Street Fight Daily: Hyperlocal Targeting Faces Scrutiny, New CEO at CityGrid

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

euclid-logo copy‘Hyperlocal’ Consumer Targeting Faces Scrutiny; Senator Questions Euclid (Wall Street Journal)
Euclid, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup that markets its service as a “Google Analytics for the physical world,” has drawn federal scrutiny and criticism from privacy advocates over the past month. Other tech ventures in the emerging “hyperlocal” industry, in which retailers use mobile technology to target consumers in proximity to their stores, could face hurdles too.

New Report Examines Hyperlocal Targeting on Mobile (Street Fight)
With 133.7 million consumers, a full 52.5% of the U.S. population, owning a smartphone, it’s safe to say that the mobile platform is here to stay and growing. In a new report from Street Fight Insights, we survey the burgeoning industry of vendors that target individuals based on where they are, taking a deep dive into the technologies and strategies available for marketers..

Ron LaPierre CEO of CityGrid Media (Screenwerk)
Greg Sterling: According to IAC, Ron LaPierre is now the CEO of CityGrid Media, taking over from Jason Finger who “resigned” officially last week. It’s unclear whether the position is “permanent,” but my understanding is that IAC has been trying to sell Citysearch and CityGrid for a long time and has not found a buyer (based on whatever price was being sought).

6 Strategies for Building a Local Online Marketplace (Street Fight)
Local marketplaces are notoriously difficult to build, and yet the rewards are significant for publishers who are successful. When done right, local marketplaces can create additional streams of revenue, and they can serve as page-view generators for the hyperlocal news sites they’re associated with. We spoke with several folks who have built marketplace products for local to get some insight.

Yahoo Acquires Location-based Mobile Gaming Company Loki Studios (TheNextWeb)
Yahoo on Friday acquired Loki Studios, according to an announcement on the location-based gaming company’s website. Loki Studios was co-founded by Computer Science students from Stanford University, and focused on “combining engaging game design with the features unique to the next generation of mobile devices.”

‘Enhanced’ Local Listings Could Be Even More Important on Mobile (Street Fight)
Ali Alami: Enhanced listing services appeal to many SMBs and local brands because they are a holistic advertising medium that goes beyond the basic banner or text ad — not only do they stand out against free listings and hold the user’s attention, but they also drive conversion and social interaction at higher rates. But most sites currently lack unique enhanced listing features specific to mobile.

Five Woot Execs Check Out, As Daily Deals Site Feels The Strain Under Owner Amazon (TechCrunch)
Woot, the daily deals site that Amazon bought in 2010 for $110 million, is facing up to a shift of a different kind: that of its own talent. In the last week, TechCrunch has learned that six key employees are parting ways with the company. This comes 11 months after founder and CEO Matt Rutledge also left the company.

Ahead of I/O, Google Wallet Drops Plans to Introduce a Physical Card (AllThingsD)
Google will update its Wallet product at its I/O developer conference next week, but will not include the physical credit card that the company had considered launching at the event, according to sources. Sources said the scuttling — for now — of an extended effort to roll out such a card was announced in a recent memo that also included the news that Google Wallet head Osama Bedier was leaving the company.

With Aerosmith, LivingSocial Doubles Down on Events Business (Washington Business Journal)
Groupon’s overstock goods business has turned into its most important new offering, something reinforced by its first-quarter earnings report. LivingSocial, meanwhile, is putting all its chips on events and experiences. The only thing these two strategies have in common is they aren’t daily deals.

A New Spin On Location-Based Advertising (Forbes)
Steve Olenski: Location based advertising is rapidly becoming the “next big thing.” Having the ability to hit (figuratively) someone with an ad on their mobile device based on their location at any given moment in time is, well pretty darn exciting and most assuredly very promising in terms of success. But today I want to share with you a completely different take on location-based advertising. A take that has nothing to do with mobile phones or devices.

Venga on Path to Growth After Two Years of Change (Washington Post)
Co-founder Winston Bao Lord said the nine-person company is looking to bulk up its sales staff — adding as many as one or two employees a month — to its office in D.C. and other cities around the country where Venga is selling software that allows restaurants to track patrons’ dining habits. It’s a substantive change for a company where just two years ago the co-founders and a group of contract employees and interns were huddled in a shared office space in Chinatown.

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