Salesforce has introduced a “the first low-code blockchain platform for CRM”, a claim that’s narrow enough to be true. Open source Hyperledger Sawtooth technology lets Salesforce users can create blockchain objects the same way they’d create other custom objects and share them across networks in workflows and apps. Lots of practical potential. The platform will be generally available in 2020.
Customer Data Platforms are the top investment priority for e-commerce marketers, with 65% planning to increase spend in 2019. This from a study by Oracle and the CommerceNext conference. Bad news is that unified customer data is also the most disappointing of 2018 investments, with 52% saying results fell below expectations. Personalization and omni-channel marketing were almost as disappointing, at 51% and 47%. This stuff is hard.
Finally, Upland Software just bought B2B content curation platform Kapost. Price was $50 million on $15 million revenue. You may recall that Upland bought email automation vendor PostUp at a similar ratio just last month. It’s what they do.
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.