6 Omnichannel Ad Buying Platforms for Brands
With much of the $664 billion advertising market in flux, there’s a renewed focus on omnichannel platforms that use integrated workflows to improve efficiencies and reduce redundant work. This next generation of ad buying solutions takes into account disparate channels and audiences, enabling brand marketers to automate and optimize campaigns across ecosystems.
6 QR Code Ordering Solutions for Restaurants
QR codes are finding new life as businesses adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Consumers seeking out touchless payment opportunities and businesses wanting the ability to integrate more tools for tracking and analytics are embracing the technology with a level of enthusiasm we haven’t seen before.
Enriching First-Party Data to Remove Marketing ‘Blind Spots’
More advertisers are taking control of their media spend, and they’re looking for better ways to have direct involvement in the use of first-party data to improve ad performance. Those are just a few of the findings in a new report by Kantar looking at the latest behaviors, attitudes, and trends in the digital advertising space.
The Undeniable Drive of Diana Lee and Constellation Agency
Constellation Agency CEO and co-founder Diana Lee immigrated to the US at five and endured a rough-and-tumble childhood, watching her parents get robbed repeatedly. But to the extent that anyone can, Lee has beaten insecurity, economic and affective. She is at the helm of an advertising technology company that, while remaining self-funded, has outgrown its offices numerous times, catapulted to more than 100 employees, and is on track to report $45 million in revenue this year.
SOCi Acquires Brandify, Melding Location Marketing Strengths
Brandify has been acquired by SOCi, a fast-growing market leader in location and social media management for enterprise brands. Brandify and SOCi will combine their technologies and expertise under the SOCi name to serve more than 700 major national and international brands, accounting for over 3 million total store and office locations worldwide. The acquisition includes Street Fight, which will continue to operate as an editorially independent media outlet.
6 Retail Tech Solutions for Addressing Labor Shortages
Retail technology platforms that may have been overlooked before the pandemic are now coming into focus as businesses begin to understand their true value. Using a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, and big data, a number of startups have started positioning their platforms as possible solutions to the labor shortages that retailers and restaurants are facing in 2021. Mobile ordering kiosks, autonomous checkout systems, and even machine vision algorithms are all being used to help businesses greet customers, restock shelves, and even clean messy areas with more efficiency.
Fisherman Pioneers the No-Effort Web for Small Businesses
Fisherman is pioneering what CEO and co-founder Ameet Kallarackal calls the “no-effort Web.” Beginning with a focus on restaurants, which still make up about 90% of its customer base, Fisherman is aiming to be the simplest, most automatic option available for small business owners and operators to create websites. The company claims to get the job done in just two minutes and typically has a website ready for a potential customer, often based purely on the business’ name and address, before approaching them.
Is Amazon Primed for the Data Privacy Era?
In a world that favors first-party networks — especially those with ample web traffic outside of iOS apps — it doesn’t get much bigger than Amazon. The question is if the e-commerce giant can attract advertisers en masse with the reach of its ad network plus the unfettered targeting and first-party contextual relevance of the world’s largest online store.
More Brands Are Rewarding Customers with Digital Currency. Here’s Why
Permission.io CEO Charlie Silver sees blockchain technology as one of the best mechanisms for issuing digital rewards in the form of cryptocurrency, and he says the ability to issue a desirable reward is essential for those brands that want to succeed in the next era of permission-based digital advertising.
5 Startups Offering Blockchain for Loyalty Programs
In a nod to just how mainstream blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin have become, 44% of people now say they’d like to receive loyalty rewards in the form of digital assets. By offering digital currencies as an alternative to cash-back rewards, retailers are helping their programs stand out and bringing curious shoppers back into their stores.
With Fresh Funding, dataPlor Expands to Map the World
dataPlor was founded in 2016 with a mission to map the businesses of the developing world. But before it could extend its reach across oceans, the company focused for years on just one country, Mexico. Now, with the help of expanded seed funding it announced just this morning, the startup is taking a technology-first approach to enrich its database, map vast territories, and accelerate growth.
Why Are Brands Struggling to Track Influencer Campaigns?
Without accurate ways to measure and monitor the success of influencer campaigns, most brand marketers are left sitting in the dark. And many of the metrics used to track the success of campaigns on traditional advertising channels don’t work with influencer marketing, where context is everything and the volume of brand mentions can be deceiving. The data company Sama thinks it has a solution.
Field Day Leverages an Uber-Style, Human-to-Human Marketplace for Local Marketing
An Uber for local marketing, Field Day connects brands, including current clients Panera Bread, Blaze Pizza, Equinox, and about 50 others, with “brand ambassadors”: locals who speak to the brands’ targets in their home neighborhoods in order to increase awareness and drive adoption.