News and Analysis

Santa Needs Fewer Elves This Year: Trends in Retail Employment

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A recent retail employment study by Indeed indicates that although people are still hunting for seasonal jobs this holiday season, the number of job postings has dropped to pre-pandemic levels. Postings are down 3 percent from 2019 and 6 percent year-over-year. About 39 percent of Americans have side hustles, and many consumers depend on holiday […]

Finance Lobby and Placer.ai Partner to Elevate Data-Driven Insights

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In a move aimed at reshaping the landscape of commercial real estate financing, Finance Lobby recently announced a strategic partnership with Placer.ai, the leading location data platform. This alliance signifies a monumental step for both organizations and underscores their shared commitment to revolutionizing the industry. Unlocking New Horizons For Finance Lobby users, this integration ushers […]

Deft CEO: the State of SEO and Search Advertising

Deft CEO: the State of SEO and Search Advertising

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The team at Deft has some controversial takes on the state of SEO and search advertising. From the beginning, the company was founded on the belief that e-commerce is the most over-SEO’d and over-advertised search category — and the problem is only getting worse, as both Amazon and Google continue to make money by keeping […]

Commentary

Why Affiliates and Influencers Are Critical to Business Growth

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With modern consumers trusting traditional advertising methods less and less—combined with consistent cost increases across other digital channels—it is more important than ever for businesses to leverage new, more trustworthy, and cost-effective channels. So if you have yet to invest in your partnership channel this year, now is the time to shift your thinking, and here’s how.

Google Local Search Trends IV: Federation

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The initial launch of the GMB API in late 2015 allowed partners to maintain listings in near-real-time and at a much greater scale than was possible before. Now we’re in the midst of another sea change. Since the beginning of 2021, the API has been undergoing a complete overhaul from the ground up, a change that, once completed, will leave us with a totally different architecture that is more flexible and capable of much quicker iteration. This means, in all likelihood, that Google My Business as it is used by partners and the businesses who work with them will be able to move faster to fix issues and release new features.

Why Are We Still Talking About Bias in AI?

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Rather than delegating AI ethics to one specific team, ethics should be part of everything your organization does. A data ethics business foundation can help keep businesses accountable and encourage their employees to recognize inequities and act on them in real-time.

Latest Posts

5 Reasons Direct-to-Consumer Marketers Should Invest in CTV and OTT

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There’s never been a better time to make the move to CTV/OTT. Regardless of the path you choose, as audiences increasingly turn their attention to streaming media, DTC brands can’t afford to get left behind. Allocating some budget for CTV/OTT in the coming year is a smart investment that will put your brand ahead of the competition and in front of active, engaged audiences.

3 Cutting-Edge Trends in Digital Advertising

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Many firms claim to propose an ad model that no other company can replicate, but trends are emerging among the “next-generation” advertising technologies. Three of those trends include context becoming a layer of all advertising, real-time updates to messaging, and interactivity driving engagement.

Marketers Focus on Buyer Intent Data as Privacy Undermines Targeting

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But firms, such as LinkedIn, G2, Qualified, and 6Sense, are rolling out and testing solutions to fill the gaps in B2B targeting. Gartner found prospects spend 50% of their time getting information from third-party sources, and sales teams can use buyer intent signals to learn about that activity and act on it. Here’s what four industry leaders from the aforementioned companies have to say about taking advantage of B2B marketing opportunities.

Clinch Launches Dynamic Circular Ads for Connected TV

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Clinch, an omnichannel AI-powered personalization platform, launched Thursday morning a hyperpersonalized advertising product that brands can use to convert offline and app-based promotions to digital, social, video, and connected TV. The ad format allows for real-time personalization and contextual optimization in CTV ads.

LBMA: Digital Envoy Acquiring Location Sciences

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In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Digital Envoy acquiring Location Sciences, Campbells Soup and Universal Music’s QR code experiences, Stirista launching their Crosswalk geo-attribution platform, and Text Request launching location tracking by SMS.

Privacy-First Mobile Marketing in 4 Steps

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Developing a privacy-first strategy is not only about getting creative in how you message or target; it’s also about being creative in how you find your audience and evaluate your campaigns. Data and audience building is key, and investing in gaining more control of your audience and measurement data will be the best way to succeed.

Text Marketing Delivers Massive Lift for Restaurants in 2021

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New data from the customer relationship management platform Mobivity shows that text message marketing subscribers visit businesses 44% more frequently than non-subscribers, and once a consumer joins a restaurant’s text messaging program, the guest’s spend increases by 23%. Measured over six months, a single text subscriber can be valued at $12.15 on average in incremental revenue.

Unpacking Holiday Trends: What Retailers Need to Know

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Although the forecast is relatively rosy, retailers are competing for every dollar. Many are taking a more strategic approach to capitalize on pent-up shopping energy than they did last year. Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from the 2021 holiday season, including best practices for maximizing sales.

Buy Now, Pay Later BNPL

BNPL Firms Spend Big in Battle for Market Share

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Digital ad spend from Affirm, Klarna, AfterPay, and PayPal as a collective group increased by 130% in the past year, totalling more than $52 million, according to new research by the advertising intelligence firm MediaRadar.

Digital Ads Are Getting Much More Expensive as E-Commerce Booms

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The cost of digital advertising has skyrocketed over the past 18 months, climbing along with e-commerce spending. That’s according to a report by digital marketing firm Merkle.