There is a special corner of the marketing automation world for “multi-location” businesses, in which a central brand coordinates with (often fiercely) independent local dealers or franchise holders. SOCi lives in that corner with clients including Ford, Ace Hardware, and Stanley Steemer. They just raised $120 million in financing, which they’ll use to integrate with – you guessed it – OpenAI to help local partners make better, faster marketing decisions.

Can’t we just agree that all software will include generative AI-based assistants for most tasks, so I don’t have to report on each one? The latest announcement is from Microsoft Dynamics 365, whose “Copilot” will do cool things like help find customer segments in your CDP and create draft emails. Most features are in a limited preview mode.

The IAB is forecasting that digital video will capture some 60% of total TV/video ad spend this year, a growth of 100% on its share five years ago. The new 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report also notes that CTV saw a 16% increase YoY in ad spend growth. CTV and social video will be the top “must-buys” for advertisers in 2025.