Weyland Tech Enters Agreement to Acquire Fixel AI, Leading Innovator in AI-Powered Digital Marketing Technology
By Sophia Bennett (September 03, 2020)
Weyland Tech, Inc., a leading global provider of eCommerce, mCommerce, and fintech business enablement solutions, has reached an agreement to acquire Fixel AI, an award-winning innovator of digital marketing technology Fixel’s audience engagement platform provides startups to Fortune 500 companies the ability to dramatically enhance their online marketing spend by segmenting and ranking website visitors based […]
Elementor Launches the First Centralised 'Mission Control' for Pro Website Design On WordPress 
By Sophia Bennett (August 27, 2020)
New breakthrough allows professional web creators to oversee and implement a design system thereby reducing design debt, eliminating inconsistencies and saving precious time Elementor, the leading WordPress website building platform, announced today that with their new version 3.0 release, website designers can, for the first time, implement an advanced and comprehensive design system on WordPress sites. […]
Impact Acquires ACTIVATE Influencer Marketing Platform
By Sophia Bennett (August 26, 2020)
The acquisition bolsters influencer capabilities within Impact’s Partnership Cloud, accelerating market leadership position in influencer industry Impact, the global leader in partnership automation, today announced the acquisition of ACTIVATE, a leading brand and SaaS platform in the influencer industry.  The acquisition, effective today, includes the industry-leading end to end platform for influencer discovery; reporting; and campaign […]
Octane AI Launches Shoppable Quiz, Enabling Ecommerce Brands to Create Personalised, Consultative Online Shopping Experiences
By Sophia Bennett (August 24, 2020)
Octane AI also announces a $4.25 million capital raised led by Bullpen Capital, bringing total funding to $9 million Octane AI, the all-in-one buyer profile, Facebook Messenger, and SMS marketing platform for Shopify, today announced the launch of their Shoppable Quiz private beta.  The Shoppable Quiz brings the retail consultation experience online with a personalised […]
Prospur.io, announces it's joining of  Microsoft ISV Connect program
By Sophia Bennett (August 16, 2020)
Prospur.io, a leading digital sales engagement platform for Small and Medium businesses, today announced that it has joined the Microsoft ISV Connect program This program will help small business owners recover from COVID-19 pandemic with a unique “Pay what you can” offer for SMB’s.  With this partnership, small and medium-sized organisations can use Prospur’s digital tools, […]
What I Have Learned Spending close to $1M on Facebook Ads
By Jonathan Low (August 12, 2020)
When it comes to Facebook ads, you often feel like you won the lottery if they perform well, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Over 4 years, I’ve spent more than $900K on Facebook ads. Facebook ads are very complex and nuanced, and those who succeed know a hell more than those who […]
DigitalMarketer & ActiveCampaign Partner for A Digital Anti-Conference
By Sophia Bennett (August 10, 2020)
The inaugural event will connect over 10K marketers to 15+ innovative SaaS technology practitioners for a full day of marketing hacks that drive immediate results This Just Works: Featuring High-Impact Tactics For Driving Pipeline Growth and Improving Your Customer Experience ActiveCampaign, the leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), and DigitalMarketer, the premiere online community for digital […]
IBM and Influential Launch AI-enabled Social Targeting Solution To Help Brands Identify Suitable Influencers
By Sophia Bennett (August 05, 2020)
IBM Expands Collaboration with Social Media Technology Platform Influential New Solution, “IBM Watson Advertising Social Targeting with Influential,” Harnesses AI to Help Identify Influencers that Align with a Brand’s Values and Voice IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the launch of Watson Advertising Social Targeting with Influential, a new solution that harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to help brands […]
Merkle’s Q2 2020 Digital Marketing Report Demonstrates COVID Impacts on Platforms
By Sophia Bennett (August 02, 2020)
Report showcases 38% YoY Growth in US Paid Search Clicks; Sales from Amazon ads up 77%; Ad impression growth for Facebook and Instagram Merkle, a leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, released its Q2 2020 Digital Marketing Report (DMR), a quarterly research report that analyses and highlights key metrics and trends within paid and organic search, […]
Seagate's 'Rethink Data' Report Reveals That 68% Of Data Available To Businesses Goes Unleveraged
By Sophia Bennett (July 22, 2020)
The report also identifies the missing link of data management—DataOps—which can help organisations harness more of their data’s value and lead to better business outcomes. Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX), a world leader in data storage and management solutions, today released Rethink Data: Put More of Your Data to Work—From Edge to Cloud.  The report—based on […]
Invoca and Decibel Partner to Improve Digital Experiences
By Sophia Bennett (July 16, 2020)
Integration connects human conversations and digital experiences to drive higher conversion rates and revenue Invoca, the leader in AI-powered call tracking and conversational analytics, today announced an integration with Decibel, the leader in digital experience analytics.  For the first time, conversational analytics and digital customer experience data are combined to help companies uncover when and why […]
Acquia Launches New Open Digital Experience Platform
By Sophia Bennett (July 15, 2020)
Marketing Cloud and Drupal Cloud Unify Data and Content to Provide a Powerful Solution for Building, Personalising, and Orchestrating Multi-Experiences Digital experience company Acquia today announced the launch of its new Acquia Open Digital Experience Platform (DXP).  The Acquia Open DXP is powered by Acquia Marketing Cloud and Acquia Drupal Cloud, a unified solution that unlocks the […]
Tinuiti Launches Mobius, a Proprietary Suite of Marketing Intelligence and Technology that Unlocks the Triopoly of Google, Facebook and Amazon
By Sophia Bennett (July 15, 2020)
Mobius closes the loop on performance marketing by uniting every data touchpoint to unify, optimise and activate insights Tinuiti, the largest independent performance marketing agency across the triopoly of Google, Facebook and Amazon, introduces a proprietary intelligence platform, Mobius.  The customisable aspects and dynamic analytic possibilities of Mobius can enhance a brand’s data to be more […]
Chatmeter Launches Mobile App to Streamline Customer Engagement and Support Real Time Reputation Management
By Sophia Bennett (June 14, 2020)
As states and businesses reopen, app enables on-the-go location and hours updates, and faster responses to customers Chatmeter, the leader in local search marketing and reputation management, today announced the launch of its new mobile app. The app brings key features from the Chatmeter LocationHQ reputation management and local SEO platform to mobile devices – […]
GROUPM ISSUES CATEGORY-SPECIFIC BRAND SAFETY GUIDANCE FOR MARKETERS
By Sophia Bennett (June 14, 2020)
THE RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE EVOLVING AS QUICKLY AS THE RAPID POLITICAL AND POLICY CHANGES A new brand safety report released today by GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, offers new category-specific recommendations for marketers on the future of brand safety. As policy shifts, political winds, and the global pandemic impact advertising, brand safety opportunities and risks […]
Global launch of World's first virtual team building software to help organisation cope with COVID-19
By Sophia Bennett (June 09, 2020)
WorkJoys announces the global launch of the world’s first virtual team building software to help companies around the world and their employees cope with the emotional impact of COVID-19 WorkJoys helps teams and individuals build bonds with each other by playing simple and fun team-building games. By playing WorkJoys games asynchronously and only during pockets […]
Facebook Audience Network and AppsFlyer Launch First-to-Market Campaign-Level In-App Advertising Measurement
By Sophia Bennett (June 07, 2020)
The new solution drives optimisation success for gaming app developers AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, today announced the first-to-market partnership with Facebook Audience Network bringing campaign-level IAA ROAS (return on advertising spend) measurement solution to gaming app developers. Also read: Former Sparkpost Exec, Barry Abel, Joins Netcore Solutions Inc. as CRO to Expand US Operations By tying the […]
Sprinklr and TikTok Launch New Advertising Partnership
By Sophia Bennett (April 29, 2020)
Sprinklr is the first enterprise software platform to support ad creation and management on TikTok. Helping brands reach a crucial audience on the world’s most downloaded app Sprinklr, the leading Customer Experience Management platform (CXM), today announced it is integrating with TikTok, becoming the first API partner to support in-feed video ads.  This partnership allows advertisers to […]
Guide for Businesses and Brands Adapting to Ramadan in the New Reality
By Sophia Bennett (April 26, 2020)
The impact of social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis has been felt across industries and sectors, with technology and social media playing a critical role in connecting people, communities and businesses.  In essence, this is even more pertinent given the imminent start of Ramadan. Amid this difficult period, it has become even […]
How COVID-19 is impacting programmatic advertising
By Colm Dolan (April 14, 2020)
We are seeing ad rates fall across the globe. The latest figures from the end of March we have to hand from our ad partners show a 45% drop in eCPM from Italy, the most affected region. The UK is showing a 40% drop. The US is climbing with a 15% decrease YoY, and Australia […]
Facebook Buys Scape, an AI Vision Startup
By Sophia Bennett (February 17, 2020)
Facebook has acquired a startup offering key ingredient for its augmented reality glasses. Scape Technologies, a London-based startup using computer vision to determine location beyond the capabilities of GPS alone. Its cloud-based “Visual Positioning Service” translates images into 3D maps that deliver a precise outdoor location across entire cities — important when one needs to […]
Global Survey Reveals PR Practitioners Are Missing Out On Effective PR Tools and Techniques
By Sophia Bennett (February 11, 2020)
80% of PR corporate positioning for senior executives globally is not driven by social media analytics – in the UAE it is slightly less at 74% Only 8% of C-level executives in the UAE use social listening tools for reputation management 15% of UAE PR professionals use social listening tools for newsjacking – in line […]
GoDaddy Acquires Social Content Startup Over
By Sophia Bennett (February 02, 2020)
GoDaddy has reached an agreement to acquire Over, the startup behind an app that helps businesses create the photos and videos they need for social media. This follows GoDaddy’s relaunch of its website-building tools under the new name Websites+Marketing, with additional features around email marketing, search engine optimisation and maintaining a presence beyond your website, […]
AppsFlyer Raises $210 Million to Become a Unicorn
By Sophia Bennett (January 22, 2020)
One of the fastest-growing software-as-a-service businesses, AppsFlyer has seen fivefold growth in annual recurring revenue (ARR), exceeding $150 million in 2019.
It’s All Fake! Digital Advertising’s Biggest Concern
By Shalaka Nalawade (January 14, 2020)
Ad fraud is costing marketers approximately USD 20 billion per year. From fake audience to fake traffic, and fake clicks, to fake installs; advertisers are paying for clicks and exposure that never happens. In October 2018, Buzzfeed News uncovered a massive mobile ad fraud that affected over 125 android apps and websites, including Facebook, Lyft, […]
The Rise of the ‘M-Factor’ 
By Shant Oknayan (January 12, 2020)
With shopping trolleys in one hand and a smartphone in the other, the mobile phone has evolved from a simple texting and talking device into a constant companion for shoppers, having an ability to influence people along every step of their consumer journey. Shopping via mobile devices, personal computers, tablets and connected devices is now […]
How to Combat Fake Followers and Likes in Influencer Marketing
By Maddie Raedts (December 24, 2019)
Fake news. Fake followers. Fake engagement. Is everything on the internet fake nowadays? It seems like our world is becoming more and more inauthentic, and it’s becoming harder to determine who and what to trust. It may come as no surprise that one of the industries commonly named as a scapegoat for encouraging these false […]
6 Steps to Building the Marketing Team of the Future
By Shalaka Nalawade (December 10, 2019)
With more channels, and touchpoints available for customers to interact with a brand, marketers’ task has never been more complicated. Vikram Krishna, Executive Vice President, Head of Group Marketing & Customer Experience, explained how marketers can resolve these complex issues. “What do we need to do differently to win market share while dealing with the […]
BrightTALK Unveils New Talks Platform for Live Webinars
By Sophia Bennett (October 31, 2019)
BrightTALK, an online event and live webinar platform, announced the launch of Talks, a new presenting experience that reimagines the B2B live video experience for speakers, viewers, and marketers. The Talks platform marks a comprehensive redesign of BrightTALK’s live presenting experience, adding advanced HD video capabilities powered by best-of-breed cloud technologies for maximum reliability. As […]
HubSpot Adds LinkedIn Lead Gen Form Creation to its CRM
By Sophia Bennett (October 22, 2019)
HubSpot announced that LinkedIn Lead Gen Form creation is now available within the free HubSpot ads tool. The new feature helps marketers collect quality leads from their ads on LinkedIn using pre-filled forms, which they can set up directly within the connected HubSpot platform. Ads are now an important part of any modern inbound marketing […]
Identity Puzzle in Customer Data Management
By Sameer Narula (October 16, 2019)
In Hindu mythology, Ravana, the great scholar and demon king, has ten heads, symbolising his various powers and knowledge. The heads were indestructible with the ability to morph and regrow. In their battle, Rama, the warrior god, had go below Ravana’s heads and aim the arrow at his solitary heart to slay Ravana for good. […]
How Real is Artificial Intelligence for Customer Experience
By Neeraj Pratap Sangani (October 14, 2019)
Today, technology has impacted the world. And any organisation that wants to put across a strategic, forward-thinking perspective is judged by the emphasis they place on technology and Artificial Intelligence. For a lot of us, the first brush with AI and machines was with movies like Stanley Kubrick’s – 2001: A Space Odyssey. Most people […]
Four Ways to Improve Your Facebook Video Marketing
By Sophia Bennett (September 29, 2019)
fishbat, a full-service internet marketing company based in New York, shares tips to improve your Facebook video marketing.  Even though Facebook has moved away from being the cool, young kids’ platform and more towards a mature, adult audience, it’s power as a social media platform is still undeniable. While video sharing sites like YouTube and […]
Government’s Interaction With Supporters Makes Social Media Powerful
By Shalaka Nalawade (September 25, 2019)
Joe Federer’s expertise in digital runs deep; from building Reddit’s Brand Strategy team and writing Reddit’s brand engagement playbook to managing top-performing brands in Pinterest Ads’ alpha and beta programs, to developing campaigns achieving ROI in the top 95th percentile of Facebook advertiser studies. Having led social creative and strategy teams at major ad and […]
Nielsen's Social Content Ratings Expands Social TV Talent Coverage
By Sophia Bennett (September 23, 2019)
With Talent Driving Well Over Half of All Social Engagement for TV Programs, Enhancement Now Provides Industry’s First Syndicated Solution for Measuring Talent’s Impact Nielsen, the industry’s one source of media truth, announced that its Social Content Ratings  (SCR) solution now comprehensively measures talent’s promotion of TV programs across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. This enhancement, […]
Oracle Unveils AI-Voice for the Enterprise
By Sophia Bennett (September 23, 2019)
Oracle introduces natural voice conversations to Digital Assistant and enhances deep learning semantic parser to handle complex linguistic constructs. Oracle announced the availability of its AI-trained voice with Oracle Digital Assistant. Now, enterprise customers can use voice commands to communicate with their enterprise applications to drive desired actions and outcomes, enriching the user experience with […]
5 Take Aways From the 2nd Vibe Marketers Fest
By Sophia Bennett (September 19, 2019)
The Vibe Marketers Fest (VMF) 2019, the region’s first, largest, and most credible marketing technology event, is just a couple of months away. With all the news coming from its offices, we’re excited to find out what some of the brand leaders will be addressing at the summit. Industry heads from Emirates NBD, Novo Cinemas, […]
Influencer Fraud is a USD 1.3 Billion Racket, Finds a New Study
By Sophia Bennett (September 13, 2019)
The Lilian Raji Agency recently released the “Influencer Fraud: Weeding Out The Fakers, Liars and the Delusional” e-book. It contains detailed guidelines to help companies protect their marketing budgets from influencer scammers. The e-book shows companies how to recognise deceptive practices of fake influencers while still benefiting from opportunities created by the right influencer marketing […]
Leanplum Study: Top Reason Brands Fail Is Annoying Communications
By Sophia Bennett (September 07, 2019)
Leanplum, the leading multi-channel engagement platform, announced the results of a new study on consumer sentiment toward brand communication. Study results show that brands primarily fail because they send too many and irrelevant notifications, yet brands like Facebook, Wells Fargo and Bank of America are the best at communicating with their users. Mobile phones are […]
Boosting Sales ROI With an Analytics-based Strategy
By Anjali Gandhi (September 01, 2019)
When one of the largest beverage brands was looking for an analytics solution that could help them monitor, manage, and increase sales globally. Think Big Analytics, who had previously built a customised data lake for the brand, was commissioned to work on a consumer analytics program to boost sales. With bespoke data applications and tools, […]
Outbrain Survey Reveals 2 out of 5 Consumers Always Find Interesting Native Content
By Sophia Bennett (August 08, 2019)
Outbrain, the world’s leading discovery and native advertising platform for the open web, released the full results of its recent native advertising omnibus survey. The survey, which focused on how consumers feel about native advertising across social platforms and media publishers. Segmented by different age groups (Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers), participants were surveyed on […]
5 Native Advertising Rules Every Marketer Should Know
By Anjali Gandhi (August 07, 2019)
Native advertising is being touted as a new and innovative format, but it just might be an old strategy, transformed by a new digital frontier. In 2014, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) recognised native ads as a new form of advertising. As an alternative to display; it’s seen to be the fastest-growing advertising segment, experiencing […]
Netcore Solutions to Highlight the Importance of Marketing Automation and AI-Powered Marketing Platforms at Vibe Marketers Fest
By Sophia Bennett (July 29, 2019)
Netcore Solutions, a global marketing technology company offering solutions for enterprises that redefine digital marketing will be the MarTech Partner of Vibe Marketers Fest (VMF) 2019 – the region’s first, largest, and most credible marketing technology event. Netcore Solutions empowers modern marketers to map their customer journey and deliver an exceptional one to one customer […]
FaceApp, Social Media, and the Disregard for User Data Privacy
By Shalaka Nalawade (July 28, 2019)
FaceApp is just helping people revel in some self-deprecating humour, using AI to alter their appearance to reflect their older self. Then why are experts cautioning people against the #FaceAppChallenge on social media? While the photo-editing tool is currently viral, with celebrities and commoners sharing hilarious results of their older selves, experts are concerned with […]
HubSpot CRM Now Offers Free Email Marketing Tools
By Sophia Bennett (July 17, 2019)
HubSpot announced that it now offers free email creation, sending, and analytics as part of the free HubSpot CRM. HubSpot gives users the tools they need to see the full view of the customer journey and ultimately provide a more cohesive front end experience for their customers. Growing businesses often suffer from app overload – […]
Why Are Social Media Platforms Collecting Your Personal Data If They Aren't Selling It?
By Sophia Bennett (July 14, 2019)
What are the top core benefits users want from the future of social media?  In a privacy conference in Brussels last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed his concern about the way companies are collecting and using user data, “Platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies. […]
One Year of GDPR: Privacy Laws, Data Breaches, and the Impact of Regulations
By Shalaka Nalawade (July 10, 2019)
On 25 May 2018, the European Union passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). One year on, and privacy laws and data across the globe haven’t been the same. “25 May marks the anniversary of Europe’s new data protection rules, the General Data Protection Regulation, also widely known as the GDPR,” Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for […]
Content Marketing – The Middle Eastern Story
By Anjali Gandhi (July 10, 2019)
Content Marketing is all about personalising your message to your market. Have marketers in the Middle East mastered this skill? Content is now at the heart of any marketing strategy. A marketer must build a relationship with the target audience and prospective buyers to achieve the long-term goal of reduced marketing cost and increased customer […]
Demand for Video Content Gives Rise to YouTube Popularity in Gen Z
By Sophia Bennett (July 04, 2019)
Only 36 per cent of Gen Z (ages 13-17) use Facebook at least once a week, compared to 87 per cent of millennials, 90 per cent of Gen X, and 96 per cent of baby boomers, according to a survey of social media users in the US. Facebook is generally considered the pinnacle of social […]
Expected Excellence - The Growing Demand for Personalisation
By Sherrylyn Heise (June 24, 2019)
According to Forrester, “a laser-like focus on Customer Experience (CX) is the best path to business success”. Telcos need to up their game if they are to keep pace with the expectations of their customers. The key to this is the development of a more meaningful and relevant personalised experience. Over the last 20 years, […]
Programmatic Advertising is Making Big Waves in the Middle East
By Anjali Gandhi (June 20, 2019)
Advertisers in the Middle East are mastering programmatic advertising and are reinventing the art of storytelling to create memorable brand experiences. In 2017, when Audi was about to launch its customisable vehicle, the Q2, the company decided to personalise its marketing. Audi worked with Google to analyse its key touch points about analytics. The data thus […]
Top 4 Social Media Campaigns In the Middle East
By Anjali Gandhi (June 18, 2019)
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter find Middle East to be a perfect market due to the high smartphone penetration. As per a report by Crowd Analyzer, Saudi Arabia had the highest number of Instagram (12 million), Twitter (11 million), and Snapchat (14 million) active users in the Middle East in 2018.
Middle East’s Love for Video Keeps Growing
By Aarushi Singh (June 18, 2019)
June 24, 2018, when Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women driving, #SheDrives went viral, brands like Renault, Audi, Coca-Cola, Zain, and Nissan capitalised on the historic move with video advertising. While the video ads proved to be emotional and heart-warming, the most endearing one was that from HH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. One of […]
How Does In-App Advertising Work?
By Matthew Kaplan (June 17, 2019)
Have you ever wondered, how does in-app advertising work? What goes on behind the scenes to make mobile advertising happen today? Then this guide is for you. Introducing the Digital Marketing Players In the past, advertisers would communicate directly with app developers and publishers whenever they wanted to run an in-app ad campaign. Essentially, the […]
Braze Named in Forrester's Cross-Channel Campaign Management Report
By Sophia Bennett (May 18, 2019)
Braze was previously named a leader in the Forrester Wave™: Mobile Engagement Automation, Q3 2017.  Braze, the leading global customer engagement platform, announced that Forrester named the company in the “Now Tech: Cross-Channel Campaign Management Report.” The report is an overview of 42 vendors across 15 different functional capabilities, putting them into three segments. In […]
Google Is Pushing New Ads on Its Apps to Attract Shoppers
By Sophia Bennett (May 15, 2019)
Google says the gallery ads are part of an effort to make search results more visual. Whether you are Googling on the couch, fiddling with Maps in the car or swiping through the Discover feed on the toilet, expect Alphabet Inc’s Google to put ads in several new spots this year. The search giant announced an […]
3 Steps to a More Powerful Content Marketing Strategy During Ramadan (With Practical Tips)
By Christo van Wyk (May 14, 2019)
The holy month of Ramadan is upon us, it’s a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement and increased devotion. It is a social season where communities celebrate and individuals connect with family and friends near and far. Ramadan is also a month in which people spend a lot more time online and social media consumption changes. […]

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