COMPANY NEWS
To Bot or Not to Bot
What is it? Digital ad and security provider Solve Media publishes Bot or Not, a children’s book treatment of the computer hacker threat.
WIIFM? Finally, a way to explain this bot thing to your creative director. Better yet, show him or her the video recitation of the book by Police Academy’s Michael Winslow.
Who’s talking? “With bot traffic reaching 29% in Q1 and growing, the conversation is now more relevant than ever,” says CEO Ari Jacoby.
Land Your Score
What is it? Worldata launches LandingPageScore.com
WIIFM? Marketers can get a quick read on the effectiveness of their landing pages, compared against best practices based on a billion-plus emails sent and tracked by Worldata clients.
Who’s talking? “Answer two questions and learn how well your landing page is built,” says Marketing Manager Alyese Charney.
Crowning Addition
What is it? Crown digital marketing acquires agency Intersect.
WIIFM? Expanded creative capabilities for Crown customers on the East Coast.
Who’s talking? “The Intersect team is a perfect complement to Crown’s deep e-commerce, Web, digital, and analytics offerings,” says Crown founder and CEO Richard Hearn.
PRODUCTS
New Pandora Media Buying Platform
What is it? Pandora announces new e-business advertising technology that integrates the media buying software platforms Meidaocean and STRATA.
WIIFM? According to Pandora, automates what has been largely a manual process for digital advertisers by calling on the audience insights of more than 70 million listeners.
Who’s talking? “With this new solution, we are combining the ease of buying traditional radio with the accountability of digital by enabling a more seamless, end-to-end platform from planning through the final billing transaction,” says Chief Revenue Officer John Trimble.
Giving Text to Voice
What is it? Verint Systems announces the addition of SMS feedback to its voice of the customer portfolio.
WIIFM? Marketers will be able to build stronger multichannel relationships, gain deeper insight into the customer experience, and improve operational efficiency, Verint claims.
Who’s talking? “Verint continues to invest in creating a solution set that provides powerful analytics across all customer channels,” says VP of voice of the customer analytics Oren Stern.
Email Enhancements
What is it? Vocus adds email features to its cloud-based marketing suite.
WIIFM? Enhancements allow users of the platform to launch triggered messages, conduct A/B testing, and attach Google Analytics to their email programs.
Who’s talking? “These new email enhancements are targeted at organizations ready to move to the next step of email marketing, which includes optimization, analytics, and event-driven marketing,” says SVP of products You Mon Tsang.
New Social Skills
What is it? Lattice Engines announces the release of its Big Data analytics platform salesPRISM.
WIIFM? Allows users to compare social data with other data sources and predict behavior.
Who’s talking? “Looking at social data in a vacuum, and at one isolated moment in time is directional at best, and when tracked manually doesn’t give a sense of growth, decline or patterns over time,” says a company release.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Who is it: Tabitha Geary, appointed vice president of the Washington, DC, office of SapientNitro
What’s her role: Geary will spearhead the growth and continued expansion of SapientNitro’s Mid-Atlantic business.
Where was she prior: She was most recently CEO and managing partner at Create Digital
Why she was appointed: “Tabitha understands the transformation taking place in our industry, and brings amazing depth and breadth of experience,” says Ron Shamah, managing director of the New York and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Who is it: Mike Camp, named COO of OrderGroove, a retail solutions company
What’s his role: He will be responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations, including overseeing the company’s growing client list and their continued expansion.
Where was he prior: He most recently served as VP of client solutions at Bazaarvoice, and previously held management positions at Endeca and Business Objects.
Why he was appointed: “Mike brings deep expertise and leadership in retail and enterprise technology, and a proven record in driving client success,” says CEO Greg Alvo.
