News and Analysis
Basis and Mediaocean Aim to Automate the Full Media Lifecycle
In an advertising ecosystem increasingly defined by fragmentation, operational complexity, and rising pressure for accountability, automation has moved from incremental improvement to strategic necessity. That shift is at the heart of a new integration partnership between Basis and Mediaocean, which together are seeking to automate the entire media lifecycle , from planning and activation through […]
Think National, Speak Local: Why Content Localization Drives Brand Trust
Brands earn attention when they sound like they belong. For national organizations, that sense of belonging doesn’t happen by accident. Content localization is the bridge between a big brand promise and a personal, community-level connection. It’s how a national healthcare message resonates in a small-town clinic, or how a nonprofit mission becomes a topic of […]
Turning Reviews Into Intelligence: How Agencies Can Unlock Multi-Location Insights
For agencies managing multi-location businesses, reviews are no longer just a ranking factor or a measure of reputation. In today’s AI-driven local search ecosystem, reviews have evolved into a rich source of actionable intelligence — a tool that agencies can use to uncover operational issues, inform marketing strategies, and fine-tune brand messaging across locations. Treating […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Google AI Mode , OpenAI & Commerce, TikTok
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google expanding AI Mode from search to transactions, OpenAI pushing into commerce and clarity around TikTok in the U.S. Google Expands AI Mode from Search to Transactions The News Google is extending the capabilities of its AI Mode with two experimental features designed to push conversational search […]
Beyond Search: AI Visibility the New Growth Lever for MULO Brands
For years, agencies have measured local search success with a simple formula: check Google Maps and Search rankings, optimize, repeat. However, the rise of AI-driven search experiences, including Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, and of course standalone tools like ChatGPT, has fractured what “local visibility” means, with AI visibility creating both a challenge and […]
Beyond Likes: Win Hearts with Emotional Marketing
I’ve been in the marketing game for a while, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that data is king. We track clicks, opens, conversions, and a million other metrics. But what if the most important metric isn’t something you can easily count? What if the result of emotional marketing is a feeling? We’re […]
Latest Posts
Nick Dan-Bergman: Taking Flight in the New Agency & Franchise World
In the weeks leading up to Street Fight LIVE 2025, we’ll be getting up close and personal with some of our speakers, encouraging them to share stories of how they found themselves in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Nick Dan-Bergman, CMO of agency LT(Lane Terralever), will be joining us to discuss everything franchise-related and sharing the […]
Survey: Marketers Lean-In to Personalization, Performance
We’re well into H2, and omnichannel ad platform Mediaocean has released its 2025 H2 Market Report, a compilation of responses from a global survey of hundreds of marketing professionals. It looks like experimentation is out, and execution is in when it comes to using AI, advertising on CTV, and verifying identity as the foundations of […]
MULO Brands With Soul August Pick: Raising Cane’s
A “one love” philosophy may sound more like Woodstock, Burning Man, or a spiritual retreat than a MULO (multi-location) food brand with more than 900 locations. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has become known for its corporate culture, which emphasizes the importance of respect, community, teamwork, and having fun as part of every employee’s daily experience […]
From Data to Dachshunds: Meet Elizabeth Lafontaine of Placer.ai
In the weeks leading up to Street Fight LIVE 2025, we’ll be getting up close and personal with some of our speakers, encouraging them to share stories of how they found themselves in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Elizabeth Lafontaine is the Director of Research at Placer.ai and will share the latest insights on consumer trends, including […]
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google enabling direct business chat in Maps & Search and Instagram unveiling retention insights for Reels Google Brings Chat to Maps The News Google has rolled out its Chat feature within Google Maps, giving users a direct way to message businesses via text or WhatsApp. Customers can […]
Ryan Serhant Update: Disrupting the MULO Real Estate World
We interviewed Ryan Serhant a couple of years ago, when he introduced the concept of a “real estate broker office as content creator studio.” His vision appears to be gaining momentum as Serhant expands into new markets. Serhant is also upping the talent game in a legacy industry by recruiting the best property “influencers” with […]
Swiftly’s Campaign Studio Can Empower Local Grocers
When ad historians look back on the evolution of DOOH advertising, they may well say of the present time, “self-service was the rage.” (Apologies to Anatole Broyard.) And just as Broyard opened a used book store in Greenwich Village in the 1940’s and got to know his clientele very well, so too do local grocers […]
Cracker Barrel: The Rebrand That is Anything But Stale!
The MULO (multi-location) restaurant ecosystem and the marketing agencies that support it have been abuzz and aghast over the past week. Cracker Barrel has about 700 locations in 44 states, but the number of opinions on their new logo and store design outweighs those numbers. And many have been less than favorable on the rebrand. […]
The Road Ahead: What Autonomous Cars Teach Us About Marketing Automation
The race toward fully autonomous cars fascinates me—not just for what it means for transportation, but for the lessons it offers those of us navigating the shifting lanes of marketing automation. Both fields are being reshaped by artificial intelligence. Both promise more efficiency and precision. And both, at their core, remind us that technology shines […]
Streets Ahead: Google’s Big Cleanup, New Profile Signals, and the Page Every Business Needs for AI Search
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google’s Knowledge Graph purge, new user-confirmed attributes in business profiles, and how a “Why Choose Us” page can help your business stand out in AI search. Google Purges 3 Billion Knowledge Graph Entities The News Google has reportedly removed about 3 billion entities from its Knowledge Graph […]
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