Collab Studio partnership launches with new research from eye square revealing Snapchat creators lead the category in likeability and valued recommendations

Partnership marks a clean sweep across major platforms for OMG’s influencer agency

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Creo, Omnicom Media Group’s full-service creator and influencer marketing agency, is partnering with Snapchat’s Snap Star Collab Studio to develop brand campaigns with the platform’s top-tier creators – known as Snap Stars – that will deliver impact at all levels of the marketing funnel. 

The Snap Star Collab Studio offers a managed service production program that facilitates collaborations between marketers and creators ensuring alignment between brand objectives and creator style; and providing production and management services to support high quality, authentic branded content that engages consumers and drives results. As a Studio partner, Creo will be able to layer customized audience data from Omni – the open operating system that supports all Omnicom agencies – across all stages of its clients’ creator campaigns, from discovery to content creation to activation, to inform decisioning and optimize outcomes. Additionally, Creo will have first look options on new products and services; participate in the Studio product council; and co-author consumer research that will inform more precise planning and measurement in a category that is capturing an increasing share of marketers’ spend.

The Creo/Snap partnership will launch with an Advertising Week event on Wednesday October 9 @ 4.30pm, where the findings of the partnership’s inaugural research effort will be presented in conjunction with eye square, a leading global market research company. The research examines the growing impact of creator content on mid and lower funnel outcomes and leverages eye square’s new Digital Experience research methodology.

Preliminary research findings in the US market – using eye square’s proprietary ad to cart technology – found that seeing a creator’s ad prior to a product focused ad drove a significant increase in brand purchases on an eCommerce site. More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents also reported that creators’ opinions are  relevant during the (consideration and) purchase phase. Creo president Kevin Blazaitis pointed to a key finding of the study – Creators on Snapchat were more likely to be perceived as likable genuine, and “like a friend”, and their recommendations carried more weight compared to creators on other social platforms –  in summing up the benefits that the partnership will deliver to the more than three dozen leading brands on the agency’s roster.

“As our global community of 432M Daily Active Users continues to grow and engagement across the platform increases, we are excited to expand our multi-faceted partnership with OMG in the Creator space,” says Jesse Mitchell, Senior Manager, Global Agency Development, Snap Inc. “Our new research, fielded by eye square using proprietary inContext technology in the Snap Spotlight environment, found that Creator campaigns boost sales and brand lift, and we look forward to accelerating success with OMG clients across the globe.” 

Adds eye square EVP for Brand and Media Experience Stefan Schönherr, “Using our InContext technology, brands can assess users’ reaction to ads in real time and our AdtoCart technology can definitively determine if users are taking action after they see an ad. Together, they played a pivotal role in demonstrating how creator messaging can improve brand reputation and drive performance for marketers.”

The partnership is the latest in a series of strategic alliances that Creo has forged in 2024 across every leading platforms  –  including  Google, TikTok, Amazon, and Meta – that support its unique “influencers as a media channel” approach by enabling more precise planning and measurement and connecting creator content to consumer actions.

“Influencer marketing gives brands the ability to go beyond connecting with consumers or engaging with consumers to having a relationship with consumers through the creators whom they welcome into their lives,” says Blazaitis. “Like any good relationship, the bond between creator and consumer is rooted in affinity, authenticity, and trust – and as the research shows, Snap Stars are uniquely effective in delivering on these qualities. The combination of Omni audience insights with a singularly likeable and trusted creator marketplace will enhance the impact and outcomes of our clients’ influencer investments at all points of the customer journey.”

About Creo

Creo, a division of Omnicom Media Group, is as a data-driven, end-to-end  influencer marketing agency that leverages the power of Omni – the open operating system that supports all Omnicom agencies – to approach influencer marketing like a media channel that can be planned, measured and optimized to deliver impact at all levels of the marketing funnel. For more information visit creo.com.

About Snap

Snap Inc. is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. We contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company’s three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world; Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and its AR glasses, Spectacles. For more information, visit snap.com.

About eye square 

eye square is a global market research company that focuses on understanding implicit and behavioral data in the context of media experiences. We believe that the understanding of the human experience in a holistic way (see/ feel/think/act) delivers more meaningful insights for marketers, advertisers, and agencies around the globe. Our Digital Experience Sandbox provides an experimental research framework to analyze controlled ad and media experiences in a live environment. For more information, visit eye-square.com. 

Source:  2024 Creators: Impact of Perceptions on Brand Outcomes study conducted by eye square and commissioned by Snap Inc and Omnicom Media Group, July 2024 – Aug 2024, Total Social Media Users N = 5361, 13-49 years, 43% 13-29y, 57% 30-49y, US Market Only 

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SOURCE Omnicom Media Group

HOUSTON, Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer business mentors, announced the three winners of its 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition held on Oct. 3 at Houston Community College – West Houston. The event was the last in a series of five nationwide pitch competitions, offering small business owners the opportunity to showcase their presentation and selling skills to industry experts, win funding and gain valuable knowledge and mentorship, all at no cost. More than 2,200 small business owners applied to participate.

The three winning businesses in the Houston pitch event are:

First Place:
Crystal Lister – Mommy and Me: The Listers (Cypress, TX)
Mommy and Me: The Listers is dedicated to delivering engaging STEM education to children and families, especially in underserved communities. Innovative programs, including interactive workshops and events, aim to foster curiosity and imagination in young learners. Their flagship initiative, the STEM Carnival, combines fun with education and provides hands-on experiences that inspire a love for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Crystal earned the top prize of $20,000 for her pitch. She plans to use her prize to finance the creation of a mobile classroom to deliver STEM education directly to underserved communities and expand existing programs. In addition, the funds will support investments in technology, specialized equipment and software to improve STEM program delivery and user experience, and to develop a scalable business model to ensure ongoing support for educational initiatives in underserved areas.

Second Place:
Khaliah Guillory – Nap Bar, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Nap Bar offers a unique rest and wellness experience designed to boost productivity and well-being. Nap Bar provides comfortable, sustainable sleep suites, including organic mattresses and linens, within a serene environment. Their services cater to professionals, entrepreneurs and anyone in need of rest, offering pop-up napping services, VR experiences, and sleep consultations to help combat sleep deprivation and improve overall performance. Khaliah earned $10,000 for her pitch, which she plans to use toward the expansion of sleep solutions including the installation of sleep suites in airports, pop-up sleep pods and development of new products. The fund will also support brand awareness, resources and marketing to promote their commitment to wellness and sustainability, as well as strategic partnerships to scale operations and reach new markets.

Third Place:
Jacky Chao – Creator Camp (Katy, TX)
Creator Camp provides innovative educational experiences for children aged 6-13, focusing on creativity and technology. Offering in-person camps in various locations, participants learn skills in filmmaking, animation, music production and game development. The program emphasizes collaboration and hands-on learning, ensuring that kids gain valuable knowledge in a supportive environment. Jacky received $5,000 for his pitch. He will use the prize toward website optimization to further improve user experience, making it easier for parents to browse and register for camps. The prize will also go toward marketing initiatives to increase visibility, attract more participants and expand the camp programs.

“Congratulations to the winners of our 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition event in Houston, the grand finale of our nationwide series,” said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. “It takes ingenuity, passion and dedication for small business owners to succeed, and we’ve seen those qualities shine throughout this competition again and again.” 

As part of the pitch competition, contestants were matched with one of SCORE’s free, expert business mentors to guide them to prepare and deliver a compelling pitch.

Judging criteria included the effectiveness of the presentation, brand identification, uniqueness and viability of the product or service, the thoroughness of the business plan, scalability and any sustainability or social impact. Financials were also assessed on overall potential.

Shellie Peters, Head of Benefits and Charitable Giving at Global Atlantic, said, “Global Atlantic is honored to be the premier sponsor of SCORE’s pitch competition in Houston. We commend all the participants for their bold ideas and hard work, and we’re excited to support these local small businesses and entrepreneurs who will play a crucial role in strengthening Houston’s diverse and resilient economy.”

The 10 finalists from the Houston event also included:

David Norec – Fit Lit (McAllen, TX)Alexavier Shin – Cleaning SATX, LLC (San Antonio, TX)Wendy Dawson – Incuentro LLC (Houston, TX)Chibueze Ihenacho – ARMR Systems, Inc. (Baltimore, MD)Tammy Marshall – La Lueur Health & Wellness (Desoto, TX)Sergio Espinoza – Manka Inc. (Lynn, MA)Jonathan Cole – Chop Up Jay, LLC (Houston, TX)

In addition to Houston, regional contests were held in Los Angeles on Sept. 26, Des Moines on Sept. 12 and Philadelphia on Aug. 28. A nationwide virtual competition took place Sept. 17-19. This Houston event marked the final event in the series. In total, SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition has awarded $175,000 to 15 winning small businesses.

To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor or volunteer to be one, visit score.org.

About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at score.org.  

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Media Contact
Maria Coder, SCORE, 954-379-2115, teamscore@redbanyan.com
For more information or to download photos of the Houston event, click here for the press kit.

To schedule interviews with winners of the competition, finalists, mentors, or representatives from SCORE, please contact teamscore@redbanyan.com.

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SOURCE SCORE

KFAR SABA, Israel, Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — LeakZon Unveils WEAD: The Revolutionary Platform for Water Loss Management (WLM)

LeakZon, a pioneer in water management solutions, is thrilled to announce the official release of WEAD (Water Efficiency, Anomaly Detection), the first and only dedicated platform designed to significantly reduce water loss rates and enhance the control and clarity of water networks. LeakZon has been funded by a group of water experts with over 20 years of experience, particularly after 4 years of extensive experience in the water loss management (WLM) arena. This groundbreaking platform is now available to water utilities, municipalities, smart meters (AMR) manufacturers, and multifamily property owners, offering control over their water networks.

With the launch of WEAD, LeakZon empowers its customers to push the boundaries of water management by providing a comprehensive suite of features that streamline operations and drive more thoughtful decision-making. The platform’s capabilities include:

Reducing Water Loss by Up to 66%: Leveraging advanced AI technology, WEAD detects anomalies within the water network, drastically reducing response times to address issues. This leads to more informed operational and business decisions and significantly reduced water loss rates (NRW).

State-of-the-art dashboard: The platform’s intuitive dashboard provides utilities with a clear snapshot of their entire water network. This enables better resource allocation and strategic planning, ensuring optimal network performance.

VDMA ( Virtual District Metered Area): WEAD introduces a unique solution that creates and optimizes VDMAs during the account setup. This feature presents water networks in grouped levels, offering a holistic view and enabling efficient network management.

Actionable ERP System: WEAD’s automated ERP algorithm identifies water anomalies, categorizes them, and assigns tasks to address them. The platform then monitors the problem and its performance until resolution, closing the case automatically without human intervention.

WEAD is a comprehensive SaaS solution that seamlessly integrates with any Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) platform. It is the only platform on the market that supports integration with multiple AMI platforms simultaneously and provides meaningful insights by combining the AMI data and the impact of other environmental information and other relevant data such as Billing, GIS, SCADA, and other 3rd party platforms. Furthermore, WEAD ensures the highest level of cybersecurity, always safeguarding customer data.

LeakZon has already successfully installed its WEAD platform in dozens of customers in Israel and the United States. The current feedback has exceeded expectations. In Israel, the platform is in full production mode, while in the United States, LeakZon has decided to have a soft launch and plans to switch to full production by mid-2025.

LeakZon will unveil its platform during the WEFTEC exhibition and convention in New Orleans, Oct 7th-9th, booth #4317.

Dan Winter, CEO of LeakZon, expressed his enthusiasm about the release, stating, “We are thrilled to offer utilities the opportunity to enhance their water loss management. With numerous customers already benefiting from our solution, we are confident that WEAD will help utilities, municipalities, and multifamily property owners increase their revenue and significantly reduce water loss. In light of the global climate crisis, LeakZon has made sustainability one of our top priorities, and we are pleased to be able to make our humble contribution to creating a better and safer world.”

About LeakZon LTD
LeakZon LTD is a leader in water management technology, leveraging AI to provide innovative solutions for urban water networks. With a mission to combat climate change and safeguard the planet for future generations, LeakZon is committed to advancing water technology and sustainability.

For more information about WEAD by LeakZon, visit www.leakzon.com

Media Contact: 
Name: Tomer Eisner, CMO
Email: tomere@leakzon.com
Phone: +16467972797 

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2520750/LeakZon_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE LeakZon LTD