MarTech Today: Data Gran’s AI-powered ad tool, Optimizely suits up & the ‘world’s largest audio advertising platform’

Here’s our daily recap of what happened in marketing technology, as reported on MarTech Today, Marketing Land and other places across the web.

From MarTech Today:

• Data Gran launches AI-powered tool for optimizing Facebook, Instagram (and soon, Google) campaigns
  Oct 18, 2017 by Ginny Marvin
  AdOptimizer automatically tests dozens of ad creative and targeting combinations in a short period to determine and direct budget to the best performers.
• Optimizely suits up for battle with Adobe Target
  Oct 18, 2017 by Barry Levine
  Formerly an A/B testing application, the experimentation platform has digested its Experiment Engine acquisition and is launching Program Management.
• Salesforce’s Einstein boosts search in its Commerce Cloud
  Oct 18, 2017 by Barry Levine
  The new features make it easier for online retailers to tailor site search to their visitors.
• Tapjoy adds interactive End Cards after its rewarded video ads
  Oct 18, 2017 by Barry Levine
  They supplement the company’s previous static cards and point to ways that advertisers are looking to offer calls to action for engaged users.
• Year-old ‘Privacy Shield’ framework given positive review by Europe
  Oct 18, 2017 by Greg Sterling
  The framework enables US-based companies to comply with EU data protection requirements and avoid specialized legal contracts.
• Google & Facebook among members signed onto IAB UK ‘Gold Standard’ ads program
  Oct 18, 2017 by Ginny Marvin
  Participating members must take three steps aimed at addressing key threats to the digital advertising ecosystem.
• Why ABM has become a critical strategy for B2B marketers
  Oct 18, 2017 by Sonjoy Ganguly
  As more organizations hop on the Account-Based Marketing bandwagon, columnist Sonjoy Ganguly discusses the underlying reasons it’s becoming a necessity in the B2B marketing space.
• Content meets technology: Global’s DAX acquires AudioHQ
  Oct 18, 2017 by Robin Kurzer
  Recent acquisition creates the ‘world’s largest audio advertising platform’
• 4As, ANA & IAB propose self-regulatory digital ads standards program in part to provide ‘safe harbor’ from browsers
  Oct 18, 2017 by Ginny Marvin
  In a letter to the Coalition for Better Ads, the industry groups make their case for adoption and enforcement of ‘The Better Ads Experience Program.’
• Better insights provide real inroads for breakthrough ROI
  Oct 18, 2017 by John Steinert
  How can you improve the productivity of your marketing and sales teams? Columnist John Steinert explains how closing four data-based gaps will help you see huge productivity gains in 2018.

From Marketing Land:

• How machine learning levels the SERP playing field
  Oct 17, 2017 by Kristopher Jones
  Contributor Kristopher Jones explains how SEOs should be changing their practices to keep up with trends in the way Google evaluates web pages.
• Forget B2B and B2C; the future of marketing is P2P
  Oct 17, 2017 by Joe Hyland
  Move over, B2B and B2C marketing. Columnist Joe Hyland believes marketers need to embrace person-to-person (P2P) marketing and connect with their customers on a human level.
• Facebook acquires teen-centric polling app tbh and all its valuable data
  Oct 17, 2017 by Tim Peterson
  People provide tbh with data that Facebook could use to understand and target ads to teens that don’t use its social network.

From Around The Web:

• Blackbaud and Microsoft to Strengthen Strategic Partnership to Digitally Transform the Nonprofit Sector, Blackbaud News
• Facebook Live adds its own screen-sharing feature, The Next Web
• The Three Technologies that Will Define the Thoughtful Marketing Era, MarTech Advisor

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech Today. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Barry Levine

Barry Levine covers marketing technology for Third Door Media. Previously, he covered this space as a Senior Writer for VentureBeat, and he has written about these and other tech subjects for such publications as CMSWire and NewsFactor. He founded and led the web site/unit at PBS station Thirteen/WNET; worked as an online Senior Producer/writer for Viacom; created a successful interactive game, PLAY IT BY EAR: The First CD Game; founded and led an independent film showcase, CENTER SCREEN, based at Harvard and M.I.T.; and served over five years as a consultant to the M.I.T. Media Lab. You can find him at LinkedIn, and on Twitter at xBarryLevine.