Street Fight Daily: Uber’s Secret Tools Undercut Competitors, Marketers Take on Google

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

Uber Employees Still Use Secret Tools to Target Drivers and Undercut Competition (Jalopnik)
Three years ago, ride-hailing giant Uber came under investigation for a tool called “God View” that allowed employees to track drivers and customers in real-time. Uber has since scaled that ability back, but Jalopnik has learned the company still deploys a revamped version of it.

Why the Creative Director of the Future Stands at the Crossroads of Marketing, Tech, Product, and Ads (Street Fight)
Walter Geer: Think of the evolving creative director as a technological and marketing pentathlete, a dynamic force who’ll need to satisfy more than just the traditional advertising imperative. Envision a product-strategy role; that is the model to come.

Opportunity Knocks: Marketers and Media Take On Google (Digiday)
In the past week, a flood of brands from AT&T to Verizon to Johnson & Johnson have pulled ad campaigns from Google-owned YouTube because they don’t want their ads appearing next to objectionable videos. 

Raise Report: Flow, Databerries, PlateIQ Secure New Funding (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 new funding for EVRYTHING, Helpling, Drivemode, and Lynkos.

ShopTalk ’17: Retail Brands Focus on Amazon ‘Work-Arounds’ (LocalOnliner)
Peter Krasilovsky: Those taking the stage were clearly bent on re-establishing themselves as “fashion authorities,” leveraging their local proximity, establishing loyalty and new customers with special events and other experiences, and making technology and logistics work their way. LocalOnliner: Amazon Prime Now and the customer push for speed.

Twitter Explores Interest in Paid Version of TweetDeck with More Analytics (VentureBeat)
There’s no indication to suggest that such a service will be available soon, but the idea could be to give power users and brands the tools to maximize reach on the service and showcase its real potential.

Senate Republicans Vote to Kill Federal Privacy Laws, Unleashing User Data (Recode)
Republicans in Congress took the first step Thursday toward rolling back federal privacy rules imposed last year on internet providers like AT&T, Charter, Comcast, and Verizon.

Study Identifies Gaping Hole in Media-Buying Practices (MediaPost)
Laurie Sullivan: Brands need to start pulling their search teams into the media-planning sessions if they want to have a fully integrated campaign that can produce the highest return on investment.

Tour and Activities Marketplace Zozi Lays Off 30% of its Staff (TechCrunch)
Zozi had been competing in the same space as Groupon again — this time with its travel business, Groupon Getaways. However, Zozi’s aim was to capture more millennial interest, given the generation’s penchant for “experiences” over purchasing things.

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