Spend Wisely in 2025! Perspectives from Four MULO Leaders

MULO (multi-location) brands have more marketing investment options than ever. Conventional versus digital, national versus local, influencers versus professional content creators, OOH versus everything else—the list goes on and on. The old-school media buyer has been replaced by AI-powered analytics, which enable marketers to shift spending at the blink of an eye or the click of a keyboard. But humans still need to work with an agency to advise on spending and “teach” the bots how to interpret data. Street Fight reached out to four of those flesh-and-blood agency experts and asked them how savvy MULO brands should be spending in 2025.

Scott Sutton, CEO of Later says:

“For multi-location brands,  leveraging creators has proven to be an extremely cost-effective strategy to grow their brands as they are able to target creators with audiences in specific regions where they are trying to drive sales and awareness. The combination of creator marketing combined with targeting is a powerful tool in driving outcomes for brands.”

Carlos Gil, Brand Evangelist for  email marketing platform GetResponse believes:

 “For major brands like Nike, Target, and Starbucks, loyalty programs and email marketing are game changers for building lasting customer relationships and driving ROI. This strategy isn’t limited to the big players—it works just as well for smaller multi-location businesses. Every customer interaction—whether in-store or online—is an opportunity. At checkout, invite customers to join your loyalty program by sharing their email address. Sweeten the deal with an instant perk or discount. Even better, offer digital receipts instead of paper ones to familiarize your customers with receiving email communications from your brand.

Over time, you’re not just building an email list—you’re creating a pipeline for repeat business. The goal isn’t just to send promotions but to foster lasting relationships. Use email to deliver rewards, offer early product access, or create personalized experiences that keep customers opening, clicking, and coming back. When done right, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to engage your audience and keep your brand top of mind.”

Megan Harbold, VP Strategy & Growth at omnichannel marketing platform Skai advises:

“As we head into 2025, MULO brands should be looking into three major marketing strategies to get the best bang for their buck:

• First, brands can maximize their ROI by tapping into both traditional and emerging retail media networks (RMNs) across sectors like travel, lifestyle, and media, using data-driven, localized targeting to boost ad effectiveness. Skai’s Q3 2024 digital media trend report revealed that diversification across platforms is key to cost efficiency, brands should balance spending between established networks like Amazon and Walmart, and emerging platforms with lower CPCs and higher engagement. As RMNs merge with social commerce platforms like Instagram and TikTok, brands can extend their targeted strategies to these channels.
• Additionally, with the rise of GenAI retail search, brands will need to optimize product content and refine keyword strategies to stay ahead of shifting search behaviors.
• Finally, as CPCs stabilize and event-driven surges like Prime Day drive demand (across all retailers, not just Amazon), it will be important to leverage AI to prepare flexible budgets, optimize ad formats and personalize creatives to stay agile and thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.”

Roee Zelcer, CEO of Humanz US adds:

“In 2025, MULO brands will need to prioritize creators who can authentically connect with local audiences. The most effective marketing won’t come from broad campaigns but from partnerships that resonate deeply with specific communities. Creators with genuine local ties offer a unique ability to build trust and relevance, which are far more impactful than sheer reach. By focusing on long-term collaborations, brands together with their agency can create campaigns that feel authentic at the local level while scaling seamlessly across multiple locations.”

We at Street Fight also believe that savvy MULO brands need to invest in the right agency, technologies, and talent to ensure an amazing and memorable end-to-end customer engagement After all, that marketing spend is worthless if you can’t deliver a high-quality search, shopping, and service experience.