Street Fight Daily: AOL Buys Millennial Media, Facebook Serves As Forum to Buy and Sell Goods
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
AOL Buys Mobile Marketer Millennial Media for Roughly $240 Million (Marketing Land)
In addition to solving problems for Millennial Media, which has struggled as a public company, the deal gives the Verizon-owned AOL greater programmatic reach into mobile. More broadly, it puts Verizon squarely in the mobile-advertising business.
Facebook Advances Bazaar Ambitions (Wall Street Journal)
Facebook is making it easier for its users to buy, sell, and trade used items through its Groups feature. The initiative taps into the way users behave; after noticing that people were posting on groups and polling others about the reliability of sellers, Facebook is now creating a way for them to recommend a buyer or seller after a transaction. (Subscription required.)
How Local Marketers Can Harness the Internet of Things (Street Fight)
Alex Palmer: The Internet of Things is rapidly finding its way into more and more aspects of our lives — and that’s good news for local marketers. This evolving market is expected to grow to $1.7 trillion by 2020.
A New App With 2 Million Users Just Raised $100 Million to Take On eBay (Fortune)
Every year, dozens of new startups try to disrupt eBay and Craigslist, the Internet stalwarts that have ruled online classified ads for two decades. None have come close to pulling it off because the incumbents have nailed the most difficult part: a plethora of both buyers and sellers. That could change with the arrival of Letgo, a marketplace startup that has raised $100 million in Series A funding.
Raise Report: Grand Rounds, iZettle, Yummly Secure Fresh Funding (Street Fight)
Every two weeks we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. In this edition, new investments include funding for Narvar, Pronto, Zirx, and Databox.
Local Services Marketplace Thumbtack Acqui-Hires HeartThis (TechCrunch)
Thumbtack has acqui-hired talent from HeartThis, an app that lets consumers shop across multiples stores from a single portal. The two companies sit at opposite ends of the marketplace spectrum, with HeartThis covering products and Thumbtack covering services.
Data Drives Programmatic Advertising In-House and Draws Publishers Together (eMarketer)
Many companies are restructuring their data and programmatic strategies to keep up with the ever-changing programmatic space. John Nardone, CEO of ad serving and online technology platform Flashtalking, spoke about the critical role data is playing in the programmatic ecosystem and how it’s driving multiple trends, like brands taking programmatic in-house and publishers looking to co-op first-party data.
Google Dreams of a World After Apps, but It’s a Nightmare for Rivals (Recode)
With one search algorithm tweak this week, Google rekindled deep-seated fears that it’s doing its damnedest to nuke apps. Internally, however, chatter is less about crippling apps than imagining a world beyond them.
Facebook Makes It Easier to Optimize Ad Campaigns Based On Conversions (TechCrunch)
Facebook is unveiling an improved version of its Conversion Lift measurement tool. Previously, it allowed you to measure whether your ad campaign was actually improving online and offline sales. Now, you can also test different ads to find the best approach.
LBMA Podcast: WeChat Partners With Uniqlo, Square Teams Up With Apple (Street Fight)
On the show: Kagulu tells everyone the value of your car; Verizon makes dumb cars a little smarter; and Shazam your vodka. Plus industry news about United Airlines, Macy’s Blue Bite, and Gap.
Get Street Fight Daily in your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletter.
