Latest news with #BusinessPartnersProgram
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Universal Ads Launches TV's First API Partner Program to Revolutionize TV Advertising with Curated Creative and Measurement Solutions
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Universal Ads, which enables brands of any size to create, buy, and measure ads across premium video, introduced a first-of-its-kind TV Business Partner Program that presents advertisers with cutting-edge, hand-picked creative and measurement solutions to strengthen their media buys across inventory available via Universal Ads. This is TV's first program that will allow brands, especially those new to the TV ecosystem, to access tools to build, test, and launch TV commercials while linking their campaigns to measurable business outcomes. The program launch partners include Canva, Fairing, Haus, INCRMNTAL, Measured, Prescient AI, Spaceback, Triple Whale, Waymark and WorkMagic with more to come. As Universal Ads builds its role as a single access point to a wide range of premium TV publishers, the Business Partners Program gives brands access to high-impact creative and measurement partners. The program is designed to give third-party developers, and future platform partners the ability to work with Universal Ads advertisers on solutions that are tailored to drive success across premium video. This program will allow advertisers of all skills and sizes to move as quickly as they can with social media advertising, while also reaching audiences at scale, on TV — the biggest screen in the room. For instance, if a brand is ready to start their TV advertising journey but creating a commercial is stalling them, they will be able to leverage the creative capabilities from partners like Canva and Waymark and others to easily and swiftly build and test TV-ready commercials or modify existing creative to reach new audiences. 'Canva's creative capabilities will make it easier for Universal Ads advertisers to produce on-brand content that captivates audiences and scales effortlessly across channels,' says Anwar Haneef, GM and Head of Ecosystem at Canva. 'Our shared goal is to help brands break through on TV and beyond with seamless, high-impact creative. We're excited to help brands show up with confidence — across the TV landscape and every platform where their audiences are.' Then, once a company has their creative running across the premium video inventory available on Universal Ads, they can access measurement solutions to prove the significant business outcomes their campaigns are driving. With insights into brand lift, incrementality, conversions, and sales available through trusted partners like Haus or INCRMNTAL, Universal Ads is demonstrating how TV ads can impact a business's bottom line. "Haus was founded with a clear mission: to democratize access to world-class causal inference tools," says Olivia Kory, Haus Chief Strategy Officer. "Our partnership with Universal Ads reflects that mission — they're making TV advertising more accessible than ever, and together, we're demonstrating how experimentation can power better decisions across premium video. With incrementality testing, advertisers can get a clear sense of exactly what's driving the business on view-based channels and beyond." 'We've repeatedly said Universal Ads is about making TV advertising as easy as social media advertising,' said Greg Lieber, Head of Product Partnerships at Universal Ads. 'In order to do so, we are giving brands, including those that are emerging and/or new to TV, access to what they need to succeed across the Universal Ads platform. From premium content at scale to now an ecosystem of best-in-class, curated solutions, advertisers can easily build and execute the most informed and impactful ad campaigns.' At launch, the Universal Ads Business Partners Program includes creative and measurement partners, and it will expand to include more categories. Currently, Universal Ads includes programming from more than 15 major publishers including A+E, AMC Networks, DIRECTV, Estrella MediaCo, Fox Corporation, Fuse Media, LG Ad Solutions, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Roku, Scripps, Spectrum Reach, TelevisaUnivision, Vizio, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Xumo, with more to come. In addition to the Business Partners Program, Universal Ads has rolled out a variety of initiatives and partnerships to support its mission of making TV advertising as easy as social media advertising. In May, Universal Ads launched the $5 million-dollar Incrementality Fund to help online merchants grow their businesses through TV advertising. Universal Ads also partnered with Ramp, a financial operations platform designed to save businesses time and money, to offer TV advertising access to Ramp's 30,000+ customers through the Universal Ads platform. To learn more about the Universal Ads Business Partners Program please go to About Universal Ads Universal Ads enables any brand, of any size, to seamlessly make and buy commercials across premium video reaching new qualified audiences at scale. Universal Ads combines premium and brand-safe video content directly from the most influential media companies with the ease and familiarity of social ad buying. It is your one-stop shop for high-quality video ads delivering unmatched scale. Universal Ads is a part of the Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United Way overcomes difficult 2024, ready to assist community in new year
A troubled economy didn't stop the United Way of Cass County from spreading hope across the community in 2024. Thursday evening, the community came together to celebrate that success at the Vibrant Event Center during the United Way's 2024 Campaign Celebration. A record 180 people registered for the event. Despite a difficult financial year for everyone, the United Way still managed to raise $483,040, just $17,000 short of the goal set by campaign co-chairs Kelly Stephenson and Lynn Ness, both of Security Federal Savings Bank. Chris Armstrong, United Way of Cass County executive director, said 2024 was a difficult year. 'The campaign is down, I'm not going to lie,' she said. 'But Lynn and Kelly did a tremendous job. They were still out [fundraising] two weeks ago. They worked very hard and I'm very proud of what we accomplished.' 'I think they laid a lot of groundwork for our 2025 campaign and helping us get back into companies we haven't been in for a while and making connections for us again,' said Karli Armstrong, Impact and Marketing director. 'Even if we didn't necessarily meet the goal, a lot of the work that they put in will hopefully be realized this year even.' Chris and Milt Hess will co-chair the 2025 campaign. Armstrong said that even though the fundraising was down, that didn't mean that the community wasn't supporting the United Way. She pointed to the record 700 participants who helped with last year's Live United Day on Sept. 13. 'That speaks volumes for our community,' she said. 'We have a very caring and giving community.' Board president Alesia Brown announced some of the specific things the United Way was able to do during the past year. Throughout 2024, the United Way of Cass County helped 10,000 community members, distributed 17,000 books to children ages five and under through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, served 3,500 children via programs such as the Reading Railroad, Begindergarten and the Business Partners Program and provided nearly $23,000 in grants to 15 area organizations. One of the United Way's biggest successes came as a result of Cass County's giant heart. Live United Day, held on Friday, Sept. 13, featured 700 volunteers helping with 46 projects across the community. Kailin Bauman, co-chair of Live United Day, told a story about one Live United Day project that personally moved her and others who worked on it. They build a ramp at a local home to help a young man's caregivers and family better maneuver his wheelchair. Bauman awarded Live United Day Awards to McCord's Do It Best and Zagajewski Construction for donating the equipment and helping build the ramp. Karli Armstrong also gave Transco Railway a Live United Day Award in honor of the difficult projects they had completed over the years. The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Chef Mike Huffer of Woodbridge Health Campus. 'He's always eager to donate his time to prepare food for Live United Day, our campaign rally, whatever it may be,' said Chris Armstrong. 'He puts a lot of time into this and we can't think him and Woodbridge enough.' 'It was unexpected,' Huffer said after the celebration. 'I'm here to serve the community and help the residents at [Woodbridge].' Huffer said he had been working at Woodbridge for 11 years and said he thought he had been involved with the United Way for eight years. 'The things the United Way does is amazing,' he said. 'I really only supply food but what they are doing out in the community is just amazing.' The final award of the night was the newly established Joe Johnson Legacy of Impact Award. Armstrong said the United Way had considered creating the award for some time and unfortunately, they waited too long as Johnson passed away in December. 'If you didn't know Joe Johnson then you truly missed out,' she said. 'A longtime support of the United Way of Cass County, Joe served on the board from 2012 to 2017. He was the campaign chair in 2012 and raised the most money from any campaign in the history of United Way of Cass County, raising over $600,000 dollars.' Armstrong credited Johnson for speaking from the heart and taking a personal approach to fundraising by always meeting with or calling potential givers. 'He was genuine and that's what we loved about him, she said. The award was presented twice, first to Johnson's family and then to Lloyd R. Knight, a longtime contributor to the United way and 2019 volunteer of the year Cole Hardwood also received the Pacesetter award during the evening. The United Way honored outgoing board member Gaby Moore and welcomed new board members Sarah Cole and Jenny Sera. The United Way does not receive federal grants but there is a risk that the state will cut funding for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. 'If they do take that funding away, that's about a $20,000 hit for us,' Armstrong said. The United Way's next fundraising event is Pins for Kids on March 1. There is still time to reserve space for a team. More information and registration forms can be found at Questions can be directed to Karli Armstrong at karmstrong@
