News and Analysis
Measuring the Return on SEO: ROSS and the Future of Organic Search
There’s an irony at the heart of organic search. For users, searching is one of the most natural, rapid, and reliable digital experiences one can have. You ask questions and expect the best answers in return—instantly. For users, a search could not be simpler. For brands, however, it’s been a little more complicated. Historically, it’s […]
Samba TV : Voters Becoming Harder to Reach with Political Advertising
A recently released report from Samba TV and global research firm HarrisX predicts that voting blocks in the Gen Z and Millennials cohorts will be very hard to reach with political advertising next year. The Guide to Political Advertising: 2024 Report, the culmination of an analysis from a survey and proprietary data from Samba TV, […]
Steak & Ale Makes a Brand Comeback
We’ve written before about “nostalgia” brands and those franchise businesses that have survived 50+ years. Steak & Ale would seem to fit right in there. Steakhouses are alive and well despite the surge in plant-based dining! So we weren’t totally shocked that Steak & Ale, a business created in 1966, is priming (pun intended) for […]
Commentary
LBMA: Appen’s Acquisition of Quadrant
In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Avondale Park District putting Amazon lockers in parks, Oscar Meyer hitting the road with Lyft, FedEx leveraging sensors for last mile vaccine distribution, and Appen acquiring Quadrant in location data merger.
Why Marketing Is Here to Stay — Headed by CMOs or Not
While some high-profile companies that eliminated the CMO role delegated the responsibilities to the division level and/or divided oversight among other company leaders at the corporate level, all of these functions remain vital to business success. Someone still has to be making the decisions, and someone still has to be responsible for marketing performance, regardless of title.
How Tech-Enabled H2H Can Boost Hyperlocal Marketing
Marketers do not need to see H2H as at odds with data-driven advertising. Marketers can leverage tech to activate brand ambassadors in target communities, foster local connections, scale to multiple trade areas, and collect data on the back end that allows for customer relationship management and marketing measurement. This is H2H marketing for the digital world, and it’s better than retargeting without a human touch and human touch with no data to back it up.
Latest Posts
Are Brand Ambassadors Replacing Influencers Post-Pandemic?
The everyday consumer tends to first seek out friends/family and niche influencers (or brand ambassadors) for recommendations rather than celebrity influencers. An ambassador is product-oriented, commission-driven, and incentivized to sell products, rather than being paid per post conditional upon the number of followers they have like an influencer. Being commission-driven, ambassadors will usually get into the nitty-gritty about the product, spelling out why they love it, tips on styling, etc.
Apple’s Long View of Data Privacy: Revisiting Jobs in 2010
But what is the source of Apple’s self-interest, which drives its approach to privacy? I want to suggest that it’s not just a short-sighted opportunity to one-up Facebook and rival smartphone maker Google. Unlike the vast majority of tech companies recently touting new approaches to privacy, Apple isn’t new to this party.
6 Omnichannel Ad Buying Platforms for Brands
With much of the $664 billion advertising market in flux, there’s a renewed focus on omnichannel platforms that use integrated workflows to improve efficiencies and reduce redundant work. This next generation of ad buying solutions takes into account disparate channels and audiences, enabling brand marketers to automate and optimize campaigns across ecosystems.
Marketers, We Need More Accurate Attribution Modeling
In order to produce accurate attribution models, data must be combined, centralized, clean, valid, and recent. Brands that compile customer data from all channels and assemble the tech that produces multi-faceted views of customer journeys will have a competitive advantage. AI-driven modeling is possible with the right data tools in place.
6 QR Code Ordering Solutions for Restaurants
QR codes are finding new life as businesses adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Consumers seeking out touchless payment opportunities and businesses wanting the ability to integrate more tools for tracking and analytics are embracing the technology with a level of enthusiasm we haven’t seen before.
Enriching First-Party Data to Remove Marketing ‘Blind Spots’
More advertisers are taking control of their media spend, and they’re looking for better ways to have direct involvement in the use of first-party data to improve ad performance. Those are just a few of the findings in a new report by Kantar looking at the latest behaviors, attitudes, and trends in the digital advertising space.
Street Fight’s August Theme: Doubling Down on Data
When we ask ourselves which way those winds are blowing, the clear answer this month is heightened attention to the evolution of consumer data. That’s right, we’re doubling down on last month’s theme. This happens every once in a while when topics are weighty enough. We did the same mid-pandemic regarding Covid’s impact on local commerce.
The Undeniable Drive of Diana Lee and Constellation Agency
Constellation Agency CEO and co-founder Diana Lee immigrated to the US at five and endured a rough-and-tumble childhood, watching her parents get robbed repeatedly. But to the extent that anyone can, Lee has beaten insecurity, economic and affective. She is at the helm of an advertising technology company that, while remaining self-funded, has outgrown its offices numerous times, catapulted to more than 100 employees, and is on track to report $45 million in revenue this year.
The Next Era of Data Intelligence: Privacy by Design
While people seem to be increasingly aware of the problem posed by surveillance-based advertising, the demand for customized experiences has not decreased. But how are brands supposed to get to know their consumers and create customized experiences without access to data?
Expert Roundup: Data-Driven Advertising’s New Playbook
Experts from StitcherAds, AdColony, VRTCAL, ENGINE, and Placements.io weigh in on the future of data-driven advertising as privacy changes accrue. In particular, the crew discusses the resurgence of contextual ads and the intersection between privacy and antitrust issues.


















































Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem