BWZ acquires Crozdesk to become a media technology company

BWZ, Crozdesk | April 29, 2022

BWZ acquires Crozdesk
Vancouver-based media company Black and White Zebra (BWZ) announced the acquisition of London-based SaaS lead generation company Crozdesk. Crozdesk has recently launched a vendor platform, SoftwareSelect, which helps procurement teams find the right tools for their organizations. With this acquisition, BWZ will be able to provide its customers with better software recommendations thanks to its lead generation platform for SaaS firms.

BWZ was founded in 2011, and it has managed to build a portfolio of online publications that cover project management, product management, people management, customer experience, quality assurance, etc. For SaaS firms like Monday.com, ClickUp, and Smartsheet, BWZ generates millions of leads and millions of unique visitors each month.

Crozdesk, a London, UK-based SaaS lead-generation startup, and its recently launched vendor platform SoftwareSelect have been acquired for $3.6 million today, the company stated. BWZ's acquisition of the company will allow it to give its customers more thorough software recommendations.

The official statement from BWZ on this acquisition conveys the plans ahead, a transformation from a major media publisher to an advanced media technology business.

"Since its launch more than a decade ago, BWZ has helped millions of people and organizations through engaging content including detailed how-to guides, training courses and member forums that help people succeed at work," says Ben Aston, founder and CEO. , BWZ.

"Since its launch more than a decade ago, BWZ has helped millions of people and organizations through engaging content including detailed how-to guides, training courses and member forums that help people succeed at work," says Ben Aston, founder and CEO. , BWZ. "We are passionate about connecting people with the right tools and technology, and we deliver engaging content for our readers that is also highly optimized for our ad partners. This acquisition transforms our business from a major media publisher to an advanced media technology business, and we have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us."

Over the past three years, Crozdesk has executed lead generation, PPC, and intent data campaigns for over 500 software providers and employs AI to classify over 13,000 software products in over 350 categories. The company uses machine learning to rate and evaluate vendors on its platform, and it runs a network of online publishers across the software sector, expanding its reach through intent data and lead creation.

For Crozdesk, this acquisition is expected to bring the desired scale for their products and services.

"Combining the reach, scale and engaging content of BWZ with our digital lead generation solutions used by over 13,000 software vendors makes this an exciting opportunity for both companies," comments Nicholas Hopper, Founder and CEO. of Crozdesk. "We have the ability to provide deep insights into enterprise buyer behavior and provide our partners with invaluable data for sales, marketing and customer success."

Spotlight

Introducing our latest video showcasing the seamless synergy of ChatGPT and ARLOOPA Studio, your ticket to unlocking a world of limitless imagination and innovation.

Spotlight

Introducing our latest video showcasing the seamless synergy of ChatGPT and ARLOOPA Studio, your ticket to unlocking a world of limitless imagination and innovation.

Related News

Display Advertising, Advertiser Campaign Management

Clear Channel Outdoor Pioneers Secure First-Party Data Collaboration for Brands to Activate Billboard Campaigns as Part of an Omni-Channel Strategy

PR Newswire | July 12, 2023

Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO), one of the world's largest Out-of-Home (OOH) media providers, today announced new partnerships integrating its CCO RADAR® data platform with best-in-class Data Clean Room (DCR) applications and services from Aqfer, Habu, InfoSum and LiveRamp. This next-generation secure data integration revolutionizes first party-data matching for OOH, allowing brands who are already active DCR users, and those who want to plan and measure OOH ad campaigns using their own data, to leverage OOH's scale and creative impact in a privacy-conscious and secure way. Increasingly used by digital advertisers for the last few years, Data Clean Rooms are secure environments where data from various sources are connected, analyzed and activated while adhering to strict privacy and compliance standards. With the integration of DCR into its CCO RADAR® suite of solutions, CCO is the first OOH media company in the U.S. to harness this advanced privacy-centric technology. This enables brands using DCRs for audience targeting and campaign amplification to run the most relevant ads and understand and analyze audience behaviors, by offering a secure way for brands to unlock insights from sensitive data without sacrificing security, privacy or performance. By activating these new partnerships and integrations within the CCO RADAR data platform, brands can securely leverage their own data throughout the planning, optimization and measurement of their campaign while allowing for more precise audience targeting and attribution in a one-to-many medium, like OOH. This Data Clean Room integration with CCO arrives at a pivotal time as platforms phase out the use of third-party cookies and other identifiers amid rising state and federal privacy regulations where brands can expect a potential loss of online data. With the challenges rising in targeting and measurement across digital channels that are reliant upon cookie data, CCO is enabling a solution that allows brands to reach their core audiences and measure outcomes in a privacy-compliant manner. Historically, brands have relied on tech companies to tell them about their audiences and the identifiers used in the online space do not necessarily put consumer privacy first. Today, brands want increasing control over their own customers' data and this new, first-to-market integration, respects their ownership of the data when working with large media publishers, like CCO, to reach their consumers. And this innovation further enables OOH to be a part of a brand's omni-channel targeting and measurement strategy as the privacy landscape shifts. "More and more digital-first brands are recognizing the power of OOH to deliver their message to the right audience segments with measurable impact and at scale," said Jeremy Flynn, SVP, Data Products and Strategy, Clear Channel Outdoor. "These DCR integrations allow OOH to be seen as an integrated part of a performance marketer's media mix and we believe this innovation will bring more brands into the OOH space because of our advanced abilities to leverage their chosen data to plan, measure & optimize outcomes." To provide choice for brands and advertisers' preferred DCR capabilities, CCO RADAR® has enabled secure data collaboration integration services from Habu, InfoSum, Aqfer and LiveRamp to deliver a highly secure environment for CCO and its customers. The ability to work together with sensitive data, helping ensure confidentiality and protection while enabling customers to collaborate with each other's data without revealing any sensitive information ensures the highest level of privacy and protection is considered for both consumers and advertisers. "As OOH continues to play a more prominent role in omni-channel strategy for data-driven brands, we are thrilled to partner with Clear Channel Outdoor to deliver the first-to-market OOH clean room solution to advertisers," said Matt Kilmartin, Co-Founder and CEO of Habu, a global innovator in data clean room software. "Clear Channel Outdoor is pioneering a new era of excellence for OOH advertising capabilities and we look forward to continued innovation with them in the months ahead." "We're thrilled to be working with Clear Channel Outdoor to facilitate a true multi-party collaboration solution without any reliance on third-party cookies. This partnership will enable brands and publishers to execute targeted OOH advertising in collaboration with Clear Channel Outdoor," said Jared Hand, SVP, Sales, North America at InfoSum, the world's leading data collaboration technology. "We are excited to work with an innovative company that shares our vision of doing right by consumers and who is leading the way in the use of clean room technology to execute true omnichannel campaigns." "In today's ever changing privacy landscape, media companies need the ability to set and meet secure data collaboration standards that protect consumers while facilitating modern campaign planning, measurement, and activation techniques," says Marc Sabatini, Chief Strategy Officer at Aqfer. "Delivering interoperable solutions for Clear Channel Outdoor that enable truly secure collaboration across the DCR ecosystem enhances the value of the RADAR platform for brands and their agency partners." "In order to achieve effective, multi-channel advertising in today's fragmented data landscape, brands must be able to collaborate with partners in a secure and privacy-focused way," said Daniella Harkins, SVP of Product, Go-To-Market at LiveRamp. "LiveRamp's flexible and interoperable data collaboration technology, paired with Clear Channel Outdoor's scale, empowers advertisers with tools that unlock more accurate and comprehensive measurement of media performance. With new insights and partnerships, OOH advertisers can make more strategic media decisions, discover new opportunities, and scale what best drives growth." About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is at the forefront of driving innovation in the out-of-home advertising industry. Our dynamic advertising platform is broadening the pool of advertisers using our medium through the expansion of digital billboards and displays and the integration of data analytics and programmatic capabilities that deliver measurable campaigns that are simpler to buy. By leveraging the scale, reach and flexibility of our diverse portfolio of assets, we connect advertisers with millions of consumers every month across more than 500,000 print and digital displays in 21 countries.

Read More

Advertiser Platforms

Wurl and AppLovin Empower Streamers and Publishers to Turn CTV into a Performance Marketing Channel in New Report

Business Wire | September 14, 2023

Wurl, the leader in data-driven solutions for CTV, today released How to Turn CTV into a Performance Marketing Channel for Growth, a new report developed in partnership with leading marketing platform AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP). With CTV ad spending projected to reach over $25 billion in 2023, and more and more viewers moving away from traditional cable, the report highlights the significant role CTV advertising plays in reaching new audiences and driving revenue. “CTV advertising is bringing the performance power of mobile user acquisition into the world of television, unlocking unprecedented ROI for streamers, content publishers, and mobile marketers alike,” said Katie Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, AppLovin. “Whether operating in the dynamic world of mobile apps, or as a streaming app delivering engaging content, CTV is driving incremental and profitable growth for performance-minded marketers.” Marketers can now leverage data-driven targeting and measurement, providing a clearer understanding of campaign outcomes. The report details how to: Drive incrementalityby expanding reach to previously untapped audiences and acquiring net-new users and subscribers. Keep the right viewers engaged, targeting promos individually across CTV, mobile, and desktop. Drive deeper engagement through dual-screeningwhen users are engaging with their mobile phones while watching CTV, and searching for information about the product or service. Measure and optimize with a full-funnel, cross-channel mindsetensuring a holistic understanding of CTV's role in driving down-funnel actions. Inspire engagement with CTV adsthat leave a lasting impression and feature a clear call to action that motivates users to take the next step. The report also features real-world case studies from apps that increased their install rates with AppDiscovery campaigns tapping into Wurl’s premium CTV supply. Picsart, the number two top-downloaded photography app, tripled its spend after achieving high install rates and tremendous scale, and popular credit building app Kikoff decreased its cost-per-engagement (CPE) by 27% and increased its install rate by 3X. “We know that nearly half of viewers discover new content to watch through ads during other TV shows,” said Ron Gutman, Chief Executive Officer, Wurl. “With performance-driven advertising, streamers and publishers can leverage CTV as part of their marketing mix to attract high-value viewers, increase engagement, and, in turn, boost retention. All campaigns are 100% measurable through Wurl’s ContentDiscovery solution, allowing advertisers to effectively transform their marketing efforts from a cost center to a revenue driver with the ability to immediately see their ROAS and down-funnel metric performance.” Learn more about Wurl and read the full report, How to Turn CTV into a Performance Marketing Channel for Growth, here. About Wurl Wurl leads the CTV industry in helping content publishers and streamers reach millions of viewers worldwide. The company's market-leading solutions enable publishers and streamers to maximize their revenues, grow their CTV viewership, and strengthen their brand value. Wurl is owned by AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP). For more information, visit www.wurl.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook. About AppLovin AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com.

Read More

Ad Networks, Ad Tech and Martech

Roku and FreeWheel Announce Strategic Partnership to Bring Roku’s Leading Ad Tech to FreeWheel Customers

Business Wire | July 14, 2023

Roku (Nasdaq: ROKU), the No. 1 TV streaming platform in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico*, and FreeWheel today announced a new partnership that will bring forth a suite of industry solutions to unlock the full value of streaming TV for advertisers and publishers. As part of this collaboration, the two companies will be launching new technological offerings that aim to simplify, optimize and enhance TV streaming. The effort is especially timely and noteworthy as the industry approaches a critical time in TV streaming’s evolution. Per Nielsen, time spent with streaming TV surpassed broadcast and cable for the first time since 2022. Additionally, eMarketer projects 57% of U.S. digital video users will stream an advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) service this year. Having solutions aimed at driving greater interoperability and automation will help accelerate this growth. Key highlights of this collaboration include: Streamlined Integration: Roku has now integrated its demand application programming interface (dAPI) with FreeWheel’s TV platform. Roku’s demand API gives publishers direct, automatic and real-time access to more advertiser demand. This enhanced integration allows for streamlined ad operation workflows and better inventory quality control, both of which will improve publisher yield and revenue. Seamless Data Targeting: Publishers can now use Roku platform signals to enable advertisers to target audiences and measure campaign performance without relying on cookies. Additionally, FreeWheel and Roku will rely on data clean room technology to enable the activation of additional data sets providing better measurement and monetization to publishers and agencies. Inventory Quality: FreeWheel will leverage Roku’s Watermark solution to prevent sophisticated invalid traffic (IVT)/fraud in TV streaming in partnership with cybersecurity company HUMAN Security, through its robust MediaGuard solution that ensures ad inventory is reaching real humans. Roku’s Advertising Watermark is the industry’s first authentication solution built for TV streaming and gives marketers the confidence that their advertising spend is reaching real streamers. The technology helps marketers and publishers prevent device spoofing and app spoofing by validating ad measurement signals. “Our goal is to create a better TV experience for our partners and consumers,” said Youssef Ben-Youssef, Senior Director, Technology Partnerships, Roku. “This new collaboration brings together an industry-leading blend of data, tech and reporting to accelerate the shift from traditional TV to streaming TV.” “There is a lot of synergy, energy and a shared sense of purpose behind our work with Roku,” said FreeWheel Chief Strategy Officer Soo Jin Oh. “At FreeWheel, we believe the industry is stronger and better when we collectively help solve today’s problems while creating future innovation. And so, it’s our hope that this new initiative will help pave the way for greater simplicity, optimization and an even more improved experience for the TV advertising ecosystem.” About FreeWheel FreeWheel empowers all segments of The New TV Ecosystem. We are structured to provide the full breadth of solutions the advertising industry needs to achieve their goals. We provide the technology, data enablement and convergent marketplaces required to ensure buyers and sellers can transact across all screens, across all data types, and all sales channels, in order to ensure the ultimate goal – results for marketers. With offices in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, Beijing, and across the globe, FreeWheel, A Comcast Company, stands to advocate for the entire industry through the FreeWheel Council for Premium Video. For more information, please visit freewheel.com, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. About Roku, Inc. Roku pioneered streaming on TV. We connect users to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku TV™ models, Roku streaming players, and TV-related audio devices are available in various countries around the world through direct retail sales and/or licensing arrangements with TV OEM brands. Roku-branded TVs and Roku Smart Home products are sold exclusively in the United States. Roku also operates The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment with exclusive access to Roku Originals. The Roku Channel is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

Read More