News and Analysis

4 Bites of the CosMc’s Launch

Trade and consumer media was buzzing last week with news of the new brand launched by 68-year-old McDonald’s. This new beverage brand, CosMc’s, (that also serves a limited food menu) declares on its website: “At CosMc’s, you’ll find exactly what you need to take you to your happy place. And you’ll feel rejuvenated by more […]

Retail 2024: What's Hot?

Retail 2024: What’s Hot?

It’s that time of year. The predictions for the next 365 days have started popping up throughout business and consumer media. But what about retail? We’ve seen some major retailers file for bankruptcy this year. Many of them have been covered in the BOOM & BUST series in Street Fight and we’ll continue to analyze these […]

Perion Network Completes Strategic Acquisition of Hivestack, Elevating DOOH

Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: PERI) recently finalized its acquisition of Hivestack Inc., a prominent player in the programmatic Digital Out of Home (DOOH) space. Tal Jacobson, CEO of Perion, provided Street Fight with insights into the strategic move and its implications for the company’s growth trajectory. DOOH advertising transforms public spaces into experiences, […]

Commentary

Google’s Latest Privacy Play Has Big Implications for the Open Web

Broadening Local: Expert Roundup

A trio of local search experts expound on the latest in the industry. Claire Carlile proposes Google My Business as a CMS and covers how businesses should approach the channel; Miriam Ellis explores the increasingly blurred lines between different categories of sites and businesses; and Damian Rollison delineates the major trends shaping the trajectory of local search, especially on Google.

How Consumers Feel About First-Party Data

More than 90% of marketers believe leveraging first-party data to better understand their customers is critical to growth. But how do consumers feel about sharing their personal information — which is how marketers capture first-party data?

Now’s Not The Time To Cut Back On Marketing. Here’s What To Do Instead

Businesses that withdraw from marketplace visibility have a much harder time, and find it far more expensive in the long run, to regain customers once they start re-engaging, with market share declining even after they resume advertising. So, while cutting back marketing spend can help address some short-term bottom-line issues, it will create significant challenges to long-term sustainability.

Latest Posts

Personalization is Transforming as Privacy Forces a Consumer Data Drought

Facebook’s strategy change points to a much broader shift in digital marketing. The disappearance of third-party cookies and mobile IDs — and the granular customer data they supply — is forcing businesses to rethink how to ‘personalize’ marketing strategies. Facebook’s strategy suggests the future of personalization in marketing could hinge more on customer experience and less on ads.

Merchants React to New Data Theft Concerns

As more digital marketing and customer management solutions come online, security breaches are happening with increasing frequency. The threat is becoming a real issue for merchants, who are now faced with growing concerns among consumers and tightened privacy restrictions from government controllers.

Fintech Startup Fast Changes How and Where Customers Shop

Fast’s payment button processes orders in seconds and, in the two-and-a-half years it’s been around, the company has secured $124.5 million in funding.

Tools to Address Labor Shortages

LBMA: Smart Shopping Carts and DOOH Measurement

In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Facebook rolling out birthday gifting, India’s Neareo releasing a suite of tools for digital engagement, Talon and MadHive partnering to link DOOH and OTT audiences, and Singapore’s Cellarbration using government digital IDs to verify alcohol purchases from vending machines.

Sales Tech Fuels Frictionless Customer Experiences

Sales tech took a leap forward during the pandemic. Sales teams needed new ways to communicate, both with their coworkers and with customers, who were accessing digital channels at unprecedented volume. Sales tech emerged to meet the market need, helping sales reps manage customer relationships, provide more personalized customer experiences, and coordinate with their colleagues.

How to Strike a Balance Between Personalization and Privacy in Marketing

So, how does one strike the perfect balance between personalization and privacy in terms of marketing? On the path to personalization, there are a couple of key things that businesses should focus on.

Google Local Search Trends II: Verticalization

This is the second in a series of four articles covering the themes behind many of Google’s recent local search feature releases and interface updates. In the first installment, I discussed Google’s increasingly personalized or customized search results, marked by content pulled from GMB profiles, the business website, and Google users, and matched to specific queries so that each SERP is unique. In this second installment, I’ll be talking too about interfaces that differ according to what you’re searching for, but in this case the differences are verticalized.

QR Code

Could QR Code Menus Pose a Risk to Merchants?

Tableside QR codes have nearly eradicated germy menus, but they may have opened the door to a new threat that businesses didn’t see coming: data fraud.

How Not to Grow Your Brand’s Social Following

While establishing your brand across multiple social media platforms is an investment, in both time and resources, it’s typically at a lower cost than almost all other marketing tactics. The key to success, of course, is to use it correctly. Social media cannot and should not be an afterthought: To realize the full value of this game-changing tool, companies should make it a priority—and stay active.

Convenience Stores Adapt Marketing Efforts for EV Era

The market for electric vehicles is growing steadily, with automakers like Tesla, Ford, and VW helping to boost demand across much of the country. As consumer habits in the auto industry evolve, and the share of fossil fuel-powered cars on the road decreases, gas stations and convenience stores are adapting their marketing strategies for a new electric-first future.