Report from the 2019 Mega Conference Part II - The tech report
The 2019 Mega Conference was packed with technology partners and a “walk-about” of the conference yielded one clear observation: A lot of business was getting done.
Most of the “tech companies to watch” we named in 2018 were back and doing better than ever.
Recruitology, which uses AI to match jobs to its recruitment network, used the "Solutions stage” to showcase a new case study with Tribune Publishing. The metrics are impressive: its platform resulted in sales of 13% more recruitment products per order and 15% more in revenue overall than Tribune’s previous partner.
Super popular in the tightening job market is an upsell to reach passive job seekers on Facebook. Recruitology matches its data on active job seekers with “lookalike audiences” on Facebook. A partnership with iPublish allows inbound and outbound sales reps to add the buy in a few clicks.
Another “company to watch” from 2018 (full disclosure, LocalMediaInsider does content marketing for this group) is Wehaa, whose platform powers virtual automotive tent sales, real estate agent ads, local experts and more. It also gained a spot on the solutions stage to showcase three case studies and its new call-tracking tool for automotive customers.
TicketSauce and CitySpark
TicketSauce, which allows local media to resell a ticketing platform to local event producers, and CitySpark, an events platform, have now partnered. CitySpark was also showcasing its cool Alexa feature to find local events by voice command, “Alexa, what is there to do after 7 p.m. in Las Vegas?”
New to the events space: Events, a new arrival, was making an impression. Stay tuned for a review.
Other new technology companies that look promising in 2019 include TCN, a customized automated call system that can replace outsourcing for handling basic circulation issues such as expired cards and missed deliveries.
The company claims it can lower costs, increase saved subscriptions and provide a better customer experience. They make a compelling case. Instead of a live person, customers go through a customized AI tree. While they “hit zero” to reach the newspaper customer service team, TCN claims a 63.6% “containment rate,” that is, callers who chose to use the automated system over human support. Plus a recent case study found an increase in saves of expired subscriptions from 296 using human support to 1,100.
In the accounting and CRM category, Brainworks was demoing a new platform, Stratica, rebuilt from the ground up. Full disclosure here, the writer is a super-critic of using accounting systems for a CRM, since they typically look like the dashboard of a jetliner. In the past, we have advised using SalesForce or Hubspot as an alternative.
However, Brainworks new cloud-based CMS looked very slick and has all the user-friendly ease and pipeline tools of Hubspot.
Finally, we met some old and new players in the audience space on the show floor. One publisher said they were dazzled by Newzware circulation and subscription software and was planning on switching. The Buffalo News was on hand to showcase BNTech, a set of tools it developed that use machine learning to maximize subscription revenue regardless of the paywall platform. TownNews also introduced its audience data partner, Lotame, on the solutions stage.
“The best way to convert subscribers is to use your first-party data,” the Lotame spokesperson said. “It’s already yours and a lot of companies have to buy it to run their businesses. The problem is that they are all buying the same data.”
“Think of it this way, Some winemakers need to buy their grapes, but you own the vineyard.”
Watch this space for reviews and case studies from these and other media platforms in the coming months.
