COMPANIES
Dunnhumby Acquires Standard Analytics
What is it? Dunnhumby absorbs Standard Analytics (SA), a company specializing in machine learning and analytics with a focus on sales forecasting.
WIIFM? SA’s real-time out of stock alert system is designed to assess consumer buying behavior, accounting for pricing, seasonality, and other factors that impact sales.
Who’s talking? “With SA technology, retailers have the enhanced ability to look beyond the individual product level to predict performance based on factors throughout the store in entire categories, product adjacencies, etc.,” notes Yael Cosset, Global CIO of dunnhumby.
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Three Million Vigglers and Counting
What is it? Viggle, a mobile app that acts as a “second screen” for TV loyalty now boasts three million users, who have checked into TV shows over 250 million times.
WIIFM? The app rewards users for watching their favorite TV shows and sporting events, as well as for participating in brand advertising.
Who’s talking? “Our efforts to enhance users’ television viewing experience through Viggle’s unique audio verified check-in and reward system is resonating with the marketplace and engaging current and new Vigglers,” says President and COO Greg Consiglio.
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[x+1] Plus Lotame Solutions
What is it? [x+1], a digital marketing and data management software provider, joins forces with Lotame Solutions for a technology partnership for data sharing and media buying.
WIIFM? The companies claim that data sharing enabled by this integration will connect a network of online advertisers and publishers for efficient media buying at scale.
Who’s talking? “The ability to share first-party audience segments addresses the needs from marketers and publishers for highly secure audience targeting,” says Kevin Kohn, Lotame’s chief revenue officer. “Our integration with [x+1] will open up a wealth of opportunities between marketers and publishers, giving them the ability to syndicate their audience in a controlled environment.”
PRODUCTS
Infor Epiphany Available in the Cloud
What is it? Infor Epiphany Interaction Advisor is now available for subscription and hosted services.
WIIFM? Infor says the software’s availability on cloud simplifies future upgrades, reduces maintenance costs, and speeds the deployment process.
Who’s talking? “By offering Infor Epiphany Interaction Advisor in the cloud, we are giving them the option to choose the deployment method that’s right for their business model,” says George Wright, senior vice president and general manager, CRM, Infor.
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How Are Your Competitors’ Emails Doing?
What is it? Return Path announces the addition of a new feature called Subscriber Overlap to its Inbox Insight competitive intelligence solution.
WIIFM? The company says that the new feature enables users to determine what proportion of their subscriber bases they share with other email senders, and compare subscriber behavior, such as reading messages.
Who’s talking? “Marketers are already using Subscriber Overlap to find key tactical differences between competing campaigns, to see which drove better subscriber engagement. They’re optimizing email programs by incorporating competitors’ winning tactics, and it’s working for them,” says President George Bilbrey.
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SendGrid Launches Email Service
What is it? SendGrid, which specializes in email deliverability, releases an email marketing service.
WIIFM? The service is priced according to the volume of outbound email, as opposed to a subscriber based model.
Who’s talking? “Our email marketing service is a big opportunity for marketers who have been paying for email based on subscriber counts instead of the volume of email they send,” says VP of Marketing Robert Phillips.
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Is Kim Kardashian right for you?
What is it? Adly releases an audience targeting platform called Match Me Up, powered by Adly’s Celebrity Intelligence.
WIIFM? The company says the tool enables marketers to analyze a brand’s owned media presence, and use the metrics to generate six celebrities that are best suited to extend a brand’s message.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Who is it: Hawthorne Direct names Kathi Moore VP/Account Director.
What’s her role: Moore will liaise with a variety of brands in the U.S. and abroad.
Where was she prior: Most recently, Moore served as Direct Response Consultant with Hi Life Health and Beauty in Australia. She also held senior positions at Ogilvy & Mather, Capital Media, and Drummer Advertising.
Why was she appointed: “Her 30-years of expertise in the ad/marketing field have seasoned her abilities in developing strategic marketing campaigns, working closely with creative and production teams, implementing media buying and planning, and managing the ROI resulting from a broad range of direct response driven campaigns,” says CEO Tim Hawthorne.
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Who is it: MeritDirect appoints Ethan Simblist director of digital advertising.
What’s his role: Simblist will be responsible for spearheading MeritDirect’s expansion in digital advertising.
Where was he prior: Before joining MeritDirect, Simblist served as director of digital strategy at White Star Media. Prior to that, he worked at LucidMedia, Contextweb, Pulse360, and IAC Advertising Solutions.
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Who is it: Upfront Digital Media hires Ayme Yaiser as VP of marketing and Hava Kelman as VP of business development.
What’s their role: Kelman and Yaiser will help agency and brand marketers strategically invest in online marketing.
Where were they prior: Yaiser was most recently VP of corporate communications for the Rubicon Project, while Kelman led MediaMind‘s product and business development teams.
Why were they appointed: “Both Ayme and Hava bring proven expertise in driving strong visibility and market traction for companies in our crowded digital ad world,” says CEO Jonathon Shaevitz.
