We’ve been starved for news this week but here’s a juicy funding announcement: $32 million to content marketing platform vendor Percolate. The deal brings Percolate’s total funding to $106 million.
We have a cluster of in-store marketing items today. UPshow lets places like bars, health clubs and restaurants push ads and interactive content to TVs and customer smartphones. They’ve just raised a $6 million Series A.
Chatbots aside, most people have mixed feelings about AI, suspecting that it will help the rich but harm the poor and lead to greater social isolation, according to this Edelman study. Large majorities among both the general population and tech executives agree that the tech industry in general has been under-regulated and that AI development in particular needs to be monitored by a public agency. Much food for thought.
It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying. IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.