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COVID-19 crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity: Studio 44 reveal 10 key insights for business leaders

Stockwood Strategy

As we recover from the COVID pandemic, environmental, social and technological trends are converging, leading to rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation, argues Simon Sear, CEO and founder of Studio 44. Leaders need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform. Sear said: “The COVID crisis will lead to a new period of rapid, transformative growth and prosperity just like the First World War led to the roaring twenties, the Second World War to the golden age of capitalism and the recession of the late 1970s to the expansive growth of the 1980s. Spring always follows winter.” Combining with this natural economic cycle are major tailwinds, such as society’s demand for more progress on racial and gender equality, social mobility and mental wellbeing, Studio 44 argues. Governments and wider society have reached a tipping point on progress with environmental sustainability, while technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), hyper-automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) are supercharging change. These converging trends will result in rapid, disruptive and transformative change, the likes of which we have not experienced for more than a generation. Sear added: “Economists are predicting record growth and leaders need to ensure that their organisations are bold, more agile and quicker to change than at any time in history in order to deliver competitive performance in terms of cost efficiency, revenues and return on capital” Studio 44 has identified ten key insights by working with leaders during the challenging times of COVID, ranging from experimentation to mindset, technology to organisational culture. Sear concluded: “The crisis has highlighted many insights into how leaders can prepare for this next phase of growth and the journey ahead. They are at a once in a generation inflection point, opportunity is coming, and they need to ensure that they and their organisation are ready to innovate and transform.” Here is a summary of Studio 44’s top ten insights: Create a common mission: Often, in non-crisis times, organisations pay lip service to their mission. It’s written down, but no one really buys it. If the crisis did one thing very well, it was to provide a focus. The need for speed: The pace of change had been increasing, but the crisis supercharged this. Leaders need to focus their organisation on being able to respond quicker and with more agility than ever before. Change the corporate mindset: Many companies have long-held beliefs that limited their ability to respond and transform assumptions that need to be put in the bin. Make bold investments: The successful businesses of the last 12 months were the ones that had historically invested in new ways of working and bold new propositions. Experiment: In a decade that will be defined by rapid change and transformation, inexpensive, fast experimentation needs to be in the DNA of an organisation. Allocate your best people to your best opportunities: The pace of change is becoming ever faster and the war for talent continues to heat up. Leaders need to balance the need for transparency and fairness with quickly getting the right people in the right roles to optimise the chances of an organisation’s success. Teach more than new digital skills: In building on the successes of working from home and a period of change and disruption, it's crucial to teach employees new cognitive strategies and behaviours to enable them to adapt. Break the silos: During the COVID crisis innovative leaders gathered a multi-skilled team, incentivised them all for success in the same way and gave them the space to make it happen. Many leaders are now thinking about how they can maintain this kind of operating model and not return to older ways of working and the inefficiencies they create. Keep communicating: The pace of disruption and uncertainty in the next decade means that people will often feel unsettled and will seek reassurance. These are the same needs team members faced during the COVID crisis. Practice stakeholder capitalism: Leaders need to take a cooperative model into the next period of transformation. They need to take a long-term view, to have a strategy that not only ensures financial performance in the short term, but invests, and is seen to invest, in longer-term positive outcomes for all stakeholders. About Studio 44 Studio 44 is creating the future. It is a next generation consultancy that helps senior business leaders create step-out growth, disrupt markets and transform their culture and ways of working. It brings together smart people from tech, the arts, business and science with a common mission to create growth for clients with a focus on people and the planet. By bringing diverse thinking and the spirit and energy of a start-up to corporate clients Studio 44 radically shifts the operating model of a traditional consultancy. Contact Details Studio 44 Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://studio44.io/

May 19, 2021 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Digital transformation evades businesses that mismanage data

Stockwood Strategy

Data is poorly understood, inadequately valued and badly managed by global businesses costing them and their investors billions of dollars every year, according to a report published today by Anmut, the data valuation specialists. This is a big problem because it means most businesses are running on data that isn’t fit for purpose. The Anmut Data Leadership Report compiled data and anecdotal evidence from almost 100 Chief Data Officers from organisations headquartered on five continents whose collective annual revenues total over $1 trillion. The report finds that 91% of business leaders believe data is critical to the success of their businesses. However, only one in three (34%) of their companies manage their businesses’ data assets with the same disciplines as other business assets. These companies spend their allocated data management budget on creating value from their data that in turn helps them scale their businesses and develop their strategies. The remaining two thirds (66%) are using half of their data budgets to fix problems and errors identified within the data itself. According to the report, the average global business spends between 4% and 7% of annual operating expenses on managing its data. For a global financial services brand, that amounts to as much as $1.5-3 billion annually. “Time and again we’re seeing international businesses and household name brands coming under fire for reasons that seem preventable with hindsight,” says Herman Heyns, CEO of Anmut. "Those that succeed do so because they really understand the value of their data, and therefore prioritise and manage it well." Three quarters of respondents (76%) say their businesses are investing in large-scale data and digital transformation strategies. And, 63% say data is more critical than technology to achieve business transformation. Yet, Anmut's report also finds that technology investment regularly overshadows data investment. Technology gets three times the attention (73%) and five and a half times (88%) the budget as data. This is in spite of the fact that technology is dependent on reliable data to run well. Heyns adds: “The preference to invest in technology over data throws up a fascinating question about what digital transformation really means for businesses all over the world. Digital transformation is a term that’s used everywhere, in every annual report and corporate strategy document. Digital transformation is what companies do to become data-driven. The advances many companies make might be digital in name, but to create the transformation they're aiming for, they cannot lose sight of the data.” Chief Data Officers (CDOs) interviewed for the report regularly cite the challenge to make data something that everyone in their businesses understands, values and knows how to manage. The report finds that one third of company boards (33%) don’t consider data a ‘material asset’. 9 in 10 CDOs (87%) say putting a monetary value on data would enable people within the business to manage that data better. Heyns adds: “A critical issue for businesses’ data leaders is winning senior buy-in. When the board doesn’t appreciate the value of data to a company’s future performance, it’ll lack investment further down the business. That’s where data valuation comes into play. When the value of data assets are set out in pounds and pence, data can be thought of as a business asset. Then it climbs up the food chain, gets taken more seriously, impacts C-suite decision-making more readily, and receives greater investment. When data is treated like any other asset by assigning a monetary value to it, businesses can make better strategic decisions.” Anmut, whose clients include Smith & Nephew and Highways England, advises international companies across all sectors on how to manage, measure and value the data within their businesses. Intangible assets make up 90% of the total market value of the world’s largest companies. Anmut’s most conservative estimates put data at 20% to 30% of that. With only a third of companies managing that value well, it’s not a surprise that companies who do manage data well - the FANGS - have become the most valuable companies in history in the shortest time. In March, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published its report: Increasing Data Access across the UK Economy in which they commit to creating a framework within which the government may have the ability to make interventions into private and third sector organisations to unlock the full value of their data. DCMS follows governments in several leading economies including the US and Germany that are taking the lead to enforce better data management in business. About Anmut Consulting Anmut is the only data asset management company that makes the value of data unignorable, comparable and manageable for businesses investing in digital transformation. Anmut believes in the power of data-driven decisions to make people’s lives better, be they customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, local communities or future generations. Contact Details Anmut Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.anmut.co.uk/

May 19, 2021 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Airbnb Drives Job Support for Cities’ Post-Pandemic Recovery

YourUpdateTV

Cities are facing drastically reduced tax revenue and high unemployment among industries reliant on tourism. More than 61 million jobs were affected due to the pandemic, The World Tourism & Travel Council (WTTC) estimates. Recently, Christopher Nulty, Head of Global Public Affairs at Airbnb, participated in a satellite media tour to discuss how Airbnb is offering important economic benefits to small businesses and communities around the world. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/QS_84fewLlQ To better understand how Airbnb can help support local economies and cities as they plan for their post-pandemic recovery, Oxford Economics recently analyzed the economic impact of the Airbnb community in select destinations around the world. The analysis found that in 2019, in the 30 destinations studied, Airbnb supported over 300,000 jobs, including tens of thousands of jobs in industries like restaurants and retail that have been hit hard by the pandemic. Airbnb guests supported more than 100,000 restaurant industry jobs, nearly 95,000 retail jobs, nearly 50,000 transportation jobs, and more than 40,000 entertainment jobs. Travel is coming back, Airbnb’s 4 million Hosts are welcoming guests in cities across the world and Airbnb promotes the kind of travel, and tourism that is good for Hosts, guests, and local communities. As cities, states and countries plan for the months and years ahead, this data shows that Airbnb can be an important part of our economic revitalization. For more information, visit Airbnb.com/JobsReport About Christopher Nulty: Christopher Nulty is Airbnb's Head of Global Public Affairs. Prior to joining Airbnb in 2015, Christopher led public relations for Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer. Christopher started his career in Washington, D.C., where he worked on Immigration and Healthcare Policy at the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU). A proud native of upstate New York, Christopher is a graduate of Colgate University where he currently serves as a director on the Alumni Council Board of Directors. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

May 18, 2021 04:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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News Release

ThreatModeler Software, Inc Wins Two Categories by Global Infosec Awards for 2021

ThreatModeler Software, Inc.

ThreatModeler Software, Inc is proud to announce that it has won the following two categories from Cyber Defense Magazine, the industry's leading electronic information security magazine exclusively for RSA Conferences: Most Innovative in Cloud Security Most Innovative in Threat Modeling The 9th annual Global InfoSec Awards were announced during the opening of the RSA Conference on May 17, 2021. We have been selected by CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, certified security professionals based on their independent reviews of the products/services. Innovation is the driving force here at Threatmodeler and believe this is what sets us apart to be the leader in our industry category. “We are very excited to see continuing recognition for our automated threat modeling platform and the innovation we bring to cyber security”, said Archie Agarwal, Founder and CEO of ThreatModeler Software, Inc. “We’re honored to be selected by a panel of expert judges around the globe from over 3,000 companies”. “These winners are the most innovative, forward thinking and proactive cyber security companies and service providers on the planet who are working to bring tomorrow’s cybersecurity solutions to market, today,” said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine. About Cyber Defense Magazine Infosec Awards This is Cyber Defense Magazine's ninth year of delivering and honoring the most innovative and valuable innovator for any startup, early-stage, later-stage, or public companies in the information security space who have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at https://cyberdefenseawards.com/ About ThreatModeler Software, Inc. ThreatModeler is an automated platform that provides a sustainable, self-service threat modeling practice for applications and infrastructure that evolves as your infrastructure grows. ThreatModeler encourages collaboration through its simple process flow diagram-based functionality that's easy to use in the creation of threat models that identify, prioritize and mitigate threats, while communicating them broadly. ThreatModeler integrates with JIRA, Jenkins, and Azure Boards and Pipelines, with bidirectional web services API also unifying stakeholders in collaboration. Teams are empowered to code fearlessly and deliver new products with security built-in as early as the design phase, which is based on global security and compliance standards. Click here to schedule a live demo with a threat modeling expert. Contact Details ThreatModeler Software, Inc Sarah Chan +1 201-266-0510 marketing@threatmodeler.com Company Website https://threatmodeler.com/

May 18, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

COMCAST EQUIPS 10 COMMUNITY CENTERS AS WIFI-CONNECTED “LIFT ZONES” ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO

Comcast Colorado

As part of its ongoing commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet so they can fully participate in educational opportunities and the digital economy, Comcast today announced the activation of 10 locations across Colorado Springs and Pueblo as WiFi-connected “Lift Zones.” Working with its network of nonprofit partners in the Southern Colorado region, Comcast is providing robust WiFi coverage in safe spaces to help low-income students and individuals get online, access critical resources, participate in digital literacy and workforce development trainings, and support their education during the school year and into the summer months for continuous learning. "We are grateful to Comcast for providing these Lift Zones at service providers across our city,” said Mayor John Suthers, City of Colorado Springs. “Internet connectivity has been a vital part of the continued functioning of our economy and our schools, and it’s important that we remove any obstacles that could keep people from working or learning during these unprecedented times.” "The pandemic underscored how critical a reliable internet connection is for Pueblo students and individuals,” said Mayor Nick Gradisar, City of Pueblo. "The Comcast Lift Zones being installed at community centers across the city are a welcome addition to our community, providing much-needed connectivity.” Southern Colorado organizations working with Comcast to establish Lift Zones in their respective facilities include: Colorado Springs • Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pikes Peak Region • E.A. Tutt Club • El Pomar Club • YMCA • Southeast Family • Garden Ranch Family • Salvation Army • Red Shield • Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center Pueblo • Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County • Senior Resource Development Agency (SRDA) • Sprague Clubhouse • Pueblo YMCA • Southern Colorado Youth Development “Comcast has long been a steadfast partner to Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center as we team to support our military community,” said Robert “Bob” McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center. “COVID-19 forced us to expand our virtual service delivery model and Comcast has once again come along side of us to offer a helping hand to enhance the connectivity of our clients. A sincere thank you to these tremendous teammates.” "The Comcast Lift Zone allowed our members to fully participate in their virtual classroom experience, which was not the case prior the Lift Zone installation due to the lack of internet speed with so many members utilizing the WiFi at the club at the same time,” said Cheryl Martinez, Boys & Girls Clubs of Pueblo County Teen Director. These Lift Zones will feature free WiFi provided by Comcast, which allows students and adults to work on laptops simultaneously so they can successfully participate in the digital economy. This initiative provides free connectivity inside partner community centers for the next three years. “Access to the Internet is a critical component of digital equity, especially as we head into the summer months,” said Amy Lynch, Sr. Vice President Comcast Mountain West Region. “Reliable connectivity offered in a safe, clean space for students is a year-round necessity to combat summer learning loss. Consistent connectivity and locations for adults to get online, search for jobs, access healthcare information and adult education is key for all individuals in our communities to succeeded in an increasingly digital world.” Lift Zones sites are also being installed in communities throughout the state and Comcast is currently accepting nominations for potential Lift Zone sites. Visit Colorado.Comcast.com/Lift-Zones to nominate an organization and see the full list of current locations. In addition, the company is providing free access to hundreds of hours of digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning. Lift Zone sites complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which has connected more than more than 82,000 low-income Southern Coloradans and more than 480,000 Coloradans across the state to the internet at home. Today’s announcement also comes on the heels of Comcast’s recent $1 billion commitment over the next 10 years to help further close the digital divide and give even more low-income students and families the tools and resources they need to succeed in a digital world. About Comcast Corporation Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on broadband, aggregation, and streaming with over 56 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock, NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information. Contact Details Comcast Leslie Oliver +1 303-810-6326 leslie_oliver@comcast.com Company Website https://colorado.comcast.com/

May 18, 2021 08:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time

A Digital Leader in Multi-location, Goodway Group is Selected by Kubota Tractor Corporation as its Digital Agency of Record

Goodway Group

Goodway Group, the digital partner advertisers trust to deliver campaign performance and media efficiency, has been named the digital agency of record (DAOR) for Kubota Tractor Corporation, the U.S. marketer and distributor of Kubota-engineered and manufactured machinery and equipment, including a complete line of tractors, construction and gardening equipment. Building on a four-year foundation of success, Goodway Group will work to continue blending customer service with digital media strategy and execution in order to deliver a full-service experience to Kubota corporate as well as individual dealer locations who choose to partner with them in their local markets. As the brand’s DAOR, Goodway Group will be responsible for digital strategy including: PPC (Search), Display, Social, Geo- fencing, Digital video, Digital audio, Advanced TV, digital extensions of traditional media and other digital media services. Additionally, Goodway Group will serve as Kubota’s digital strategy hub working with their other partners to provide holistic media strategy across all Tiers. Goodway Group is a digital leader in multi-location that empowers franchises to grow their businesses. With a large independent dealer network consisting of 1,100 U.S. locations, Kubota Tractor Corporation found a strategic partner in Goodway Group that could utilize data to drive media performance. Goodway Group’s unique approach to this challenge centered around leveraging first-party data to fuel beyond digital into all facets of marketing strategy. Additionally, Goodway Group’s award-winning dashboards have helped provide the Kubota team with a holistic view of both local and national campaign performance. “The Goodway Group team has been an invaluable partner to us. We rely on them to provide insightful, data-driven, strategic guidance as we work to continually improve our digital marketing efforts.” said John Lee, Director, Marketing at Kubota Tractor Corporation. “The customized tech and innovative dashboard capabilities the Goodway team tailors for Kubota help us reach our target audiences, and track performance to drive greater digital advertising effectiveness. This announcement formally recognizes Goodway Group as our DAOR, which is a role they have been informally executing for Kubota Tractor Corporation over the past few years.” Most recently, Goodway Group worked with Kubota Tractor Corporation on scaling their hyperlocal SEM strategy. As the top selling sub-compact and compact tractor brand in the U.S. Kubota relied heavily on Goodway Group to help meet the individual needs and goals of their dealers. Including a specific dealership in rural Mississippi who was looking to drive even higher ROI from its always-on Paid Search campaign at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goodway Group was able to create a customized campaign through hyperlocal targeting for the Mississippi-based dealer that resulted in 50+ ad groups with responsive search ads (RSLA) and hundreds of relevant broad and exact match keywords, uniquely tailored to the local business. The campaign surpassed all year-over-year benchmarks increasing conversion volume by 157%, improving CPA (cost per acquisition) by 63% and increasing CTR (click through rate) by 159%. All of which helped the local dealer persevere through the first half of 2020 in a truly unprecedented year. Additionally, the campaign was named a finalist in the US Search Awards Best Local Search Campaign category and awarded Silver in the same Global category. “Working with Kubota over the past few years has been an incredible opportunity, and our team couldn’t be more excited for the chance to serve as their digital strategy and execution hub moving forward,” said Noah Everist, National Account Director, Goodway Group. “The Kubota brand showcases exactly what we thrive on here at Goodway: the opportunity to highlight market leading businesses at both the corporate and local levels. We’ve already accomplished so much in the past four years and we can’t wait to see what’s ahead in the future.” As an industry leading force, Kubota has relied on Goodway Group for the past four years to deliver consistent business results through client service, tech, education, with local marketing at national scale. As a digital strategy company with robust experience, Goodway Group is uniquely positioned to influence media mix, data management consulting and strong analytics. About Goodway Group: Goodway Group is the digital partner advertisers trust to drive campaign performance and media efficiency. Proud to be completely independently owned and operated, Goodway provides trustworthy expertise that meets its clients' needs – and no one else's. Using predictive intelligence, Goodway helps advertisers get the most value out of every impression across all paid digital media. Through the combination of employing the smartest technology and the most experienced people in the industry, Goodway delivers authentic results. Find Goodway Group online at goodwaygroup.com. Goodway Group. Honestly Smart Digital. Contact Details Kite Hill PR for Goodway Group Rachel Wyncoop +1 631-338-7248 rwyncoop@kitehillpr.com Company Website https://www.goodwaygroup.com/

May 18, 2021 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Public Relations Global Network Adds Agencies in Alabama and Brazil

Public Relations Global Network

The Public Relations Global Network ( PRGN ) announced today it has added two new agencies to its global network, raising the number of its offices serving PR clients throughout the world to 54. PRGN is adding two agencies with a total of four new offices to its network in Birmingham, Alabama, as well as Goiás, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil. PRGN will be represented in Birmingham, Alabama, by Peritus PR, a specialized communications firm dedicated to connecting communities. Peritus is a woman-owned business consistently ranked as a top regional PR firm for strategy-focused campaigns that require a blend of advocacy, reputation management and community relations to navigate challenges, drive results and create impact. Peritus supports issue-based campaigns, statewide policy initiatives, influential nonprofits, ballot initiatives and some of Alabama’s largest employers. Founded in 2014 by Louise Oliver, APR, the firm has supported some of the region’s most influential companies including Alabama Power, Bank of America, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Protective Life, Alabama Tourism and Peco Foods. With remarkably high retention rates since its founding, each member of the Peritus team is dedicated to its continued growth and play a unique role in the firm’s leadership and culture building. In addition, PRGN is now represented in Goiás, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Brazil by Race Communications, a full-service public relations firm that was recognized as the third fastest growing communications agency in the Americas (without the U.S.) by The Holmes Report (now PRovoke) in 2018 and was a finalist in the LATAM category of PRWeek Global Awards in 2018 and 2019. Race Communications represents a number of national clients from Brazil and multinational companies targeting the Brazilian market in the fields of finance, food and beverages and logistics and transport. The agency was founded in 1999 by Rogério Artoni, a former journalist who has been named one of the 350 most influential PR professionals in the world by PRWeek. Clients of Race Communications include Allianz Partners, Ajinomoto Food Industry, Atlas Copco, Cetelem Bank, Euler Hermes, DHL, Petronas, Statkraft and Syngenta from outside Brazil and Brazilian companies Prati-Donaduzzi, Norsul, Marilan, Verzani & Sandrini, ANIP – Associação Nacional das Industrias de Pneus, JBS and Dynatest. “The network is excited to welcome Peritus PR and Race Communications to the PRGN family of globally-connected communications professionals,” said Alexandra Diniță, President of PRGN and general manager of Free Communication in Bucharest, Romania. “With Peritus PR, PRGN furthers its coverage in the United States where local representation especially in community relations is key. And Race Communications strengthens the network’s presence, especially with three offices in Brazil, the largest economy in South America. Our new members not only extend PRGN’s international coverage, but also add to the global expertise and service capabilities of our network.” About PRGN: Founded in 1992 by a group of visionary public relations leaders, with approximately 1,000 professionals in 54 locations, PRGN is one of the world’s largest international public relations networks. PRGN partners are independent, local, owner-operated public relations and marketing communications firms that share expertise and resources, while providing broad-based comprehensive communications strategies to clients worldwide. Companies or organizations interested in the services of PRGN’s local agency network can visit the Agency Directory or contact PRGN’s executive director Gábor Jelinek at gabor.jelinek@prgn.com for more information. Independent agencies interested in joining the network can visit the member recruitment section of the PRGN website for more information or email its membership chair, David Wills, Senior Vice President of Media Profile at david.wills@mediaprofile.com Contact Details Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) Gabor Jelinek gabor.jelinek@prgn.com Company Website https://prgn.com

May 18, 2021 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Channel Factory Launches The Conscious Project to Address Inherent Bias in Advertising and to Create a Better Video Ecosystem

Channel Factory

In response to data showing how common elements of advertising may unintentionally perpetuate racial, gender and other forms of bias and hurt various content creator cultures, Channel Factory, the global brand suitability and ad performance platform for YouTube, today announced the launch of The Conscious Project. The Conscious Project is a global effort combining Channel Factory’s proprietary technology with education and awareness to support the advertising industry and to help transform it into a more equitable, diverse and inclusive ecosystem. The Project was developed to bring more positivity and inclusivity to the world and create a better advertising ecosystem. After a review and assessment of Channel Factory’s internal processes, and further inspired by client demand for a more inclusive and diverse approach to advertising on YouTube, Channel Factory kicked off work on The Conscious Project. The findings led Channel Factory to develop the Project’s s core elements: education, tools, and services that help brands develop new approaches to diversity and inclusion. A recent study conducted by CHEQ found that 93% of LGBTQ+ friendly channels are blocked by industry standard block lists. As part of Channel Factory’s Conscious Project, the company is helping brands re-evaluate block lists and employ proactive inclusion strategies designed to ensure brands and creators are aligned. Additionally, The Conscious Project aims to shine a light on positivity and human stories by investing in the creators & communities who are championing diverse, equitable, and inclusive subject matter on YouTube. Channel Factory will work with its partners to highlight and support these creators and communities through inclusive targeting strategies that will in turn, open up advertising and sponsorship opportunities that may previously have been unavailable to both brands and creators. “More than a year after the level of social unrest bubbled up to unprecedented proportions, the media and advertising industry have still not properly addressed what is an inherent structural bias that exists within advertising,” said Tony Chen, CEO and founder at Channel Factory. “While we are far from finding permanent solutions to these problems, we are proactively working with our clients to develop technological solutions and strategies to help address this imbalance. This has formed a key part of The Conscious Project - ultimately, we need to bring the industry together to create a more inclusive environment online and a positive space for advertisers, consumers and creators.” “In our research we have uncovered the shocking impact that keyword blocking and brand safety controls have on marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community,” said Jonathan Marciano, Director of Communications at CHEQ. “Publishers and creators within these communities are disproportionately penalized by industry practices. We found, for instance, that words such as ‘lesbian’ ‘bisexual’ and ‘drag queens’ are placed as standard on brands' keyword exclusion lists with 73% of safe content being denied advertising dollars. Platforms and brands who take inclusion and diversity seriously should review their processes to ensure that minority voices are not being squeezed out, which often alienates the very audiences they are seeking to target.” At a time when 60% of consumers say they feel more positive around brands who advertise in inclusive and diverse environments, offering technologies that enable more inclusive environments is crucial. The Conscious Project will contribute to a better ad ecosystem on YouTube by helping advertisers operate with more information on the creators they are helping to monetize. It will enable advertisers and creators to better realize their shared monetization goals, and will help users by promoting and sustaining diverse voices. “People are not only more aware of what’s going on around them in the world right now – they are also, quite rightly, more vocal about social issues, local communities, and environmental sustainability,” commented Nick Graham, Client Partner at Infectious Media. “This sentiment needs to be reflected across every part of today’s successful businesses, from the objectives set in the boardroom all the way through to targeting and media choices within campaign planning. Everyone is accountable in ensuring today’s brands are representative of the communities they’re working with to create a more diverse and inclusive advertising ecosystem.” This Conscious Project will enable brands to align their content and marketing strategies with the values of their audiences. As 73% of consumers would prefer to buy from brands committed to socially conscious causes, offering brands the ability to feature content alongside the right context is a step in the right direction. About Channel Factory Channel Factory is a global technology and data platform that maximizes both performance efficiency and contextual suitability, turning YouTube’s 5 billion videos and 500 hours per minute of new content into brand-suitable, efficient advertising opportunities. Channel Factory’s mission is to create a suitable video ecosystem that connects creators, brands, and consumers - by enabling advertisers access to the most relevant videos, channels, and creators. Through their proprietary platform that harnesses the power of the deepest YouTube dataset in the industry, Channel Factory has enabled advanced brand suitability, customized content targeting, and maximum performance for the world’s biggest brands. Channel Factory’s algorithm ensures not only that advertisers run against content that aligns with their brand but also delivers outcomes by optimizing campaigns using active and historical campaign performance data. Channel Factory has offices across the USA and is present in over 30 countries worldwide including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Contact Details Channel Factory Lauren Douglass Lauren@channelfactory.com

May 18, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

TRUST SCIENCE PLEDGE CALLS FOR PUBLIC TO ENGAGE IN SCIENTIFIC LITERACY

International Day of Light Steering Committee

After a year in which scientific breakthroughs are helping countries return to a sense of normality, a new pledge offers the general public a path to draw attention to the importance of scientific literacy. The Trust Science pledge, a worldwide campaign to promote support for the scientific process and acknowledge the many benefits of science for society is a first step to recognizing the vital role science plays in improving quality of life and combatting scientific misinformation. Scientific literacy, or the understanding of science, its methodology, observations and theories, starts with appreciating the wonder and advancements of science. One current example is the progress made with vaccines, but the past year has seen many other scientific developments, specifically in light science. These include advances in high-speed communications enabling families to stay connected through videoconferencing, faster access to online media content and breakthroughs in astronomy and planetary exploration such as NASA’s Perseverance Rover landing on Mars in February. With the rise of disinformation, declaring support for the scientific process provides a concrete way to stand up for science and the benefits it brings to society. The pledge, launched in celebration of the UNESCO International Day of Light on 16 May, aims to promote support for the scientific process and to acknowledge the many benefits of science for society. Nobel and Breakthrough laureates, scientific leaders, CEOs and everyday citizens worldwide have signed the pledge, taking a significant step in building scientific literacy and trust in the scientific method. “We all share responsibility for seeking out trustworthy scientific information,” said Dr. Jess Wade, a physicist working in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London. “Before sharing information about a scientific claim, we can check the source of claims, research the credibility of the author and double-check the facts with fact-checking organizations.” The pledge complements other strategies for identifying fact from fiction. A first step in achieving scientific literacy is the careful questioning of any statement that is positioned as a scientific fact. Below are three ways the general public can check the validity of something they may have read, heard or seen online as a fact: 1. Embrace initial skepticism and check the source of the claims. 2. Watch out for rhetoric. A credible author will cite facts and sources and the results of scientific research rather than “science” itself. 3. Double-check the facts with fact-checking organizations. The Trust Science campaign is organized by the IEEE Photonics Society, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and The Optical Society (OSA), together with the International Day of Light Steering Committee. To sign the pledge and to learn more, please go to https://www.trust-science.org Contacts For questions about how you can engage with the campaign, please contact: info@trust-science.org For media inquiries, please contact: pr@trust-science.org Social media: please share using #TrustScience and #LightDay2021 Social media links: Facebook; Instagram; Twitter About the International Day of Light The International Day of Light (IDL) is a worldwide initiative that provides an annual focal point for the continued appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications and energy. The International Day of Light is administered from the International Basic Science Programme (IBSP) of UNESCO by a Steering Committee that includes representatives from a broad range of international partners: the American Institute of Physics (AIP), the American Physical Society (APS), Bosca, the China International Optoelectronic Exhibition (CIOE), Chinese Optical Society (COS), the European Centres for Outreach in Photonics (ECOP), the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), the European Physical Society (EPS), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the IEEE Photonics Society (IPS), the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), lightsources.org - the international network of accelerator based light sources, Light: Science and Applications, The Optical Society (OSA), Tampere University, SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, SESAME, Signify, Tampere University, Thorlabs, Transitions, the Université de Franche-Comté and Velux. For information about the International Day of Light, please visit www.lightday.org Contacts for IDL: John Dudley and Joseph Niemela 2021 Steering Committee Chairs Email: contact@lightday.org Bethany Downer 2021 Communications Coordinator Email: contact@lightday.org Media Contact for Trust Science: pr@trust-science.org About IEEE Photonics Society The IEEE Photonics Society is the professional home for a global network of scientists, engineers and allied professionals who advance laser, optoelectronics, and photonics technology. As a technical society representing the IEEE, it is a vital part of the world’s largest technical professional organization of more than 400,000 members dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, educational activities, and humanitarian initiatives, the IEEE Photonics Society provides its members in more than 160 countries the opportunity to grow professionally and stay on the forefront of transformational breakthroughs in photonics. PhotonicsSociety.org About SPIE SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, was founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. Serving more than 255,000 constituents from 183 countries, the not-for-profit society advances emerging technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, patent precedent, and career and professional growth. SPIE annually organizes and sponsors approximately 25 major technical forums, exhibitions, and education programs in North America, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. In 2020, SPIE provided more than $5 million in support of education and outreach programs. www.spie.org About The Optical Society Founded in 1916, The Optical Society (OSA) is the leading professional organization for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders in light science and technology. The society serves over 432,000 customers and 22,000 members from more than 100 countries who fuel discoveries, shape real-life applications and accelerate achievements in the field. OSA provides quality research, inspired interactions and dedicated resources for its extensive global network of optics and photonics experts through world-renowned publications. For more information, visit osa.org. Contact Details pr@trust-science.org +1 703-907-0010 pr@trust-science.org Company Website https://www.trust-science.org

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