Street Fight Daily: Snapchat Will Acquire Vurb, Local Sites Fill Traditional News Void

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

Snapchat Is Acquiring Mobile Search App Vurb for Over $110 Million (TechCrunch)
Snapchat could help you organize a night out with friends or get a digest of the day’s news thanks to its acquisition of mobile search startup Vurb. The Information reports Snapchat is in the closing stages of talks to pay $110 million for Vurb (75 percent stock, 25 percent cash).

As Legacy News Organizations Cut Back, Local Sites Are Cropping Up to Fill the Void (Poynter)
Poynter talked to Matt DeRienzo, executive director of Local Independent Online News Publishers, a nonprofit focused on the education and sustainability of local news organizations across the United States, about the growth in local independent media and the challenges publishers of scrappy websites face in an uncertain time for media.

How Marketers Are Localizing Their Back-to-School Campaigns (Street Fight)
With back-to-school and back-to-college spending forecasted to reach $75.8 billion this year, brands and retailers are getting more strategic — and creative — with their localized marketing campaigns. Here are six examples of recent campaigns aimed directly at back-to-school shoppers.

‘Omnichannel’ May Never Catch On, But It’s the Next Big Thing for Local (Search Engine Land)
Wesley Young: Regardless of what you call it, omnichannel strategies are no longer optional as you consider how customers search and find your business. Customers find it novel now, but they will soon demand and prefer those who provide more seamless search-to-purchase experiences.

Sponsored Report: Optimizing Local Presence for Mobile Search (Street Fight)
This free report looks puts a focus on key areas that will give marketers an edge: mobile-optimized websites; mobile-optimized SEO; and an attention to basic name/address/phone number information, particularly as it pertains to those “near me” searches. The report also features actionable takeaways with a “7 Strategies for Local Search Success” tip sheet.

Instagram’s Snapchat Clone Has Shown Little Sign of Hurting Snapchat Just Yet (Business Insider)
Business Insider asked SensorTower, a mobile app store marketing intelligence company, to run the data to see whether there had been an impact on Snapchat usage since the launch of Instagram Stories on August 2. Short answer: no.

Local Loyalty: Klosebuy Plans to Bring Powerful Marketing to Main Street (Street Fight)
Rick Robinson: New loyalty entrants are looking to make life simpler for the thrifty with suites of services that stretch from the marketer all the way to a consumer’s wallet. And some of those, like Klosebuy, are focusing local — targeting the SMB by giving them the power over loyalty programs once reserved for the big guys.

Raycom’s Digital Platform PureCars Helps Local Dealers Think Like National Advertisers (AdExchanger)
After local broadcaster Raycom Media acquired digital ad platform PureCars for $125 million last November, it let local auto advertisers take advantage of programmatic targeting. Automotive marketers – a key vertical for Raycom – needed a better way to connect their upper and lower-funnel tactics.

Why the SaaS Business Model Has Been Bad for Marketing (AdAge)
Judy Shapiro: Marketers’ trust in the ad-tech world is on the decline for lots of reasons: complexity, lack of transparency or standards. One can cast blame in many directions, but one of the biggest corrosive factors eroding trust between advertisers and ad tech is the relative newcomer to marketing — the SaaS (software as a service) ventures that dominate marketing today.

Pinterest Wants a Piece of the Search Ad Market (Business Insider)
Advertisers on Pinterest can now buy ads based on impressions rather than engagement, the company announced. Pinterest has been aggressively building out its ad platform over the last few months to compete against giants such as Facebook and Twitter.

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