Street Fight Daily: Amazon Go Has Competition, In-House Marketing: It’s Complicated
TODAY IN LOCAL & DIGITAL MARKETING
Zippin Is the First Amazon Go Rival to Open an Automated Checkout Store (Fast Company)
In 2014, Krishna Motukuri teamed up with his college buddy Motilal Agrawal, who has a PhD in computer vision, to develop a product-tracking technology company. Their startup has now launched a small public demo in San Francisco that will grow into a full-sized AI-driven convenience store in the coming months.
As Brands Move Marketing In-House, Agencies Push Back (Street Fight)
The number of big brands moving their marketing in-house is growing, but whether that decision actually leads to lower costs and faster turnaround times is still a hotly debated topic. Holly Robowski, associate director of paid media at Cardinal Marketing, offers a perspective contradicting the pro-in-house zeitgeist.
How Server-Side Bidding Can Hide Pricing Tricks (eMarketer)
Unlike browser-based header bidding, where bidding code is more visible to all parties involved, server-side bidding operates in a nontransparent environment because its code is only visible to the companies who control the server-to-server connections between disparate tech vendors.
ZypMedia Opens Up Programmatic Video for Local Advertisers, Focusing on OTT (Street Fight)
For local advertisers looking to access cutting-edge marketing technology, programmatic advertising company ZypMedia promises the full package. Over the last year, the company has set its sights on OTT, which has garnered strong interest from both local advertisers and publishers hoping to capture the attention of streamers.
Why California’s Privacy Law Is a Mistake (AdAge)
Ray Kingman: While legal experts have sounded the alarm that the CCPA is unworkable, burdensome, and possibly unconstitutional, our real concern should be for consumers and the choices they are about to lose.
E-COMMERCE ARMS RACE
Amazon’s Secret Cambridge Alexa Startup Doubles Revenue and Headcount (Telegraph)
Evi Technologies, which is owned by Amazon and was responsible for a significant part of the development of its Alexa artificial intelligence technology, doubled its revenues in 2017 to £36m, up from around £18m in 2016.
Walmart Completes Its $16 Billion Acquisition of Flipkart (TechCrunch)
Walmart said that its plans for India will include investments that “support national initiatives and will bring sustainable benefits in jobs creation, supporting small businesses, supporting farmers and supply chain development, and reducing food waste.”
CORPORATE DRAMA, PERSONAL AND POLITICAL
Amid Tesla Turmoil, Elon Musk Details ‘Excruciating’ Toll of Multiple Top Jobs (NYT)
Elon Musk was at home in Los Angeles, struggling to maintain his composure. “This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career,” he said. “It was excruciating.”
Inside Facebook’s Plan to Protect the U.S. Midterm Elections (Recode)
Two weeks ago, on a hastily scheduled conference call with journalists, Facebook executives announced what many felt was inevitable: Someone, perhaps Russia, was once again trying to use the social network to “sow division” among U.S. voters, this time before November’s midterm elections.
