Tag: United States

Australia – Content management system Storyblok has announced its plans to expand to the US and the UK markets by next year. Despite the rapid expansion internationally, it will remain a fully remote company: all over 230 employees work across over 45 countries. 

Storyblok will launch a US entity in January 2024 to continue supporting the explosive growth in the market. The company will also create a dedicated UK entity to establish its local presence later in 2024.

Some of the company’s clients include DIRECTV, Crunchyroll, Red Ventures, DW Drums, AppFolio, and BlackLine Systems; as well as US tech companies like Netlify and BigCommerce, and agencies such as Americaneagle.com, CI&T, and Royal Cyber.

Julia Doria, US sales director at Storyblok, said, “Our research shows that 75% of US businesses report improved KPIs, revenue growth, and productivity since switching to a composable, headless CMS. Even with those high satisfaction numbers, only 22% of US businesses are using a headless CMS for their content operations. The opportunity in this market is massive, and our success so far gives us a lot to build on as we help companies create better digital experiences.”

Meanwhile, Dominik Angerer, co-founder and CEO of Storyblok, commented, “Despite a difficult economic environment, our rapid growth in the US proves that businesses realise an investment in composable content management actually saves money. A Total Economic Impact study conducted by Forrester Consulting revealed that Storyblok provided a 582% ROI over a three-year period and paid for itself in less than six months. Results like that will continue to fuel our growth in the US and internationally.”

United States – Global data technology giant Oracle has started laying off an undisclosed number of its employees in marketing and the US customer experience units, which started last Monday, 1 August 2022.

In a report made by Bloomberg, a few workers from Oracle were told that their position had been removed on Monday, while junior sales employees and a division sales director were amongst those dismissed. There are also rumours of pending cuts which were swirled through the division in recent weeks, but the management said the positions were safe.

Moreover, the same report said that a former senior manager of sales engineering said on LinkedIn that Oracle has ‘decided to reorganise’ its customer experience group. Meanwhile, in a separate post, another manager, whose position was cut, shared the restructuring for the job reductions. Another former senior manager and group vice president also cited on LinkedIn that some marketing positions were also dismissed.

The layoffs follow Oracle’s recent acquisition of health information technology firm Cerner Corp., for $28b. The company looks to health care to spur its effort in the competitive market for cloud technology.

Texas, USA – Yellow Cab Pizza, the Philippine pizza chain under Max’s Group, has announced the opening of a new branch in the city of Houston, Texas. This marks the pizza chain’s newest venture into the United States, as well as its tenth chain opening during the global pandemic.

The Houston branch is the 19th branch of Yellow Cab Pizza globally. To date, Max’s Group International store network comprises 14 territories, with 600 Philippine and 62 international sites situated across various locations in North America, the Middle East, and Asia. 

Kay Lee, chief operating officer at MGI International, said, “MGI is proud to be a global exporter of beloved Filipino brands, giving our homegrown products an international stage to showcase the local food scene and bring it closer to diners all over the world.”

She added, “While we are in the same vicinity as other known local brands, early figures have already shown a positive response from the Houston community. We’ve been able to grab the attention of the vibrant and young Filipino population in the area who know the Yellow Cab brand very well. It’s also been wonderful to see non-Filipino customers embrace the brand so positively as they discover our fresh, innovative take on New York-style pizzas.”

The store first opened its doors during Rodeo Week in March with the grand opening scheduled to happen within the second quarter this year.

Meanwhile, Ariel Fermin, president of Max’s Group, Inc., commented, “We have always been proud of the portfolio of well-loved brands we operate both in the Philippines and internationally. While the pandemic may have left an indelible mark, it has not stopped ourselves from becoming a true ‘house of brands’ that is frequented not just by Filipinos but also other nationalities looking for great food and excellent service.”

New York, United States – Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the new global content studio by IPG Mediabrands, and Vice Media Group (VMG), the world’s largest independent youth media agency, have announced their global creative and production partnership, effective immediately.

The innovative partnership will focus on creative solutions without committing to any media spend, ad buy, or content placement on VMG’s media properties. Through this, Mediabrands and its clients will now have a full turnkey global production infrastructure that can develop, facilitate, and create a diverse array of brand-owned and controlled content, which can then be placed on clients’ owned-and-operated (O&O) sites and desired media channels.

Meanwhile, VMG will now have direct access to Mediabrands’ comprehensive portfolio of clients around the globe, as the preferred production partner, through which it can directly develop content, support, and engage on production deals.

Mediabrands emerging film and television development practice will also benefit from the deal, allowing VMG’s Pulse Films to co-develop a slate of original entertainment properties with TRAVERSE32 – Mediabrands’ independent development and entertainment company founded by MBCS’s global head of production Brett Henenberg and Mediabrands Global’s chief content officer Brendan Gaul last December.

According to Gaul, “The VMG partnership will allow us to deliver consistent content capabilities across our top markets at the highest level regardless of media commitment. The unbundling of media and content is a gamechanger in the way we can quickly respond to a client’s content need anywhere, for any use with exceptional creativity.”

Henenberg also shared that the power of this partnership is that it allows them to deliver high quality, low cost, and fast and agile production, which reminds him of the old saying ‘you can only choose two between good, fast, and cheap’ that no longer applies as the global scale of this deal allows them to truly deliver all three anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, Dan Bowen, the senior vice president of global production at VMG, said, “We are thrilled to kick off this partnership. The IPG Mediabrands team understands the best way to tap into our extensive offering at VMG and will bring VMG a level of first-person brand access media companies rarely get. With production across the full spectrum leading and media supporting, together we are positioned for some exciting work and creative collaboration.”

Pulse Films’ Global President of Commercials and Branded Davud Karbassioun commented, “Brendan & Brett have a unique track record for guiding their diverse portfolio of brands to properly create and own entertainment IP in a truly innovative, meaningful, and rewarding way. There is a big opportunity for brands at the heart of this partnership that we are excited to dive into with TRAVERSE32.”

United States – LinkedIn has recently appointed iProspect in the United States, the game-changing digital-first end-to-end media agency by dentsu international, to be its global paid media partner. 

The partnership will see iProspect leading LinkedIn’s digital media strategy and buying across all of its business units. The agency will operate as a media extension to the platform’s digital strategy and operation teams to help execute paid search, programmatic, video, and social, as well as mobile across B2B and B2C products.

Daniele Renda, the managing director and senior vice president of iProspect US, said that this is a transformative moment for LinkedIn, and the agency couldn’t be more excited and honored to be a part of this journey. 

“Our passion for the business and unparalleled depth and expertise with complex, global enterprise brands will help accelerate the brand forward as they continue to gain more international market share. We look forward to working with this fantastic team,” added Renda.

Texas, United States – Indeed, the global employment portal, has appointed Jessica Jensen, to be its new chief marketing officer.

The new appointment will see Jensen leading the company’s global marketing programs and marketing functions, which include brand and performance marketing, regional and field marketing, and communications. She will directly report to Chris Hyams, the CEO of Indeed.

Jensen brings with her extensive experience in brand innovation and integrated marketing strategies. Prior to her new position, Jensen was previously part of Booking.com, working as the senior vice president of marketing for KAYAK, and the chief marketing officer of OpenTable. She also worked with Facebook as the head of products, platforms, and insights for business marketing; leading the marketing strategy and communication of the social media platform’s business arms, namely, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Commenting on her appointment, Jensen said that she is honored to join the company at a time when people need inspiration and hope to find a new opportunity,

“My vision is that Indeed is known more broadly and deeply for the incredible service we provide to job seekers and hiring managers alike, and Indeed is the best place for businesses and employees to connect and thrive,” added Jensen.

Meanwhile, Hyams believes that Jensen will be able to bring a new perspective to Indeed, carrying huge respect for everything the company has built.

“Our mission of helping people get jobs is central to everything we do. Jessica is passionate about this mission and will be a vital part of our leadership team. We are thrilled to have her join us as we continue to grow and help even more people around the world,” said Hyams.