News and Analysis
WeFranch Hits the Road in 2025 With a Team of Franchise “Stars”
The franchise space has become more complex and dynamic in recent years. A key part of the MULO (multi-location) landscape, it has its own subject matter experts, consultants, ecosystem, investors, and owners. One of the topics we’ll be delving into at Street Fight LIVE 2025 is the ever-evolving role of franchisors and franchisees in scaling, […]
Places Scout Acquired: Yext’s AI-Driven Future
Yext is rapidly redefining digital presence management through a strategic combination of AI-driven automation, competitive intelligence, and omnichannel customer engagement. The company’s latest acquisition of Places Scout, alongside its earlier purchase of Hearsay Systems and the launch of AI Review Generation, solidifies its position as a leader in helping multi-location businesses optimize visibility, outperform competitors, […]
Monday Morning Quarterbacking: Super Bowl Ad Review
If we didn’t do our gameplay replay of Super Bowl ad trends, we would be derelict as business media covering the media landscape. At $7-8M for a 30-second spot, big brands (and well-funded scaling brands) continue investing in this aspect of their media mixes. That’s a hefty spend, and unless it’s tied to other media […]
Commentary
What’s Old was New at This Year’s Upfronts
This year’s Upfronts mirrored the changes taking place in the industry as there was a greater focus on streamers, with Netflix, Amazon and YouTube dominating headlines and generating more buzz than their broadcast and cable counterparts. Despite the industry’s desire to embrace new technologies and fully enter the streaming era, progress from years past appears […]
Streets Ahead: Google DOJ Ruling and Google’s Search Dominance
In this week’s Streets Ahead update from SOCi, we learn about the Google DOJ ruling and AI’s effect on Google’s search dominance Google Ruled a Monopoly in DOJ Case In a 2020 lawsuit, the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general accused Google of maintaining a monopoly, leading to a ruling by federal judge […]
The Cookie Crumbled: Deprecation is Out, First-Party Data is (Still) In
While Google backed of its cookie deprecation plans, now is not the time for brands to become complacent. Smart marketers continue to prioritize third-party cookie alternatives to effectively and efficiently reach their audiences—and future-proof their targeting strategies, which are still likely to be impacted by privacy changes and signal loss. Google users will soon have […]
Latest Posts
Who Says Chickens Can’t Fly? Raising Cane’s is Soaring (BOOM)
Why did the chicken cross the road to Cancun? To meet with Raising Cane’s 3,000 team members to present the plan for the future! Raising Cane’s is a multi-billion-dollar brand with over 800 locations. Founded in 1996, the company’s sales have been on the upswing. The brand gathered its team in Mexico to present its […]
Brand Building or Performance Marketing? Why Multi-Location Brands Must Invest in Both
Brands have long grappled with the decision of how to allocate marketing dollars across brand building and performance marketing. Building sustainable brand awareness and a strong reputation requires a long-term investment with tough-to-measure results. Performance marketing delivers more immediate local leads and sales. It’s easy to see why many brands overinvest in performance marketing at […]
Content Creators are Upping Their Game
When we hear “content creators” and “influencers” we may think primarily about people unboxing new products, waxing poetic about their cosmetics, sharing branded recipes, or merely dancing on TikTok. Many of these people are “citizen marketers” who promote products for a paycheck. However, another group of content creators focuses on developing more in-depth content that […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 1: Megan Harbold Predicts the Spending Future
We recently announced that because the holidays are a huge and complex spending season for MULO (multi-location) brands we are reaching out to industry leaders for their predictions about holidays 2024. Our first perspective is from a company with a broad and deep understanding of spending data and today’s marketing strategies and tactics. Skai VP […]
Multi-family Housing: The Brand Experience Part 1
We met Jennifer Carter, VP of Marketing of the Multifamily Media Network, at the Blueprint conference, where commercial and residential real estate businesses shared their perspectives about the multi-family industry’s future and the marketing and technologies behind it. As we spoke with Carter, we realized that multi-family homes (e.g., apartment complexes, condos, co-ops, and mixed-used […]
Why Purpose-Built Marketplaces Matter for Marketers
Today’s digital landscape is brimming with buzzwords like “full-funnel campaigns,” “omnichannel,” “data-driven,” “personalization,” and more. These concepts promote the idea that marketers can achieve all their goals with a single, unified approach. However, while these ideas sound appealing, the reality is that one-size-fits-all solutions often fall short, especially when it comes to achieving distinct objectives […]
Wings, Breasts, and Betting: The Evolution of the Sports Bar
Technology is having an impact on ALL types of MULO (multi-location) businesses. With football season upon us, thousands of people are flocking to the ubiquitous sports bar to watch their favorite teams, interact with fellow fans, drink beer, spiked seltzer, and Bloody Marys (in the case of early games), and cheer and boo (all while posting on […]
Streets Ahead: Facebook Local Tab, DOJ Weighs Google Breakup
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi looks at Facebook’s new local tab as well as the DOJ recent recommendations that may lead to the breakup of Google. Facebook Unveils Local Tab in Youth-Focused App Redesign The News Facebook has introduced a major app redesign, described by Social Media Today as a “youth-focused refresh.” This update […]
Shots & Snacks: New Placer.ai Study Reveals How Health Clinics Help Grocers
The concept of stores within stores is nothing new. Sephora has a deal with Kohls. Athleisure stores now often feature workout classes. And Tommy Bahama is both a retailer and an island bar and restaurant. Now, a new study by Placer.ai reveals that placing health clinics within a grocers store can significantly impact traffic and […]
Resonate Knows Who the Next President Is
The effects of a dock strike (averted for now) could have been one of those situations that changes the course of a presidential election. In 2016, then FBI Director James Comey investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of her personal email system in her role as Secretary of State. It was a major factor in swinging the […]
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