AD TECH AND MARTECH
Smartly.io | March 17, 2023
Smartly.io, one of the world’s largest SaaS digital advertising platforms, today announces significant company advancements, stemming from months of strategic moves—including two acquisitions, a new platform release and strategic hires to senior leadership—under the guidance and vision of industry veteran Laura Desmond. The company, which holds certified partnerships with media leaders Meta, TikTok and Google, among others, brings dynamic integrations to the digital and social space, successfully “redefining social and creativity,” according to Nikhil Lai, Senior Analyst at Forrester.
Desmond, the former Global CEO of Starcom Mediavest Group and senior executive of Publicis Groupe, has a seasoned track record for creating symbiotic relationships between advertising and technology—influencing opportunities that reshape entire industry categories. As was the case in 2021, where Desmond, a member of DoubleVerify’s Board of Directors and operating partner at Providence Equity, played an integral role in leading its IPO—one of the most successful in the media and technology sector that year.
“When Providence acquired Smartly in 2019 and I became Chair of The Board, the company’s potential was clear from the start. Smartly is uniquely solving real problems that brands and marketers need to have solved: agile creative and media management at the same time; rapid intelligence around performance—what's working and what's not; the ability to execute personalization at scale. The steady updates we’ve been making are unlocking a depth and breadth to the technology that’s affording brands the ability to move across channels as fluidly as the consumers they aim to engage do,” commented Desmond. “Coupled with the additions of Brett Wein as Chief Sales Officer, and Oli Marlow-Thomas as Chief Innovation Officer, I am confident that our vision for Smartly.io will effectively redefine the future of digital advertising for brands and marketers alike.”
Smartly.io’s continuous releases to Workspaces has created a unique full-funnel, multi-channel approach to social advertising, integrating creative, media buying and intelligence at scale, in one platform. Specifically, the company’s creative-focused adtech enables marketers to:
Reach Smartly: Automate campaign workflows across all major platforms, reaching audiences quickly, easily and cost effectively.
Engage Smartly: Create beautiful, cohesive, and effective creative across the funnel that drives action.
Learn Smartly: Extract consolidated actionable insights to respond to audience behaviors in real-time to maximize return on investment (ROI).
"The depth of knowledge [Smartly.io] brings across verticals is really impressive,” said Merry Morud, Lead, Global Creative Optimization for Consumer Products at Uber. “On top of that, they have a fantastic creative team, which is very mobile-first, which is what we, as digital marketers, in a mobile space and mobile-first world look for.” Uber, a longtime client of Smartly.io, has used the company’s platform to execute iterative creative approaches at scale as part of their global media buying practice.
Smartly.io, now managing upwards of $5B in media spend, is unlocking the ability for true multi-platform brand building that exceeds both customer expectations and drives engagement across platforms, at scale. As a result, platform partners like Meta have leveraged Smartly’s Advantage+ Shopping solution to deliver upwards of 150 creative variations across all creative placements, expanding consistent brand reach and personalization in a privacy-safe way.
“Reinvention tends not to come from large scale companies, so we are using our nimble size and strong influence to create real movement in the industry,” said Oli Marlow-Thomas, Chief Innovation Officer, Smartly.io.
ABOUT YOU, one of Europe’s fastest growing fashion platforms, leverages Smartly’s TikTok Shopping Ads across markets. Since implementation, it's seen a near 30% uplift in ROAS for catalog sales, compared to the business-as-usual catalog sales campaigns, and greater than 100% uplift for "add to cart” actions compared to TikTok’s data.
“The Smartly Digital Advertising Platform is the result of years of collaborations, acquisitions and continuous innovation that’s allowing us the ability to really push the limits of what’s been possible, up until now that is. We’re working on some exciting new builds with partners that will hit the market in the coming months, that will take dynamic creative and media optimization to new heights,” continued Marlow-Thomas.
To learn more about the Smartly Digital Advertising Platform and how it’s revolutionizing the industry, please go to https://www.smartly.io.
About Smartly.io
Smartly.io is one of the world’s largest SaaS digital advertising platforms, managing nearly $5B in ad spend with 700+ brands worldwide. Our leading end-to-end technology and outstanding customer service help brands such as Walmart, FanDuel, L’Oreal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Nestle, and Disney/ESPN to better reach audiences, engage creatives and learn what performs best—consistently driving scale for brand and performance across the largest media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snap, Pinterest, TikTok, and Google. Visit Smartly.io to learn more.
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Sharethrough | March 15, 2023
On March 14, 2023, Sharethrough, a global independent ad exchange, is organizing the Green Media Summit 2023 in New York City on April 13. The event will highlight the impact of environmental awareness in media and the digital advertising industry's role in building a sustainable media ecosystem.
The conference will feature keynotes, panels, and fireside chats from ad tech leaders, industry decision-makers, and sustainability experts. The event will talk about the latest trends and solutions in sustainable media practices. These will include strategies for reducing carbon emissions in production and distribution, new technologies, and the role of the media in driving social and actionable environmental change.
Luc Marsolais, Chief Operations Officer at Sharethrough, said, "As businesses increasingly prioritize sustainability, it's become clear that industries across the board need to take steps to reduce its environmental impact." He also said, "The inaugural Green Media Summit is an essential opportunity to come together to address one of the most pressing issues of our time. At this conference and beyond, we can find ways to reduce our carbon footprint, minimize waste, and build a more sustainable future."
(Source - CISION PR Newswire)
The conference is completely carbon-neutral and features speakers from global brands, agencies, and publishers. Attendees can network with like-minded professionals and learn about best practices for creating environmentally conscious campaigns. The conference aims to inspire and empower the industry to take action towards a more sustainable future.
About Sharethrough
Sharethrough is an independent omnichannel ad exchange that believes in a human-centric approach to advertising and monetization. Advertisers and publishers use its technology to render higher-performing ads that fit any placement on any site. Sharethrough's publisher partners benefit from directly-sourced demand, scale, and quality, prioritizing their monetization efforts and elevating performance. It has headquarters in Montreal and offices across North America, including San Francisco and New York City.
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Roku Inc. | March 13, 2023
Roku Inc., a TV streaming platform, and Best Buy have recently announced the multi-faceted first-to-market relationship across their advertising and retail businesses. This partnership includes exclusive in-store availability of Roku-branded TVs, advertising sales and in-person SXSW activation.
Best Buy is a consumer technology retailer based in the U.S. and is partnering with Roku to provide its first-party data for targeting and closed-loop measurement. It will also offer shoppers exclusive access to Roku-branded TVs. Together, they are transforming the TV experience for consumers and compelling marketers to spend more on TV streaming. The benefits for their mutual customers and partners are as follows:
Exclusive availability of Roku Select and Plus Series TVs at Best Buy
Pairing of Roku Advertising and Best Buy Ads for more relevant and performance-driven advertising
Best Buy Home Theater Experience with in-person interactive SXSW activation
They aim to accelerate conversions in TV streaming and retail media through the relationship. According to the report of eMarketer, in 2022, about 82% of U.S. advertisers planned to increase spending in retail media networks like Best Buy Ads. The most spending is from consumer electronics brands in this growth. The pairing of Roku’s active account holders with Best Buy’s customers will allow advertisers to enhance their marketing outcomes.
Co-Head of U.S. Brand Sales for Roku Media, Julian Mintz said, “Our goal is to create a better TV experience for everyone.” He added, “We’re bringing together our entire business to build the future of entertainment and advertising — making the TV experience simpler, offering the right marketing, data, tech, and scale to drive real results, and helping win the entire streamer’s journey together with Best Buy.”
(Source – Business Wire)
About Roku Inc.
Headquartered in San Jose, California, Roku Inc., a technology, information and media company, offers solutions for licensing, audio, an operating system for TV, streaming players and smart TVs, smart home, content distribution, OTT advertising, home entertainment, streaming media, and original programming. It has been transforming the advertising and streaming processes since 2002. It is a well-known TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Its streaming players, TV models, audio equipment, and purpose-built operating system provide an outstanding streaming experience. In addition, it seamlessly integrates with hardware and software. The Roku Channel is a free channel that reaches about 80 million households in the U.S. and Mexico.
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