Why Retail Will Face the Same Fate as the Media Industry
Jeremy Rifkin, the prolific author who has served as an advisor to a number of world leaders, believes that the astronomical investments in Uber and Airbnb signal the breaking of a long-held “firewall” that kept the transformative effects of the Internet contained to the virtual world. Here Rifkin discusses why a small reduction in margins could kill traditional retail…
With Acquisitions, Brooklyn’s Corner Media Grows Into a Regional Cluster
Publisher Liena Zagare’s independent Corner Media network in Brooklyn has added three established community news sites in the borough to grow into a cluster of seven sites in a market of 1 million people. Street Fight recently caught up with Zagare to learn more about what her two acquisitions will mean for their neighborhoods and her company…
Street Fight Daily: Yelp’s Case Against Google, Urban Airship CEO Resigns
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Leaked Documents Show How Yelp Thinks It’s Getting Screwed By Google (TechCrunch)… CEO Of Startup Urban Airship Leaves Company After Being Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His Ex-Girlfriend (BusinessInsider)… Finding Ways to Use Big Data to Help Small Shops (New York Times)…
Unmanaged Local Listings Hurt Consumers and Businesses Alike
Google Maps and its competitors have become the most important pathways to brick and mortar businesses outside foot traffic and word of mouth. As one recent case indicates, an accurate Google Maps listing can be a matter of life or death for a local business. The company needs a stronger and more concerted effort to enlist the help of business owners to address this problem…
6 Ways to Personalize Mobile Ads Without Violating User Privacy
Global mobile ad spending increased to $17.96 billion last year, and it’s on pace to rise another 75.1% in 2014. But in order for mobile advertising to continue growing at such a rapid rate, one issue has to be addressed — privacy. Here are six strategies for personalizing mobile ads without violating user privacy.
Street Fight Daily: Yodle Files for IPO, RetailNext Raises $30M
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Marketing Software Company Yodle Files for IPO (Reuters)… RetailNext Raises Another $30 Million To Track In-Store Data (TechCrunch)… Lyft Expands Its Car Hailing Service to New York (New York Times)…
Mobile Media Summit Chicago Speakers Announced
The third-annual Mobile Media Summit Chicago is on July 29th at the exclusive Mid-American Club. The summit will bring together the biggest names in advertising and marketing to discuss how mobile is changing the media mix for hundreds of senior agency, media, brand and publisher executives. Click for more, plus a Street Fight discount…
Street Fight Daily: LivingSocial CFO Departs, New Features for Swarm
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… LivingSocial CFO to Depart; New CEO Due Soon (Recode)… Foursquare’s Swarm iOS App Gets Mayor Leaderboards, Easier Sharing, and More (The Next Web)…
88% Of Consumers Trust Online Reviews As Much As Personal Recommendations (SearchEngineLand)…
As Home Services Market Heats Up, Handybook COO Sees Big Opportunity
Last month, Revolution, the venture firm helmed by Case as well as Groupon chairman Ted Leonisis, led a $30 million investment in Handybook, a company that helps people book housecleaners and other home service providers. Street Fight caught up with Umang Dua, co-founder of HandyBook, to talk about the company’s evolving competitive set and the growing speculation around Uber’s valuation…
Street Fight Daily: Google Plans Same-Day Delivery, Brands Eye App-Install Ads
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Inside Google’s Big Plan to Race Amazon To Your Door (Re/Code)… Matt Cutts, Google’s Head of Webspam, Is Going on Indefinite Leave — Publishers Likely Won’t Miss Him (PandoDaily)… Will Brand Dollars Ever Come to App-Install Ads? (AdAge)…
An Ex-Patcher Competes in Tim Armstrong’s Town
Leslie Yager, who in three years rose from freelance writer for Aol’s Patch to the local editor of the network’s Norwalk and Wilton sites, was terminated in January as part of the company’s sale to Hale Global. She turned around and, days later, launched her own news site which is already a strong competitor in her former boss’s town…
Case Study: Using Hyperlocal to Get Around Franchise Marketing Restrictions
Rather than feeling stifled by T-Mobile’s promotion restrictions, Robert Keyser, A-1 Wireless’ director of sales and operation, says he challenged himself to find a local marketing solution that would fit. T-Mobile was willing to approve his use of LoyalBlocks because the company didn’t feel that the platform would hurt their brand…
Street Fight Daily: Snapchat’s Local Play, Bonobos Raises $50M For Brick-and-Mortar
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snapchat goes local: Firm Tests Secret ‘Stickers’ for Popular Locations (DailyMail)… Bonobos Gets $55 Million Investment to Open More Clothing Stores for Dudes (Recode)… In 2014 More Money Will Be Spent on Mobile Ads Than Newspapers, Magazines and Radio (Pando)
POS Startup Shows Cashiers Pictures of Customers Who Check-in
Revel Systems, a San Francisco-based company that makes point-of-sale software, will now notify businesses when someone has checked-in to their venue on Yelp or Foursquare. The feature offers a way to help businesses take a more proactive approach to engaging a vocal minority of users who actively share their opinions…
Unlocking the Power of Passive In-Store Data Analytics
In the world of indoor location analytics there are two types for data collection: active and passive. Retailers have embraced active data via apps and are now testing beacons — but they should also consider the value that passive location data brings to the overall understanding of consumer behavior in-store…
Street Fight Daily: Village Voice Nears Strike, eBay Kills Small Business Product
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…. Village Voice employees set strike deadline after negotiations break down (Poynter)… eBay Confirms Shutdown of Small-Business E-Commerce Software Products (Recode)… An Upper Limit For Apps? New Data Suggests Consumers Only Use Around Two Dozen Apps Per Month (TechCrunch)…
Assessing Yelp’s New Messaging Functionality
Yelp recently rolled out a new feature that allows consumers to send and receive instant messages and interact with local businesses that have claimed their business page. While this isn’t groundbreaking, it does put “social customer service” front-and-center on the reviews site…