Latest news with #CMO
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Digital Payments Are Reshaping The Shopping Journey
Jamie Elkaleh is the Chief Marketing Officer at Bitget Wallet. If you've ever waited days for an international payment to clear or watched a promising sale vanish because a customer got tired of typing in credit card details, you've felt the friction baked into traditional payment systems. For decades, traditional payment systems—credit cards, wire transfers, even cash—have defined how transactions happen. But today's blockchain-based digital payments are reshaping the customer journey in ways that go far beyond novelty. They are setting a new standard for speed and transparency while opening new frontiers for merchants who once struggled to reach global customers. Frictionless Checkout And Faster Settlements One of the most visible changes blockchain has brought is frictionless checkout. With crypto wallets, transactions settle in seconds on fast chains like Solana or Tron. Compare that to credit cards, which typically take one to three days to settle, or bank wires that can drag out for up to a week. According to Bitget Wallet's Onchain Report, 46% of digital wallet users cite 'fast transactions as their main reason for using cryptocurrency payments' over traditional methods. When customers can complete a purchase almost instantly, they are less likely to abandon a transaction. You don't have to repeatedly tap in credit card numbers or wait for verification, so the process feels more seamless and efficient. We've also seen that this speed has a direct impact on merchant cash flow. Instead of waiting days for funds to clear, businesses get paid right away. For small businesses, especially, faster settlement can be the difference between staying solvent and struggling. Security, Transparency And The End Of Chargebacks Beyond speed, blockchain also delivers an unprecedented level of security and transparency. With immutable ledgers and tokenization, the risk of fraud drops significantly. According to a report by Mastercard, chargebacks alone cost merchants around $117 billion in 2023, with about 70% of that attributed to fraudulent activity. Because blockchain shifts payments from pull-based to push-based, chargebacks almost disappear. Once a crypto transaction is confirmed, it's final. This protects merchants from disputes and reduces the need for complex refund processes. For brands, that translates to fewer headaches and lower operational costs. Smart contracts add another layer of innovation. Self-executing agreements trigger payments when certain conditions, such as delivery confirmation, are met without manual intervention. According to IBM's blockchain case studies, smart contracts are already automating settlement and supply chain flows for companies like Walmart and Merck. This is the kind of operational efficiency many brands could only imagine a few years ago. New Markets, New Customers A lot of people still think of digital payments as a niche used by early adopters. The reality is that crypto is opening doors for brands to reach completely new audiences. Globally, 1.4 billion people lack access to a bank, primarily in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Many of these consumers are eager to participate in the digital economy but are excluded from traditional banking. Crypto payments enable purchases across regions with limited infrastructure, giving brands an opportunity to build loyalty in emerging markets. We also see a significant appetite for digital transactions among crypto-savvy demographics. Over 560 million people already own digital assets, and 93% of them say they would consider making purchases with crypto. For merchants, that's a high-value segment you can't ignore. Another advantage is lower cross-border fees. Traditional card transactions can cost around 4% when you factor in processing and FX fees. Crypto payments, particularly stablecoins pegged to the dollar, can bring that down to as low as 0.5%. When you're operating across borders, that margin difference adds up quickly. Future-Proofing Through Decentralization And Smart Systems Many retailers are now thinking not just about next quarter's revenue, but how to future-proof their business in a world where decentralization is taking hold. • Decentralized resilience removes single points of failure and embeds trust within infrastructure via decentralized protocols. • Custom smart systems give brands long-term agility. Whether it's tokenizing assets, automating supply chain tracking or building loyalty programs, tailored blockchain solutions are becoming a foundation for how companies adapt to changing demands. Finally, the convergence of AI and blockchain is making contract auditing, fraud detection and workflow automation more secure and efficient. It's not about hype. It's about applying these tools to remove friction and build more resilient operations. Advice For Brands Integrating Web3 Payments For marketers and retailers thinking about how to adopt digital payments without alienating existing customers, my advice is to think big but start small. First, use a multi-option approach with a phased rollout. Keep supporting traditional payment methods and introduce crypto options gradually. Pilot Web3 payments on specific products or channels, learn from the results and scale thoughtfully. Second, focus on clear support and communication. Crypto payments can and should feel as easy as (or easier than) traditional checkout. Provide education and customer support so shoppers feel comfortable with how transactions work, what fees to expect and how fast funds move. Trust is built through transparency, not just marketing messages. Finally, incentivize trial periods. Discounts, loyalty tokens and exclusive offers can all motivate customers to try something new. Once people see for themselves how quick and seamless crypto payments are, the learning curve starts to flatten. A Borderless And Instant Future It's easy to think of credit cards as the default way to pay, but there was a time when writing checks felt normal, too. The shift we're seeing now is about more than payment preferences—it's about reimagining the entire shopping journey to be faster, more secure and more inclusive. At Bitget Wallet, we believe the future of commerce is borderless and instant. Digital payments aren't just optional experiments; they're a competitive necessity. The next wave of growth will belong to brands willing to meet customers where they already are: in a world that values speed, transparency and trust above all else. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Entrepreneur
4 hours ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
AI Won't Replace Marketers — But It Will Replace Lazy Ones Unless You Learn to Use It Strategically
Most marketers are using AI wrong — and it's not just wasting time, it's exposing who actually knows how to do the job. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Let's get one thing straight: AI is not your next CMO. It's not your marketing strategist, creative director or content lead. At best? It's an intern. Fast, capable, eager to please — but absolutely in need of guidance. The problem is, too many marketers are tossing vague prompts into ChatGPT, crossing their fingers, and hoping for brilliance. When the output reads like a warmed-over blog from 2017, they blame the tool. AI isn't the problem. Your expectations are. If you want to stop wasting time on generic AI content and start using these tools to produce real results, this article will show you how to take control, give better direction and turn AI into a true force multiplier. Related: AI for the Underdog — Here's How Small Businesses Can Thrive With Artificial Intelligence AI isn't autopilot — it's an amplifier We're drowning in AI hype. Tools like ChatGPT promise to reinvent marketing workflows — but too often, marketers approach them like vending machines. Insert a prompt, collect "strategy." That's not how this works. Generative AI is an amplifier. It scales what you give it. Weak input? You get weak output. Ask it to build a Facebook campaign without audience insight, brand guidelines, or a goal, and it will gladly hand you the same template it served a health tech company five minutes earlier. AI doesn't think. It predicts. And that means it will always serve you the average — unless you guide it to something better. Treat AI like the intern it is If you hired a marketing intern and asked them to develop a six-month editorial strategy with zero context, you wouldn't expect brilliance. You'd expect flailing. Confusion. Buzzword soup. AI is the same. It doesn't need less instruction — it needs more. Start every prompt with precision: Who are you speaking to? What are you trying to achieve? What's the tone, structure, and voice? What should it avoid? "Write a blog post about dog nutrition" is a shrug. "Write a 700-word blog post for millennial pet parents who care about clean ingredients, backed by 2024 data, using an informative, science-forward tone" is a brief. The difference is night and day. Feedback isn't optional — it's how you train the tool AI doesn't learn like we do. It doesn't internalize your brand after one good result. You have to teach it repetitively and with intention. When I'm using AI for content development, the first draft is never the final. I review it like I would a junior team member's work: highlight weak phrasing, call out clichés, remove filler and refine tone. Then I adjust the prompt and rerun it. The first draft might be 60% there. The second? Closer. By the third, it starts sounding like us. This isn't overkill. It's the job. And the time it saves on the back end more than makes up for the up-front coaching. Stack your tools like your tech One tool won't cut it. ChatGPT is great for drafting, but weak for real-time data sourcing. For stats or current events, I turn to Perplexity or Gemini. For creative visuals, I reach for Midjourney or Canva's AI suite. Jasper helps when I need quick templates or structural support. Think of it like your tech stack: you don't use your CRM for email automation or your analytics platform for design. Each AI tool has its strengths. Learn them, stack them and stop expecting one tool to do the work of five. AI won't replace marketers — it exposes lazy ones Here's the hard truth: AI won't eliminate marketers. It will reveal the ones who've been phoning it in. If your strategy is "publish to publish," if your content reads like a generic checklist, if you're still clinging to SEO tricks from 2019, AI will beat you. Not because it's brilliant, but because it's fast and average, and average is all you've been delivering. The marketers who thrive with AI are the ones who still lead. They think, challenge, shape and coach. AI is their accelerator, not their replacement. Related: I Teach AI and Entrepreneurship. Here's How Entrepreneurs Can Use AI to Better Understand Their Target Customers. The real edge isn't speed. It's judgment At my agency, we use AI daily to accelerate brainstorms, tighten positioning and scale content production. But every result still runs through human hands. Strategy, empathy, intuition — that's still us. Because AI doesn't feel. It doesn't understand cultural nuance or read between the lines of a buyer's hesitation. It can't see what's not in the data. That's your job. So no, don't hand your marketing strategy to AI. But do hire it as your hardest-working intern. Train it. Push it. Give it guardrails and goals. Because when used right, AI can supercharge what you do best. But only if you're still in the driver's seat. Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
SODASTREAM WILL PAY $10,000 FOR THE MOST UNHINGED SPARKLING DRINK RECIPE
The "Made by Me" Campaign Invites Anyone in the U.S. to Submit a Wild Drink Idea on Instagram PURCHASE, N.Y., July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer, Sodastream is on a mission to discover the most unhinged drink recipe creator in America, and they're offering $10,000 to the person bold enough to mix it up. Starting today, sparkling drink fans across the U.S. can head to @sodastream on Instagram and share their wildest sparkling drink recipe and drink name. One brilliantly original, offbeat idea will be named the most unhinged sparkling water recipe and take home $10,000.* The initiative is part of Sodastream's Made by Me campaign, which celebrates creativity, self-expression, and personalization in sparkling drink creation. The campaign draws inspiration from the growing "unhinged" trend on social media, where unexpected and unconventional content - from flavor experiments to confessional storytelling - continues to captivate audiences for its authenticity and relatability. With #unhinged used across 253k posts on TikTok alone. "Sodastream is about empowering people to personalize every part of their drink - from the fizz to the flavor to the vessel it's served in," said Aliza Leferink, CMO of Sodastream North America. "The unhinged mindset is all about freedom in flavor and the joy of experimenting without limits. That's exactly what we're celebrating with this campaign. Because at the end of the day, the best-tasting drink is the one made exactly the way you want it." To bring the creativity to real life, Sodastream is also hitting the road with a three-city pop-up tour, stopping in New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston. At each stop, fans can create their own unique drink, sample their creations at a mixology-style bar, and customize a take-home bottle complete with their name and signature flavor. With live DJ sets and interactive content moments, the tour brings the unhinged energy of the campaign to life. Whether created at home or at a pop-up, each idea is a reflection of how far imagination can go when personalization is the starting point. With Sodastream, there are no limits - only endless possibilities. *Terms and conditions apply. See the official rules here. About SodastreamSodastream, a PepsiCo subsidiary, is a top global sparkling water maker brand. Sodastream empowers consumers to create perfect personalized sparkling beverage experiences with just a push of a button. By allowing its users to make better choices for themselves and the planet – Sodastream is revolutionizing the beverage industry and changing the way the world drinks. To learn more about Sodastream visit and follow Sodastream on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Contact:Alison Brod Marketing + Communicationssodastream@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sodastream Error al recuperar los datos Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos
Forbes
14 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
CMOs: 6 Tips For Proving The ROI Of PR To Your Board
Heather Kelly is the CEO of Next PR, an award-winning, full-service public relations firm with offices across the U.S. Your team just completed a phenomenal PR campaign to announce your latest funding round. As CMO, you're extremely pleased with the number of press release pickups, interviews secured and overall media traction. The board of directors, however, isn't impressed. They don't see how any of this meets their business goals, and now you're feeling put on the spot—and maybe even a bit insulted that you have to defend your hard work. It's a classic PR mistake: Failure to connect the dots between PR efforts and business ROI leaves many board directors questioning the investment. It's also not your fault. For years, PR professionals have struggled to justify their work with hard data. We've been conditioned to believe that top-tier media placements and other vanity metrics are the markers of success. We know in our hearts that it impacts the bottom line, so it must be true, right? In today's economy, that's not enough. Especially now that margins are slim and budgets are tight, CMOs are under tremendous pressure to deliver measurable impact for every dollar spent. And in their defense, it's the board's fiduciary responsibility to question the ROI of every investment. That means it's our role as PR professionals to leave no room for questions about the value and impact of our work. Here's how to demonstrate the ROI of PR in a compelling way: Establish expectations. Don't assume you know what metrics the board is looking for. Ask them directly: What are their goals? To increase sales or revenue? Drive product adoption or user acquisition? Understanding the objective is critical for accurately capturing and communicating results—and for devising strategy, too. Kicking off a campaign without articulating the desired outcome is putting the proverbial cart before the horse. Collaborate with the board to establish goals first, then you'll have better—and provable—results. Lean into business KPIs. A lot of PR pros shy away from business KPIs because it's traditionally been difficult to track the metrics. Today, we have powerful measuring tools like Google Analytics, Sprout Social and BuzzSumo that provide insights into website traffic, content downloads, sentiment analysis, backlinks, social engagement and share of voice. You can even correlate media placements to equivalent advertising value and track how media coverage, brand perception and sentiment are impacting talent recruiting and retention. Start by establishing a baseline so you have a point of comparison. A lot can change in a couple of months, so you'll want to highlight any progress. Speak the right language. Consider that many board members aren't marketers, salespeople or PR pros by trade. Instead of talking about content downloads or impressions, translate your results into business outcomes they understand. Frame PR results in terms that align with what matters to the board—growth, profitability or reputation. Your PR team or agency partner should help translate data and messaging into a compelling, business-focused narrative. Don't be afraid to push back. Because they may not understand audience targeting, board members often focus on a single, audacious goal: coverage. I like to call this tier-one clout, when a mention in the Wall Street Journal is the only thing that matters to them. In reality, many of our clients have seen far greater lead generation, sales traction and even acquisition interest from media placements in niche industry publications. You may need to educate the board on the business value of HR Dive versus the New York Times in reaching your target audience decision-makers. Benchmark against competitors. Boards often want to understand how the brand is performing against the competition. While you can't prevent your competitors from getting media coverage (a board member actually asked me to do that once), you can tell better stories to increase your share of voice or outrank them in SEO. You don't have to match their press release cadence one-for-one to compete (yet another misguided boardroom ask), but you can position your subject matter experts as leading authorities in your industry to increase inbound reporter requests. Explain to the board why that's more valuable. Be proactive. Don't wait until the board asks about PR metrics. In addition to preparing KPI-focused reports for your quarterly board meeting, consider developing a monthly email update highlighting media wins, new reporter relationships and relevant trends, connecting PR efforts to broader business goals. Proactively demonstrating impact positions your team as strategic and mission-critical. It shows how PR drives revenue and profitability. As CMO, you likely have a clear grasp of PR's ROI in driving sales and other key business metrics. But the board may not, especially since PR isn't their area of expertise. Rather than feeling defensive, lean into the opportunity to educate them by presenting clear goals and precise measurement aligned to business objectives. There's no doubt PR works. Demonstrating its impact, however, requires the right data and clearly connecting success to the board's vision and company goals. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ensure timely completion of 5,000 MW solar agri-feeder scheme by Sep 2025: Fadnavis
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday called the state government's 5,000 MW solar agriculture feeder scheme as his "dream project", and said its success will significantly contribute to energy sustainability and rural empowerment. He directed the agencies to expedite the implementation of the ' Mukhyamantri Solar Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0 ', and ensure the state achieves its target of 5,000 MW solar power generation by September 2025. Speaking at a high-level review meeting, Fadnavis said, "This is my dream project. There should be no delays at any level. Time-bound and well-coordinated execution is critical." The meeting was convened to review land availability and other related issues in the scheme, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. Stressing the need for close coordination between local bodies and developers for the smooth implementation of solar feeder projects on both government and private land, the chief minister said the district-level task forces must regularly monitor the progress of the project and remove bottlenecks. No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and clearances must be issued promptly. Issues faced by developers should be resolved on priority to avoid delays, he asked the officials. Work related to land leasing, removal of crop and permanent encroachments, road realignment, and land demarcation must be done promptly by the district collectors. Police must act swiftly in cases of theft of solar equipment. Adequate precautions must be taken while working in densely-populated areas and during tree cutting, following all environmental guidelines, he said. The forest department should expedite necessary permissions for solar lines passing through forest land and adjacent areas, he said. PTI
