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Bland Brands Beware: Optimizely’s New Identity Brings Human Creativity to its Agentic AI and AEO Ambitions

matt-garrepy

<h4>Snapshot</h4><ul><li>Contentful just launched new products and capabilities focused on digital teams.</li><li>Features include enhancements to its Contentful Platform, Contentful Studio, and Contentful Ecosystem. </li><li>The new Experience Builder provides deeper visual composition capabilities.</li><li>Generative AI has been introduced for content and image creation along with AI-powered partner integrations.</li></ul><hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sloan-213515/">Steve Sloan</a> is excited.And why shouldn’t he be? There’s a lot of cool stuff happening under his watch. As CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentful">Contentful</a>, he’s manning the helm at a leading content platform, deftly navigating the choppy waters of composable and staring down the waves of change with innovative solutions.“We’ve seen a lot of evolution in the past five or six years,” he said in our recent chat. “This space is pretty different than it was in 2017 or 2018. And honestly, there's a lot going on, but I think it's an incredibly exciting time.”Steve took the wheel in 2019, just as the composable threshold was being breached in earnest (and the pandemic was still on the horizon). As he observed, a lot has changed – but Contentful has been a steady engine of headless innovation through this modern era of transformation.That trend line is about to get longer. Today, the company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/livestream/">announced</a> the launch of several new products and capabilities to its composable platform – including AI-powered advancements – that effectively unlock all digital content across an organization to deliver impactful experiences at scale. There are three key components to the company’s announcement: high-utility enhancements to its Contentful Platform, the new Experience Builder in its Content Studio, and the expansion of partnerships and technologies in its Contentful Ecosystem. Contentful has also incorporated a variety of generative AI-driven capabilities within each leg of the tripod.I spoke to Steve about the new products and capabilities, which will be the central topic of discussion at the company’s last two stops of its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/storylines/">Storylines Tour</a> in Silicon Valley and Berlin later this month. I was also treated to a demo preview from Contentful’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/maireado/">Mairead O'Donovan</a>, Chief Product Officer, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyak/">Satya Krishnaswamy</a>, VP of Product Management.<h3>Delivering meaningful AI to Contentful users</h3>As indicated, AI is intricately woven through each of the three areas included in the announcement, providing new capabilities that solve problems for digital teams. Steve shared a bit on the genesis of the investment, and how AI is providing some of the connective tissue across its new offerings.“In the last 18 months, it became clear that we need to help the entirety of the digital team, not just the developers,” he shared. “And so we're endeavoring to do that. That's number one. But number two has been the emergence of generative AI. For content and experience creators, the opportunity to use these tools to create more variants for personalization was an obvious story, and a lot of people have talked about it. The piece that I think was less obvious, we realized coming out of an experiment we did.” As Steve described it, they compared <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">ChatGPT</a> with several other emerging generative AI platforms, giving them all the exact same task with a standard rubric for quality. What they discovered is that their accuracy was anywhere between 60% and 80%. “In my job, being right 60% of the time? That’s not good enough,” he remarked. “Particularly if there's anything at stake – including our reputation. The models are great in terms of being predictive, but they’re frequently based on a broad set of contexts. The biggest challenge is how do you train your model on the content that is most trusted? Your bots will only be as good as the content or the data on which they have been trained.”<hr /><h4 style="text-align:center">In the last 18 months, it became clear that we need to help the entirety of the digital team, not just the developers. And so we're endeavoring to do that.”</h4><hr />Here's where Contentful saw an opportunity to thread the needle. By helping customers increase access to their most trusted content – from CMS to CDP to DAM – they could further scale the creation of rich, omnichannel experiences. This led to the evolution of orchestration across systems, but it also allowed AI to be focused on the right content to train models for maximum accuracy and efficacy.  “As an API-first platform, [our users] store lots of trusted content directly in Contentful,” Steve said. “But then you also have important content that lives in other systems that can be trusted. In Contentful, we can make it easy to include content you use across any device or experience. But it's also used as the place in which you can train your models.”As Steve noted in the company’s press release, generative AI has ushered in a new era – one where we all can accelerate creativity by leveraging the power of machines to improve speed, experimentation, and collaboration. This will have a significant impact on how we create, deliver, and interact with content.“At Contentful, our vision is unlocking the power of digital content for our customers, and we are already enabling this power through our latest composable content capabilities, infused with the power of AI, with more planned on our product roadmap to help digital teams reach their full potential.” <h3>Orchestrating everything in the Content Platform</h3>The enhancements to the Contentful Platform are plentiful. At their core, they enable developers to break down content silos and orchestrate content from any source across an organization. The net effect: teams create and deliver digital experiences at a faster clip but with brand governance, consistency, and scale.Contentful’s references and cross-space references effectively “unlock” content from different systems – think DAMs, PIMs, and commerce platforms – as well as within Contentful itself. This helps teams efficiently leverage all their content for reuse in any digital experience across brands, regions, and use cases.“As you know all too well, work happens in silos,” Steve emphasized. “A lot of stuff gets handed off via email, and all these other very, very clunky ways of working. And going back to grumpy customers, they get really frustrated with it taking too long because different teams work in different ways. So, the ability to bring that together? We think that’s really compelling.”The embellishments to the Content Platform also include enhanced enterprise governance and security, including an expanded EU data residency footprint to help address data protection and compliance needs. From an AI perspective, the platform also features an AI Content Type Generator, which was previously announced. It streamlines the content model creation process so developers can accelerate time to market. As Steve noted, this is a useful attribute for a marketer, but also a tool that improves how people work together. <figure class="image image_resized" style="width:82.87%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/contentful-content-modeler.jpg" /></figure>Another great enhancement is the generative AI-based Visual Content Modeler, which creates the baseline for someone who isn’t as technical to set up the structure at the beginning of the process. This enables marketers to start the process and reduce the burden on developers.  “One of the things we also saw was that creating content models – thinking about content in a structured way – it's just not something that everybody knows how to do. But it's essential to be able to be able to scale your experiences over time and make them consistent.” <h3>Visually composing with the new Experience Builder in Contentful Studio</h3>In my demo with Mairead O'Donovan and Satya Krishnaswamy, I was blown away by some of the new features in the Contentful Studio – namely, the new Experience Builder. <img style="width:54.31%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/contentful-mairead-satya.jpg" />Contentful Studio already empowers digital teams – including marketers, designers, and content creators – to manage and even visually assemble digital experiences for any channel, all without developer support. The Experience Builder takes composition to the next level. It provides a familiar, easy-to-use visual canvas that allows users to create on-brand experiences using their own design system components with a structured content foundation. This enables teams to combine creativity with governance to ensure consistency and scalability across every experience.As Satya walked me through the demo, I was immediately impressed by its elegance and simplicity. The UI was clean and compact, providing quick access to component libraries and content elements. It all felt very easy. <figure class="image image_resized" style="width:80.01%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/contenful-experience_builder.png" /></figure> With Contentful’s enhancements around external reference consolidation – and the use of its GraphQL API – all of the assets being used are complete with detailed information from their source system. For example, if a product originates in commercetools, Contentful delivers all of the relevant product information in JSON. Marketers no longer have a blind spot with just a product ID or have to go back to an outside system. Contentful delivers it all in a single call. Pretty slick. AI is also present throughout the Studio experience. Users can access the improved Content Generator to quickly create or recommend content, translations, and SEO keywords. The built-in AI Image Generator can also be used to render or manipulate images on the fly. <figure class="image image_resized" style="width:80.35%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/contentful-ai-image_generator.jpg" /></figure> “This new set of products is really directed at non-technical marketers,” Steve said. “And because it's built directly on top of Contentful, they still have all the benefits of structured content, which allows them to store, manage, and scale any type of content delivered to any device anywhere in the world in milliseconds. So you get all the benefits of the platform, but you have a purpose-built tool for non-developers.”<h3>Expanded partnerships and integrations in the Contentful Ecosystem</h3>According to the press release, the Contentful Ecosystem includes a growing portfolio of solution and technology partners, all with the goal of helping customers get to market faster with impactful digital experiences – the kind of experiences that meet customer expectations and drive business value. As part of the announcement, Contentful has added <a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/newsroom/">new partnerships and enhanced integrations</a> from a deeper bench of best-in-class enterprise solutions. This includes <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/aws-joins-mach-alliance-as-enabler-member-reflects-growth-of-cloud-native-solutions">AWS</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/salesforce-unveils-composable-storefront-a-digital-commerce-solution-to-help-retailers-go-headless-fast">Salesforce</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sap.com/index.html">SAP</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://segment.com/">Twilio Segment</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/commercetools-acquires-frontastic-adds-composable-frontend-capabilities-to-headless-commerce">commercetools</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/bigcommerce-review-an-easy-to-use-choice-for-ecommerce-shops">BigCommerce</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinary.com/">Cloudinary</a>, and WPP – enabling digital teams to improve accessibility, analytics, and performance, simplify front-end dev, and streamline content operations to bring differentiated experiences to life quickly. This adds to the 80 partners that are already building on Contentful. As Steve pointed out, the growth in the ecosystem is being driven by composability – and choice. “Earlier on, there was this notion that we want to create great experiences on top of a cohesive platform,” he reinforced. “But customers demanded choice, right? And so giving them the opportunity to use the tools they need, not just the tools you happen to have – I think it's a very, very different orientation than the DSPs that are monolithic."AI is also present in the ecosystem, largely due to the focus on artificial intelligence by other technologies and solution providers. Advancements from partners include the new AI Content Detector from <a target="_blank" href="https://writer.com/ai-content-detector/">Writer</a>, which enables users to assess content that might be generated by AI so that they can maintain transparency and integrity. Additionally, the <a target="_blank" href="https://surferseo.com/">Surfer SEO</a> app delivers AI-driven search engine optimization, helping digital teams drive website traffic more effectively. <h3>What’s the availability and cost of the new features?</h3>Most of the new products and features are generally available and will begin rolling out in a limited, early-access program. Customers can expect additional announcements and updates to follow, particularly on AI. Contentful is finalizing the pricing and packaging details, which it plans to announce at a later date. For more info, you can visit <a target="_blank" href="http://contentful.com/whats-new">contentful.com/whats-new</a>.<h3>The Takeaway</h3>It’s hard not to be impressed with the scope of new features that Contentful has introduced, particularly its new Experience Builder. That said, on the AI side of the ledger, the market is drowning in noise – and it’s become exceedingly difficult to communicate real differentiation when many features swimming in a sea of sameness. What I really appreciate about Contentful’s approach is its focus on the customer. While others rushed to add AI, they took their time experimenting – but also breaking down the voice of the user to understand what’s at stake. They also doubled down on their efforts to solve real problems with orchestration, which unified content in new and impactful ways while providing the added benefit of training AI more effectively. And all their innovation was amplified by a deeper investment in their partner community. It looks like a win-win-win. As Steve mentioned, the word “trust” is going to be at the top of our collective AI vocabulary list. That’s a human construct, by the way – something AI can’t grasp. That means we need to focus on the right training, governance, and guardrails to deliver something that can truly be trusted. “A big part of it comes back these grumpy customers and understanding what their pain points were,” he conveyed. “They're really the inspiration for everything we're building, and our solution partners helped us discover those moments of pain and possible ways to solve it. We have a very active Partner Advisory Board, where we work with CTOs who are very close to our shared customers and their challenges. And we spend a lot of time getting input from them, finding creative ways to solve this next generation of problems.”

Contentful Unveils New Features and AI-Powered Capabilities to Accelerate Creativity for Digital Teams 

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/image-relay">Image Relay</a>, a digital asset management (DAM) platform, recently announced the launch of its new <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/digital-proofing">Digital Proofing</a> capabilities. The solution promises to streamline the collaboration, review, and approval cycles for a brand's creative assets – and is integrated into Image Relay’s <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/marketing-delivery-features">Marketing Delivery</a> platform. According to the company's press release, Digital Proofing will enable creative teams, marketing departments, and agencies of any size and creative focus to efficiently manage projects and deliver campaign results on accelerated timelines.  “We’re excited about Digital Proofing," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-olsen-73978646/">Jeff Olsen</a>, Director of Product, Image Relay. "It offers our customers a visually collaborative environment with very streamlined processes for preparing and refining creative brand assets. With Digital Proofing, teams and brands’ external partners can communicate and collaborate like never before, sharing their exact thoughts and requirements alongside the assets themselves – and it’s all within the Marketing Delivery platform that will seamlessly deploy those completed assets to market.”<h3>A single source of truth for all digital assets and product information</h3>When it comes to communication, many teams are still relying on manual review. These processes are notoriously slow and cumbersome, often characterized by long email chains or external platforms that stifle productivity. As a result, campaigns and marketing strategies can be delayed or negatively impacted. Because Digital Proofing is integrated directly into Image Relay's Marketing Delivery and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imagerelay.com/asset-library-features">Asset Library</a>, creative asset management and proofing collaboration happens all in one place. Rather than trying to track versions and describe nuanced change requests across emails or written logs, Digital Proofing establishes a single source of truth, allowing teams to provide detailed and visual feedback directly to assets – whether it's an image, video, PDF, or other file type.  <figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75.1%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/image-relay-screenshot.png" /></figure> In addition, teams working with the same asset can easily add comments, visual cues, and timestamps. They can also tag other editors to call attention to specific feedback. Empowered by precise and contextual communication, this enhanced project visibility results in highly efficient collaboration across both internal teams and external partners.  Digital Proofing includes a powerful versioning feature that enables team members to effortlessly compare different asset versions and review rounds, and to leverage a clear audit trail of past notes and comments. Teams can easily track changes, compare alterations, and implement revisions – enhancing control over the creative process and facilitating more effective decision-making based on accurate and up-to-date information.  <figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75.78%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/10/image-relay-screenshot-versioning.png" /></figure> Digital Proofing also eliminates delays and difficulties that might arise if a decision maker misses an email or wasn’t CC'ed on a critical message chain. By providing real-time notifications, Digital Proofing helps keep stakeholders in the loop on project progress and key details. <h3>Leveraging Marketing Delivery to improve productivity</h3>Image Relay's Marketing Delivery has already proven its value with customers as a powerful tool for unifying and enhancing digital asset management. Digital Proofing expands on its mission by rendering workflows more efficient and streamlined – and giving creatives greater control and agility throughout the ideation process. “Upgrading from much more manual processes to Marketing Delivery’s modernized, streamlined digital asset management and product information management capabilities is driving our company to around $1M in cost savings and increased productivity,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/caleb-brown-7b095a9/">Caleb Brown</a>, the Creative Director at <a target="_blank" href="http://kindersmeats.com/">Kinder’s Sauces and Seasonings</a>, which makes BBQ sauces, marinades, and grilling spices. “The addition of Digital Proofing into Marketing Delivery will further improve how our teams ideate, perfect, and access creative brand assets. We’re excited about even more digital asset communication and workflow efficiency – enabling us to tell consistent and effective brand stories to the market and our brand partners.”

Image Relay Launches New Proofing Solution for Digital Asset Management

cms-critic-staff

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kentico">Kentico</a>, a leading provider of digital experience platforms (DXPs), just <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/discover/newsroom/kentico-bill-cunningham-chief-revenue-officer?utm_source=httpswww.kentico.comdiscovernewsroomg2-grid-report-fall-2023&amp;utm_campaign=kentico_pressrelease2023&amp;utm_medium=email">announced</a> the appointment of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfctnsfa1/">Bill Cunningham</a> as its new Chief Revenue Officer. Cunningham will play a critical role in shaping Kentico's commercial strategy, fostering growth, and strengthening the alignment between marketing and sales functions.  “I’m excited to welcome Bill to our leadership team," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-xperience-pinter/">Dominik Pinter</a>, CEO of Kentico. “His experience will help us to execute our commercial growth strategy, bringing our unique platform to the market after successful adoption among first partners and end clients. Bill proved his ability to scale similar companies and we are looking forward to leveraging his knowledge.”The hire of its new CRO signals a dynamic shift for Kentico. In the previous fiscal year, the company achieved an impressive 47% growth in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). The company is determined to build on its success, which includes the launch of its innovative new platform, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/platforms/xperience-by-kentico">Xperience by Kentico</a> – a single-vendor composable DXP with a unique multichannel hybrid headless approach.<h3>SaaS and agency intimacy</h3>As a growth-focused sales leader, Cunningham brings a wealth of experience to Kentico. With a strong background in website experimentation and conversion optimization, he has built value through the identification, qualification, and implementation of large repeating sales channels – as well as through partnerships with enterprises and SMBs.In his previous role at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitespect.com/">SiteSpect</a> – a testing and personalization platform – Cunningham frequently engaged with Kentico's solutions in their implementations, where he recognized the platform's popularity and success.Over the course of an extensive career in B2B software, Cunningham has witnessed a significant transformation in product capabilities and delivery. He expressed excitement about the shift to a SaaS-focused world, where users expect ease of access and rapid implementation.“The opportunity in the marketplace for Kentico to expand was very interesting to me,” Cunningham said. “The move to a SaaS platform is something that is exciting to me. I come from a SaaS background, and having been through this type of growth before and seen these product transitions before, I was excited about the opportunity that it presented. And then meeting the people that I've met over the course of the process of coming onboard just made it a more attractive opportunity.”Cunningham also emphasized the importance of building strong bonds with agency partners – and where he sees the potential for Kentico.“Agency intimacy is vital for our success," he said. "Those companies in the space who are just selling the software and relying on the customer to do it themselves will be finding themselves with very high churn rates because the product itself isn't enough. You have to have the support in place, and you have to have the capabilities in place.”<h3>A vision for Kentico</h3>In addition to his core responsibilities, Cunningham will oversee Kentico's go-to-market strategy and the execution of sales and marketing playbooks, ensuring that a consistent, unified message reaches the marketplace.Regarding the synergy between sales and marketing teams, Cunningham stressed the importance of transparency and a strong feedback loop to ensure both teams work in harmony to generate leads and drive revenue with greater efficiency.Cunningham's vision for Kentico aligns with its commitment to being an easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy tool that empowers marketers and developers to achieve their goals. He also emphasized the importance of digital transformation and enabling organizations to leverage opportunities in the market more effectively.

Kentico Appoints Bill Cunningham as Chief Revenue Officer

<hr /> If there's a bright spot in the CMS world, we have an idea where it's coming from. Earlier today, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/87074530-61f0-11ee-bdb2-5ba82a5c1cef?preview=true">Brightspot</a>, a leading provider of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management</a> solutions, announced a new version of its flagship product.With the launch of Brightspot CMS 4.7, businesses will be able to create, manage, and optimize content more quickly than ever using Brightspot’s “connect and create” integrations. These include a bevy of industry-leading connectors for <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/shopify">Shopify</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/microsoft-sharepoint">SharePoint</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage">Microsoft OneDrive</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Drive">Google Drive</a>. The upgrade also introduces a host of new and noteworthy features, such as enhanced search and collaboration tools, a new site health framework, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.infoworld.com/article/3689973/what-is-generative-ai-artificial-intelligence-that-creates.html">generative AI</a> capabilities powered by <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/">OpenAI.</a>“Brightspot aims to stand out as a content management system that empowers customers to easily shape their digital experiences and deliver great experiences to their users,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgang/">David Gang</a>, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Brightspot. “We are thrilled to launch version 4.7 of Brightspot, and to make Brightspot’s unparalleled CMS technology available to businesses looking to get on the fast track to effective content creation, optimization, and distribution." <h3>Capitalizing on continued market growth and demand</h3>Brightspot has carved a solid niche in the enterprise CMS market as a customer-focused partner. This makes sense, as the product was originally developed as part of Perfect Sense, a professional services agency founded in 2008. In August 2020, the firm fully embraced the Brightspot mantle, rebranding around the name of its core product. Now, with over 200 employees, the legacy of customer experience continues to be a key to its success. Brightspot's CMS offers extensive workflow, search, website development, and editing/publishing capabilities. The technology is designed to empower customers with simple or complex use cases to build amazing digital experiences with enterprise-grade capabilities. The new 4.7 release reflects a legacy of customer-focused features that are designed with users in mind. “Our latest innovations put flexibility and ease of use at the center of our platform,” said Gang, "and are part of our goals to continue to be leaders in redefining content management for an increasing number of use cases for our product and services.”In December 2021, Brightspot <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brightspot.com/about-us/news/brightspot-tailwind-capital-partnership">partnered with Tailwind Capital</a> to accelerate the next phase of its growth strategy. This included the continued expansion of its developer community and partner network to expand the reach and accessibility of its CMS.<h3>Lighting the way for content creators with a new design system</h3>One of the key updates in the 4.7 release is Brightspot’s enhanced design system. The new experience provides an easy, flexible tableau for modifying, extending, and fully customizing a pre-built presentation layer. This allows digital experiences to perfectly fit a company's brand while making them easy to change over time. The design system offers users multiple options for no-code, low-code, or fully custom front-end templates to make branded digital experiences possible – regardless of development resourcing or timeline requirements. It also boasts ready-to-use pages, modules and component templates, behaviors, interactions, and comprehensive styling options. For all content types in Brightspot CMS, there's also a complementary front-end version within the design system.<h3>Leveraging AI to auto-tag and structure content</h3>Brightspot CMS 4.7 builds on a highly extensible content management platform, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate with their existing infrastructure based on their specific needs. The new integrations with Shopify, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and SharePoint enable customers to enrich their existing infrastructure investments with Brightspot. Additionally, users can access externally created content while working within the platform, fostering a more streamlined and efficient content creation process. Additionally, AI-driven auto-tagging and taxonomy capabilities reduce the manual burden of content categorization, ensuring that content is appropriately tagged and organized for enhanced discoverability and user experiences.<h3>Creating content faster with generative AI</h3>One of the centerpieces of 4.7 is the new OpenAI-assisted content capabilities, enabling users to craft high-quality content more rapidly and efficiently than ever before. The new feature leverages artificial intelligence to assist content creators, helping them generate engaging and relevant content ideas, drafts, and even complete articles with just a few simple prompts. With the introduction of generative AI, Brightspot is assisting content creators to overcome the challenges of writer's block and empower businesses with a new era of creative freedom and productivity. All of the new AI tools are offered as optional features in the new 4.7 release that can be enabled by customers.<h3>Managing content with robust search and collaboration tools</h3>Brightspot’s search functionality is a powerful way for customers to manage an abundance of content within the platform. With its enhanced search features, users can quickly identify the content they’re looking for via a preview of their asset – directly from the search panel.With the addition of “watcher tools,” users can also set up personalized content monitoring, ensuring they stay updated on specific content components as they move through the workflow.<h3>Easily optimize site performance with alerts and guides</h3>Brightspot CMS 4.7’s latest features help users optimize their website’s performance with an improved alert system, which promptly notifies administrators of potential issues that might impact SEO. This includes broken links, missing metadata, or content inconsistencies – empowering them to address these concerns proactively. Moreover, the inclusion of in-system guides offers field- and widget-level assistance for various features, allowing users to navigate the platform with ease and confidence.<h3>When is the new version available?</h3>Brightspot CMS 4.7 is now shipping to all current and new customers. To learn more about the latest features, visit <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightspot.com%2Fbrightspot-cms%2Fbrightspot-4-7&amp;esheet=53568134&amp;newsitemid=20231003760002&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightspot.com%2Fbrightspot-cms%2Fbrightspot-4-7&amp;index=1&amp;md5=1a64757ba8f332f09ce7f1ad51cedb4c">https://www.brightspot.com/brightspot-cms/brightspot-4-7</a>

Brightspot Launches Next-Generation CMS, Promises Seamless Content Creation and AI Features

Uniform’s Enterprise Visual Workspace Unifies Content, Data, AI and Technology in a Single Cloud for Marketers

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/consciaai">Conscia.ai</a> continues to orchestrate its growth in Europe by hiring top talent in the sales department.According to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7112396316755861504/">recent post</a>, the digital experience orchestration (DXO) platform has acquired the talents of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAADzNjEB4H18sFonShX1lqbOTGka-pRy6e4">Martin Sandvad</a>, appointing him as Sales Director for the Nordics region. Sandvad, a seasoned professional with a track record of success in the tech industry, brings extensive expertise to Conscia.ai as the company continues its expansion and innovation in the Digital Experience sector."We are thrilled to welcome Martin Sandvad to the Conscia.ai team," said <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/critics/sana-remekie">Sana Remekie</a> CEO at Conscia.ai. "His impressive track record, industry expertise, and passion for driving innovation align perfectly with our company's mission to empower businesses with cutting-edge DXO solutions. We are confident that Martin will play a pivotal role in expanding our presence in the Nordics and delivering value to our customers."Sandvad's appointment comes at a time of significant growth for Conscia.ai as it continues to expand its portfolio of DXO products and services. According to the company, his leadership will be instrumental in driving Conscia.ai's mission to empower businesses with DXO solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in the composable software space.<h3>A proven track record in digital experience </h3>Sandvad is a well-known figure in the tech industry, having previously served as the CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/ucommerce">Ucommerce,</a> a prominent e-commerce platform, and CEO of <a target="_blank" href="https://ka-ching.dk/en/">Ka-ching</a>, a leading Omnichannel POS provider. He is also the owner of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssaas-it/">SSaaS.IT</a>, a Software Sales as a Service company. Sandvad has deep knowledge and experience in the Scandinavian and Nordic markets. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a>'s sales and business development efforts across this market region, working closely with the company's leadership team to develop and execute strategies for growth, forge strategic partnerships, and ensure Conscia continues to deliver AI solutions that meet the unique needs of businesses in the region. "I am excited to join <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a> and be part of a team that is at the forefront of Digital Experience innovation," said Sandvad. "The potential for Composable orchestration to transform industries and drive value is enormous. I look forward to leveraging my experience and working with the talented <a target="_blank" href="http://conscia.ai/">Conscia.ai</a> team to help businesses in the Nordics harness the power of Digital Experience Orchestration.”<h3>Targeting growth with key leadership in sales</h3>Sandvad's news follows the <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/conscia-ai-appoints-bart-omlo-to-global-head-of-sales">hiring of Bart Omlo</a> as Head of Global Sales last May. Omlo brings nearly two decades of experience in enterprise content management to his leadership role at Conscia.ai. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Sales at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/">Kentico</a> and later as CEO at <a target="_blank" href="https://kontent.ai/">Kontent.ai</a> – where he was integral to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-raises-40-million-to-bring-the-power-of-ai-to-content-management/">raising $40 million</a> in Series A funding for the startup.Omlo expressed his excitement about Sandvad's appointment, stating, “Martin's arrival at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/conscia/">Conscia.ai</a> signifies a significant milestone in our growth journey. His deep industry knowledge and leadership experience will further strengthen our commitment to providing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=dxo&amp;highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7112396316755861504">#DXO</a> solutions that drive real business impact for our clients.”

Conscia.ai Appoints Martin Sandvad as Sales Director for Nordics Region, Charts New Growth

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acquia.com%2F&amp;esheet=53562233&amp;newsitemid=20230926081541&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Acquia&amp;index=1&amp;md5=46b436eac75e045c3943e4b32780e2c2&amp;_gl=1*gg94ok*_ga*MTYzMDUzNjQ4Ni4xNjk1NzYxODcz*_ga_ZQWF70T3FK*MTY5NTc2MTg3My4xLjAuMTY5NTc2MTg3My42MC4wLjA.">Acquia</a>, a leading digital experience platform (DXP), just announced the launch of its new integration hub, <a target="_blank" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acquia.com%2Fintegrations&amp;esheet=53562233&amp;newsitemid=20230926081541&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Acquia+Exchange&amp;index=2&amp;md5=ac3e2ee75d2d4bbb36f68483690c60c0">Acquia Exchange</a> – a solution aimed at enhancing the flexibility and extensibility of its digital experience platform. Acquia Exchange offers customers a single destination to discover integrations, connectors, and modules that enhance Acquia solutions and connect them to those of other technology providers. This intuitive hub makes it easier for organizations to extend the power of their DXP using proven technology from Acquia’s ecosystem of SaaS partners.“Acquia’s DXP provides a platform that can easily integrate with products from other providers, so customers can create the solutions that best meet their needs,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaballew/">Deanna Ballew</a>, Senior Vice President of DXP Products at Acquia. “With Acquia Exchange, customers can take their Acquia products further, expand on the foundations of their martech stack, and connect those tools within their preferred digital ecosystem. Because Acquia solutions are open and connections already exist with leading martech products, our customers can maximize use of their data and content across their own digital experience platforms.”<h3>Leading the evolution in the composable era of DXPs</h3>As an open and composable DXP, Acquia allows for integrations with a wide range of third-party marketing, sales, and digital technologies. This enables customers to build the most productive digital experiences that meet the precise requirements of their own audiences. Now, with Acquia Exchange, customers can explore integrations by company name, technology category, or Acquia product.Acquia Exchange helps customers discover three different types of integrations:<ul><li>Native: Developed and supported by Acquia. For example, customers may tap into a native integration to connect multiple affiliated Brightcove accounts with the Acquia digital asset management platform (Acquia DAM) to better manage video content.</li><li>Partner: Developed and supported by an Acquia technology partner or a solution partner. For instance, customers who want to use Yext with Acquia Open DXP can sync core entity types such as articles, places, events, people, and pages from Drupal into Yext using connectors.</li><li>Community: Developed and supported by a third-party vendor. For example, customers can deploy analytics from a web-based user interface to collect data about their Drupal website’s traffic and activity, and then send it to the Google Analytics platform.</li></ul><h3>Tapping the power of partners</h3>Acquia Exchange is an enhancement to the Acquia Technology Alliance Partner program, allowing an easier way for partners to promote their solutions and connect with customers.“As a technology vendor, I hear ‘partnering’ everywhere these days; the word has become so overused it almost has no meaning,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/fulmeric/">Eric Fulmer</a>, CEO of ShotFlow and Acquia Technology Alliance Program partner. “The difference when partnering with Acquia is a true commitment to [solving] client problems. Partnering is a long-term strategy to create better solutions for our mutual clients, and it’s baked into the Acquia culture.”

Acquia Launches Acquia Exchange, Adding an Integration Hub to its Open and Composable DXP

<hr /> <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kentico">Kentico</a> is kicking things up on the headless hybrid field.The award-winning provider of digital experience and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">content management</a> software just announced that Mainz 05, a renowned German football club, has successfully launched its new website using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kentico.com/platforms/xperience-by-kentico">Xperience by Kentico</a>, the cutting-edge hybrid headless digital experience platform (DXP).<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mainz05.de/">Mainz 05</a>, a prestigious German football club with more than 100 years of rich history, has captured the hearts of sports enthusiasts worldwide with captivating performances and dedication to the game. Renowned for its passionate fan base and unwavering support, Mainz 05 has established a strong reputation within the football community, both domestically and internationally. With a drive to succeed, Mainz 05 continues to leave an indelible mark on the world of football.<h3>Scoring a digital triumph: Kentico passes to Mainz 05 for a goal</h3>Mainz 05 united with Kentico partners <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kuehlhaus.com/">kuehlhaus AG</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://bluesoft.com/">Bluesoft</a> to launch a new website built on the new hybrid headless platform Xperience by Kentico. The Bundesliga club’s progressive digital team was looking for an innovative digital experience platform to put at the center of its complex digital ecosystem. They wanted to reduce the size of their technology stack and replace several technologies with one multi-functional DXP. The goal was to get all the needed capabilities for less effort, lower cost, and with fewer products.Mainz 05 developed the website in phases aligned with the roadmap of the DXP. After the initial launch of the website on July 14, 2023, the project will continue with the implementation of digital marketing features such as Contact Management, Audience Segmentation, Email Marketing and Marketing Automation, and Cross-site Activity Tracking. Eventually, multiple channels – the website, an app, and social channels, will be managed from the single DXP.Given the specific needs of the football club, the solution had to be highly customized. And Xperience by Kentico was the perfect fit, thanks to its flexibility. The platform is being rapidly developed, aiming to help customers drive better business outcomes with fewer resources by minimizing overhead and maximizing ROI. It offers built-in ready-to-use capabilities to meet the company’s needs today but can be scaled and extended with integrations in the future. Although Xperience by Kentico can be implemented as SaaS (software as a service), Mainz 05 decided to deploy it on-premises, in a way that suits its specific needs better.“Xperience by Kentico’s architecture allows us to modernize and focus on the capabilities our customers really need," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominik-xperience-pinter/">Dominik Pinter,</a> CEO, Kentico. "It will help them build the right set of channels for their target markets and provide the tools they need as they grow and evolve.” <h3>The winning play: Kentico's Customer Success services</h3>Kentico also provides tailored Customer Success services that Mainz 05 and the implementation partners leveraged. To ensure the success of this project, Kentico’s Customer Success Managers and technical support team consulted during every step of the implementation and suggested possible solutions for challenges that arose during the process. Kentico also helped Mainz 05 with editor training.“Our collaboration with Mainz 05 was based on an agile and iterative project approach. This iterative approach enabled us to react quickly to change requests, to introduce new ideas, and to continuously improve the quality of the solution,” says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianreschke/">Christian Reschke</a>, CEO of the digital agency kuehlhaus AG. “Xperience by Kentico allowed us to hit all of Mainz 05’s project requirements, and the support from the Kentico team complemented our agile and iterative approach, which allowed us to implement the DXP at speed. With a phased approach, Mainz 05 has successfully released its website, and future plans include implementing digital marketing features and managing multiple channels from the centralized DXP. With its flexibility and scalability, the customized solution provided by Kentico perfectly aligns with Mainz 05's unique requirements. As Mainz 05 continues to excel on the field, its partnership with Kentico ensures it delivers exceptional digital experiences to fans and stakeholders alike.“The decision to relaunch our website on Xperience by Kentico marks a milestone in our digital transformation journey. Working with Kentico and partners kuehlhaus AG and Bluesoft has enabled us to map and further develop our complex digital ecosystem on a single powerful platform”, says <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-sparwasser-231ba3220/">Tobias Sparwasser</a>, Director of Communication and Media at Mainz 05.  “Xperience by Kentico will sustainably improve the digital fan journey and optimize our internal processes.”

Mainz 05 Football Club Scores with New Website on Xperience by Kentico, the Hybrid Headless DXP

Call Tracking + AI 

Call Tracking + AI that Turns Calls into Leads

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<hr /> It's a regular Wednesday eve, and you are rushing against the clock to update the material on your website. A product launch is approaching, and every second matters. While you're methodically fine-tuning the pages of your website, you're bombarded with consumer questions, each begging for your attention. It appears like the digital world never sleeps.A friendly AI-powered <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatbot">chatbot</a> on your <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/what-is-a-content-management-system-cms">Content Management System (CMS)</a> is here to improve your website. It's not a human intern or an overwhelmed support person; it's designed to help.The deployment of chatbots has revolutionized AI-driven conversational interfaces in CMS. In this article, we'll delve into the evolution of chatbots and their crucial role in Content Management Systems. <h3>Defining the significance of chatbots in Content Management Systems (CMS)</h3>Chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants designed to engage users in natural language conversations. Think of them as the digital world's Swiss Army knives – capable of autonomously handling customer inquiries, providing product information, and processing orders. Chatbots have become indispensable companions for website owners and businesses of all sizes in Content Management Systems. They assume the role of intelligent gatekeepers, enabling efficient web content management while ensuring your customers' voices are heard and their needs met. Whether you're a budding software unicorn or an e-commerce startup, integrating chatbots into your CMS can yield transformative results.<h3>Advancements in technology</h3><a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence">Artificial Intelligence (AI)</a> has traversed a considerable distance, transcending its initial status as a mere buzzword to emerge as a catalytic force driving transformation across diverse industries. Within the domain of chatbots, AI's relentless progress stands as the chief catalyst propelling their evolution.Keeping this in mind, let’s have a look at some innovations in AI technology:<ul><li>Natural language processing: AI has evolved to grasp human language remarkably akin to our comprehension. NLP algorithms empower chatbots to discern context, tone, and even sentiment within the text, adding user interactions with a heightened sense of humanity and empathy.  </li><li>Machine learning: Chatbots have transcended the confines of rule-based responses. Machine learning algorithms enable them to glean insights from every conversation, progressively enhancing their intelligence with each interaction. They adeptly tailor recommendations and solutions based on user behavior and preferences.  </li><li>Voice and visual recognition: The future of chatbots extends well beyond text-based interactions. Voice and visual recognition technologies empower chatbots to communicate through speech and images, expanding their applications within CMS and across diverse domains.  </li><li>Integration with CMS platforms: Contemporary CMS platforms embrace chatbot integration with open arms, furnishing APIs and plugins that simplify the process. This mutually beneficial relationship between CMS and AI chatbots streamlines content management and augments the quality of customer interactions.</li></ul><h3>Benefits of AI chatbots in CMS</h3>Integrating chatbots into CMS platforms is transformative. Here's how it could revolutionize content management:<ul><li>Simplified content updates: Content updates and revisions are part and parcel of managing a website or application. Content marketers may additionally expedite these processes via integrating chatbots into CMS. Chatbots might also assist with content material identity, recommend pertinent updates, or even make minor modifications, releasing up human sources for extra tough obligations.   </li><li>Content recommendations: Chatbots can also examine consumer interactions with website content and provide content material writers with important information. They can propose subjects currently trending or in excessive demand, helping content managers create more relevant and pleasing content.   </li><li>Real-time analytics: Understanding user behavior is critical for developing a powerful content strategy. This is when chatbots come in handy! Chatbots utilize actual-time analytics to reap insights into personal behavior and preferences, which may be used to enhance content, layout, and the general user experience.  </li><li>SEO Optimization: <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization">Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</a> is critical for driving organic website traffic. Chatbots can assist in SEO optimization by analyzing keyword trends, suggesting relevant keywords for content material, and tracking the internet site's search engine ranking. This guarantees that the content stays visible to the target market. </li></ul><h3>Crucial challenges in AI integration to CMS</h3>While the integration of AI-driven chatbots into CMS brings significant benefits, it also presents some challenges:<ul><li>Data quality and availability: AI algorithms require outstanding and relevant data to function correctly. Many corporations seek to acquire and keep the necessary data for AI integration, and CMS systems might not usually offer clean admission to the required data resources.   </li><li>User acceptance and training: Users, including content material creators and administrators, might also withstand AI integration due to worry of activity displacement or the accuracy of AI-driven decisions. Providing good enough training and demonstrating the advantages of AI can be tricky.   </li><li>Ethical and regulatory compliance: Ensuring that AI-powered CMS solutions adhere to ethical standards and comply with relevant regulations, such as data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR), can be complex. Organizations must be vigilant in handling sensitive information and averting bias in AI algorithms.   </li><li>Scalability: Scalability is essential as organizations grow and produce more content. Maintaining the performance and responsiveness of AI-driven CMS features as the content volume and user interactions increase can be a significant technical challenge.</li></ul>Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, resources, and a clear strategy for integrating AI into CMS effectively. It also involves monitoring and adapting to evolving technologies and user needs<h3>What lies ahead for generative AI and Chatbots?</h3>The next step in generative AI for chatbots involves creating more advanced conversational agents that naturally understand and respond to human language. This includes integrating generative AI with deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing technologies.One potential advancement is enabling chatbots to recognize and respond to human emotions by integrating emotional recognition technology. For instance, a chatbot could detect when a customer is frustrated and respond empathetically.Another area of improvement is enabling chatbots to have more complex conversations. This involves integrating generative AI with advanced natural language processing to understand and respond to intricate sentence structures, idiomatic expressions, and context.<h3>Conclusion</h3>The future of chatbots in CMS involves AI and human-machine interaction. As technology advances, businesses and website owners must adapt, harnessing AI-driven chatbots to enhance user experiences and streamline operations. Don't lag; let AI-driven chatbots guide you into a future where your website thrives, and your customers always feel heard and valued!

The Future of Chatbots: AI-Driven Conversational Interfaces in CMS

hardik-shah

<hr /> A CMS is a software application that enables a user – or groups of users – to create, manage, and publish digital content to a range of channels for audiences to consume. <a target="_blank" href="https://opensource.com/article/20/7/history-content-management-system">The first CMS platforms</a> were introduced in the early 2000s as a tool for managing websites. Even today, there is often confusion between the definition of a “website” and a CMS. The difference is quite simple: a website is a collection of web pages, while a CMS is the software that manages, stores, and publishes those web pages.A traditional CMS is often called a “monolithic” or “coupled” CMS, meaning that it contains all features in one singular system. Because websites have primarily been the core channel, these systems are also called “Web CMS” or WCMS platforms. In most standard architectures, a CMS consists of a front end and a back end. The backend is a collection of templates and pages within the system, where users can create, edit, and publish. Content is stored in a database and rendered in what is called a “presentation layer,” or the frontend website – which is displayed in a web browser. For the most part, a CMS empowers its users to be more productive, making it easy to create, modify, and format website content with low code/no code <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYG">WYSIWYG</a> editing capabilities. These users can often collaborate inside a CMS around specific workflows, where administrators can set permissions for users based on different roles like “author” or “editor.” Modern CMS platforms typically have an API (application programming interface) that enables the system or its modules to integrate with other software. This can be simple like <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webhook">webhooks</a> but are generally more advanced connections that push data – like form leads – to a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/salesforce">customer relationship management (CRM)</a> tool or <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/hubspot">marketing automation system</a>.Most CMS platforms help to automate various features that optimize URL structure, enhance data structure to improve SEO, provide on-board analytics, and enable scheduling capabilities to publish or remove content from pages. Each platform brings slightly different features to its users, but they all revolve around creating and publishing content. <h3>What is a headless CMS? </h3>Unlike a traditional CMS or WCMS, a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/top-free-headless-cms-platforms">headless CMS</a> contains only the back end of a content management system, serving more as a content repository.The term “headless” refers to the concept of cutting off the “head” – the front end, such as a website presentation layer – from the “body,” or the back end. Monolithic or coupled CMS platforms contain both back end tools as well as website templates, making them inseparable. Headless CMS platforms use APIs to display content without relying on built-in templates and pages. This allows content to be published across multiple devices or endpoints. This is referred to as “<a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnichannel">omnichannel</a>,” where editors can create content once in a headless CMS and push it to different destinations, including websites, apps, digital signage, and even <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things">Internet of Things (IoT)</a> devices like smartwatches. Headless CMS platforms contain many of the same features for content management as traditional systems, from facilitating workflows to enabling permissions and collaboration. They are often seen as an attractive solution for modern stacks that are focused on omnichannel strategies. They also have a disadvantage around their lack of front end visualization.  Some examples of headless CMS platforms include <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/agility">Agility</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/buttercms">ButterCMS</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentful">Contentful</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kontentai">Kontent.ai</a>.<h3>What is the difference between an open source CMS and a proprietary CMS?</h3>An open source CMS is a content management system that has made its source code freely available for anyone to use, modify, or build upon. The software belongs to the open market as opposed to being the property of a single company. This enables a community of developers and users to contribute to and customize the software to meet a wide variety of applications and use cases. While most open source CMS or Web CMS platforms have distinct features, they all have key advantages. One is the availability of open source plugins or “widgets” that expand the functionality of the CMS. Another is the prevalence of open source communities that continue to develop, maintain, and innovate with the source code. Unlike open source, a proprietary CMS is a product that is legally owned by a company or organization. It is copyrighted, meaning that a license must be procured to purchase or subscribe to the software using SaaS (software as a service) delivery.  Proprietary CMS source code is closed to the public. While many proprietary platforms have their own communities of users, they do not contribute to or help maintain the software as they do in open source. There are many advantages to open source. First, open source CMS platforms are generally free. Users only pay for hosting, additional plugins, or support. They can also use the source code without any restrictions, allowing developers to innovate and customize at will. However, proprietary systems generally offer more security and stablity, and provide better support, accountability, and access to professional services. Some leading examples of open source CMS are <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/wordpress">WordPress</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/drupal">Drupal</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/joomla">Joomla</a>. Proprietary CMSes include <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/adobe-experience-manager">Adobe</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/optimizely">Optimizely</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/sitecore">Sitecore</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/solodev">Solodev</a>. <h3>What are the advantages of using a content management system?</h3>There are many benefits to using a CMS. Here are a few highlights:  <ul><li>Manage multiple websites and integrate with third-party systems.</li><li>Assign permissions and controls for a single user or teams of users. </li><li>Create, edit, manage, and publish content with ease.</li><li>Reduce reliance on front-end developers for website changes.</li><li>Push content across websites or to a wide range of destinations</li></ul><h3>How do you choose the right CMS?</h3>There are many factors that influence the purchase of a content management system. Here are a few factors to consider:<ol><li>What kind of content model are you creating?</li><li>Are you planning to publish across multiple channels, or just web?</li><li>Do you need coupled or headless? Proprietary or open source?</li><li>What are the hosting, training, and support costs associated with the CMS?</li><li>Are there specific workflows or processes the CMS needs to accommodate?</li><li>Does the CMS have a robust API? How does it integrate with other technologies?</li><li>How easy is the content editing experience in the CMS? Is it low code/no code? Does it require significant training?</li><li>Do developers have access to code for customizations? </li><li>How many users will you have working in the CMS? Are your teams distributed? </li><li>What kinds of analytics do you require? What do your KPIs look like?</li><li>Do you need a cloud-first SaaS CMS, or an on-premises CMS for compliance? </li><li>What kind of technology or frameworks do you require in your CMS?</li><li>Is there a community of users associated with the CMS?</li><li>What kind of training, support, or professional services does the CMS provide?</li></ol><h3>CMS Selection Services</h3>With hundreds of choices, picking the right CMS can be challenging – and a costly endeavor. If you are in the evaluation process, talk to one of our CMS Critics today about our CMS Selection Service. Our seasoned staff of experts can help you limit the field, test the right options, and pick the right platform based on your needs. From demo to decision, we give you the confidence to make the right choice for your next CMS.<a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/cms-selection-service">Start your CMS selection today</a>

What is a Content Management System (CMS)?

<hr /> As headless CMS vendors look to compete in the brave new world of AI, leadership is becoming critical to driving innovation and growth – and providing strategic market direction. To meet its ambitious objectives, <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/kontentai">Kontent.ai</a> – whose stated mission is to help the world’s leading organizations deliver an unparalleled return on their content – recently announced that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markruddock/">Mark Ruddock</a> has joined the organization as CEO. Ruddock, an internationally experienced leader, plans to expand Kontent.ai’s global presence and accelerate its AI-powered product offering to meet the strategic content needs of the most recognizable brands.“I’m excited to be part of this team as the talent and innovation across this organization is astounding,” said Ruddock. "I look forward to unveiling the groundbreaking new technologies we have been working on.”<h3>A seasoned CEO with deep industry credibility</h3>With over 20 years of experience at the helm of technology and fintech startups, Ruddock has both founded and shaped multiple companies – and delivered success. Prior to Kontent.ai, he held numerous CEO and board positions in VC-backed, scale-stage companies across the world, and executed several exits in the SaaS, Mobile, and FinTech industries. His most recent Chief Executive tenure was at AFINEA Corporation in Toronto, but he also previously served as CEO at Nuula (acquired by Nav Technologies). In addition to his startup experience, he has also emerged as a later-stage leader, helping established companies scale at key stages of their lifecycle. Ruddock's experience spans multi-country online financial services, mission-critical enterprise software, and consumer-focused mobile applications across a number of go-to-market models. He is also an accomplished Board Member. <h3>Navigating the future of AI and headless CMS</h3>In July of 2023, Ruddock wrote <a target="_blank" href="https://markruddock.com/">on his blog</a> about Kontent.ai's foray into generative AI powered by ChatGPT, highlighting the introduction of its first-to-market native AI capabilities. By all indications, the company's investment in artificial intelligence put it on his watch list. “The rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed the content management industry and will power exciting new ways companies can generate a return on their content,” said Ruddock. “With Kontent.ai’s native AI foundation, we are poised to lead that transformation."In a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-pioneers-native-ai-in-headless-cms-interview-with-vojtech-boril">previous interview with Vojtech Boril</a> about Kontent.ai's native integration, it was clear that the headless CMS was doubling down on high-utility features within the content and editorial workflow, investing in greater differentiation as other platforms raced to introduce their own AI capabilities. CMS Critic also broke down a <a target="_blank" href="https://cmscritic.com/kontent-ai-pioneers-native-ai-in-headless-cms-interview-with-vojtech-boril">a demo of the product</a> after its initial release. “Innovation and customer-centricity are at the heart of Kontent.ai, and Mark will continue to foster that at scale,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrpalas/">Petr Palas</a>, founder and board member, Kontent.ai. “We are thrilled to take this next step in our journey with his leadership and to help our customers solve the complexities of modern content management.”

Kontent.ai Welcomes Mark Ruddock as New Chief Executive Officer

Mastering the Poetry of Partnerships: An Interview with Kentico’s Jenda Perla 

In the battle for digital domination, search reigns supreme – and brands are stepping up their search game.According to a survey by SearchNode, 68% of eCommerce industry leaders are improving their search functionality in 2021 and expanding the lens of their magnifying glasses. That plays directly into today's news that digital experience platform provider <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/">Sitecore</a> is acquiring San Mateo-based <a target="_blank" href="https://reflektion.com/">Reflektion,</a> an AI-powered digital search solution that understands and predicts patterns, context, and needs – so brands can convert more shoppers into buyers.The addition of Reflektion's technology will enable Sitecore to better engage, educate, and empower shoppers to make purchase decisions faster – increasing buyer confidence, long-term revenue, and overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.The acquisition – a continuation of Sitecore’s epic <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-embarks-on-1-2b-investment-plan-to-accelerate-growth/">$1.2 billion growth plan</a> – will help marketers solve the information overload that is characteristic of traditional search solutions, which can impede a customer's ability to find and select the products they're looking for.When <a target="_blank" href="https://www.webfx.com/seo/statistics/#:~:text=When%20people%20go%20online%20to,search%20engine%20to%20guide%20them.">93% of all online experiences start with search</a>, it's fair to say that it's essential to the customer buying journey. Reflektion elevates the value of search by transforming it into a conversational, guided experience that provides more personal, accessible, and tailored answers for the customer. “Search is about more than just entering words into a box and hoping for the right results – it is the cornerstone of a digital experience," said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzikakis/">Steve Tzikakis</a>, CEO, Sitecore. "With Reflektion, a brand can add various types of search including personalized search, preview search, conversational search, and voice search. This reduces customers’ effort and anxiety to find exactly what they need – with more convenience and speed – and leads to increased customer satisfaction with more conversions and revenue. Acquiring Reflektion reinforces Sitecore’s position as the leader in digital experience technologies that meets customers at the moment with more relevant, intuitive, and human experiences.”<h2>Elevating the E-commerce Experience with AI</h2>Reflektion brings an array of complementary commerce, AI, and personalization capabilities to Sitecore, which will further augment the DXP's acquisition of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-acquires-boxever-and-four51/">Four51,</a> <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-acquires-boxever-and-four51/">Boxever</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/sitecore-acquires-moosend-adds-ai-powered-email-marketing-automation/">Moosend</a>. Together, this nexus of data and deep learning technologies will allow Sitecore to seamlessly deliver intelligent, personalized, real-time information across channels.Four51’s API-first, headless e-commerce solution enables organizations to quickly and easily deliver engaging shopping experiences, helping them improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Four51’s feature set complements their existing B2C commerce capabilities while the Customer Data Platform (CDP) Boxever enhances customer intelligence with AI-driven personalization tools – making it easy to capture, unify and activate customer data and deliver personalized experiences at scale.With a robust stack powering their growth across data and digital commerce, search presents an ideal channel for connecting and expanding Sitecore's breadth of capabilities – and Reflektion delivers on that vision.“Since its inception eight years ago, Reflektion has become recognized for its unique approach to search-product discovery technology," said Amar Chokhawala, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Reflektion. "Our technology uses AI to adjust each consumer’s digital experience, in the moment, based on diverse data from multiple channels. I am proud of the passionate team at Reflektion who has been successful in bringing our AI-first approach to many site-search deployments for large e-commerce and retailers’ websites. With Sitecore, the Reflektion team and customers will be able to continue to leverage the enhancement of digital experiences, leading to continued growth and results for all.”The acquisition is expected to close in September 2021.<h2>Ramping Up the Competition</h2>Sitecore fired a "shot heard 'round the DXP world" last January when it announced its ambitious $1.2 billion growth strategy – which brewed speculation amongst competitors and analysts alike.While the mature market player celebrated its fourth year in a row as a Leader on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmscritic.com/key-takeaways-from-gartners-2021-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms/">Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for DXPs</a>, it fell slightly behind both Acquia and Episerver (now Optimizely). <img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2021/01/gartner-magic-quadrant-for-digital-experience-platforms-2021.png" alt="Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms-2021" /><a target="_blank" href="https://www.contentful.com/resources/forrester-wave-agile-cms-2021-report/">Forrester’s Q1 Wave Report for Agile CMSes</a> paints a similar picture. Since 2019, Sitecore has elevated its Strong Performer status, now straddling the fence of the Leaders circle with a wider market presence. But like the Gartner MQ, they are lagging behind Acquia and Optimizely.With the acquisition of Boxever, Four51, Moosend, and now Reflektion, Sitecore seems poised to pounce. As competition heats up at the highest level of the enterprise, CMS and DXP players are accelerating their investment in innovation – and buying up the missing pieces to their platform puzzle. With consumers relying more on AI-driven voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, the channel opportunities for search are expanding in dynamic ways. Sitecore's bid to stay top-of-mind and top-of-market will require more than acquisitions. But their stack is looking more like a vision – and that's what every platform is searching for.<h2>About Sitecore</h2>Sitecore delivers a digital experience platform that empowers the world’s smartest brands to build lifelong relationships with their customers. A highly decorated industry leader, Sitecore is the only company bringing together content, commerce, and data into one connected platform that delivers millions of digital experiences every day. Leading companies including American Express, ASOS, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oréal and Volvo Cars rely on Sitecore to provide more engaging, personalized experiences for their customers. Learn more at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sitecore.com/">Sitecore.com</a>.<h2>About Reflektion</h2>Reflektion’s Digital Commerce Experience Platform for eCommerce and Retail listens to the behaviors of each individual shopper, utilizes <a target="_blank" href="https://reflektion.com/glossary/artificial-intelligence-ai/">Artificial Intelligence</a> to calculate their preferences and intent, and then responds to every moment-to-moment interaction by displaying the most relevant content and products in real-time and across the digital touchpoints that matter most—including preview and site search, product recommendations, category and <a target="_blank" href="https://reflektion.com/glossary/landing-page/">landing pages</a>, and email.Leading retail brands such as Skechers, Ulta, Reeds, Petco, Ascena and RiteAid rely on Reflektion’s platform.Founded by pioneers in Artificial Intelligence and awarded both the Best eCommerce Solution and Best Overall Business Technology Solution by SIIA in 2019, Reflektion combines individual shopper insights, product intelligence, and <a target="_blank" href="https://reflektion.com/glossary/artificial-intelligence-ai/">AI</a> to create more relevant and impactful eCommerce experiences.

Sitecore Acquires AI-Powered Search Platform Reflektion

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