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☆ PE firm Novacap has acquired the TV adtech platform Cadent, which now plans to go on an acquisition spree
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

PE firm Novacap has acquired TV adtech company Cadent. Canadian private equity firm Novacap has acquired the US TV adtech platform Cadent, the pair said Wednesday. With traditional TV viewing long in decline, advertisers have increasingly turned to connected-TV platforms. US broadcast and cable TV ad spending is expected to drop by 8% this year, but will still be significant at $61.3 billion, per Insider Intelligence's forecast. Cadent had previously been owned by another private equity firm, Lee Equity Partners, which acquired the company in 2013.

Persons: Novacap, Nick Troiano, Troiano, Cadent, Pascal Tremblay Organizations: Cross Mediaworks, CTV, Intelligence, Fund, Investment, RBC Capital Markets, TD Securities, Scotiabank, Lee Equity Partners

☆ Bonmati scores brilliant brace to lead Spain into quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Spaniards will now play the winner of Sunday's round of 16 game between the Netherlands and South Africa. The 20th-ranked Swiss matched their best World Cup finish. They also bowed out in the round of 16 in their only other World Cup appearance in 2015. Spain finished second in Group C, beating Costa Rica and Zambia by a combined 8-0 before being run ragged in a surprise 4-0 loss to Japan on Monday. Bonmati netted her second in the 36th minute with some exquisite footwork that sent two defenders and keeper Gaelle Thalman the wrong way.

Persons: Switzerland's Lara Marti, Spain's Ona Batlle, David Rowland AUCKLAND, Aitana Bonmati, Bonmati, Alba, Laia Codina, Jenny Hermoso, Cata Coll, Jorge Vilda, Maria Rodriguez, Codina, Ona, Redondo, Gaelle, Hermoso, Gaelle Thalmann, Lori Ewing Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Spain, La Roja, Swiss, C, Roja, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Switzerland, Spain, Eden, Auckland , New Zealand, Spain's Ona Batlle REUTERS, Netherlands, South Africa, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan, Coll, Swiss, Redondo, Hermoso, Sydney

☆ India flaunt bench strength with ODI series win in Windies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India entered the three-match series with their eyes on the bigger picture, which includes the Asia Cup and the home World Cup in October-November. It did not really matter at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad where India racked up 351-5 after being put into bat. They then returned to bundle out West Indies for 151 in 35.3 overs with only Alick Athanaze (32) and Gudakesh Motie, who made 39 not out, offering some resistance. After Mukesh Kumar (3-30) wrecked the West Indies top order, Shardul Thakur (4-37) hollowed out the bottom half as India registered their 13th consecutive ODI series win against West Indies. West Indies captain Shai Hope said the target was not beyond their reach but they lacked consistency.

Persons: India's Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Peter Cziborra, Skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Brian Lara, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Gudakesh Motie, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Pandya, Shai Hope, Amlan Chakraborty, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Cricket, ICC, Asia Cup, Asia, West Indies, West, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, West Indies, India, Bridgetown, Trinidad, Indies, New Delhi

☆ Ad verification company DoubleVerify to acquire AI firm Scibids in $125 million deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ad verification company DoubleVerify plans to acquire adtech firm Scibids for around $125 million. It intends to use Scibids' AI expertise to help advertisers better target and optimize ad campaigns. DoubleVerify, the publicly-listed ad verification company, has entered into an agreement to acquire AI-powered adtech firm Scibids in a cash and stock deal valued at $125 million. The product matches DoubleVerify's media quality and ad performance data with Scibids' AI algorithms to let advertisers improve the performance of their campaigns. Around $66 million of the Scibids purchase price will be paid in cash with the remainder in DoubleVerify common stock.

Persons: DoubleVerify, Mark Zagorski, Zagorski, Scibids, Brian Andersen, Dick Filippini, Mark Greenbaum Organizations: Diageo, Dell, Fortune, Microsoft, Allianz, Spotify, LUMA Partners Locations: Paris, France, DoubleVerify, adtech

☆ The founder of fallen adtech startup MediaMath is trying to buy back the bankrupt company's assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

MediaMath Cofounder and CEO Joe Zawadzki is assembling a syndicate to buy back the company. MediaMath cofounder Joe Zawadzki is looking to assemble a syndicate of adtech industry investors to attempt to buy back the company's assets at its upcoming bankruptcy auction, according to people familiar with the matter. Former employees and industry observers have said Zawadzki's MediaMath was also ahead of its time developing tools to demystify how digital ad dollars were being spent. MediaMath's supply chain optimization assets could become the backbone of FxM's "SCF+" supply chain financing product, the adtech industry sources suggested. Zawadzki is also a general partner at the venture capital firm AperiamVentures, which has invested in dozens of adtech startups.

Persons: Joe Zawadzki, MediaMath, Zawadzki, Joe, Zawadzki's, —, Neil Nguyen, MGI, hadn't Organizations: IBM, Bain Capital, Google, Media, Games Locations: MediaMath, Delaware, —, AperiamVentures

☆ The advertising winter may finally be starting to thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The long advertising winter could be coming to an end in the second half of this year. There are tentative signs that the advertising winter is starting to thaw. Meta, which derives more than 98% of its revenue from advertising, reported revenue well ahead of analysts' estimates for the second quarter. To be sure, some pure-play advertising companies remain challenged. Indeed, on Thursday, the US Commerce Department said the US economy grew by 2.4% in the second quarter, which was up from 2% in the first quarter.

Persons: spenders, Kimberly, Clark, Brian Wieser, Groupe, IPG, Arthur Sadoun, It's, they're Organizations: Companies, Meta, Google, PepsiCo, Wall, Tech, Microsoft, US Commerce Department Locations: Madison

☆ From Pet Cemetery Owner to Identity Thief to Best-Selling Ghostwriter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Elisabeth Egan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“This whole street was filled with probably 10 sheriff’s cars. The neighbors were all standing here,” said Hardin, now 56. Hardin’s second husband was also arrested; their toddler went to emergency foster care. “There was no more, ‘I can talk my way out of this, I can spin a story.’ It was just over.”Before her cataclysmic nosedive, Hardin owned a pet cemetery. She is now a literary agent and ghostwriter who has collaborated on several best-selling books, including ones by the Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

Persons: Tesla, Lara Love Hardin, ”, Hardin, Hardin’s, Desmond Tutu, Dalai, Oprah Organizations: ”, Stanford Locations: Aptos, Calif

☆ Quiet layoffs are creeping back into the adtech industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Adtech layoffs have continued into this summer — including at some companies that already made cuts. Ezoic, MiQ, Outbrain, and Brightcove are among the adtech companies with recent layoffs. For some adtech companies, the huge wave of layoffs that struck in 2022 and at the turn of this year wasn't the last, amid prolonged economic uncertainty and a tepid ad market. To be sure, the layoff phenomenon isn't hitting all adtech companies, and many that made cutbacks — including those listed above — are aggressively shifting priorities and have open roles listed on their websites. Adweek recently reported a marked slowdown in adtech job openings in 2023, citing recruiters and industry insiders.

Persons: Dwayne Lafleur, Lafleur, Outbrain, Calcalist, Brightcove, —, Marc DeBevoise, MiQ, MediaMath, There's, Sasha Auzins, Brian Wieser, Adweek, Lee Walker Organizations: Meta, Microsoft, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Expand Locations: Germany

MV Lara Cruise Ship Courtesy: Miray CruisesA unique offer to cruise around the world for three years — which appeared at risk of running aground earlier this year — now is boasting of a bigger ship. Such bonds reimburse U.S.-boarding passengers if cruise operators fail to complete the booked trips. In March, Life at Sea originally offered what it called the "world's first — and only — three-year cruise" aboard the prior ship, MV Gemini. View of a cabin onboard the MV Lara cruise ship. While she almost pulled out of the trip after controversy over the initial plan to use the Gemini for the cruise, Thomas is now committed to the voyage.

Persons: Cruise, Gemini, Mikael Petterson, Petterson, Petterson's, Barbara, Lara, Kendra Holmes, Miray, Holmes, Thomas, Shirene Thomas, They've, people's Organizations: CNBC, Sea Cruises, Miray Cruises, Federal Maritime Commission, U.S, Gemini, Facebook, Victoria Cruises, [, Miray Locations: —, United States, Florida, North Carolina, Wilmington , North Carolina, U.S, Miami, Istanbul

The toll includes some of the formidable Western fighting machines — tanks and armored personnel carriers — the Ukrainians were counting on to beat back the Russians. The startling rate of losses dropped to about 10 percent in the ensuing weeks, the officials said, preserving more of the troops and machines needed for the major offensive push that the Ukrainians say is still to come. Some of the improvement came because Ukraine changed tactics, focusing more on wearing down the Russian forces with artillery and long-range missiles than charging into enemy minefields and fire. The losses have also slowed because the counteroffensive itself has slowed — and even halted in places — as Ukrainian soldiers struggle against Russia’s formidable defenses. And despite the losses, the Ukrainians have so far taken just five of the 60 miles they hope to cover to reach the sea in the south and split the Russian forces in two.

Locations: Ukraine, —, Russian

Lara and Roger Griffiths bought their dream home … and then life fell apart. The Daily MailBefore they won a $2.76 million lottery jackpot in 2005, Lara and Roger Griffiths, of England, reportedly never argued. Then they won and bought a million-dollar barn-converted house and a Porsche, not to mention luxurious trips to Dubai, Monaco, and New York City. Shortly after, there were claims that Roger drove away in the Porsche after Lara confronted him over emails suggesting that he was interested in another woman. That ended their 14-year marriage.

Persons: Lara, Roger Griffiths, Roger Organizations: Daily, Porsche, New York City . Media Locations: England, Dubai, Monaco, New York City

☆ The 15 most promising advertising and marketing tech startups of 2023, according to VCs
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Insider asked 9 top VCs which ad and marketing tech companies excited them most this year. Many of the most buzzy startups are applying AI to marketing and ad creation. Martech startups, too, are applying AI and machine learning to help companies analyze huge datasets and let marketing teams collaborate better on big projects. Insider spoke with nine VCs, all of whom have made recent investments in adtech or marketing tech, and asked them to identify the most promising startups in the space. Check out the 15 most promising adtech and martech startups of 2023 and why VCs think they are primed for success this year and beyond.

Persons: adtech Organizations: Venture

☆ The European Parliament is auditing years of its Google ads following a report that alleged YouTube misled advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The European Parliament said it's auditing its YouTube advertising from 2020 to date. The European Parliament is auditing its Google advertising going as far back as 2020 following a report that alleged YouTube placed ads on third-party sites that violated its own standards. This evaluation process is still ongoing," said a European Parliament press representative in an emailed statement. From its initial assessment, the use of the GVP Network by the European Parliament was "residual," the representative said. The European Parliament has been put under pressure to suspend all of its Google advertising.

Persons: TrueView skippable, Adalytics, Marvin Renaud, Renaud, Roberta Metsola, Pravda.ru, monetization, Adweek, Ruben Schreurs Organizations: Google, YouTube, Fortune, Partner, GVP, GVP Network, US Treasury, Street Journal, Ebiquity Locations: TrueView, Russia, Russian, Ukraine

And France pledged a shipment of the same missiles, which it calls SCALPs, as NATO leaders gathered in Lithuania on Tuesday. Like the United States, France had previously ruled out providing Ukraine with longer-range missiles, over concerns they could be used to attack targets in Russia, escalating the conflict. The ATACMS are among the last major weapons systems that Kyiv wants and the United States is reluctant to give. France’s announcement on Tuesday could either fuel the pressure campaign or, conversely, ease it now that Ukraine is receiving long-range missiles from other countries. Mr. Reznikov made clear that he would not stop asking for ATACMs or long-range missiles from any ally.

Persons: Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Mr, Macron, Abrams, America’s, Lockheed Martin, ATACMS, what’s, ”, Franklin D, Kramer, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, “, Eric Schmitt, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Zolan Kanno, Youngs Organizations: NATO, Tactical Missile Systems, Pentagon, Russian, United, Kyiv, Lockheed, Republicans, Taurus Locations: Ukraine, France, Lithuania, United States, Russia, Britain, Crimea, Vilnius, Lithuanian, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Romania, Korean, “, Washington, London

News analysisPresident Biden and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, with G7 leaders at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging, nor has anyone else. Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging. “I think the win here for Ukraine is the sort of cultural acceptance that Ukraine belongs in NATO,” he said. Image French President Emmanuel Macron has moved from opposition to Ukrainian membership in NATO to strong support for it.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, ”, Zelensky, Mauricio Lima, John Kornblum, Mr, Kornblum, “, Emmanuel Macron, Michal Baranowski, François Heisbourg, ” Ben Wallace, Macron, Ludovic Marin, Jens Stoltenberg, Russia —, Olaf Scholz, Germany, Doug Mills, Camille Grand, Heisbourg, Ukraine can’t, ” Lara Jakes Organizations: NATO, Lithuania — NATO, Kyiv, Ukraine, Central, Ukrainian NATO, Grad, The New York Times, Ukraine Council, German Marshall Fund, “, ”, Washington, Agence France, Russia, New York Times, Ukraine —, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, VILNIUS, Turkey, Ukraine, NATO, Ukrainian, American, Germany, France, Warsaw, “ Ukraine, Bucharest, French, United States, Bratislava, Central Europe, Russia

Mr. Putin invited 35 people to the three-hour meeting on June 29, including Mr. Prigozhin and all of Wagner’s top commanders, the Kremlin spokesman said. “The only thing we can say is that the president gave his assessment of the company’s actions” during both the war in Ukraine and the uprising, Mr. Peskov said. Mr. Putin promised the harshest punishment for those who had “consciously chosen the path of betrayal.”But the harsh punishments didn’t come. The following week, on July 6, Mr. Peskov said the Kremlin had neither the “ability nor the desire” to track Mr. Prigozhin’s movements. The Kremlin spokesman added, “The details of it are unknown.”

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir V, Putin, Yevgeny V, Prigozhin, Dmitri S, Peskov, Prigozhin hasn’t, “ Putin, Mr, “, —, Roman, Sergei K, Shoigu, Staff Valery V, Aleksandr G, Lukashenko, Libération, ” Organizations: Kremlin, Mr, Defense Ministry, Agence France, Defense, Staff Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut, Moscow, Belarusian, Belarus

NATO declared on Tuesday that Ukraine would be invited to join the alliance, but did not say how or when, disappointing its president but reflecting the resolve by President Biden and other leaders not to be drawn directly into Ukraine’s war with Russia. The wording means that Mr. Biden, who declared last week that “Ukraine isn’t ready for NATO membership,” and like-minded allies had prevailed over Poland and Baltic nations that wanted a formal invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance as soon as the war ends. NATO leaders released the document, a compromise product after weeks of argument, at a summit meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania. Hours earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, apparently aware of what it would say, issued a blast at the NATO leadership. “It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is not set, neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership,” he wrote on Twitter before landing in Vilnius.

Persons: Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ” Organizations: NATO, Russia, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Baltic, Vilnius, Lithuania

The United States appears to be on the verge of providing Ukraine with cluster munitions, a senior Biden administration official said. What are cluster munitions? “There’s just not a responsible way to use cluster munitions,” said Brian Castner, the weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team. The New York Times has documented Russia’s extensive use of cluster munitions in Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. The Convention on Cluster Munitions also limits the ability of nations that have signed on to cooperate militarily with countries that employ them.

Persons: Laura Cooper, “ There’s, ”, Brian Castner, Castner, “, Ukraine —, Jerry Redfern, Mary Wareham, Cooper, Biden, Gabriela Rosa Hernández, David Guttenfelder, Oleksandr Kubrakov, ” Eric Schmitt, John Ismay, Gaya Gupta Organizations: Biden, Washington, U.S, Pentagon, National Public Radio, United Nations, Amnesty, Cluster Munitions, Getty, The New York Times, The Times, Human Rights Watch, NATO, Ukraine, Munitions, Arms Control, Ukraine’s, Brigade, ., Munich Security Locations: States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Eurasia, Tibnin, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Balkans, Laos, U.S, United, United States, LightRocket, Russian, Kramatorsk, Ukrainian

☆ Former adtech unicorn MediaMath nearly saved itself from bankruptcy. Then its last hope vanished.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The adtech company held panel sessions and meetings at the "MediaMath Penthouse." But behind the scenes, MediaMath CEO Neil Nguyen had barely been sleeping, according to three people familiar with the matter. "We collectively believed as a company, board, and advisors that we had a deal in hand," the statement continued. When advertisers or agencies buy ads through a platform like MediaMath, the adtech company must pay publishers immediately for their ad space. But the adtech company must wait — often 90 days or more — to be paid by the advertiser or agency.

Persons: MediaMath, Goldman Sachs, MediaMath execs, Neil Nguyen, Nguyen, Olivier Anrigo, Xandr, Joe Zawadzki, Ernest Hemingway, Searchlight wasn't, Neil, Houlihan Lokey, Zeta, Viant, Chris Vanderhook, Tim Vanderhook, Frederick M, Brown, MGI, Lionel Hahn, Remco Westermann, Gary Hershorn, MGI's, Westermann, they'll, Zawadzki, he'd Organizations: Cannes Lions, Cannes, Goldman, Searchlight Capital, Carlton Hotel, Google, IBM, Bain Capital —, Aperiam, Searchlight, Silicon, Zeta Global, Media, Games Invest, Verve, MGI's Verve Group, Getty, Verve Group, Trade, World Trade, Trade Center Locations: France, Cannes, hobnobbing, Delaware, Japan, Manhattan, New York City, MediaMath, AperiamVentures

☆ Life at Sea's three-year cruise will get a bigger ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Life at Sea Cruises is now owned and operated entirely by Miray Cruises, a company with a 30-year history of operating in the Aegean. Bigger ship, fewer guestsStaterooms on the new ship will have 20 square feet more per cabin, say Miray Cruises. Life at Sea CruisesMeanwhile, Miray says it is launching its first Life at Sea cruise in its new ship as planned in November. MV Lara will be larger than the Gemini, Kendra Holmes, CEO of Miray Cruises, told CNN. And this Miray team is accommodating to everyone – If there are concerns, they fix it, if there are ideas they put them into place.

Persons: Miray, “, Mikael Petterson, Irina Strembitsky, Petterson, Staterooms, Lara, Kendra Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, Cruises, Heidi Klum, AIDA Cruises, Sharon Lane, ”, ’ ”, Meredith Shay, Shay, Ingrid Warwick, “ It’ll, “ That’s, Finnbarr Webster Organizations: CNN, Sea Cruises, Cruises, Miray Cruises, Gemini, Carnival, Sea, Petterson, Vie Locations: Europe, German, “, Florida, Germany, Istanbul

☆ The digital-ad industry is spending the 4th of July holiday scrambling to recover funds lost from MediaMath's shocking bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One adtech executive believes MediaMath's bankruptcy is a sign of more pain to come. MediaMath's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection has sent shock waves throughout the digital-ad industry. Now MediaMath's creditors, who are cumulatively owed more than $100 million, are scrambling to figure out their next moves. It's likely that the unsecured creditors owed money by MediaMath would receive just pennies on the dollar once the bankruptcy proceedings are resolved. Bannister said Raptive was in the process of seeing how much money MediaMath owed it.

Persons: MediaMath, SSPs, Goldman Sachs, PubMatic, Ana Milicevic, Milicevic, It's, Paul Bannister, Bannister, Raptive, Scott Messer, he's, they're, Brian O'Kelley Organizations: MediaMath's, MediaMath, Fuel, Sparrow Advisers, Messer Media, YouTube, ANA Locations: MediaMath, there's

Dara Treseder, chief marketing officer, AutodeskDara Treseder, the chief marketing officer at Autodesk. Autodesk is a software company that makes products architects and engineers often use, but its name isn't well-known beyond the professionals that rely on its tools. Within 30 days of joining the company, Treseder worked with Ryan Reynolds' agency, Maximum Effort, to launch the company's first TV ad in over ten years. The company's next TV-related success was the "Otto Desć" campaign during the 2023 Oscars, which got over 25 million views. Treseder worked with the French government to launch a campaign on the Autodesk website to make sure consumers knew of Autodesk's contribution.

Persons: Dara Treseder, Autodesk Dara Treseder, —, Treseder, she's, Ryan Reynolds, Otto Desć, influencers Organizations: Autodesk, Autodesk —, Notre Dame Cathedral

☆ Perspectives, ideas, community
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The role of chief marketing officer has never been more complex than it is today. Digital transformation, economic upheaval, societal change, and a fragmented media landscape are just some of the intricacies marketing leaders are confronting. CMO Insider convenes case studies, research, and personal perspectives, to inspire and inform CMOs and their teams as they build and grow their brands. Most Innovative CMOs 2023Our annual list of "Most Innovative CMOs" presents 25 top marketers who are confronting the industry's most complex challenges. Credits:Series Editors : Julia Hood, Ryan JoeReporters : Lauren Johnson, Lara O'Reilly, Michael KaminerDesign and Development : Alyssa Powell, Chay Thawaranont, Kazi Awal, Will Varner

Persons: Julia Hood, Ryan Joe Reporters, Lauren Johnson, Lara O'Reilly, Michael Kaminer, Alyssa Powell, Chay Thawaranont, Kazi Awal, Will Varner

☆ In Rush to Arm Ukraine, Weapons Are Bought but Not Delivered, or Too Broken to Use
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Justin Scheck | Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine has paid contractors hundreds of millions of dollars for weapons that have not been delivered, and some of the much-publicized arms donated by its allies have been so decrepit that they were deemed fit only to be cannibalized for spare parts. Ukrainian government documents show that as of the end of last year, Kyiv had paid arms suppliers more than $800 million since the Russian invasion in February 2022 for contracts that went completely or partly unfulfilled. Two people involved in Ukraine’s arms purchasing said that some of the missing weapons had eventually been delivered, and that in other cases brokers had refunded the money. But as of early this spring, hundreds of millions of dollars had been paid — including to state-owned companies — for arms never materialized, one of these people said. “We did have cases where we paid money and we didn’t receive,” Volodymyr Havrylov, a deputy defense minister working on arms procurement, said in a recent interview.

Persons: “, ” Volodymyr Havrylov Organizations: Kyiv, ” Locations: Ukraine

☆ Some advertisers are requiring their agencies to disclose when they use generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some big advertisers want to know exactly when their agencies are using generative AI. And in its current form, generative AI can create derivative content. And WPP ad agency Ogilvy is advocating for advertisers and social media platforms to disclose the use generative AI in influencer campaigns, The Financial Times reported. "You need to sit down with your agency and ask how they are using generative AI." He said he's in active conversations with the heads of all the agencies the alcohol giant works with about how they are experimenting with generative AI tools.

Persons: Reed Smith, Ruben Schreurs, Schreurs, — Andrew Robertson, —, Ogilvy, Keri Bruce, Bruce, L'Oréal, we've, Asmita Dubey, Edward Pilkington, Lesley Klein Organizations: BBDO, Ad, WPP, Financial Times, of National, Diageo, Diageo North Locations: Diageo North America

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