Iconic high street optician Specsavers has appointed data science consultancy Ekimetrics to help it transform its approach to MMO (Marketing Mix Optimisation). Ekimetrics will help Specsavers embed frequent learnings into both strategic and day-to-day planning of marketing activity, and media laydown and spend. The three-year project will deliver an ‘always on’, detailed understanding of the drivers of media performance for both short-term trading activity and longer-term brand building. The programme will encompass online and offline channels, including TV, CRM and Specsavers’ growing digital activity. As part of the programme, Ekimetrics will help Specsavers to build a data automation infrastructure. This will provide Specsavers with one version of the truth on which to base all marketing planning decisions and respond to a changing landscape and the business questions that arise as a result. The target infrastructure will enable the efficiencies needed to support an increase in model update frequency. In addition, Specsavers teams will have access to a digital optimisation platform to plan and forecast their marketing spend and expected ROI.
Global logistics powerhouse DHL deployed Pixis’ codeless AI technology to boost demand generation and observed a 35% increase in clickthrough rates within the first month. The logistics leader, which leverages multiple channels for customer acquisitions, has been making strides in harnessing AI, as the scale of its campaigns grow globally. Pixis’ codeless AI infrastructure enabled DHL to continuously monitor campaigns and scale growth by exploiting market trends at the right time, contextually targeting the right audiences through real-time AI-led insights, and serving them with the relevant creative recommendations at the right time. When campaigns were underpinned by AI insights the brand was able to four times as cost-efficient as its prior approach. DHL also observed an uptick in the quality of leads generated by tapping into previously unexplored high-intent audience groups.
InfoSum, the data collaboration platform, has announced an agreement with Experian, the global information services company. The initiative enables brands, partners, and media owners to leverage Experian’s identity graph to match their first-party datasets within InfoSum’s Secure Data Clean Room technology to enrich identity profiles and amplify match rates. The collaborative effort builds on InfoSum’s long-standing integration with Experian. The multi-party collaboration partnership will also build on both Experian’s and InfoSum’s existing integrations with IRI, enabling marketers to enrich their first-party data, expand their existing audiences and increase match rates without having to move or share their data. Through Experian activation destinations, customers can also seamlessly push audiences across the supply chain and optimize campaign performance.
AdLiven, a full-service mobile user acquisition, and creative production company, is launching AdLiven Insights – a new way to understand the performance of interactive ad formats in a post-IDFA world. AdLiven Insights provides granular data about how and when a user engages with playable ads, helping advertisers, brands, and marketers to better understand user behaviour. This will inform them of how an ad is performing and give crucial insights into making better, more creative, and more effective ads with learnings that can also be applied to video campaigns and app store optimization. The tool is now available to all partners on supported ad networks (Vungle, AppLovin, IronSource, Unity, Liftoff, AdColony, and Chartboost).
Reddit has announced their first alpha partners as the company builds out its marketing API ecosystem. VidMob, Sprinklr, adMixt, and PMG have been announced as foundational partners in the development of Reddit’s Ads API, part of its wider Marketing API offering. These partnerships will empower the platform’s advertisers to measure creative efficacy as well as automate, scale and optimise their campaigns to drive increased usability, efficiency, and functionality of their Reddit Ads.
Cloud content and digital workflow platform Dropbox has announced updates to a number of its most essential workflow and video communication tools—Dropbox Capture, HelloSign, and DocSend. The updates are designed to power modern work and allow users to complete more types of workflows directly from the platform. Leading the announcement is the launch of Dropbox Capture, a new video messaging tool that lets users record their message with screenshots, GIFs, and presentations right from their screen. Capture allows users to clearly communicate, record, send and scale their messages asynchronously through engaging video content. Dropbox is reintroducing its suite of eSignature products as Dropbox Sign (previously known as HelloSign). All Dropbox Sign plans, including the free plan, will offer unlimited self-signing, so users can sign as many documents as needed. Dropbox Forms will also be included in Dropbox Sign plans (Standard and Premium) and offer 50 free Forms transactions per month. Advanced video analytics has been one of the most requested features among DocSend customers, and Dropbox is making it available today. DocSend users can now share videos and access backend analytics, like playback completion rate, time watched, and geo-tagging information. Advanced video analytics, such as an engagement graph, performance graph, and video engagement settings, are now available to DocSend users on Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise plans.
Mediaocean, the mission-critical platform for omnichannel advertising, has announced the launch of its product training certification program, supported by Credly’s digital badging service. The new seamless certification process bolsters the company’s continued commitment to providing dynamic professional development offerings through Mediaocean Education, the division dedicated to supporting the company’s agency partners, clients, and teams around the world.
Toluna, the consumer insights provider and parent company of Harris Interactive and KuRunData, has announced the acquisition of GutCheck, the agile market research agency based in North America. Toluna is already the leading provider of flexible research solutions ranging from DIY to Hybrid to Custom Research across both quantitative and qualitative insights, and the acquisition of GutCheck will further bolster Toluna’s agile insights presence in North America. Meanwhile, GutCheck clients will continue to experience the innovative research services they have always received, now with the added benefit of Toluna’s advanced technology stack, global panel, and global services group—enabling them to conduct the same, high-quality research, but faster than ever before and on a much greater scale.
Footballco’s youth football brand, NXGN has been named as the principal partner of Wolves Academy in a deal which will see NXGN branding appearing across the shirts of six of Wolves’ academy teams as well as both parties creating content around the club’s young players. Footballco will also be working with Wolves to create content featuring their academy players which will include appearing in existing Footballco video formats, as well as new formats created specifically for NXGN and the partnership. These formats will expand beyond the pitch to incorporate other youth-focused initiatives from Wolves, including their esports teams and music label, Wolves Records.
InPost — the European out-of-home and eCommerce delivery company — is continuing its growth across the UK with a new partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). The installation of InPost’s parcel lockers at bus and Metrolink stations across Greater Manchester will help to reinforce these locations as important hubs for the local community and those using public transport. Available 24/7, the new lockers will provide a genuinely convenient and easily accessible way for people to pick up or return parcels quickly and easily as part of their daily commute across the TfGM network. This gives control back to consumers, saving them both time and hassle by putting an end to long queues on lunch breaks, waiting to return and send parcels. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the new partnership is set to bring extra convenience to commuters over the party season.
