Times are Changing: Meta’s AI-Powered Features Bring In New Era for Advertising Tech
In a move that could potentially reshape the adtech landscape, Meta has announced its latest foray into the world of artificial intelligence for advertising. The company formerly known as Facebook is set to roll out a suite of new generative AI features that can create ad backgrounds, expand images, and generate multiple versions of ad […]
BOOM: The Designer and Basic Milkshake
Despite many consumers’ focus on healthy and lactose-free beverages, a new MULO (multi-location) trend is picking up steam (or should we say whipped cream?). Milkshakes first came on the scene in 1885, and were made with booze. Ironically, the boozy milkshake is now having a moment again! In 1922, Walgreens began serving milkshakes and the […]
Macy’s Goes From Malls to Micro-Mini Model
Are mega department stores like Macy’s becoming a thing of the past? Although big box multi-location (MULO) stores in some categories like home improvement and groceries still make sense, the mall-based department stores may be due for a reconfiguration. Macy’s just announced that it is opening 30 small format stores. Leveraging the timeless reputation (founded […]
ChatGPT and the New Era of Search: Personalized Advertising and Beyond
As OpenAI adds more features and capabilities to ChatGPT, its artificial intelligence program, the potential use cases for search, advertising and brand marketing are growing. ChatGPT has been making waves across multiple industries since its inception, however last week’s announcement that the program will now be able to search the internet on its own is […]
BOOM: Brunch and the MULO Brands
Whether you crave a mimosa, an elaborate Bloody Mary, or simply a stack of good old-fashioned pancakes with syrup, one thing is certain — brunch is back and fueling MULO brands! A recent study by Square revealed that Saturday brunch is now the busiest day part for restaurants, including those with multiple locations (MULO brands). […]
6 Virtual Sizing Tools for Fashion Retailers
One of the last remaining hurdles for fashion brands to overcome in the e-commerce space has to do with sizing. For years, retailers have been attempting to replicate the in-store try-on experience online, with varying degrees of success. In 2023, something changed. Technology caught up with what shoppers and retailers were asking for, and a […]
The Marketing Agency of the Future: A Perspective from Andy Parnell
We recently sat down with Andy Parnell, President of Lane Terralever and Convince and Convert, an Arizona-based agency that works across a wide range of multi-location (MULO) clients in both the B-to-B and DTC worlds. With broad and deep experience, Andy has seen many changes in the marketing and agency world. He offers great insights […]
Agencies Find New Ways to Measure Performance of Snapchat Ads
Despite being one of the most influential social platforms on the planet, Snapchat is often viewed as being less desirable for advertisers than competitors like Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest. That is, at least in part, due to how difficult it has traditionally been for advertisers to track their Snapchat Ads results in Snap. Now, an […]
How Fyllo Activates Contextual Advertising
When Jeff Ragovin was promoted from Chief Commercial Officer to President of Fyllo, CEO Chad Bronstein positioned the move as acknowledgement of a job well done for an experienced digital advertising executive. “Jeff is perfectly positioned for this new role, as he’s already been leading our revenue growth in the US and overseas,” Bronstein said […]
Why November 7th Could Be Your Most Important Day of 4th Quarter
What are you doing on November 7th? If you work in a MULO (multi-location) business, you should only be in New York City at the Place conference. Why? Leaders from retail, restaurants, and other multi-location categories will be there, along with the agencies and technology companies that help take their marketing to the next level. Street […]
Brands Get Enhanced Metrics to Measure Against Data Compliance
Does the world need another set of data compliance metrics for programmatic media campaigns? Executives at Compliant, a compliance technology company, and the contextual advertising startup Peer39 are betting on it. The two firms are partnering on a set of data compliance metrics for programmatic media campaigns meant to address the need for new standards […]
The MULO Dozen: September in Review
Welcome to a new monthly section of Street Fight! Every 30 days (or so), we’ll be recapping some of the highlights across MULO (multi-location) brands — retailers, restaurants, c-stores, service businesses, and any other establishment that has multiple locations (or aspires to scale to that level), as well as the agencies that help them flourish. […]
LG Ad Solutions, Affinity Take On Closed-Loop CTV Targeting
LG Ad Solutions and Affinity Solutions are launching a new closed-loop CTV targeting and measurement solution that integrates Affinity’s purchase data with LG Ads’ CTV ad infrastructure to help brands optimize ad spend for conversions. The new solution, dubbed LoopIQ, launched just this week. According to the companies, the LoopIQ solution comes in response to […]
Survey: Despite Data Privacy Fears, Consumers Eagerly Embrace AI to Save Money
Consumers are leery of many things, but artificial intelligence doesn’t appear to be one of them. That’s according to a new survey by UserTesting, which found that despite concerns over data privacy — and a general uneasiness about brands using their personal information without consent — the majority of Americans are eager to embrace AI […]
Yelp Launches Index to Combat Deceptive Reviews
With fraudulent reviews on the rise, Yelp is making a change. Since 2012, Yelp has placed more than 4,900 Compensated Activity Alerts and Suspicious Activity Alerts, but for consumers, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to tell which businesses are bad actors on the platform. Now, in an effort to combat the […]
Locality Says Start Your Election Spending
Election season will be here before you know it, and TV remains the star platform for political campaign media spending. According to AdImpact, political ad spending is projected to reach upwards of $10 billion in media spending, with TV (broadcast, cable, streaming, etc.) on track to rake in half of that number. Locality, a TV-advertising […]
Arity and Tapestri Drive2Earn Partnership to Revolutionize Data Sharing
A strategic partnership between Arity, a leading data and analytics company, and Tapestri, an app that rewards users for sharing their data, has the potential to transform the way millions of drivers perceive and harness the value of their own location data. Together, the two firms are launching Drive2Earn, a new feature available in the […]
BUST: A Hard Landing as Soft Surroundings Files for Bankruptcy
Here we go again…another beloved retailer shutters its brick-and-mortar operations. Soft Surroundings filed for bankruptcy this week. This MULO (multi-location) women’s clothing brand once had 80 locations physical locations (reduced to 44) and is now shuttering all of them. The company, which released its first catalog in 1999, also sold home goods and accessories. However, […]
Captify, Adform Partnership Creates First End-to-End Contextual Activation
A new partnership between the search intelligence firm Captify and Adform, a programmatic platform, is creating an industry-first end-to-end contextual activation that bypasses the need for cookie identifiers. The collaboration between the Captify and Adform enables privacy-first, audience-based programmatic buying for marketers, opening the door to greater scale across inventory pathways, which are often deprioritized […]
5 Consumer-Permissioned Data Platforms to Watch
The concept of data privacy has taken center stage in 2023. As consumers grow more aware of the value of their personal information — and the potential risks associated with its misuse — a new paradigm that places power back into the hands of individuals is beginning to emerge. Consumer-permissioned data platforms are at the […]