Our regular update on client wins, new tech integrations, company launches, M+A activity and platform activations. We love to share good news in these challenging times so please keep sending them through.
WPP and TikTok have announced an innovative global partnership to enable WPP agencies and clients to tap into the culture-shaping impact and reach of the platform. The partnership allows WPP clients to benefit from unique access and capabilities on the TikTok platform. Recognising the significant opportunities for brands that both short-form video and digital content continue to present, WPP will have early access to advertising products in development, ensuring WPP and its clients remain at the forefront of innovation as TikTok further develops its suite of products for brands. This includes partnering on marketing API integrations and next-generation formats, such as augmented reality offerings.
TikTok will also collaborate with its creator community to build a diverse network of creators to partner with WPP and facilitate exclusive opportunities for collaboration with select advertisers. WPP will be the Lead Agency Development Partner to new creator-focused APIs, which will incorporate WPP’s brand safety methodology while leveraging unique brand and marketer data signals. The goal of these new solutions will be to enable brands to gain deeper insights on creators, connect with diverse voices and have early access to these creators for their campaigns. Additionally, WPP and TikTok will co-create a training and accreditation program for WPP agencies, which will secure priority access to content tailored to media and creative disciplines.
To further build brand safety solutions on the platform, GroupM, the media buying arm of WPP, and TikTok will continue to work on complete integration with third-party verification vendors, developing meaningful first-party inclusion and exclusion controls, and alignment with the GARM Brand Safety and Suitability Framework. The companies also intend to jointly conduct market-leading research to guide brand on TikTok best practices and assist them with employing data-informed strategies for driving engagement on the platform. GroupM has already engaged TikTok on niche auction training and will continue advancing buying capabilities through its large network of specialists.
Roam Adventure Co. has selected Brightpearl to power its ecommerce expansion and optimize its operations for all conditions. Brightpearl’s intuitive platform will provide a real-time view of the adventure equipment supplier’s inventory, accounting, sales and reporting, offering complete control across all aspects of the business, and aiding the firm in its pursuit of improved efficiency as it grows. In addition to improved visibility of inventory and sales, Roam will take advantage of Brightpearl’s demand planning functionality to forecast future demand and allocate products accordingly. Powerful automation software will also free up hours of time formerly spent on repetitive manual tasks so that the Roam team can focus on delivering the highest possible standard of customer service.
Cantium Business Solutions, a specialist provider of IT, HR and finance solutions, has provided IT support for the establishment of 24 new COVID-19 symptom-free testing sites in Kent, as part of the Kent County Council’s coronavirus response plan. Working in partnership with Kent County Council, Cantium was briefed to help establish its new testing sites to help reduce the Coronavirus transmission rates for those that may not be displaying symptoms at a critical moment in the pandemic response. Working under an accelerated time frame between Christmas and the New Year, Cantium delivered the necessary IT set-up for the 24 sites and is providing ongoing out of hours IT support. Through its IT Service Desk, Cantium has set up priority channels to ensure out-of-hours support seven days a week.
To help workers accurately check-in users and keep record of crucial data, Cantium sourced and delivered all of the required hardware, including laptops, smartphones and tablets. The team configured 48 laptops with dual accounts to enable two members of staff to use each device and created more than 450 accounts. The 168 smartphones and 100 Lenovo tablets were asset tagged and configured with mobile device management. Cantium ensured connectivity through wireless access points which were installed at multiple points throughout the sites.
Konnect, a division of broadband satellite specialists, Eutelsat, has hired Speed Communications on a retained basis to launch its brand-new konnect service, which provides superfast satellite broadband across Europe to people who struggle to get a decent broadband connection. The konnect team needed an agency that had a proven track record in the satellite and fixed-line broadband market together with experience launching consumer tech brands across Europe. The brief goes beyond this, to educate both consumer and trade audiences about the innovation within the satellite broadband category and position konnect as an accessible and affordable alternative to other Internet Service Providers. Speed has developed a multi-channel strategy to engage both the consumer and trade audience with a programme of news and creative content to drive awareness of the konnect brand in a number of countries across Europe.
EPOS, the high-performance audio specialist has become the Aston Martin F1 team’s Global Audio Partner. In a sport where each fraction of a second counts, clarity and precision are essential. The partnership will give the team access to some of the most advanced audio solutions on the market, which will strengthen the team’s trackside set-up as well as factory-based operations. EPOS can call on a storied history of over 115 years working in innovation and sound, with its pioneering technology and class-leading design making it the top pick for professionals and gamers all over the world. Teaming up with a Formula One team provides the ideal arena to demonstrate its products at the highest level of motorsport.
Leeds-based digital marketing provider, Modo25, has won a six-figure government investment to support its new retail AdTech platform, BOSCO™. Modo25 was successful in securing The Sustainable Innovation Fund: round 3 (temporary framework) grant for a single research and development project. The Innovate UK competition was to support projects that will help all sectors in the UK rebuild after COVID-19 by winning a share of a £10m fund. Thanks to the grant, Modo25 has been able to rapidly expand the BOSCO™ team. So far, they have welcomed a new Associate Director of Product and two Junior Marketing Data Analysts. Because of this, the BOSCO™ team can continue to grow and help businesses and retailers recover from the effects of COVID-19.
GetReve, a first-of-a-kind SaaS (software as a service) platform that enables businesses to effortlessly create new online revenue channels and benefit from monthly recurring subscriptions, has officially launched in the UK. GetReve (short for ‘Get Revenue’) enables existing businesses to white label and rapidly monetise a dozen core online products, ranging from booking, billing and sales tools to video calling, client management and ecommerce platforms. Equally, entrepreneurs or perhaps someone with an existing job but looking for a side hustle, can use GetReve to rapidly create new online businesses in a matter of days. All online businesses created through GetReve work effortlessly across mobile. Though it only launched in 2020, more than 15,000 end-clients are already using GetReve’s suite of tools to run their businesses. They range from hairdressers, beauty therapists and mechanics to plumbers, electricians and restaurants.
Seedtag continues its expansion throughout the UK & Europe with the acquisition of German contextual advertising specialists, Recognified. This acquisition is not only a geographical move to have a presence in the top 5 European markets but it is also another step forward in seedtag’s growth plan to consolidate its leadership position in contextual AI in Europe and Latam. This announcement comes two months after seedtag reported the acquisition of its Italian competitor AtomikAd. This acquisition and expansion have been driven by an increased market demand of the benefits of contextual full-stack solutions, the complementary technologies and publisher agreements between both companies, as well as the continued need for innovative, brand-safe and privacy-first advertising formats in the region. The integration process of the two companies will progressively take place throughout 2021. Seedtag will use Recognified’s existing infrastructure to provide relevant advertising solutions to its clients in the country and it will be able to offer access to the German network to its current clients. This way seedtag will have a greater offering to deliver highly impactful international campaigns.
Real-time advertising technology and infrastructure company, IPONWEB, has been awarded TAG Platinum status by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), the world’s leading program to fight criminal activity and protect brand safety in digital advertising. Attained by only 11 organisations in the world, TAG Platinum is the highest level of certification offered by the Trustworthy Accountability Group and means a company has achieved all four TAG certifications across the areas of fraud, malware, brand safety and piracy. Attaining all four TAG seals was essential for IPONWEB, as its products cover all points of the programmatic advertising supply chain.
Dennis Publishing has announced a strategic partnership with LiveRamp to utilise its Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS). ATS allows publishers to connect consented first-party user data with LiveRamp’s people-based identifier, enabling advertising on authenticated, cookieless inventory in a privacy-first manner. In addition to creating a sustainable business model based on trust and high-quality content, Dennis’ partnership with LiveRamp will provide marketers with the opportunity to maintain and improve data-driven marketing capabilities and deliver highly personalised and relevant messages to Dennis’ 50 million unique monthly users across its portfolio of over 30 brands.
Napier, the London-based intelligent compliance technology company, has announced that it has been selected as the anti-money laundering & and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) technology platform of choice for one of Australia’s most trusted brands, Australia Post. Napier will provide AML/CTF and compliance technology to Australia Post in the form of its Intelligent Compliance Platform. The solution will bring together transaction monitoring and Know Your Customer data, allowing Australia Post to continue its capabilities to efficiently spot suspicious activity and comply with relevant regulatory obligations. Napier’s Transaction Monitoring, Client Activity Review and Risk-based Scorecard solutions will give Australia Post a next-generation compliance platform, enabling the organisation to effectively identify and manage risk and extend their anti-money laundering capabilities. In addition, Napier’s Client and Payment Screening solutions will offer a reliable, resilient filter to screen transactions and watchlists, generating good quality alerts for review. This will help Australia Post to continue to efficiently fulfil compliance obligations with on-going large-scale screening and re-screening capabilities.
Acxiom has announced that its privacy-compliant data enrichment and Identity Services products are now available via Treasure Data™. This is the latest step in Acxiom’s strategy to be more widely available and follows the announcement of its customer data platform (CDP) services strategy. This integration is available through Treasure Boxes, a library of prebuilt sets of code and applications to accelerate development and allow for faster time to value. The Acxiom Data Services’ Box gives Treasure Data customers a single access point into Acxiom’s hygiene, identity and data enhancement services.
