You don’t need to be a devoted games industry observer to have noticed something of the recent rise of eSports. Organised competitive gaming has been around along time, of course. eSports’ nascent form was forged in the earliest arcade gaming tournaments in the 1970s, where players competed to win a patch declaring their prowess; presumably to be sewn onto an oversized distressed denim jacket. By the 1990s the notion of a ‘pro-gamer’ making money from prize winnings was established, but even then [...]

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In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the European region – and in this edition: eBay Advertising Announces New Offer to Boost ‘Shopper Insights & Influence’; Travel Tech Company Sojern Announces Financing Round Led By TCV; S4 Capital plc Third Quarter Trading Update: Continued Strong Growth; and Blockthrough Acquires PageFair, Creating an Ad-Block Revenue Recovery Powerhouse. eBay Advertising Announces New Offer to Boost ‘Shopper Insights & Influence’ eBay Advertising announced yesterday (15 November) the [...]

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In this week’s episode of The MadTech Podcast, ExchangeWire’s CEO Ciaran O’Kane and COO Rachel Smith, are joined by Ronan Shields, ad tech reporter, Adweek, to discuss the latest news in the world of madtech. Shields discusses: – Facebook’s growing troubles and their comeback options – Investigations into Snapchat’s IPO – Alibaba’s success during this year’s Singles’ Day

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: JD.com Flies with Tianjin Air into Cargo Air Freight; Razer Pay to Launch in Singapore with Nets Partnership; Shopee Basks in 11.11 Shopping Glow; Visa Brings ‘Everywhere’ to Singapore in Search of Commerce Innovation; and Flipkart CEO Resigns Amidst Misconduct Allegation. JD.com Flies with Tianjin Air into Cargo Air Freight Chinese e-commerce player JD.com has signed a partnership agreement with HNA Group’s Tianjin Air Cargo to move goods on a dedicated cargo aircraft, marking [...]

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Alibaba Group has chalked up ¥213.5bn (£23.81bn) of gross merchandise volume (GMV) on its annual 11 November Singles Day Shopping Festival, crossing one billion in delivery orders for the first time this year. Also coined ‘11.11’, the event marked its 10th iteration this year, having started out in 2009 as an initiative to increase awareness of online shopping amongst Chinese consumers. Back then, 27 merchants participated in the shopping festivities. This year, more than 180,000 brands were on board, up from [...]

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With so much content swallowing the internet, and the increasing fragmentation of media, getting a brand message across is becoming increasingly challenging. Writing exclusively for ExchangeWire, Ruth Zohrer, chief product officer, Mindshare, explains that the importance of context is driving a brand message home. Does anyone remember the Fyre Festival? Borne from the depths of Instagram narcissism, the festival was promoted, very successfully, across the platform using appealing aesthetics and celebrity endorsements. Cut to the festival gates, and attendees were greeted by [...]

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For most ad tech, martech, and commerce companies, with global growth aspirations, the topic of entering the U.S. market will come up sooner rather than later. It’s clear why: the U.S. is home to the world’s largest consumer market and, according to research from eMarketer, U.S. ad spend is on track to reach USD$220.96bn (£168bn) in 2018. Expansion is often seen as an indicator of company maturity: for VC-funded businesses, the U.S. generally presents a more risk-friendly environment than the [...]

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The latest ad expenditure report by the Advertising Association and WARC, published on 8 November, shows record investment, with overall ad spend up 7.2% year-on-year, during the first half of 2018, hitting a total of £11.4bn. ExchangeWire asks industry thought leaders to share their views on the report, and the state of the UK digital advertising market. The overall market growth was driven by online advertising, with full-year projection figures being upgraded to 13.3% growth, resulting in a prospective £13bn being [...]

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In this weekly segment, ExchangeWire sums up key industry updates on ad tech from around the EMEA region – and in this edition: Oath Rebranded in Verizon Restructuring as ‘Verizon Media Group/Oath’; Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report; Xaxis report: 
Custom KPIs Used by Almost 9-in-10 UK Marketers Signalling Move to Accountable Strategies; and Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) Study Finds 84% Less Fraud in Tag Certified Distribution Channels. Oath Rebranded in Verizon Restructuring as ‘Verizon Media Group/Oath’ Verizon Communications Inc. announced Monday the rebranding of [...]

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