Street Fight Daily: Uber Suffers Major Legal Setback, Best Buy Leads the Anti-Amazon Resistance

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

Uber Suffers Major Setback as EU Court Rules It Must Be Regulated Like Taxi Companies (Bloomberg)
Uber suffered a defeat when the European Union’s top court ruled its ride-hailing service should be regulated as a transport company, a decision that could set a precedent for the burgeoning gig economy.

Could Revamped Loyalty Programs Save the Retail Industry? (Street Fight)
As retailers grapple with finding ways to reinvent the real world shopping experience, some are revisiting their loyalty programs, which have gotten stale over the years. Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and Sephora are just a few of the well-known brands trying to create added value by offering services through their loyalty programs.

Best Buy Versus Amazon: Holiday Edition (WSJ)
There are a lot ways to judge retailers during the holiday season. But what really matters for most retailers is whether they are successfully fighting off Amazon.com Inc. Best Buy’s efforts in this category have been exemplary.

Are Emerging Markets the Way to Grow Your Local Marketing Business? (Street Fight)
Geoff Michener: The intersection of today’s global economic environment and emerging technological advances present a unique window of opportunity for local marketing businesses to successfully become first-movers in emerging markets if they are willing to be strategic.

Improving Search and Advertising Are the Next Frontiers for Voice-Activated Devices (TechCrunch)
Lisa Lacy: Despite millions of orders for voice enabled devices, vendors have yet to map the uncharted territory of voice enabled search and advertising.

Independent Agencies Poised to Win Larger Advertisers Amid Media Transparency Fallout (Digiday)
A network agency’s loss is now an independent shop’s gain. The last 12 months have seen a steady flow of media budgets into independent agencies on both sides of the Atlantic.

What You Learn From Talking with Google’s Largest Advertisers Every Day (Search Engine Land)
“The best in the [digital advertising] business have really figured out how to use automation and machine learning,” said Nicolas Darveau-Garneau, chief search evangelist at Google. “Managing a search campaign should be partially automated these days, and there’s so much value you can unlock when you’re strategic about using automation.”

Edible Arrangements Uses Digital Tactics to Drive In-Store Traffic (AdExchanger)
Although 65% of Edible Arrangement’s business comes from ecommerce, the brand wants to drive visits – particularly from repeat customers – into its 1,200 local store franchises.

Oath Announces 4 New Ad Formats on Mobile (AdWeek)
As Oath continues to consolidate its many offerings and bring new products to market for its ad clients, brands like The Home Depot and Pottery Barn are testing some of its new ad formats.

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