By Terri Williams
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 28, 2023 -- Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) today announced that it has come to a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve a previously disclosed SEC investigation concerning the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act relating to its former indirect, partially owned Chinese subsidiary, Clear Media Limited (Clear Media). The SEC alleges that the advertising company bribed Chinese government officials to help get display ads on bus shelters and other outdoor spots.
The SEC resolution refer to the actions of Clear Media in China, and to the Company's oversight of that entity before the company's previously announced sale of its entire interest in Clear Media in April 2020. Clear Media, a former Chinese subsidiary of the firm, bribed officials with gift cards, golf clubs and vases, among other gifts, from at least 2012 through 2017, the SEC stated in its settlement order. The firm also developed an “off-book cash fund” for payments to undisclosed consultants, the agency said. Without admitting or denying the underlying allegations, the Company has agreed to pay a total of approximately $26.1 million in disgorgement (mandated repayment of ill-gotten gains), civil penalties and pre-judgment interest to the SEC.
The Company will make these payments in a series of installments over the following year. As of June 30, 2023, the Company had recorded a liability for the full amount of the potential settlement in anticipation of such settlement.
“Despite repeated red flags raised by its internal auditors, Clear Channel failed to address the deficient internal accounting controls that allowed Clear Media to continue these improper payments for many years,” Charles Cain, the head of the SEC’s anti-bribery enforcement unit In connection with the settlement, the U.S. Department of Justice has declined to pursue any charges against the Company.
As the SEC's resolution concedes, the Company cooperated with the SEC throughout its investigation; has since sold its entire interest in Clear Media; and has undertaken several actions to improve and strengthen its compliance policies and procedures and related recordkeeping and internal controls. Resolving these legacy matters is important to the Company, which believes this settlement is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. The Company remains deeply committed to promoting a culture of ethical conduct and compliance.
In other subsidiary news, Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. in August entered exclusive discussions to sell its business in France to Equinox Industries. Clear Channel Outdoor said its Board continues its reviews of strategic alternatives for the other European businesses. The sale is to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is driving innovation in home advertising industry with dynamic advertising platform through expansion of digital billboards and displays and the integration of data analytics and programmatic capabilities that deliver measurable campaigns that are simpler to buy. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings reaches millions of consumers every month across more than 470,000 print and digital displays in 21 countries.
TORONTO, Aug. 3, 2023 -- As digital adoption and economic uncertainty continue to grow in 2023, the importance of account-based marketing (ABM) to drive personalized customer experience is growing. From the burgeoning digital transformation sector to global events shaping consumer behavior, ABM is helping to improve the CXM experience, target key accounts, and go beyond speaking to the decision maker.
To assist organizations in selecting the best ABM strategy and creating better alignment between the sales and marketing teams to positively impact customer experiences and revenue, SoftwareReviews has published its latest industry resource, Build Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy. SoftwareReviews, a division of Info-Tech Research Group, provides software selection methodologies, customer insights, and technology advisors to help maximize success with business technology decisions.
The firm's research states there are over six decision makers on average within the buying committee. SoftwareReviews cautions that it is important to not pass up the opportunity to involve all the decision makers with an intentional ABM strategy. However, many marketers face challenges in developing their ABM strategy, including a lack of core abilities to support ABM strategies and inadequate tools.
"A successful ABM strategy begins with aligning sales and marketing efforts to create an ideal customer profile (ICP) and develop personalized programs with high-value accounts," says Julie Geller, principal marketing research director at SoftwareReviews. "ABM is typically used in businesses that are ready to mature their inbound marketing programs, looking to enhance their cross-sell and upsell efforts, and needing to alleviate strain on their sales team."
SoftwareReviews' research further explains organizations of all sizes face implementation challenges when adopting ABM. These hurdles include unclear starting points, limited personalized content, insufficient historical data, and inadequate tools and processes. The firm also reveals that, unfortunately, many marketers unintentionally complicate ABM implementation by skipping fundamental steps and focusing on MarTech platforms. However, the research shows that by investing time in building robust foundational capabilities, organizations can significantly improve measurable results from their ABM strategy and achieve comprehensive effectiveness in their ABM initiatives.
By adopting this method, organizations can effectively target and cultivate relationships with high-opportunity accounts. Organizations that continually enhance their capabilities can swiftly identify and address any issues, resulting in accelerated growth and the generation of invaluable growth insights for sales, customer service, marketing, and the leadership teams.
The firm explains that an effective and impactful ABM strategy can be a powerful asset in managing complex customer relationships, and selecting the appropriate ABM approach that aligns with an organization's unique needs is crucial. SoftwareReviews recommends three types of ABM approaches marketing leaders should consider:
Foundational ABM: Using programmatic platforms to enable activations like targeted advertising at scale and one-on-one email sequences with minimal personalization.
Advanced ABM: Moderately customized programs for accounts with similar business challenges and needs by building a customer-centric experience.
Transformative ABM: Highly customized programs for individual accounts geared to grow relationships through private events, ambassador programs, and one-on-one meetings, etc.
"Many companies feel that ABM requires a high level of complexity and the use of AI platforms to achieve measurable success; however, this is just one approach. The beauty of ABM is that it is a scalable strategy, and if you have a solid enterprise inbound program in place, you should not encounter significant barriers to employing an ABM strategy," explains Geller.
There is a correlation between the success of each level of ABM maturity and various factors, including available resources, business needs, and the presence of foundational elements within the organization. SoftwareReviews advises in the resource that the goal is not to employ a complex program or include all levels of ABM strategy but rather to select the most feasible for an organization.
For more information about SoftwareReviews or to access resources to support the software selection process, visit softwarereviews.com.
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2023 /CNW/ - Canadian-based digital marketing agency Reshift Media has been named the world's best franchise marketing firm at the Global Franchising Awards, held on February 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Global Franchise Awards distinguish franchising excellence with world-wide companies vying for the prestigious designation. The awards are judged by an international panel of Franchise Association executives and industry experts.
"As a Canadian-owned company, it is fantastic to be recognized on a global stage," said Steve Buors, CEO of Reshift Media. "The credit goes to our amazing team and incredible franchise companies we work with. We would also like to thank the Canadian Franchise Association for their partnership and support over the years. We really couldn't be happier."
"Reshift is very deserving of this award," said Sherry McNeil, President & CEO of the Canadian Franchise Association. "They have been long-time supporters of franchising in Canada and are known for coming up with new and creative solutions to help franchisors and franchisees."
For over a decade, Reshift Media has been developing digital marketing strategies, processes and technology customized to the needs of franchise organizations. Although headquartered in Canada, Reshift Media's imprint in the franchise community is immense, collaborating with more than 200 clients in 20 countries through all facets of digital marketing.
In addition to numerous new initiatives in 2023, including enhancements to the company's award-winning Brand Amplifier suite of digital marketing products and the launch of a new marketing platform called Localfy, the firm is expecting to add 15-30 more team members and almost double its number of clients.
MIAMI, Dec. 28, 2022-- On average people spend about 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media platforms every day, according to DataReportal. This parallels the 35% of total connected media time. By the end of 2022, the world is expected to spend more than 4 trillion hours using social media. DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting businesses with digital marketing agencies has provided a list of the best social media marketing agencies that help companies increase their online reach across different platforms. Businesses can explore the top social media marketing agencies by location, size, average hourly rate, and portfolio on DesignRush.com.
The top social media marketing agencies for December 2022 are:
1. Media Stewards - mediastewards.com Expertise: Social Media Marketing, SEM, Email Marketing and more
2. Sammy Belose - sammybelose.com Expertise: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing and more
3. 24 East Media - 24eastmedia.com Expertise: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Management, Branding and more
4. Force Media - forcemedia.me Expertise: Paid Social Media Advertising, Video Production, Digital Marketing and more
5. Centaur Interactive - centaurinteractive.com Expertise: Email Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing and more
6. Influocial Technologies - influocialdigital.com Expertise: SEO, Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing and more
7. Jeff Social Marketing - jeffsocialmarketing.com Expertise: Social Media Marketing, SEO, Media Relations and more
8. DMCS INDIA - dmcsindia.com Expertise: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, SEO and more
9. EloQ Communications - eloqasia.com Expertise: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Management, Community Management and more
10. Motionify - motionify.co Expertise: Video Production, Digital Marketing, Graphic Design and more
11. DS&P Digital Marketing Agency - dial911fordesign.com Expertise: SEO, Social Media Management, Web Design and more
12. Fox Digital - foxdigital.agency Expertise: Paid Social Media Advertising, Influencer Marketing, Digital Strategy and more
13. Walltronix - walltronix.co Expertise: Digital Marketing, Graphic Design, Social Media Marketing and more
14. BoundlessPotential - boundlesspotential.uk Expertise: Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, SEO and more
15. Carli PR - carlipr.com Expertise: Content Creation, Influencer Marketing, Press Event Production and more
16. iFreshly Digital - ifreshly.com Expertise: Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, SEO and more
17. Assistant Media Group - assistantmedia.com Expertise: SEO & Consulting, Marketing Automation, Social Media Marketing and more
18. Pietryla PR & Marketing - pietrylapr.com Expertise: Social Media Marketing, Media Relations, Content Creation and more
19. Toucan Marketing Co. - toucanmarketing.co Expertise: Email Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Social Media Management and more
20. noodPR - noodpr.com Expertise: Content Marketing, Social Media Management, Media & Influencer Relations and more
21. Adfluencer - adfluencer.de Expertise: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing and more
22. Different Resonance - differentresonance.co.uk Expertise: Content Strategy, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing and more
23. Undoubt Studio - undoubtstudio.com Expertise: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Branding and more
24. EnLinea Media - enlineamedia.com Expertise: Social Media Management, SEO, Content Marketing and more
25. Americanoize - americanoize.com Expertise: Influencer Marketing, Content Creation, Video Production and more
26. CSM Agency - csmagency.ie Expertise: Paid Marketing, Social Media Management, SEO and more
27. Social Wellness Co. - socialwellnessco.com Expertise: Branding, Social Media Marketing, Content Creation and more
28. Pristine Advisers - pristineadvisers.com Expertise: Social Media Marketing, Media Relations, Public Relations and more
29. Swwim - weswwim.com Expertise: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Advertising, Social Media Management and more
30. WeDigital PH - wedigitalph.com Expertise: Social Media Marketing, Google Ads Management, Web Design and more
Instagram is Helping You Focus with Quiet Mode
Instagram is launching ‘Quiet mode’ to help people focus, and to encourage people to set boundaries with friends and followers. Once enabled, you won’t receive any notifications, your profile’s activity status will change to ‘In quiet mode’ and we’ll automatically send an autoreply when someone DMs you.
Instagram users have told them that they sometimes want to take time for themselves and are seeking ways to focus at night, while studying, and during work or school.
With quiet mode one can simply customize hours to fit your schedule and once the feature is turned off, we’ll show you a quick summary of notifications so you can catch up on what you missed. ‘Quiet mode’ is available to everyone in the US, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Instagram hopes to expand to more countries soon.
Instagram Supports Teens’ safety with Updated Parental Supervision Tools
Instagram aims to help parents be more aware of the choices their teens make and make it easier for them to have discussions with their teens about their settings through Family Center and supervision tools.
Instagram added the ability for parents to see their teen’s Instagram settings, including privacy and account settings. If their teen updates a setting, parents will receive a notification so they can talk to their teen about the change. Parents can now also view accounts their teen has blocked.
To learn more about the available parental supervision tools, including how to set time limits, schedule breaks, be notified when teens share a report and more, visit Family Center link on Instagram.
These new features are part of Instagram’s ongoing efforts to ensure people have experiences that work for them, and that they have more control over the time they spend online and the types of content they see.
LONDON-- Talenthouse will invest up to $7 million in cash and shares in Nerve, an embedded banking solution for the US creator economy. This is the first time Nerve will be providing their embedded banking proposition on a private-label basis. TalentPlus, Talenthouse's one-stop-financial app built for Creators has partnered with Nerve Banking as well.
Through this investment and partnership, TalentPlus plans to introduce in the US in late-November and move into several markets in 2023 including the UK and Latin America to lessen the financial burdens of Creators. Furthermore, TalentPlus plans to add personal banking services to its offering in 2023 across all markets to benefit the Creator Economy.
Made possible with the dawn of Open Banking in early 2018, TalentPlus is a vertical banking solution that supplies a financial suite of services for Creators that goes beyond the offerings of commercial banks. The concept emerged from a Talenthouse pilot program called ElloU launched early in 2021.
Through TalentPlus professional creatives will be able to send invoices, download tax statements and receive advances all within a single app, with many more creative-focused services to follow. Talenthouse's business model requires a financial services vertical, to ensure its community can receive its payments in a timely manner.
The Creator Economy is not limited to social media influencers and YouTubers – it is a global phenomenon of working creative professionals. Adobe estimates (August 2022) that less than 15% of the 303 million creators across nine key markets that were surveyed are influencers. The sector is estimated to be worth in excess of $2.8 trillion and is heavily influenced by digital advertising needs.
The TalentPlus solution comes at a time when Creators want to merge their passion with their profession and monetize their skills. TalentPlus will merge local and global financial service offerings seamlessly, taking advantage of Open Banking solutions where available to best service the rapidly evolving Creator Economy. TalentPlus will ensure that there is a direct payout with no loss in cash, typically resulting from payment provider fees, for Creators on the platform when paid out from brands.
Clare McKeeve, CEO of Talenthouse states: "This is a significant step into the U.S. market for Talenthouse. We plan to recreate this financial services model across several markets in the near future including the UK and Latin America. We have been incredibly impressed by and have huge confidence in the Nerve team, underlined by our significant strategic investment."
John Waupsh, CEO of Nerve states: "We are super excited about collaborating with Talenthouse and the TalentPlus team to drive innovation for creative businesses and delivering financial services to an underserved community. This partnership will expand our payments and banking services to Talenthouse's U.S.-based creators, dramatically improving the financial services available to the creator economy."
Michael Callas, SVP and Global Head of TalentPlus states: "Nerve is a game changer for creatives in the United States. Thanks to our strategic partnership we will be perfectly positioned to become creatives' single point of access into banking, insurance, accounting and a substantial suite of lifestyle and business services. We're poised to help millions to create freely!"
The feedback from Creators uncovered a desire for a lifestyle-centric financial solution that focuses on helping Creators with their personal and business money management. This unique sector of specialists has been generally underserved by mainstream financial institutions that have taken an inflexible approach to serving their customers' needs.
For More Information
Below are links to other loan apps geared towardscreators.
https://www.possiblefinance.com/blog/peer-to-peer-loans-for-bad-credit/
https://earnpaper.com/about-us
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