Tech
The ‘art is never (really) finished’ award goes to Project Zomboid
Join gaming leaders, alongside GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming, for their 2nd Annual GamesBeat & Facebook Gaming Summit | GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2 this upcoming January 25-27, 2022. Learn more about the event.
Making a game is hard work. It’s even harder if you’re a small, independent team. Sure, it’s easier now than ever with access to the internet and powerful, free-to-use game engines, but it’s still a monumental effort. Luckily, for smaller teams, the last decade has seen the popularization and surge of the “early access” game release.
“Early access, what in the Dickens is that,” you may ask. Have a seat upon my knee and I’ll tell you. No? Ok, I’ll tell you anyway. Early access is a way for developers to release their game in an unfinished state, often at a discount, to help fund further production and receive feedback from the community. Quite a number of well-received games have started in early access — titles like Hades, Subnautica, and Slay the Spire, to name a few.
Of course, with the success stories come all the rest. There are a lot of early access games that sputter out after a few updates. A few famous examples being Spacebase DF-9, Towns, and The War Z. Most of these games fit into one of two categories: scam or naivety. Either the developer took the money and ran or they wildly underestimated the amount of work necessary to make a game. Whichever it was, those kinds of games gave a bad name to “early access” — but those are stories for another day.
Today, we are looking at the third category of early access: the eternal development.
Event
The 2nd Annual GamesBeat and Facebook Gaming Summit and GamesBeat: Into the Metaverse 2
January 25 – 27, 2022
Development is a way of life
There are a few games, not many, but a few, that have transcended standard early access and made it into a science. These games remind me of the French poet Paul Valéry and his thoughts on releasing work to the public. “In the eyes of those who anxiously seek perfection, a work is never truly completed — a word that for them has no sense — but abandoned; and this abandonment, of the book to the fire or to the public, whether due to weariness or to a need to deliver it for publication, is a sort of accident, comparable to the letting-go of an idea that has become so tiring or annoying that one has lost all interest in it.”
The games I’m referring to did the unthinkable — they didn’t release or abandon their games. No, they kept their heads down and have steadily worked on their games for the entirety of early access and are still nowhere near release. Nowhere near release and still functioning, enjoyable games. There are a handful like this that I can think of, and probably a good number more I can’t.
One early access game in-particular stands out.
Set in the summer of 1993, Project Zomboid is an isometric zombie survival game. You make a character, pick skills, choose a general spawn area, and head out into the world to die horribly. Much like life, everyone dies in Zomboid. It’s just a matter of when and how.
Initially released via Desura in April of 2011 and making its way to Steam early access in 2013, Project Zomboid is still in active development and shows no signs of slowing down. With the release of build 41 to the public, the team at Indie Stone has made meaningful, useful changes and contribution to the game for over a decade. With this latest release, they admit they have a lot more to come including hunting, NPCs, and new scenarios to start.
Some people don’t like playing early access games, preferring to wait for the full release. I understand this mindset, but I could never resist. I love watching and participating in the game creation process, especially when a game has a strong base from which to grow. Get tired of the current release? Take some time off and see what they add next! For this reason, I would like to present the “art is never (really) never finished” award to The Indie Stone and Project Zomboid.
Keep on plugging, folks, I’ll keep playing. I can’t wait to see what 2031 has to offer.
GamesBeat
GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it.
How will you do that? Membership includes access to:
- Newsletters, such as DeanBeat
- The wonderful, educational, and fun speakers at our events
- Networking opportunities
- Special members-only interviews, chats, and “open office” events with GamesBeat staff
- Chatting with community members, GamesBeat staff, and other guests in our Discord
- And maybe even a fun prize or two
- Introductions to like-minded parties
For a while, it looked like Microsoft might never move past Windows 10, but then it dropped Windows 11 in late 2021. Even with a longer gap between new versions, it was impossible for Microsoft to make everyone happy. Despite some notable improvements in Windows 11, there are still some nagging issues. Thankfully, a lot of them are fixable with varying degrees of legwork—here’s how you can patch the biggest annoyances in Windows 11.
Bypass the TPM 2.0 check
The first big Windows 11 headache starts before you even install it. Microsoft requires a TPM 2.0 module (among other hardware features), and not all machines have one of those. If your computer is otherwise capable of running Win11, you can safely bypass this check. The quickest way to fix this issue is to make a small tweak to the registry during the setup process.
Bypassing Windows 11’s TPM check bypass via a registry edit.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
While in the Windows installation dialog, you can hit Shift + F10 to open a command prompt, and from there you can launch the Windows registry editor by typing “regedit”and pressing enter. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetup and then right-click. Select New > Key and name it LabConfig. Under that key, we need to add two values using New > DWORD (32-bit value). One of them should be called BypassTPMCheck and the other will be BypassSecureBootCheck. Double-click to change the values, setting them both to “1.”
With that done, you can go back to setup and continue your Windows installation adventure.
Move the Start menu and taskbar icons to the left
Windows 11 completely revamped the taskbar, and one of the first things you’ll notice about it is that your icons are no longer left-justified. Now, the icons are in the middle, along with the start button. If this change rubs you the wrong way, Microsoft will let you change it. However, the option is a bit buried.
Change the alignment of Windows 11’s taskbar icons and Start menu with this setting. You want ‘left’ to make it look like Windows 10.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
The feature you need is available in Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Scroll down to the bottom, and expand the “Taskbar behaviors” section. Near the top of this list is the alignment option. Change it from “Center” to “Left,” and you’re all set. It’s one of the many tweaks you can perform to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10.
Get the Windows 10 context menu back
One of the most frustrating experiences in Windows 11 shouldn’t come as a surprise. There are two different context menus now, matching the two settings apps. When you right-click, Windows 11 gives you a simplified context menu that’s missing a ton of options, just like the Windows 11 Settings app. If you want the full shebang, you have to click Show more options to get the rest of the context options. Luckily, you can go back to the proper context menu with a little registry editing.
Left: Ugh. Right: Ahhhhhhh, yes.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
Either run “regedit” or search the start menu for “registry editor” to get started. Navigate to ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWARECLASSESCLSID and then right-click. Use New > Key to create a new key folder. Name the key {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2} and then right-click on it to add another subkey, this one named InprocServer32. By default, this key contains a default with no value set. Double click on it, leave the data value blank, hit Ok, and you’re done. When you restart your computer, you’ll have the classic menu back.
Scheduled dark mode
It’s always nice when the fix for a problem is an open source app, and such is the case for Windows 11’s dark mode. We applaud Microsoft for adding a dark mode in Win11, but it’s almost useless without the ability to schedule activation like every other platform with a dark theme. That’s why Auto Dark Mode is around.
Auto Dark Mode’s scheduling options.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
You can get this free app from the GitHub page or in the Microsoft Store. After installing, you’ll have the option to configure a schedule in the app. You can use custom hours for light and dark mode, or automate it based on your geographical location. Auto Dark Mode also includes options to control which parts of the interface change color, pausing theme changes while gaming, and more. Did we mention it’s free?
Return of the Explorer ribbon
After so many years of Windows 10, many of us got used to the ribbon interface in Windows 10, but it’s been scaled back heavily in Windows 11. To bring back the ribbon and all its jump menus, you’ll have to dig into the registry editor. Again, either run “regedit” or search the start menu for “registry editor.”
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
This time we’re going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell Extensions. Under this key, you should have two subkeys called Approved and Cached. We’re going to add a third one (New > Key) called Blocked. Inside this subkey, right-click again and add a new String Value. Rename the string to {e2bf9676-5f8f-435c-97eb-11607a5bedf7} and restart your machine. The ribbon should be back at the top of the Explorer window when you open it.
Make the widget board relevant
Microsoft is promising to make Windows widgets something you’ll want to use. However, unless you are deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, the content in this pop-up won’t be relevant to you at all. It’s a good idea to get in there and make some adjustments so you aren’t annoyed every time your cursor swings too close.
Click the tiny “manage interests” option in the Widget settings to start making adjustments.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
You can open the widget board by hovering your cursor over the weather icon in the taskbar. You can use the three-dot button on widgets to remove them, and if you want to add more, click the plus button in the top right. This is also where you’ll find a small, easily missed “Manage interests” link that can adjust the news stories that appear in the widget board. It opens a web page (in Edge, of course) that lets you register your interest or disinterest in various topics. Since you’re reading this, you might want to ensure technology is checked. If you’re explicitly not into something—celebrities, for example— you can block that from appearing.
Adjust taskbar location and size
When it revamped the taskbar for Windows 11, Microsoft dropped the option to change the size and location. This might not have been a popular feature in Windows 10, but it’s been in the OS since time immemorial. If you relied on taskbar adjustments for your workflow, there’s good news and bad news. Good: you can still alter these parameters. The bad news is it requires more registry editing, and changing the settings isn’t very convenient.
We’ll show you how to do that below, but it’s also worth pointing out that third-party tools Start11 and StartAllBack (both $5 programs) give enthusiasts loads of flexibility for changing Windows 11’s Start menu and taskbar behavior, including options you simply can’t get using native tools alone. Both are highly recommended and can fix most of what we hate about Windows 11’s interface.
The end result of all your hard registry editing: Windows 11’s taskbar at the top of your screen.
Ryan Whitwam/IDG
If you don’t want to pay money to change your taskbar’s position, you’ll once again have to dive into the Registry Editor. This time, you need to navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerStuckRects3. In this key, you’ll find a Settings binary file. Double click on it to edit, and locate the fifth value on the second line—it should read “03” before you edit anything. Changing this number to 01 and hitting Ok will move to taskbar to the top of the screen on your next restart. Meanwhile, replacing it with 00 will move it to the left, and 02 will put it on the right.
You have to open this key every time you want to move the bar, unfortunately. If you’re a left taskbar person, prepare for disappointment. While you can move the bar to that side, current builds of Windows 11 don’t render it correctly—you may not be able to see your icons. However, moving to the top works just fine.
The taskbar can be hard to see on high-resolution monitors for those with poor vision, or maybe you want it smaller to save space for content on a smaller display. There are no settings for that in Windows 11, but you can change this in the registry. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerAdvanced in the Registry Editor. In this key, right-click and create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value called TaskbarSi. Double-click that value to edit, and change it to 0 (small), 1 (standard), or 2 (large). Click Ok, and restart to complete the process.
At this point, you might be looking at a Windows 11 UI that’s much different than it was out of the box. Microsoft generally warns against making changes like this, particularly when it comes to bypassing boot protections, but it’s your machine and your workflow is more important than Microsoft’s development priorities. Now that your PC looks and behaves how you want it to, take things even further with these 10 little-known Windows 11 features that will blow your mind.
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Decent audio quality, with deep bass and clear mids and highs
- Durable, strong and portable design
- Highly comfortable earcups with memory foam cushioning and leatherette coverings
Cons
- No Active Noise Cancellation
- Metal headband attachments can sometimes trap your fingers
Our Verdict
The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless hits all the right notes for sound quality, comfort and affordability.
Price When Reviewed
$99.99
Best Prices Today: HyperX Cloud Core Wireless
$69.99
Free
$69.99
Free
A gift is infinitely better than a promise, and unlike some headsets that manufacturers promise will do it all, the HyperX Cloud Wireless actually delivers, staying on point for audio quality, style and comfort. It’s also one of the most compact gaming headsets, removing the hassle of trying to wrangle it into a full satchel or backpack.
By focusing on things that matter most to gamers without worrying about dedicated software support, “no-fuss gaming audio” could be the headset’s motto. Admittedly, that may not suit EQ tinkerers who want to fine-tune everything. But for those who want a wireless option with quick connectivity and excellent spatial audio, the HyperX Cloud Core Wireless is exactly that.
The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless delivers a sublime audio experience you’d expect from a more expensive gaming headset, but at a fraction of the price.
HyperX Cloud Core Wireless design and build
It’s usually a good sign when new headsets appear like favorites we know and love. The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless is a case in point, looking almost exactly like the HyperX Cloud II Wireless headset, except for the latter’s flashy red earcup holders and striated black and red headband.
Comparing both devices, I much prefer the Cloud Core’s mostly black exterior styling, the only coloring being its red HyperX logos on each earcups, since it sports a cleaner, tidier look. Besides that, the more muted styling allows the Cloud Core Wireless to seamlessly double as a headphone once the detachable boom mic is pulled off, so it’s a little more versatile.
Bulky headsets are cumbersome and often cause pain and discomfort for gamers, but there’s no unnecessary cargo weighing down the HyperX Cloud Core or putting undue pressure on your head or ears. Picking it up, it’s immediately apparent that it’s a lightweight in the category – the whole unit weighing just 10.4 ounces which is a fait accompli of its lightweight aluminum frame.
HyperX
Speaking of which, the frame feels sturdy everywhere – immeasurably more than the (far pricier) Razer Barracuda Pro’s mostly plastic headband. It also provides plenty of flex. I could easily pull the earcups apart until the headband was lying completely flat; upon releasing it the headset then just returned to its original position. This hardiness isn’t that surprising considering the likes of the Cloud Alpha and the Cloud II Wireless, but for its $99 price tag, it’s a triumph worth celebrating.
HyperX have also done a superb job keeping the size concise, despite the sizes of traditional over-the-ear gaming headsets creeping upwards this year. In fact, it’s so tightly made that with the headband packed down, it measures a mere 7.5 inches from top to bottom. Unsurprisingly, it’s dwarfed by rival headsets like the Razer Barracuda Pro or the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro, but everything you need is still at your fingertips – earcups, headband and padding. It doesn’t compromise on sound quality either.
Reaching up above your ears, the headband’s circular metal earcup holders feel extremely tactile and provide plenty of horizontal movement for the cups. However, be warned: you’ll want to keep your appendages away from these when clamping the set down on your ears, since they can sometimes be finger traps.
Dominic Bayley
If your ears are accustomed to luxury, they’ll find an equally plush experience here. The Cloud Core Wireless’ earcups are doughy and soft, feeling remarkably smooth. They sport HyperX’s signature memory foam over a leatherette material that seems identical to what you’ll find in headsets that cost upwards of $250.
Like the whole unit, the cups are also quite compact, but they’ll fit snugly over all but the very largest of ears. The top of your head is also cozy thanks to more leatherette padding beneath the top band – another nice touch that pays dividends in long gaming sessions.
HyperX Cloud Core Wireless compatibility options
Although marketed just for PC, it was a pleasant surprise to discover the Cloud Core Wireless is also compatible with Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles. Conveniently, you can also find instructions for the latter in the Cloud Core’s Quick Start Guide. We can’t say exactly why HyperX kept mum on console compatibility. Regardless, it’s a welcome feature that saves you from having to purchase separate headsets for your different devices.
Usually I’d go into great detail about the software enhancements that the headset supports but unfortunately for the tinkerers among us, the Cloud Core Wireless doesn’t support HyperX’s Ngenuity software app so there’s no modifying sound settings like volume, EQ levels or checking battery status externally. Is this a big deal? Not really, since there’s no RGB lighting to tweak, and the audio seems perfectly balanced as it is.
HyperX Cloud Core Wireless audio performance
Powering the Cloud Core Wireless’s audio are generous 53 mm drivers, which I found to deliver a crisp, natural and full-bodied sound that’s sure to delight gamers. This was beamed via a reliable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal that never dropped out or suffered interference.
Listening closely to the tonal range in the audio, the bass notes didn’t quite drop down as low as some headsets (like the Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X or the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless) but they were still deep and commanding. The mids and highs hit the mark exactly as expected, as I found out trialing the headset in Elden Ring’s rich audio environment. Here it produced scintillating tinkling sounds for my Astrologer character’s spells and the mids in the soundtrack sounded warm and rounded when the music become more dramatic in battles.
The guttural grunts of enemies like Mounted Knights were also pronounced and strong. And random environmental sounds, like the patter of raindrops and the hoof beats of the sheep in Limgrave, were brought to life with a clarity that added to the overall game realism.
Moving on to the surround sound experience, the HyperX Cloud Core Wireless headset uses DTS Headphone:X for its spatial audio, which is managed in the third party DTS Sound Unbound app. The app leverages Microsoft Spatial Sound Technology to replicate the experience you’d get when listening to multiple speaker systems, so it gets decent Windows support and it’s easily downloadable via the Microsoft App Store.
DTS Headphone: X is still a relatively new technology, so the list of games that currently support it isn’t huge. However, it’s considered to be one of the best spatial audio technologies currently available thanks to its low audio compression capability, which packs down audio metadata at a ratio of 4:1 – lower than near rival Dolby which compresses to a 12:1 ratio.
Dominic Bayley
I trialed the feature in Metro Exodus and was well impressed by what I heard. DTS delivered immersive sound positioning, while keeping distortion to a minimum. Footfalls, explosions and falling debris sounds were conveyed through 360 degrees, implying the action was all happening around me in real-time rather than in the game itself.
The Sound Unbound app was also easy to use, allowing me to select from among two spatial audio profiles: a default ‘Balanced Mode’ that delivered the most realistic spatial audio experience and a Spacious Mode – that made the spatial audio sound further away.
Although DTS Sound Unbound is not normally a free service, you get two years subscription with your HyperX Cloud Core Wireless purchase and without having to fill out any personal information. After that time you can either choose to make a one off purchase of $29.95 USD to continue using the app, or just let your spatial audio lapse, since it’s not compulsory.
Overall the HyperX Cloud Core’s Wireless sound quality was incredibly impressive. What was most interesting was the range and clarity of the sound achievable without having to tinker with sound enhancement settings, presets or any other settings that I would normally use to get similar results. Considering the headset ships for under $100 that seems extraordinarily good value.
HyperX Cloud Core Wireless microphone performance
In my voice chats, the HyperX Cloud Core Wireless’s condenser mic did a great job keeping my voice sounding clear and unmuffled. The mic is quite ergonomic too, being both very flexible and with a large boom for dampening sound. It’s also easily detachable, clicking in and out of place with minimal effort.
HyperX claims the mic has noise-cancelling technology and to its credit I never noticed ambient noise becoming an issue in games. The mic’s Discord and TeamSpeak certification made it a cinch to connect up to these apps. It was easily muted via the button on the left earcup too.
Conclusion
The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless delivers a sublime audio experience you’d expect from a more expensive gaming headset, but at a fraction of the price. It’s also highly comfortable, durable and packs down to a convenient and portable size. The supported spatial audio works a dream, arguably providing the most realistic surround sound experience in gaming today. Plus, it’s also cross-compatible with your consoles, preventing you from having to buy multiple headsets.
Here’s a question: With inflation running rampant, interest rates surging and an economic downturn lurking around every corner, what will happen to the once-red-hot mergers and acquisitions marketplace in agency land for the rest of this year and into 2023?
Those who expected a cooling-off in M&A as a result of the darkening clouds were in for a surprise last week when The Brandtech Group put out a terse statement saying it’s entered exclusive negotiations with French investment firm Fimalac to acquire Jellyfish Group, a digitally focused marketing services agency run by Rob Pierre, in which Fimalac owns a majority stake.
Though none of the parties would comment on the proposal, it seems it’s not just private equity firms that are out to buy agencies in these challenging times. The Brandtech Group, run by ex-Havas leader David Jones, has assembled an interesting assortment of services to become, as Jones told Digiday back in June, “the Salesforce of marketing.”
But the company has been light on the media side of its holdings, which makes a Jellyfish acquisition seem smart, said an executive at a media consultancy who declined to speak on the record. “As much as they’d love to pursue the big global accounts, they’re not going to get anywhere near it because of their size,” said the exec. “With Jellyfish, they would have a very sizable, very scalable, global media offering, albeit digitally focused, to compete with the Stagwells and S4s, who they probably haven’t been been able to get close to. This fundamentally gives them scale and credibility in that media buying and implementational space.”
Beyond Brandtech Group’s surprising but smart move, other investment advisors argue this could be another strong M&A market. Last year, total M&A for agency and marketing services totaled over 400 deals for nearly $10 billion from strategics and PE firms, according to Michael Seidler, founder and CEO of M&A advisory firm Madison Alley. This year so far, Q1 totaled over 115 M&A deals for over $4.5 billion, and Q2 totaled 125 deals for $1.5 billion.
That activity has convinced Seidler there is a “trillion dollar market opportunity” for the broader marketing communications world, if you lump in consultancies and ad tech. “The marketing services groups only are about 10 percent of that,” said Seidler, listing consultancies such as Accenture or Deloitte as well multinational firms like Tata, Wipro or Infosys. “So we see a huge opportunity that plays out among the marketing service groups as they start to build their development capabilities, their custom software development and strategic digital transformation.”
Ryan Kangisser, managing partner of strategy at MediaSense, points to retail media as an area where specialty shops might be in demand. “We’ve seen the growth of retail media in the U.S. and yet the expertise around that is still quite scarce,” he said. “So if there are independent businesses out there that are able to gain traction with brands, clearly there’s going to be some some activity there.”
Mark Penn, CEO of holding company Stagwell, said after the company’s earnings call that it plans to continue acquiring — part of a long-term strategy to take on the traditional holdcos. “Our strategic goals are to expand more globally and to expand our technology footprint,” said Penn. “Foreign exchange is a big factor — the strong dollar means that you can go buy 30 percent more of…some company in another jurisdiction. So if you have a 20 or 30 percent reduction in [agency valuation] multiples and a 20 or 30 percent currency advantage, at least as a U.S. company as we are, I think that may create some openings for additional M&A.”
Then there’s the private equity world, which will not sit quietly, especially as several two-to-four-year-old acquisitions approach the flipping point (most M&A advisors agree that PE firms usually flip their acquisitions within five years). Seidler noted several independent agencies purchased in that time frame could be on the block before long, including Real Chemistry, Bounteous and Tinuiti. Even PMG, which just won a large chunk of Nike’s media duties, could be a target for acquisition, Seidler added.
One other consideration that’s just as important is culture, said Doug Baxter, head of Agency Futures, a London-based M&A consultant. “Are there dynamics, both culturally and from business services and synergies points of view, that allow the power of one and one to equal five?” Baxter asked. “That’s really what you’re looking to do, is to find people who really do share a common vision, but also have ways that they can integrate their business that makes sense.”
Color by numbers
As content becomes more targeted, advertisers looking to reach diverse audiences might want to consider in-cinema advertising. National CineMedia shared stats with Digiday that show broad representation in movie seats. Some highlights:
- “Jurassic World: Dominion” delivered a multi-generational audience comprised of 41% Caucasian, 25% Hispanic and Latino, 16% Black, 15% Asian and 5% other viewers;
- NCM says it’s seeing 58% diversity demos on average for opening weekends, generating higher reach than endemic players among the 18-34 age demographic;
- Compared to linear TV, NCM says movies have the second highest reach of Hispanic consumers 18-34, behind only Univision, while claiming to out-deliver BET on Black viewers 18-34 by more than two times;
- Compared to 10 years ago, movie audiences are now 30% more multicultural, 40% more Hispanic, 30% more Black and 46% more Asian.
Takeoff & landing
- Dentsu’s iProspect promoted two longtime executives to new positions, as the performance marketing agency goes full service in media: Michelle Snodgrass becomes executive vp, head of strategy, up from senior vp; and Rachel Starr becomes executive vp, head of planning, up from senior vp. Both will report to North American CEO Danielle Gonzalez.
- Social listening and analytics firm Sprout Social is adding Instagram Reels to its video management capabilities to help brands and agencies use the platform, after having signed up Tik Tok recently.
- Independent digital agency BAM Strategy, based in Montreal, picked up work for online grocery delivery service FreshDirect, for which it will build the brand’s first loyalty program.
Direct quote
“The strategic decision to make Gale a creative media consultancy — to bring creative and media together — [attracts] accounts that would have gone to two separate agencies in the past. They [brands] now realize that online marketing requires such greater coordination between creative and media, that I think we’ve hit a new sweet spot in the marketplace with this combination.”
Stagwell CEO Mark Penn in explaining how Stagwell agency Gale achieved 150% growth in the last year.
Speed reading
- In huge ad-tech news, Digiday senior ad tech reporter Ronan Shields, with help from senior news editor Seb Joseph, broke the news that Apple is launching a demand-side platform.
- Senior media editor Tim Peterson has also broken a lot of news around Instagram, first reporting that the Meta-owned social destination is paying media companies to post on Reels, and then that it is shutting down its affiliate commerce program on Reels.
- I wrote about two new tools designed to optimize client media spend: Max Connect’s Kudos product, which helps auto and other advertisers alter their ad flights, and Disqo’s Outcomes Lift platform, which helps clients see consumer action taken after seeing their ads.
Crypto Exchange Zipmex Moves to Release Some BTC, ETH Holdings This Week
US Government Prohibits American Citizens from Interacting with Tornado Cash
Binance Removes Off-Chain Fund Transfer Channel Between Itself And WazirX
Macro Guru Raoul Pal: Most Participants Are Underinvested in Ethereum
Ethereum Hard Forks Will Not Receive Our Support – Chainlink
‘Continue to ebb and flow over time’: Denny’s chief brand officer on how consumers’ moods inform brand messaging
Bitcoin hits $45K ahead of July inflation report, but one fractal hints at looming correction
Smart Marketing Token (SMT) Is on a Mission to Help Blockchain Projects Reach Their Goals
Identity management org Sailpoint unveils no-code tool
Japan crypto exchange bitbank upgrades performance of its matching engine by 4x
-
Bit Coin3 months agoDeFi transforming lending routes on the blockchain
-
Bit Coin3 months ago
Look out below! Ethereum derivatives data hints at further downside from ETH
-
Tech3 months ago
Nvidia releases its first open-source Linux drivers
-
Bit Coin3 months ago
Miami and New York City coins tank despite Mayoral endorsements
-
Bit Coin3 months ago
An Anime Action Adventure: YOANN․IO Seed Launch on KICK․IO
-
Tech3 months ago
Report: Apple is testing USB-C iPhone models for 2023
-
Bit Coin3 months ago
Swiss think tank urges greater global cooperation on crypto regulation
-
Bit Coin2 months ago
Sequel to Iconic RPG Ni No Kuni to Feature NFT Integration and Play-to-Earn Mechanics
