Street Fight Daily: Uber Grows Despite Scandals, Facebook Expands Messenger Ads
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…
Uber Sees Financial Growth and Possible Waymo Settlement (Bloomberg)
Uber tried to assuage investors’ concerns Tuesday that a series of scandals were taking a toll on the business. It told them to expect improved bookings, narrower losses and a possible settlement with Alphabet Inc. that could resolve one of the company’s biggest legal hurdles.
Facebook Globally Tests Injecting Display Ads into Messenger Inboxes (TechCrunch)
Messaging is the center of mobile, and Facebook wants ads in front of all those eyes. After seeing “promising results from Australia and Thailand,” Facebook Messenger is expanding its display ad beta test that lets businesses buy space between your chat threads.
Structuring a Team and Creating Transparency in the Midst of Company Chaos (Street Fight)
Neil Sweeney has lots of opinions about how to run a company, especially a newer, smaller one. The founder and CEO of beacon network company Freckle IoT, says that it’s about putting the right people in the right places.
Ikea’s Back-to-School Campaign Uses Influencers on Snapchat to Target Millenials (AdWeek)
Even as some marketers question how much Snapchat is interested in cultivating relationships with influencers, brands like Ikea are leaning on social stars to amplify campaigns.
Cutting Through the Crowds at Festivals: How Brands Can Reach Summer Groupies (Street Fight)
Michael Buttigieg: When fans use their mobile phones to travel to or around a festival, or when contacting their friends on-site, they’re giving brands valuable information about where they are and what they like. And if advertisers know how to capitalize on this data, they’ll be able to identify and reach their ideal audiences.
How Alexa Stole Our Hearts and Relegated Siri to the Back of Our Minds (NYT)
Since her introduction in November 2014, Alexa has neither devolved into the malevolent intelligence predicted by Arthur C. Clarke nor ascended to the metaphysical eroticism promised by Spike Jonze. Instead, she has assimilated as a kind of ideal roommate, with none of the challenges of an actual human.
Microsoft Launches a Global AI Unit to Challenge Google, Facebook, and Amazon (Business Insider)
On Wednesday morning, Microsoft planned to announce the creation of Microsoft Research AI, a dedicated unit within its global Microsoft Research division that will focus exclusively on how to make the company’s software smarter, now and in the future.
The Mobile App Space Needs Standards, But Attribution is a Major Speed Bump (AdExchanger)
Allison Schiff: While mobile app advertising is in dire need of standards, that prospect is easier said than done. Confusion and wrongheadedness in the industry is rife, even among user acquisition specialists.
Why the Disconnect Between MarTech and Data Undermines Customer Loyalty (eMarketer)
There isn’t an obvious connection between analytics technology and customer loyalty, but the two are more closely linked than marketers might think. Marketing campaigns built on obsolete or inaccurate data can make consumers question just how well brands actually know them, for example.
Email Spending Grows (MediaPost)
The ad world is buzzing about the Q1 media spending report released yesterday by MediaRadar. There was bad news on several fronts. Print advertising? Down. Digital advertising? Down. Programmatic advertising? Down. Email rose 28%.
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