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BrandGap.AI gives every brand decision an objective, evidence-based foundation that’s built in minutes, not days

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Born from a challenge facing brand leaders, brand teams, brand consultants, agencies, founders and investors everywhere, BrandGap.AI turns days of manual competitive discovery into two to three minutes, giving positioning recommendations a defensible, evidence-backed basis whether a brand is being built from scratch or validated against the market it competes in.

LONDON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The competitive discovery phase of brand strategy is among the most consequential work a brand team does and historically one of the most time-intensive to do well. Mapping where named competitors sit across visual identity, tone, brand promise and positioning, and identifying the space a brand can genuinely own, has always required days of manual research before a single strategic recommendation could be made. BrandGap.AI, launching publicly today, compresses that work into two to three minutes: a complete competitive positioning report, including an interactive territory map, twelve-archetype breakdown, five-dimension tone scoring, and written strategic recommendations with proposition and messaging pillars, benchmarked against an ever-growing substrate of more than 1,200 analysed brands across 30-plus industries.

 

 

Co-founders Simon Phillips and Stuart Anthony, with nearly 60 years of combined experience, built the platform after spending years doing this work manually. Having looked for a solution that could help automate the process, without success, they spent 9 months building something that could do it faster than they ever thought, and without sacrificing depth.

“We were trying to solve a problem that was costing us days on every project,” said Simon Phillips, Co-Founder of BrandGap.AI. “Whether it was a client engagement or a competitive pitch, we’d spend hours and hours manually auditing competitors; analysing visual identities, tone of voice, brand promises, typography, and positioning, to uncover a space our clients’ brands could genuinely own. It was such important work, but painfully slow. Once we saw how quickly BrandGap.AI surfaced clear, evidence-backed positioning opportunities, we realised this wasn’t just our problem, it was a challenge facing brand teams everywhere.”

The platform is built to serve customers at three distinct moments. For a new brand system, a rebrand or evaluation of existing brand positioning against key competitors. It gives clear strategic direction, a precise positioning gap, an archetype recommendation, a territory read and a written brief that a brand team or agency can build from immediately. For a brand system that already exists, it provides independent, objective validation with a structured, evidence-based check of whether the position a brand claims is genuinely available and defensible against its current competitive set.

“It’s incredibly powerful to have that underpin a brand direction,” said Stuart Anthony, Co-Founder of BrandGap.AI. “It doesn’t replace the judgment of a good strategist or a creative, it simply supports and speeds up the process. It gets you to the insight faster, freeing up more time for the thinking, shaping, and ultimately the creative work that really matters. And it still gives every recommendation a clear, evidence-based foundation to build from.”

The platform was tested extensively against hundreds of brand profiles ahead of launch, with strategists, consultants, founders, creatives and researchers involved throughout development. Its first use on a live competitive pitch won both the account and the branding project , and the platform’s output has since served as the lead into the strategic foundation for the client’s new brand system, carrying its recommended positioning and strategic direction directly into the work that followed.

Phillips added: “It’s objective, not subjective, both in how it presents the landscape, and in how it validates the position you choose to defend.”

BrandGap.AI is available now at brandgap.ai, with plans starting at $199 for a single analysis and scaling to Studio and Agency tiers for teams, or investors wanting to test multiple markets.

About BrandGap.AI
BrandGap.AI is an AI-native competitive brand positioning platform built for brand strategists, consultants, creatives, researchers, in-house brand leaders and founders. It accelerates competitive discovery and strategic recommendations, turning days of manual discovery research into two to three minutes, and combines frontier AI models and a methodology layer with a calibrated, ever-growing substrate of 1,200+ analysed brands across 30+ industries to produce in-depth, defensible positioning and strategic recommendations against up to six named competitors. Learn more at brandgap.ai.

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VITG Unveils Modern Managed Services and Managed Detection & Response as Part of a Broader AI and Cybersecurity Transformation across ANZ

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SYDNEY, Sept. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As organisations across Australia and New Zealand navigate the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence, increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, and growing governance requirements, Virtual IT Group   (VITG) has announced the launch of Modern Managed Services  (MMS)  and Managed Detection & Response  (MDR) , that are next-generation managed services and managed security offerings designed to help organisations remain secure, resilient and ready for what’s next.

Modern Managed Services delivers a Modern Defensible Architecture framework for managed IT operations, ensuring security controls, governance frameworks and operational best practices are embedded and continuously maintained. Complementing this, Managed Detection & Response provides organisations with 24×7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) capability, actively monitoring, investigating and responding to threats using advanced security analytics and response technologies.

Jeremy Nees , Chief Product Officer, VITG , said:

“Too often, organisations purchase managed services only to discover they do not have the standard level of security they need. As businesses adopt AI, the old-world IT solutions that Managed Service Providers (MSP) are selling are simply not going to cut it. We’ve baked common security requirements into the MMS service from day one, applying the key principles of Modern Defensible Architecture: Secure-by-Design, Defense in Depth, and Zero Trust.

MDR and ZDR   can be layered on top or are available independently if you have your own IT service or team. The push to adopt AI is leaving security gaps across the ANZ mid-market. Our goal is to provide customers with technology that is secure, resilient, and ready for what’s next.”

The launch marks VITG’s second major solution release of the year, following the introduction of its Zero Trust Consulting Practice  and Zero Trust Detection & Response  (ZDR)  offering earlier in 2026. It is also the Group’s first launch since acquiring cybersecurity outfit Security Centric , building on the addition of Auckland based The Instillery  in 2025 and further strengthening VITG’s capabilities across managed services, cloud, cybersecurity, data and AI. VITG is also advancing a dedicated Data & AI Practice and Momentum, a continuous improvement framework currently being piloted with customers ahead of a market launch later this year.

Since joining VITG  at the start of the year, Maurice McCarthy , Chief Executive Officer , is committed to moving at pace to meet the demand that has been created off the back of the market’s rapid adoption of AI.   

McCarthy said, “The traditional managed services model was built for a different era. Today’s organisations need partners that can help them unlock the value of data and AI while strengthening cybersecurity, managing risk, and continuously evolving their technology environment.

Through the acquisition of Security Centric and The Instillery we have brought together market-leading expertise across managed services, data and AI, and cybersecurity. This launch is the first of several innovations we will introduce as we help organisations accelerate transformation and realise greater value from AI.”

Sash Vasilevski , Chief Security Officer, VITG , said:

“The technology businesses are using to unlock the value of AI, integrate systems, and build strong data foundations, is rapidly introducing new risks and attack surfaces.

As business leaders accelerate their adoption of AI, the gap between the threats they face and the security capabilities they have in place is growing faster than many businesses realise.”

Modern Managed Services and Managed Detection & Response are available immediately.

For more information, visit:

Modern Managed Services (MMS)

Managed Detection & Response (MDR)

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SOURCE Virtual IT Group

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DUVA Introduces DUVA ONE at IFA 2026: Personalized Sleep Earbuds That Respond in Real Time

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The Sleep System That Understands You Best.

BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — DUVA, created by Fitnexa, is introducing DUVA ONE at IFA Berlin 2026. This intelligent in-ear sleep system is designed to sense changes in the user and the bedroom, then personalize audio, noise control, and device behavior throughout the night.

Most sleep wearables explain what happened after users wake up. DUVA ONE is designed to help while the night is still happening. Its low-profile earbuds, environment-sensing charging case, and app work together to determine when and how to respond.

A user might start the night with a podcast over Bluetooth. After they fall asleep, DUVA ONE can introduce locally stored sleep audio and optimize power use. If a partner begins snoring or traffic grows louder, it can adjust ANC or add sound masking. In the morning, a private offline alarm wakes only the wearer, without requiring an active phone connection.

In-ear PPG and motion sensors estimate sleep stages and track heart rate, HRV, sleep position, and movement, while the case monitors noise, light, temperature, and humidity. The AI Agent interprets these signals alongside playback status and personal preferences to select an appropriate response. Users control sleep audio, playback duration, ANC strategy, and nighttime interventions in the DUVA App.

“Sleep does not happen in a static environment, so sleep technology should not remain static either,” said Diego, Founder of Fitnexa. “DUVA ONE is designed to respond while sleep is still happening.”

Key Highlights

Layered noise relief: Passive isolation, Hybrid ANC, and sleep audio provide noise reduction of up to 42 dB, with Transparency Mode and adaptive ANC calibration.Personalized AI sleep guidance: The AI analyzes the user’s real-time sleep state and generates personalized audio guidance to help them gradually fall asleep.Side-sleeping comfort: Each fitted earbud weighs approximately 3.3 grams and has an approximately 9.9 mm low-profile design. Two ear-tip shapes and multiple tip and stabilizing-wing sizes provide more than 40 fit configurations.All-night battery: Up to 16 hours in the most power-efficient configuration, including 13 hours of local audio with ANC off and 9.5 hours with ANC on. The USB-C and wireless charging case provides up to five additional recharges.Private offline alarm: Alarms gradually increase in volume and offer 5, 10, or 15-minute snooze options through the earbud controls.Privacy-first sensing: DUVA ONE does not record conversations, store ambient audio, or upload raw environmental audio. Users can disable individual sensors and delete historical data.

DUVA ONE is planned for release in October 2026 at a target retail price of US$349.99, with target markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia.

Media Contact: essie@duva.com
Learn more: duva.com

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SOURCE DUVA

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China Xplained | The China Squeeze, or the China Opportunity?

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GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a news report from South: 

Is China’s manufacturing rise squeezing out or creating opportunities for other economies?

Ahead of the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in China this November, journalists and experts from around the world gathered in Guangdong for the Asia-Pacific Media Forum (APMF) 2026.

The forum opened in Shenzhen on September 5, bringing together more than 400 representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as from international organizations.

Before the opening of the forum, participants travelled across Guangdong to see China’s industries and development first-hand.

In this episode of China Xplained, we look at the numbers, supply chains, investment and voices from across the developing world—to ask a bigger question: Is China squeezing out room for other economies?

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-xplained–the-china-squeeze-or-the-china-opportunity-302870814.html

SOURCE South

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