Cloudflare’s Human Native acquisition signals a new content economy for publishers

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By Jessica Davies Cloudflare’s move to bring AI startup Human Native into its stack signals a turning point: licensed, structured content could become a foundation for a more sustainable AI economy.

While the ink is pretty fresh on the acquisition, announced on Jan. 15, several media experts and publishers regard it as a signal for how Cloudflare plans to help build an infrastructure for the AI content economy.

And Human Native’s platform addresses a vital part of the AI compensation struggle publishers have had to date: incentives for AI developers to opt in.Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

U.S. Speeding Enforcement Shows Stark State‑to‑State Disparities, New Analysis Finds

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By Headlines Team A new national review of speeding enforcement reveals sharp differences in how states police drivers, issue citations, and penalize dangerous speeds — disparities that shape everything from roadway safety to court caseloads and insurance costs. The study, conducted by Bader Law, analyzed more than a decade of federal fatality data, five years of state‑reported traffic caseloads, and comparative fine structures to understand where drivers are most likely to be ticketed and where speeding poses the greatest risk.

Speeding remains one of the most persistent threats on U.S. roads. According to the National Safety Council, speeding contributed to 28% of all traffic deaths in 2024, killing 11,258 people nationwide. While that figure is slightly lower than 2023’s 11,775 deaths, Bader Law’s analysis shows that enforcement patterns vary dramatically across states — and those differences influence both driver behavior and roadway outcomes.

40 Million+ Speeding Tickets Issued Annually

Bader Law’s review estimates that U.S. law enforcement issues more than 40 million speeding tickets every year. In 2024 alone, states reported 32.43 million incoming traffic cases, a 4% increase from 2023 despite a long‑term decline of 37% since 2012.

Traffic stops remain a major point of contact between police and the public: federal data shows 12.4 million drivers were detained during traffic stops in 2022, representing 5.2% of all U.S. drivers.

Young drivers and motorcyclists continue to be disproportionately involved in fatal speeding crashes. In 2023:

37% of male drivers and 19% of female drivers aged 15–20 involved in fatal crashes were speeding — the highest of any age group.

Among motorcyclists aged 21–24, 51% involved in fatal crashes had been speeding.

Where Drivers Are Most Likely to Encounter Speed Traps

The study identifies the ten states with the highest concentration of speed traps per lane mile:

Delaware, Maryland, Tennessee, South Carolina, Hawaii, Virginia, California, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Rhode Island.

By contrast, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska have the fewest speed traps — yet North Dakota and South Dakota still rank among the states issuing the highest proportion of speeding tickets.

States Issuing the Most Speeding Tickets

Bader Law’s analysis shows that some states ticket drivers at far higher rates than others. The top ten states with the highest percentage of drivers holding a speeding ticket are:

State% of Drivers With a Speeding TicketNorth Dakota8.7%Wisconsin7.8%Ohio7.8%Iowa7.1%Idaho7.1%Wyoming6.8%South Dakota6.7%Virginia6.6%Utah6.5%Oregon6.4%

Traffic Caseloads: Texas Leads, Georgia Surges

Between 2020 and 2024, Texas recorded 44.3 million traffic cases, far more than any other state. New Jersey (30.8 million) and California (24.6 million) followed.

But the most notable outlier is Georgia, which ranks sixth with 13.57 million cases — unusually high for the nation’s eighth‑largest state. Bader Law’s analysis shows Georgia’s traffic caseload grew 11.54% over the five‑year period, one of the steepest increases in the country.

States With the Largest 5‑Year Traffic Caseloads (2020–2024)

Texas – 44,382,567

New Jersey – 30,868,460

California – 24,615,502

Florida – 16,852,926

Pennsylvania – 14,410,520

Georgia – 13,574,202

Michigan – 13,379,022

Ohio – 12,066,675

New York – 9,197,335

Illinois – 8,105,590

Georgia’s rise reflects a combination of aggressive enforcement patrols, high‑speed corridors, and dense urban congestion — factors that Bader Law notes contribute to the state’s …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Media Buying Briefing: CourtAvenue’s new president looks to grow, integrate and find M&A targets

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By Michael Bürgi If you can’t beat ’em sometimes you have to hire ’em away. That’s the approach CourtAvenue took when coming up against Stagwell in some of the pitches it didn’t win.

The independent multi-pronged agency run by ex-WPP execs Dan Khabie, Kenny Tomlin and Michael Stich, hired Robyn Freye to be CourtAvenue’s first president and chief growth officer. Most recently Freye was Stagwell’s chief growth officer who had a hand in winning clients such as Qualcomm and Expedia, and helped to build out Sports Beach, which just launched as a standalone entity. This is a member-exclusive article from Digiday. Continue reading it on digiday.com and subscribe to continue reading content like this. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Matt Oldford Nova Scotia: Building Quality, Vision, and Community Growth

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By Headlines Team A Vision Rooted in Craftsmanship and Financial Insight

Matt Oldford Nova Scotia has established a strong reputation in the province’s growing construction and development landscape. With a career that bridges the trades and finance sectors, Matt Oldford Nova Scotia exemplifies a rare blend of technical precision and investment acumen. His approach to building—whether through renovations, property conversions, or multi-unit developments—centers on integrity, long-term value, and quality craftsmanship.

This commitment was cultivated early. After studying at the Nova Scotia Community College, Matt Oldford Nova Scotia entered the construction industry with a focus on understanding every phase of the building process. From framing and roofing to site management, he gained firsthand knowledge of how each detail affects a project’s outcome. Those early lessons continue to inform his design-build philosophy today, ensuring that each project reflects both functionality and aesthetic appeal.

Visit Feed Nova Scotia to learn more about the community programs supported by leaders like Matt Oldford Nova Scotia.

From Financial Services to Real Estate Development

Unlike many builders, Matt Oldford Nova Scotia also brings financial expertise to every project. After completing the Canadian Securities Course and the Life Licence Qualification Program, he transitioned into financial planning and mortgage specialization with one of Canada’s leading banks. This period provided him with deep insights into market trends, investment strategies, and risk management—skills that would later become invaluable as he re-entered the construction field.

When Matt Oldford Nova Scotia returned to construction full-time, he carried a unique advantage: the ability to analyze projects from both a builder’s and an investor’s perspective. Each development is approached as both a physical creation and a financial ecosystem, aligning construction decisions with long-term value creation.

Learn more about Nova Scotia Community College — the institution where Matt Oldford Nova Scotia first refined the skills that would define his career.

Matty’s Renos and the Foundation of a Development Brand

In 2018, Matt Oldford Nova Scotia founded Matty’s Renos, a design-build and renovation company emphasizing transparency, craftsmanship, and client experience. The company became known for transforming existing properties into high-quality living environments that met the evolving needs of Nova Scotia homeowners. Each project reflected a strong sense of design integrity and respect for the client’s budget and timeline.

Through Matty’s Renos, Matt Oldford Nova Scotia demonstrated how local renovation companies could compete at a national standard of professionalism. By combining clear communication, disciplined budgeting, and attention to detail, his work began to attract clients seeking both artistry and accountability in home improvement.

Expansion into Multi-Unit and Investment Development

The natural evolution of this trajectory led Matt Oldford Nova Scotia into large-scale property investment and development. His current projects include a 17-unit multi-family building on Prince Albert Road and two new purpose-built student housing developments in Halifax’s South End. These projects address a critical housing shortage while maintaining architectural quality and environmental consideration.

Matt Oldford Nova Scotia approaches these developments as opportunities to balance community benefit with responsible investment. His student-housing projects are designed to foster a sense of belonging, combining durable materials, efficient layouts, and accessibility features that serve …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Why Eternia Medspa Feels More Like a Beauty Atelier Than a Clinic

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By Editorialist Team Traditional medical aesthetics often emphasize procedures, schedules, and outcomes. Eternia Medspa has reimagined this experience by creating an environment that feels less like a clinic and more like a beauty atelier. Every interaction, consultation, and treatment reflects a philosophy rooted in artistry, precision, and personal expression. Eternia Medspa offers aesthetic care that feels curated, thoughtful, and deeply individualized.

Eternia Medspa has cultivated a space where beauty is approached as an evolving composition rather than a checklist of services. Patients are not treated as appointments. They are welcomed as collaborators in a long-term aesthetic journey.

The Atelier Philosophy of Eternia Medspa

At the core of Eternia Medspa is a belief that beauty deserves intention. Eternia Medspa studies the face as a complete system where structure, skin quality, and movement create a living composition. Rather than focusing on isolated concerns, Eternia Medspa evaluates how each facial element contributes to overall harmony.

Every experience at Eternia Medspa begins with comprehensive facial analysis. Proportion, contour, projection, and facial flow are carefully assessed. This allows Eternia Medspa to design aesthetic plans that enhance balance rather than impose trends.

Education is fundamental to the Eternia Medspa approach. Patients are guided through facial anatomy, the science of aging, and the artistic reasoning behind each recommendation. This transparency transforms aesthetic care into a collaborative process.

Facial Rebalancing as Artistic Refinement

Facial rebalancing is a defining element of the Eternia Medspa method. Instead of enhancing individual features, Eternia Medspa evaluates how subtle refinements across multiple areas can influence the whole face.

Jawline refinement, cheek support, profile harmonization, and liquid facelift techniques are designed to restore proportion and improve transitions. These treatments are carefully mapped according to facial architecture and aesthetic flow.

Eternia Medspa prioritizes conservative dosing and strategic placement so enhancements integrate seamlessly. This approach often achieves greater aesthetic improvement with less product, reinforcing why Eternia Medspa feels more like an atelier than a clinic.

Advanced Techniques Supporting Artistic Vision

The atelier experience at Eternia Medspa is supported by advanced aesthetic technology. Eternia Medspa integrates neuromodulators, dermal fillers, regenerative treatments, and energy-based platforms such as Sofwave, BBL Heroic, and Moxi.

These tools allow Eternia Medspa to address collagen loss, skin laxity, tone irregularities, and texture concerns while also supporting facial structure. Eternia Medspa also incorporates regenerative solutions such as PRF and biostimulatory treatments like Sculptra to improve tissue quality over time.

By layering modalities, Eternia Medspa builds aesthetic plans that enhance both surface beauty and deeper biological processes. This integrated approach allows artistry to be supported by science.

A Personalized Experience of Care

An atelier is defined by personal attention. Eternia Medspa reflects this through consultations that emphasize listening, collaboration, and trust. Patients are encouraged to share not only aesthetic goals, but also lifestyle factors and long-term aspirations.

Eternia Medspa avoids rushed decisions. Instead, Eternia Medspa supports gradual enhancement guided by thoughtful planning. This pacing allows patients to build confidence as changes unfold.

Eternia Medspa has completed thousands of aesthetic treatments across injectables, lasers, and regenerative medicine. Strong patient loyalty and referral growth reflect satisfaction rooted in both results and relationships.

Beyond patient …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

The fog between agencies and clients around data just keeps getting thicker: ID Comms report

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By Michael Bürgi The disconnect between advertisers and their media agencies is certainly nothing new to the industry, despite constant efforts to get on the same page. A new report out of ID Comms indicates that things aren’t getting any more connected.

In the 2026 installment of the State of Digital Media Benchmark, the media consultancy analyzed the governance protocols of 143 major advertisers representing about $35 billion in annual spend. One chilling if unsurprising conclusion: agencies blame clients for being so siloed the agency doesn’t have clarity on client data, which is arguably the lifeblood of modern digital marketing. 

It all translates to what the report cited as a “dangerous disconnect between ‘having data’ and ‘having visibility’, particularly among the world’s largest advertisers,” those spending at least $1 billion in media annually. When asked to identify the biggest driver of media waste, agencies essentially blamed clients — 46% of agencies cited advertisers’ “Internal Data Silos” as the primary culprit of waste in digital media, compared to 36% of advertisers. (The fact that one out of three advertisers acknowledged their own role in lack of data clarity is telling in and of itself.)Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Media Briefing: The anatomy of the publishers’ SEO dilemma

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By Sara Guaglione This week’s Media Briefing examines how publishers are rethinking SEO in 2026, as AI reshapes search and a Google-reliant strategy grows riskier.

Who’s giving up on Google?

Media’s latest obsession with prediction markets, publisher lawsuits against Google abound, and more.

Giving up on Google?

If last year was the year AI threw a wrench in the search optimization landscape, this year is the year publishers will have to figure out what to do about it. This is a member-exclusive article from Digiday. Continue reading it on digiday.com and subscribe to continue reading content like this. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Why CEOs and CHROs Are Turning to Louis Carter to Engineer the Workplaces of the Future

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By Editorialist Team The role of workplace culture has shifted from an internal concern to a boardroom priority. As organizations navigate rapid technological change, shifting workforce expectations, and global competition, many senior leaders are seeking structured ways to build environments where people perform, align, and stay. At the center of this movement is Louis Carter, the Founder and CEO of Most Loved Workplace®, who has become a trusted partner to CEOs and CHROs designing the next generation of organizations.

Louis Carter is known for creating systems that turn emotional connectedness into measurable culture intelligence. Through Most Loved Workplace®, Louis Carter provides leaders with tools that go beyond engagement scores and surface-level initiatives. The work of Louis Carter focuses on building cultures where people take responsibility, collaborate effectively, and commit to shared success.

How Louis Carter Became a Strategic Resource for Executive Leaders

Louis Carter built Most Loved Workplace® to solve problems CEOs and CHROs repeatedly face. High turnover, declining trust, leadership misalignment, and weak employer brands often stem from emotional disconnection inside organizations. Louis Carter approached these challenges by building a platform grounded in behavioral science and data.

At the core of the system created by Louis Carter is the Love of Workplace Index®, which measures emotional connectedness across leadership trust, respect, collaboration, alignment, and purpose. This allows executive teams working with Louis Carter to understand the emotional health of their organizations and how it impacts performance.

Louis Carter transformed this insight into strategic infrastructure. Leaders use the platform built by Louis Carter to guide leadership development, redesign cultural systems, and align talent strategy with organizational values.

Why CEOs and CHROs Choose Louis Carter’s Model

Louis Carter offers executive leaders something most culture initiatives do not. Louis Carter offers clarity. Instead of relying on assumptions, leaders gain data that reveals where emotional alignment is strong and where it is eroding.

Organizations working with Louis Carter use this intelligence to reduce attrition, strengthen collaboration, and improve execution. When leaders understand emotional drivers, they can address the real causes of disengagement rather than treating symptoms.

Louis Carter also helps executives reposition culture as a strategic asset. Through Most Loved Workplace®, organizations translate internal culture into external credibility, strengthening employer brand presence and market trust.

This integration of internal performance and external perception is a key reason CEOs and CHROs turn to Louis Carter.

How Louis Carter Supports Organizational Transformation

Most Loved Workplace® is not positioned by Louis Carter as an award. It is positioned as a transformation system. Certification is earned through verified employee sentiment and emotional connection scores, reinforcing the standards Louis Carter established.

Beyond certification, Louis Carter built an ecosystem that includes leadership frameworks, psychosocial profiling, emotional analytics, and culture communication tools. Executive teams working with Louis Carter use these systems to align leadership behavior, hiring standards, and operational practices.

Louis Carter also built a global media and growth infrastructure that allows organizations to share verified culture narratives across professional, digital, and enterprise platforms. This ensures that what leaders build internally is reflected consistently in how the organization is perceived externally.

Through this approach, Louis …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

OpenAI is hiring engineers, not ad sellers, first to build its ad business

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By Krystal Scanlon OpenAI is still in the foothills of building an ads business, and it’s looking for ad execs to help map the climb. The The roles posted since the turn of the year make clear just how early and foundational the effort is.

There are no ad sales chiefs with deep agency relationships, no account managers or creative strategists. Instead, most of the seven open roles focused on advertising are far more basic: engineers tasked with building monetization infrastructure, ad delivery and the internal tools needed to connect paid advertising to OpenAI’s products.

In fact, the closest things to traditional ad revenue roles are a strategic global partnership and ecosystem lead and a head of sales industries. Even those positions are more focused on designing the commercial ecosystem around OpenAI than knocking on agency doors.Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

As OpenAI gears up to launch ChatGPT ads, marketers try to keep up

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By Krystal Scanlon Just as marketers were beginning to sketch out playbooks for turning chatbots into brand building machines, OpenAI made it clear the honeymoon was over. The company confirmed that advertising will start rolling out in ChatGPT in the U.S. over the coming weeks.

That doesn’t mean marketers need to toss out everything they’ve learned about showing up organically in conversations. Those early experiments are likely to become the scaffolding for what comes next. The shift is more practical than existential: the next phase arrives with rate cards and media plans attached.

“Our approach to paid ads will be informed by our GEO expertise, which we already apply to help clients structure content that is clear, authoritative and machine-readable, so AI systems can accurately understand brands and surface them in relevant conversation,” said Paula Hijosa, AI and performance lead at Space & Time. Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Making the “Creepy-Crawly” Clickable: How to Win at Pest Control Social Media

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By Full Editorial Let’s be honest: nobody logs onto Instagram or TikTok specifically to look at pictures of cockroaches. In the world of social media marketing, where aesthetics usually reign supreme, the pest control industry faces a unique challenge. You aren’t selling sunset vacations or gourmet lattes; you’re selling the absence of something terrible.

However, if you think your industry is too boring or gross for social media, you are leaving massive engagement on the table. The reality is that homeowners are constantly battling unseen invaders, and they are desperate for advice, reassurance, and proof that there is a solution to their problem.

Social media is the perfect place to bridge the gap between “I think I heard a noise in the attic” and “I need to hire a professional.” It allows you to showcase the true value of a pest control service—which isn’t just about killing bugs, but about reclaiming safety and peace of mind. If you are ready to turn your feed into a lead-generating machine for North MS Pest Control, here is how to create content that highlights the benefits of your work without scaring your followers away.

1. Shift from Extermination to Education

The biggest mistake pest control companies make is posting nothing but pictures of dead bugs. While that proves you can do the job, it doesn’t necessarily build a connection. Instead, focus on the benefit of the service: a healthy, safe home.

Use your platform to become a digital encyclopedia for your neighborhood. Create content that answers the questions homeowners are too embarrassed to ask.

The Myth-Buster Series: There are endless old wives’ tales about pest control (like using cheese to catch mice or hairspray to kill spiders). Create short videos or graphics that debunk these myths and explain why professional methods work better.

Identification Guides: Post a clear, close-up photo of a common pest (like a specific type of ant or termite) and explain how to spot the early signs of an infestation.

When you position yourself as a helpful expert rather than just a guy with a spray tank, you build trust. When that follower eventually finds a wasp nest on their porch, they won’t Google a stranger; they will call the account that taught them what a mud dauber looks like.

2. Play Up the Oddly Satisfying Factor

Believe it or not, there is a massive corner of the internet dedicated to cleaning and removal videos. People love seeing chaos turned into order. You can leverage this psychological trigger to highlight the effectiveness of your work.

Time-Lapse Videos: Set up a camera while you de-web a garage or remove a massive hornet’s nest. Speeding up the footage turns a forty-minute chore into a ten-second victory lap. It shows the immediate benefit of your service: a clean, reclaimed space.

The Reveal: Show a dusty, cobweb-filled corner of a basement before treatment, and then the pristine, swept-clean version after. This visualizes the “fresh start” feeling that customers are buying.

Just be careful with the ick factor. If you are dealing with a particularly gross infestation, use a …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Media Buying Briefing: How Horizon and Havas’ JV aims to distinguish itself in a ‘red ocean’

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By Michael Bürgi It’s like the Revolutionary War all over again — the Americans and the French ally with each other to fight the English, in this case WPP. (To be fair, they’re also fighting a fellow French company as well as an American one.)

The under-the-radar joint venture between America’s largest independent media agency Horizon Media and French-owned holding company Havas to create Horizon Global is seemingly well underway, involved in multiple pitches for businesses with a strong U.S. base and international aspirations and visiting the pitch consultants to make sure it’s part of the consideration set.This is a member-exclusive article from Digiday. Continue reading it on digiday.com and subscribe to continue reading content like this. …read more

Source:: Digiday

‘JG believed that even in a demanding industry, it was possible to lead with both rigor and humanity’

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By Digiday Editors The sad news of John Gentry’s death, the CEO of OpenX, emerged, with the resulting outpouring of respect and tributes testament to his professional standing in the industry and the high regard in which he was held.

In a measure of the thoughtfulness and humanity of Gentry – or “JG” to those that knew and worked closely with him – the developments were made public on January 15 by his own hand.

“If you are reading this, it means that I’m no longer around and lost my fight with cancer,” read a self-penned note on his LinkedIn account. “This note is just a massive thank you to all of you. Thank you for the fun, for sharing the struggle, for helping me learn along the way, and being a group of quality people that enriched my life. I wish you all the very best in the years to come!”Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Mythbuster: What AI is not about to do in advertising

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By Seb Joseph As the hype around AI thins into something closer to reality, the ad industry is quietly drawing a line between what the tech can do and what it will not be trusted to touch.

Here are the myths, and the reality underneath them.

Myth: AI is about to replace media buyersContinue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

Metal VS Shingle Roofing

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By News Edition When it comes to protecting your home, the roof is your first line of defense against the elements. For decades, asphalt shingles have been the go-to choice for homeowners due to their low upfront cost and ease of installation. However, as building technology has advanced and extreme weather events become more frequent, many are starting to look at their roof as a long-term investment rather than a recurring expense.

The debate between these two materials often boils down to a “now vs. later” mentality. While shingles are budget-friendly in the short term, metal roofing has emerged as the superior choice for those who want a “once-and-done” solution. In 2026, the transition toward metal is accelerating, driven by its unmatched longevity, energy efficiency, and modern aesthetic. Understanding the nuances of each material is the key to making a choice that fits both your current budget and your home’s future value.

Longevity: The 50-Year Gap

The most staggering difference between metal and shingles is how long they actually last. A standard asphalt shingle roof is typically rated for 20 to 30 years, but in regions with high heat or severe storms, that lifespan can drop significantly. Shingles are petroleum-based and rely on granules for protection; once those granules wear away or the shingles become brittle from UV exposure, the roof is vulnerable to leaks.

By contrast, a metal roof is a 50-to-70-year investment. Materials like steel and aluminum are designed to maintain their structural integrity through decades of temperature swings. For many homeowners, this means a metal roof is the last one they will ever have to buy. According to research from the Metal Roofing Alliance, a correctly installed metal system can increase a home’s resale value by up to 6%, largely because the next owner won’t have to worry about a replacement for half a century.

Energy Efficiency and the “Cool Roof” Effect

One of the “silent” costs of a shingle roof is its thermal mass. Asphalt shingles act like a sponge, absorbing the sun’s heat and radiating it downward into your attic and living space. This forces your air conditioner to work much harder to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Metal roofs are naturally reflective. Even in darker colors, modern metal panels are treated with “cool roof” pigments that bounce solar radiation back into the atmosphere. This can lead to a 20% to 40% reduction in cooling costs during the summer months. The Department of Energy notes that reflective roofing is one of the most effective ways to combat the “urban heat island” effect while simultaneously lowering individual utility bills.

Debunking the Noise Myth

One of the most persistent myths about metal is that it turns your home into a drum during a rainstorm. While this was true for the thin corrugated sheets used on old barns, modern residential installations are remarkably quiet.

When metal is installed over a solid wood deck with high-quality underlayment and attic insulation, it is no louder than a shingle roof. In fact, many homeowners report that the sound of rain on metal …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

A New B2B Marketing Playbook for Building Best Answer Brands

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By Lee Odden B2B marketing hasn’t been on easy street this past year and I think we all understand that zero-click search, AI Overviews, and large language models have our full attention in how they’re changing the way buyers discover, evaluate, and trust brands.
Research from 6sense reports that 94% of B2B buyers now use LLMs during their buying process and Gartner predicts search engine volume will drop 25% this year, due to AI chatbots and other virtual agents.
At the same time, while awareness of these AI-driven challenges and opportunities has increased, there’s still debate. Is traditional SEO enough?  Or do AEO and GEO need to be layered in as distinct tactics? Can “more content” still win, or has the proliferation of AI-generated content already diluted the impact of content overall? With all of that in combination with paid placements to soon show up inside of AI experiences, it’s easy to see that disruption in search is far from over.
In a time where answers are increasingly chosen and summarized by AI, B2B brands need to earn their position as the most probable best answer. That means more than optimization tactics. It means building credibility, consistency, and consensus.
From visibility to belief
Search is now multi-channel (71% of B2B buyers consume content across three or more channels before engaging with a vendor – Demand Gen Report) and multi-modal (67% of buyers consume multiple content formats during early and mid-stage research – NetLine).
Buyers validate decisions across search engines, social platforms, communities, analysts, influencers, peers, and increasingly, AI powered platforms that synthesize all of those signals. For B2B brands, the challenge goes beyond being easy to find. The challenge is about being trusted across that ecosystem of content discovery.

“Strong B2B brands are those that stand for something and can tell a clear story through the lens of buyer questions that need answers.”

It’s tempting to see that as a mechanical SEO exercise, but it’s certainly more. Creating consensus is an intentional effort to create continuity of story and signal so that every member of a buying group experiences a credible, relevant narrative they can trust and believe in.
As Brian Solis has shared on the Beyond B2B Marketing podcast,

“Audiences can tell when content is engineered to rank versus created with empathy, perspective, and intent.”

Traditional SEO has already emphasized quality signals ala E.E.A.T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trust). And with AI-powered answer engines, the distinction is even more important because AI powered search raise the bar even further on many of these same signals: trust, credibility, and recognizable brands.
The way forward for B2B marketers is to move beyond the idea of a single channel campaign and toward tapping into a system designed to build belief where it matters.  It is about tapping in to a marketing operating system that can orchestrate a brand transition from blending in to becoming a Best Answer Brand.

Introducing a new B2B marketing playbook
To help B2B companies make that transition, we developed The Best Answer Marketing Playbook. Informed by more than a decade of work with enterprise B2B brands …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Media Briefing: Google’s latest core update a reminder that pageviews can’t remain the primary metric

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By Sara Guaglione This week’s Media Briefing looks at the impact of Google’s latest core algorithm update on publishers’ search visibility, and how the changes signal a shift in rewarding scale and pageviews.

Top U.S. news publishers lose search visibility

The Atlantic sues Google, Arena Group leans into creators, and more.

Top U.S. news publishers lose search visibility

For years, big publishers treated Google as a distribution utility: publish a lot, cover everything and let domain authority do the rest. The December core update — rolled out Dec. 11–29 — is another sign that bargain is breaking. In multiple readouts, volatility hit news hard, and the sites that appear to be holding up best are those that behave less like general-interest news hubs and more like “the best answer” engines.This is a member-exclusive article from Digiday. Continue reading it on digiday.com and subscribe to continue reading content like this. …read more

Source:: Digiday

How to Photograph New Construction Builds Like a Pro

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By Full Editorial Walking into a brand-new home is a sensory experience. You smell the fresh paint, see the pristine carpets, and feel the untouched potential of the space. But capturing that feeling in a two-dimensional photograph? That is surprisingly difficult.

Without furniture or personal touches, empty rooms can look like cold, rectangular boxes. They lack scale, depth, and emotion—the very things that drive a buyer to make an offer.

If you are marketing a new construction home, your photography strategy needs to be different from shooting a lived-in resale property. You aren’t just selling a house; you are selling a vision. You have to work harder to help the buyer imagine their life unfolding between those four walls.

Whether you are a builder, an agent, or a homeowner documenting the process, here is how to take photos that turn an empty shell into a must-have home.

1. Use the Golden Hour to Your Advantage

Lighting is the makeup of real estate. Bad lighting makes a room look dingy and small, while great lighting makes it look expensive and inviting.

For new construction, this is doubly important because you don’t have furniture to distract the eye. If the lighting is flat, the whole photo feels sterile.

The Strategy: Shoot your exteriors during the Golden Hour—the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset. This low-angle light adds warmth and depth to the siding and stone work.

The Interior Trick: For interiors, turn on every single light in the house (including under-cabinet lights and vanity bulbs) but keep the blinds open. This mixture of warm artificial light and cool natural light creates an effect that makes the home feel alive.

2. Solve the Empty Room Problem

The biggest enemy of new construction photography is the shoebox effect. When you take a picture of an empty bedroom with white walls and beige carpet, it looks tiny. Without a bed or a dresser for reference, the human eye cannot judge the scale.

You have two options here:

Physical Staging: You don’t need to furnish the whole house. Focus on the money rooms—the primary bedroom, the living room, and the dining area. Even a single armchair and a rug can define the space and show buyers that a king-sized bed will actually fit.

Virtual Staging: If renting furniture isn’t in the budget, digital technology has come a long way. You can take a high-quality photo of an empty room and have a graphic designer digitally insert stylish furniture. Pro Tip: Always disclose that a photo is virtually staged so you don’t mislead buyers, but use it to show the potential of the layout.

3. Shoot From a Low Angle

A common mistake amateur photographers make is shooting from eye level (about 5’8″). When you do this in an empty room, you capture too much ceiling and too much floor, which makes the walls look short.

To make a room feel grand and spacious, lower your camera.

The Waist-Level Rule: Hold your camera or phone at waist height (about 3-4 feet off the ground). This aligns your lens with the …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

The case for and against influencer-led Super Bowl ads

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By Kimeko McCoy While creators have established themselves as essential marketing assets, A-list celebrities continue to dominate Super Bowl ads. At $8 million for a 30-second Super Bowl spot, celebrities are expected to maintain their monopoly on Big Game commercials this year, keeping influencers and creators in the wing for social and experiential campaigns.

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The Creator Economy After early success, the NFL plans more creator-led broadcasts

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“It’s just viewership demographics. You cast a really wide net of people watching it, and you want as many people as possible to recognize the person you’re putting on the screen,” said Jerry Hoak, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency. (Ritz, a client of The Martin Agency, will air a 30-second commercial during the third quarter of this year’s Super Bowl. The agency declined to share further details about the spot.)

Brands like Bud Light and Raisin Bran will feature celebrities in their Super Bowl ads this year.Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday

‘Amplified, and used against you’: Nike sat out the viral Maduro moment. That’s the point

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By Seb Joseph Plenty has been said about how an image of Venezuela’s deposed president Nicolas Maduro in a Nike tracksuit turned into an unelected viral moment. Far less attention has gone to the conspicuous non-response from Nike itself.

There was a time when a brand would have seized on that kind of accidental heat. A knowing post, a wink to the internet, something engineered to keep the joke going one more cycle. Instead, there was nothing. Silence from the brand that built an empire on exhortations to just do it — and in this case, very deliberately didn’t.

“Nike has built its reputation on owning cultural moments, but this wasn’t one of them,” said Amar Singh, svp at MKTG Sports + Entertainment. “The image was politically charged, with global implications far beyond sport. By choosing not to respond, Nike showed that cultural fluency now includes knowing when to sit this one out.”Continue reading this article on digiday.com. Sign up for Digiday newsletters to get the latest on media, marketing and the future of TV. …read more

Source:: Digiday