Astound Digital

Astound Digital Leadership and Board Members Updated

The current version of the webpage includes a detailed list of the executive leadership team and board members, highlighting key individuals such as Bill Donlan (Global CEO), Ilya Vinogradsky (Co-Founder and Chief Solutions Officer), and others. Additionally, it mentions strategic partnerships with RLH Equity Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

Social Platforms Struggle with Search as Pop-Ups Surge

AdExchanger’s Wednesday roundup highlights two major threads shaping ad tech in 2023: social platforms pushing to win more search marketing budgets while lacking essential tools, and the rise of on-site pop-ups as publishers seek subscriptions and data. TikTok and Instagram want to expand search marketing but currently offer no search reporting and do not let advertisers control campaigns or select keywords. Marketers are betting on social SEO—optimizing captions, hashtags, and terms—to surface in TikTok/Instagram search as platforms evolve. Separately, on-site pop-ups and GDPR-driven consent prompts proliferate, with mixed consumer sentiment though potential short-term conversion benefits. The piece also covers Netflix’s marketing strategy: spend rose to about $2.5 billion in 2022, with campaigns targeted at specific shows like Wednesday and substantial use of TikTok, alongside a $17 billion production budget. Additional notes include TikTok’s $15.8 million UK regulator fine for misuse of children’s data and executive hires at iProspect US and ASTOUND Group.

Disney Plus Will Be Top Dog By 2024; Kraft-Heinz To Make $2B In Cuts – But Not To Marketing

Disney's streaming platform dominance is highlighted as eMarketer projects Disney+ reaching 72.4 million US users in 2020 (32.1% of OTT viewers) and approaching 123.4 million by 2024, potentially surpassing Hulu. Netflix remains the leading service with 168.9 million US subscribers in 2020, followed by Amazon (130.1 million) and Hulu (94.5 million). Kraft Heinz plans about $2 billion in cost cuts over five years, with marketing spared and marketing spend anticipated to rise roughly 30% as CEO Miguel Patricio redirects savings toward brands. Walmart launched Walmart+, a loyalty program offering free grocery/household delivery, mobile checkouts, and a $98 annual price, aiming to challenge Amazon Prime’s roughly 150 million subscribers. The round-up also notes Viacom selling CNET Media for $500 million to a marketing firm, along with additional industry updates and press releases.