Street Fight Daily: Brands Cash In on Snapchat API, Google to Launch Click-to-Message Ads

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

Brands Cash In on Snapchat’s Long-Awaited API (AdWeek)
Snapchat’s long-awaited API (application programming interface) is officially out in the wild with a handful of creative agencies and ad-tech companies selling ads on behalf of the mobile app. Brands are also finally getting a look under the hood at the data that powers their campaigns.

As Voice Search Gains Importance, So Does Schema Mark-Up for SMB Sites (Street Fight)
Eric Owen: Like it or not, SMBs have become far more educated and sophisticated with regard to digital media, and are in a much better position to hold their providers accountable. As a result, providers now must look for ways to more cost effectively provide higher quality products.

Google To Launch Click-to-Message Ads on Google Search in Coming Weeks (Venture Beat)
That Google is pushing mobile messaging as an extra channel through which customers can converse with companies isn’t entirely surprising. Indeed, it comes at a time when rival Facebook is ramping up its own Messenger app as a customer service platform and has previously revealed that it’s working on a similar click-to-message ad product

Starbucks, Poster Child for Geotargeting, Nearly Loses Battle for Local Presence to Dunkin’ Donuts (Street Fight)
Sponsored Content: Starbucks is well-known for its digital efforts in other areas: loyalty, check-out, mobile targeting, and push messaging within geofences. he potential for Starbucks to easily outperform its competition is there, but the brand’s attempts at connecting with local customers dragged its Brandscore down.

Platform Publishing Creates Challenges for Publishers’ Mobile Design (Digiday)
Many publishers wring their hands at the loss of control when it comes to publishing on platforms. But while that usually goes back to ad sales and data, there’s another big loss: Control over how people perceive a publishing brand.

GoDaddy Beefs Up SMB Offerings With WordPress Websites (Street Fight)
The new offering gives small business owners a more streamlined way to create WordPress websites, with professionally-built themes, industry-specific images, and a visual page editor for website customization.

Facebook Is Now Testing Its Snapchat Stories Clone in Australia (TechCrunch)
Facebook has expanded a test of a Snapchat Stories clone feature, called Messenger Day, to users of its app in Australia. The casual sharing feature lets people send illustrated, filter-enhanced photos and videos to friends which disappear in 24 hours — a la Snapchat.

McDonald’s Turns to Social Media to Draw Millenials (Wall Street Journal)
How many people does it take for a 61-year-old burger maker to tweet? At least a dozen. Inside a high-tech room at McDonald’s Corp.’s suburban Chicago headquarters, employees tap away at computers responding to tweets and crunching data on what’s trending on social media, long a standard practice at most consumer companies.

Why AirBnB Thinks It’s Worth More Than $30 Billion (Quartz)
AirBnB is currently asking for a valuation at $30 billion. When investors put money into a company at one figure, what they’re really betting is that it will ultimately turn out to be worth far more. What makes them think Airbnb will prove that correct?

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