News and Analysis
Crafting a New Future: Michael’s Buys Joann Brands
When MULO (multi-location) fabric and crafts store JOANN declared bankruptcy and closed stores, crafters were up in arms. They took to social media, fretting about where they would buy their favorite handcraft supplies. Michael’s just purchased the failed brand’s 600 products across multiple categories, including fabric, quilting and sewing supplies, sewing machines, and yarn. Those crafters […]
dataplor Secures $20.5M Series B to Expand Global Location Intelligence
In another milestone for the rapidly evolving location intelligence sector, dataplor has announced a $20.5 million Series B funding round led by F-Prime, with participation from Spark Capital, FFVC, Acronym Venture Capital, Two Lanterns, APA Ventures, dara5, and Alumni Ventures. The investment marks a pivotal moment for the Manhattan Beach-based company as it accelerates the […]
Innovid Report: CTV Ad Spend Should Be Higher
Ad spending in CTV is not near what it should be given its potential and sophisticated targeting, reach, and ad formats, according to a report by Innovid, which recently released its 2025 CTV Advertising Insights Report. Citing data from eMarketer, the Innovid report noted that while eyeballs and time spent on streaming content among viewers […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Optimizing for Instagram, Local Level Marketing
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the Instagram 4:5 layout and algorithm secrets and Bright Local’s views on the future of local marketing. Instagram – Optimizing Your Strategy and Feed The News Instagram recently announced several updates aimed at enhancing user experience and content visibility. a) Profile Grid Enhancements: Adam Mosseri, the head […]
Data Drama: Why Your Insights Are All Talk and No Action
Data has become the backbone of modern marketing, promising brands the ability to predict trends, personalize experiences, and drive customer loyalty like never before. For multi-location businesses, the stakes are especially high. With endless streams of customer data pouring in from numerous locations, the expectation to turn this information into actionable insights seems like the […]
Will the Privacy Push Kill the Addressability of Streaming TV Advertising?
As ad-supported streaming platforms gain momentum, they promise to revolutionize advertising by offering unprecedented addressability—tailoring ads to individual viewers based on their interests. However, this promise is at risk of being derailed by privacy regulations and the limitations of contextual targeting, which may force the industry to revert to strategies reminiscent of traditional TV. For […]
Latest Posts
Addressing Advertising’s Overreliance on the Open Web
In recent years, the allocation of advertising spend has failed to keep pace with rapid shifts in consumer behavior and technology capabilities. As a result, many brands are pouring tremendous spend into the open web, neglecting the fact that targeting capabilities and consumer attention aren’t what they used to be. At the same time, brand […]
More Ad Transparency, Control Come to RE/MAX
Brands that advertise on real-estate site RE/MAX, now have the benefit of centralized control over their data and ad operations via a media automation platform called Unify. The platform also enables brands to precisely target local audiences. As with any big-ticket purchase, the journey to buying or selling a home begins online, often times with […]
A First Glimpse Into Street Fight LIVE 2025
Street Fight LIVE made its comeback in 2024. Now, we’ll give you a sneak peek at the 2025 version. Although dormant for several years (due to the pandemic), the curated and dynamic event at Meta’s headquarters in Chicago was met with rave reviews from attendees, sponsors, and speakers. We believe it’s the only think tank conference that […]
Commerce Insights Fuel Brand Loyalty Through Integrated Marketing
Digital-first consumers are constantly exposed to shopping opportunities, from social media to the open web. While this presents marketers with an opportunity, it also poses a challenge: how can brands reach consumers at the right touchpoints in a way that resonates? The key is leveraging commerce insights. By tapping into first-party, intent and transaction data, […]
The MULO Dozen: February in Review
The MULO (multi-location) ecosystem is continuously re-inventing, expanding and shrinking, and enhancing the consumer experience with a wide range of new products, technologies, and ways to buy. Here are the trends of the month. Have news to share? Please e-mail [email protected] and join us in September for our Street Fight LIVE 2025 gathering, which will […]
Netflix Takes on YouTube. Should Podcasters and Advertisers Rejoice?
If we’re “Netflix and Chillin,’” consuming movies, streaming series, and other entertaining and inspiring content, why don’t we listen, watch and learn from podcast content creators too? Now we can. Netflix is entering the podcast market, leveraging its massive database of more than 300M subscribers (and growing). Podcasts also show no sign of slowing down […]
Streets Ahead: Cheeg Sues Google, Terakeet & AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the first major lawsuit against Google’s AI Overviews as well as the Terakeet study highlighting the positive impact of AI Overviews on website traffic. Chegg Sues Google Over AI Overviews, Claims Major Revenue Loss The News Chegg, a well-known education technology company specializing in study resources and […]
Church’s Wants to Make Your Day
A new female buddy comedy is playing in theaters, and Church’s Texas Chicken not only has a cameo role, but a marketing tie-in. “One of Them Days” stars SZA, who had her own star turn in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl half-time show earlier this month, and Keke Palmer (“Akeelah and the Bee)” playing roommates who […]
5 Reasons the Media Ignores (or Trashes) Your Brand
As someone who has sat on “both sides of the desk” (as a marketer and now a research analyst, trend spotter, and content creator), I have a unique perspective on media exposure. The right press — online, conventional, or some combination — feeds your public image when consumers search for your brand. What MULO (multi-location) […]
Report: Consumers Have Less Debt, More Uncertainty
The good news is that almost one-third of American adults are debt-free. The less good news is that inflation is on the uptick, and they’re worried about healthcare costs, and poor leadership and government fraud—with 42% of respondents giving equal weight to each issue. Nevertheless, according to Resonate’s Spring 2025 Outlook Consumer Trends Report, U.S. […]
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