This week’s round-up of the latest mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and account moves include Catena Media, Collectbase, Uber Advertising and Adobe.
Deal Desk rounds-up the latest moves across the global affiliate and digital marketing industry and why it matters.
This week Catena Media invests in Collectbase Inc; Uber Advertising partners with TripleLift; and BWT Alpine Formula One teams up with Adobe.
Catena Media partners with Repackz.fun
Catena Media has partnered with Collectbase Inc, the US parent company of Repackz.fun.
Repackz.fun is a digital gaming platform, based on physical trading cards. It lets igaming operators, brands and publishers participate in ‘pack-ripping’ – the experience of opening a mystery pack of collectibles and discovering what’s inside.
The deal also includes Collectibles.com, which is the community app used by collectors to organise, manage, value and share their collections.
Manual Stan, chief executive at Catena Media, said: “This investment is a further step in diversifying our revenue streams.
“Repackz has built a proven product that leading operators are already taking live, and we see a significant opportunity in bringing it to many more. Through Catena Growth Ventures we contribute capital, operator relationships and distribution.”
Dietrich von Behren, co-founder and chief business and strategy officer at Collectbase, added: “Pack-ripping is one of the most exciting categories in collectibles today.
“We built Repackz so operators and brands can quickly and easily offer their audiences real, graded collectibles under their own name, with sourcing, vaulting and fulfilment handled for them.
“Catena Media understands this market with years of expertise, and having them as both investor and partner is a strong endorsement of what we’ve developed.”
Leaders take
As part of the investment, Catena Media will work with Repackz and Collectibles.com to introduce the product to operators and publishers within its network. The company describes this as a strategic move to help diversify its revenue streams – something the company needs to do. So it comes as no surprise given the media group missed its Q3 financial targets and had another round of layoffs.
Uber Advertising expands to open web with TripleLift partnership
Uber Advertising has partnered with TripleLift to expand its audience offsite in the US.
The partnership will combine Uber’s first-party data with TripleLift’s advertising inventory and formats to enable advertisers to target audiences beyond Uber’s owned apps.
It will use signals derived from consumer movement, ordering and shopping behaviour and advertisers can access these audiences through curated private marketplace (PMP) deals across display, online video (websites and mobile) as well as native advertising.
Advertisers can activate these campaigns through their existing demand-side platform workflows.
Josh Butler, global head of advertising, Uber, said: “Uber Advertising has built a clear picture of consumer behaviour based on how people move, eat, and shop every day, and expanding offsite lets advertisers put those insights to work in more places.
“By partnering with TripleLift, we can extend that reach across premium inventory and formats, helping brands connect with consumers before and after their Uber rides or deliveries.”
Dave Helmreich, chief executive at TripleLift, added: “Commerce media shouldn’t stop at the edge of an app. Some of the highest-intent audience signals in advertising live inside commerce environments, but until now, advertisers couldn’t expand those signals into the open internet.
“This partnership removes that boundary. By bringing Uber’s real-world insights to TripleLift’s inventory and creative formats, we are giving buyers a practical path to turn commerce signals into clear omnichannel campaign performance.”
Leaders take
The collaboration between Uber Advertising and TripleLift will enable advertisers to reach audiences beyond their own platforms for the first time. It can help brands reach consumers on behavioural signals at the same time as expanding campaign reach across open web inventory. It offers flexibility, scale and reach like never before and could set a precedent for how taxi-hailing and food delivery apps are expanding.
Adobe teams up with BWT Alpine F1 team to fuel fan engagement
Adobe has teamed up with BWT Alpine Formula One team to help reshape fan experiences through AI.
The partnership will offer BWT Alpine Formula One team access to Adobe CX Enterprise, which provides marketing and creative solutions using AI.
It will focus on AI initiatives which include a new system for content creation, deeper insights to help optimise and drive better fan engagement, AI search optimisation, alongside giving fans the design tools to convey their passion for the sport.
Marissa Dacay, global vice president of enterprise marketing, Adobe, said: “Formula One has become so much more than what happens on the track, becoming a global sports phenomenon where engineering excellence, innovation, sustainability and cultural connection meet.
“Our partnership with BWT Alpine Formula One team showcases how Adobe’s AI technology is powering new ways to drive fan engagement around the world, creating more personalised connections and providing fans different ways to share their passion for the sport.”
Guy Martin, global marketing director, BWT Alpine Formula One team, added the partnership with Adobe gives an “opportunity to create experiences that extend far beyond the racetrack”.
“We are entering an incredibly exciting new era for BWT Alpine Formula One team, and creativity and personalisation will be at the heart of how we express our ambitions, our identity, and our connection with audiences and fans worldwide,” he said.
Leaders take
Formula One’s fan base as continued to grow globally and its audiences have come to expected highly interactive experiences. This partnership with Adobe leans into exactly. With access to its creative and AI marketing solutions, BWT Alpine’s F1 team will be able to offer personalised, interactive experiences to fans at multiple touch points. It’s taking fandom to another level.
Other notable deals
OpenAI expands ChatGPT Ads to 26 new countries. Over 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on the chatbot since it launched its ads programme eight months ago. This expansion means ChatGPT ads is now available in 89 markets.
Salesforce to acquire customer engagement platform Braze in a $5.66bn deal. Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, the acquisition is expected to close next year.
Happydemics, a brand lift measurement company, has partnered with adtech firm, Nexxen. Together, the companies aim to connect media delivery with human response so marketers get a clearer picture of the audiences they’ve reached.
