Street Fight Daily: Waze Ride-Share to Hit SF Soon, Facebook Creates Coupon Drawer

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

Google Takes on Uber With New Ride-Share Service (Wall Street Journal)
Google is moving onto Uber Technologies Inc.’s turf with a ride-sharing service to help San Francisco commuters join carpools, a person familiar with the matter said, jumping into a booming but fiercely competitive market.

Facebook Has Created the Digital Equivalent of a Coupon Drawer for Users (AdWeek)
Today, the social network is debuting an updated Offers section that feels like a digital coupon drawer. The move is meant to make it easier for advertisers to reach people who are likely to want a given offer while giving users a central repository that also reminds them which ones they have and when they expire.

Ibotta Announces In-App Purchasing Capability, Partnerships with Button, Jet, DoorDash (Street Fight)
Ibotta announced new partnerships and technological capabilities on Wednesday, powered by a partnership with deep-linking software-producer Button, that its co-founder and CEO, Bryan Leach, hopes will make it the “front door” for in-app mobile commerce.

Jeff Jones Drives Uber as New President (MediaPost)
Former Target CMO Jeff Jones will replace Uber’s President and first hire, Ryan Graves, it was announced today. Graves will remain at Uber as a “resident entrepreneur and builder,” according to a blog post from Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO and cofounder.

Maps.me Offers Open Source Alternative to Google and Apple Maps (Street Fight)
Damian Rollison: I’m impressed by the level of detail and by some key differentiators that make Maps.me seem like a fresh approach to mobile navigation. Indeed, I can see the app eventually finding favor in the U.S. marketplace. Even before that happens, local marketers should take note.

As Digital Ad Spend Grows, CPG Marketers Still Struggle with Data Scarcity (AdExchanger)
Damian Garbaccio: In the US alone, CPG and consumer products advertisers will spend nearly $6 billion on digital advertising in 2016, according to eMarketer. Despite this investment and the eventual payoff of driving brand awareness, CPG marketers face an immense challenge today: customer data scarcity.

With Serena Williams Snapchat Ad, Gatorade Taps Into Mobile Gaming Marketing (Digiday)
Gatorade is pushing the boundaries of Snapchat with a video game ad tied to the U.S. Open. The old-school tennis game features 22 levels with each representing one of Serena Williams’ Grand Slam wins.

Why SMB Marketers Value Flexibility in Marketing Technology (eMarketer)
Increasingly, this focus on flexibility means that many SMB marketers are building their own “stack” of technology tools and services selected from a range of different vendors. By doing so SMB marketers can select the best tool for each marketing activity while also identifying the most cost-effective options.

The Ultimate Symbol of the Uber for X Bubble is Out of Business (Quartz)
Make more room in the Uber-for-X graveyard. On-demand laundry service Washio recently informed customers that the service would shut down as of Aug. 29.

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