Street Fight Daily: Apple Taps Drones to Improve Maps Data, Brands Leverage Apps for Loyalty

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

Apple Said to Fly Drones to Improve Maps Data and Catch Google (Bloomberg)
Apple plans to use drones and new indoor navigation features to improve its Maps service and catch longtime leader Google, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is assembling a team of robotics and data-collection experts that will use drones to capture and update map information faster than its existing fleet of camera-and-sensor-ladened minivans.

Openings and New Hires at Shopkick, OpenTable, WebsPlanet (Street Fight)
Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at Verve, LMA, Propel Marketing, Search Influence and Navads.

How Brands Are Leveraging Their Apps to Provide Value, Maintain Loyalty (eMarketer)
Consumers must see an app as valuable, otherwise companies that created the app are going to see high uninstall rates, according to Carl Theobald, CEO of FollowAnalytics, a mobile communication, automation and engagement firm. eMarketer’s Sean Creamer spoke with Theobald about how brands are leveraging their branded apps to provide value that awards consumer loyalty.

Didi’s CTO Explains Why China’s Ride-sharing Giant Has a Data Advantage (TechCrunch)
Bob Zhang explained that the company’s research division uses machine learning in much the same way as Uber itself, tracking trip information and vehicle locations to optimize trip routing. Zhang notes, however, that the volume of requests and traffic that hits Didi’s network is comparably huge, and growing.

Raise Report: New Funding for Stripe, Gett, OpenDoor (Street Fight)
Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Apptopia, Wynd, Civis Analytics, and Dashbot.

How Stoli Is Using Google Trends Data to Boost Holiday Sales (AdWeek)
For the holidays this year when searches for martinis and vodka cocktails spike, the brand is enlisting such data to inform an Instagram campaign called Elit Live Social Lab. If a recipe for a chocolate martini is trending online, for instance, Elit’s social team will whip up and post a picture of a chocolate drink within 24 hours.

On Snapchat, Too, Publishers Are at the Mercy of the Platform (Digiday)
Shortly after Snapchat tweaked its Stories page to move Snapchat Discover content closer to the bottom of the page — below stories posted by your friends — multiple Discover publishers saw daily viewership drop. Two Discover publishers said they noticed about a 33 percent drop in daily viewers after the change, which was made in October.

Attribution: Still a Work In Progress (AdExchanger)
“If you wait for the end state, you won’t have a business for 10 years and by that time the world will have moved on,” said Pravin Chandiramani, Simulmedia’s SVP of data strategy, speaking at a measurement and attribution event on Wednesday held at Time Inc.’s offices in New York City. “Don’t let perfect get in the way of better.”

LBMA Podcast: SnapChat/Foursquare, SocialRadar Acquisition, Hero Digital (Street Fight)
This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Nadaam Cashmere + Cleanly, Hurd, Exponential Interactive, Bizly, PAI + MagTek, Skyhook & Verifone, Age UK with ClearChannel, and GeniCan.

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Joe Zappa is the Managing Editor of Street Fight. He has spearheaded the newsroom's editorial operations since 2018. Joe is an ad/martech veteran who has covered the space since 2015. You can contact him at [email protected]