Street Fight Daily: Apple Buys Hyperlocal Startups, Booze Brands Align With Taxi Apps

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.

apple_logoApple Acquired Mapping Firm BroadMap, Location-infused Evernote Competitor Catch (9to5 Mac)
Based on evidence and chatter from sources, Apple seemingly acquired mapping firm BroadMap in the first half of this year and Evernote-competitor Catch within the last few month. While the other Apple maps-related acquisitions this year focused on transit and indoor mapping capabilities, which will likely be integrated into iOS 8, BroadMap’s expertise is managing, sorting, and analyzing mapping data

Lessons Learned From the ‘Daily Deal’ (Street Fight)
Ed Braswell: According to a study conducted by Street Fight, the two most important factors for merchants evaluating hyperlocal marketing campaigns are the ability to attract new customers and ensure the right people are being targeted. Since daily deals are falling short in accomplishing this, what hyperlocal marketing avenues should local merchants explore?

Free Rides: Booze Brands Align With Transportation Apps (AdAge)
In the newest twist on responsibility advertising, beer and liquor brands are increasingly partnering with transportation apps like Taxi Magic and Uber to give away discounts on rides. This being marketing, there is a small catch, however: In most cases users must engage with the brands digitally before they get deals.

Case Study: Tennessee Cafe Fends Off Daily Pitches From Hyperlocal Marketers (Street Fight)
“You can buy ads and you can post things on Facebook all day long, but unless somebody actually understands your passion and understands what you’re trying to do for the community, they’re not going to tell their friends,” says Reveille Joe Coffee’s Matthew O’Dell.

Foursquare’s New Money Means Facebook Isn’t Everything (Wired)
Foursquare’s Series D helps ensure that location tracking services aren’t dominated by the gang of vertically integrated internet giants — Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google. The deal underscores that investors remain optimistic about location outfits as small as Foursquare, a company that raised money just eight months ago, had already run up $100 million in investments, and has yet to settle on a revenue model. It lends credence to Crowley’s public claims.

A Look Ahead: What Programmatic Will Mean for Location-Based Media in 2014 (iMedia Connection)
Jeremy Ozen: As we reach the end of 2013 and look ahead to the new year, I thought it would be as good an opportunity as any to state: yes, programmatic is expanding; no, it’s not going to do the rest of the ad industry any harm. And in fact, especially where location-based media is concerned, it’s going to do a lot of good.

Will Privacy Concerns Keep Indoor Mapping From Being The Next Big Thing? (PandoDaily)
While many are calling indoor location “the next big thing,” a number of open questions have prevented it from widespread adoption. In many ways we’re just beginning to figure out the nuances of protecting, and communicating about, privacy in the online world and it’s likely to take equally as long, if not longer, to sort out the privacy question offline.

Use Google Keyword Research To Target The Long Tail In Local Search (SearcEngineLand)
Local marketers understand they need to target keyword queries in SEO and PPC campaigns, but they assume they know what people search for, and they miss out on valuable referrals because of it. Here’s a brief guide on local keyword research to close the gap.

HouseCall, The Uber For All Your Home Services, Raises $1.5M From e.ventures (PandoDaily)
One startup, HouseCall, recently emerged from beta and aims to tackle this market head on, announcing today $1.5 million in Seed financing from e.ventures. The company was co-founded by a team of four engineers who have spent several years together building mobile applications and their underlying infrastructure within the Qualcomm Labs team.

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