News and Analysis
10 Design Offers Four MULO Design Principles for Brick-and-Mortar
10 Design is an architectural design firm that has created retail spaces (and mixed-use complexes) globally. 10 Design asserts, “Brick and mortar retail isn’t dying. It’s evolving. The most successful retail spaces today merge commerce, culture, and community, turning shopping into an immersive experience.” That principle can be applied to MULO (multi-location) retail design in […]
A BOOM and a BUST: Harry & David & Hooters
Openings, expansions, and bankruptcies are standard fare in the MULO (multi-location) retail and restaurant space. This month, we saw one significant opening and one bankruptcy declaration in the MULO ecosystem. Harry & David recently announced they are getting back into the retail game. This 91-year-old seller of gift baskets and gourmet food items shuttered most of its […]
Aquarium Ad Is a 3D Fish Out of Water
First its ads had a Super Bowl presence earlier this year. Now the Georgia Aquarium is going big in out-of-home. A creative campaign by Doe-Anderson, an agency in Kentucky, launched two executions in Atlanta to let the locals know they have one of the country’s great aquariums right in their backyard. If you find yourself […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Meta’s Threads and Instagram Video Quality
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the continued growth of the Meta’s Threads platform and the Instagram move to adjust video quality based on popularity Threads Rapid Rise: 275M Users and Counting The News Meta’s Threads app, emerging as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter), has rapidly grown, now boasting 275 million monthly […]
From Pumpkin Spice to Prime Days: The Erosion of the Traditional Shopping Calendar
For years, shopping seasons were predictable. Black Friday, Back to School, and the holiday season provided distinct markers for consumers and retailers alike. Today, these events have blurred, creating an “always-on” shopping environment. Seasonal promotions now begin months ahead – Pumpkin Spice Lattes in August, Christmas decorations in September, and multiple annual Prime Days. This […]
Streets Ahead: ChatGPT and the Rise of AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the newly launched search feature in ChatGPT and the rise of AI Overviews for Google local search results. OpenAI’s New Search Feature Transforms ChatGPT The News OpenAI has introduced a new feature that brings real-time web search capabilities to ChatGPT, marking a significant upgrade from its previous reliance […]
Latest Posts
GumGum’s Grimace: The Ads that Stole Christmas
Forget privacy issues. Re-targeted ads are in cahoots with the Grinch, stealing the joy of surprise from Christmas. Nobody can be blamed when opening up a gift and thinking, “Now where have I seen that before? Oh yes, ads for it were sprayed across all my social-media accounts and everywhere I went on the Web.” […]
BUST: The Party is Over for Party City
Although we’d love to keep things festive and bright this holiday season and report just on future trends and greatest hits of 2024, the sad reality is that some retailers can’t keep the lights on. According to CNN, Party City is the latest retailer to announce that it is closing all its stores and going […]
Streets Ahead: Tiktok to Supreme Court, ChatGPT Search Sources
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses TikTok taking its battle to the Supreme Court and the sources that support ChatGPT in the search landscape TikTok Appeals to Supreme Court in Fight Against Ban The News TikTok is taking its battle to the Supreme Court following the passage of a U.S. law requiring its […]
ARound Uses AR To Bring Live Events to Life
Imagine sitting in a stadium, watching your favorite sports team compete when suddenly the whole place is transformed into an Alaskan wilderness. That actually happened during a Rams game in SoFi Stadium earlier in the fall when ARound created one of its shared experiences. The augmented reality company owned by Stagwell, combines broadcast and mobile […]
MULO + HYLOMOS = Local Search Grows Up
Street Fight coined two terms, MULO and HYLOMOS, that will significantly impact the retail, restaurant, service, and other industries in 2025 and beyond. MULO stands for multi-location. They could be brands with thousands of storefronts worldwide, home services businesses like those managed by Neighborly, or even a small one-location company with franchise plans. HYLOMOS is […]
Identify Relevant News Outlets and Publications
When brands engage with PR, they typically look for more than just media exposure. Their goal is to secure meaningful media exposure that boosts their brand authority. PR is only valuable if it gets a brand’s story in outlets and publications that connect with its target audience. To help their clients reach that goal, publicists […]
Sick of MFA sites? Protect Your Brand and Ad Dollars
Ever since the ANA put real numbers around the scope of the problem with “made-for-advertising” or MFA sites, advertisers have been up in arms—and understandably so. The idea that these essentially worthless ad placements represent 21 percent of impressions and 15 percent of overall ad spend is unacceptable. And yet our industry has accepted it—and […]
Spend Wisely in 2025! Perspectives from Four MULO Leaders
MULO (multi-location) brands have more marketing investment options than ever. Conventional versus digital, national versus local, influencers versus professional content creators, OOH versus everything else—the list goes on and on. The old-school media buyer has been replaced by AI-powered analytics, which enable marketers to shift spending at the blink of an eye or the click […]
Social Media: The Missing Puzzle Piece for Performance Media Success
Brand loyalty has evolved into a cornerstone of sustained success, rooted in emotional connections, trust and shared values rather than just prices or products. Loyal customers do more than return—they advocate, creating ripple effects that amplify a brand’s reach and resonance. In the commerce media, social media has become a pivotal tool for addressing gaps […]
Streets Ahead: Tiktok Ban Looming, Trial Reels
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the looming TikTok ban and the Instagram roll out of Trial Reels. TikTok Ban Looming The News The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled on Friday in favor of the government, affirming that TikTok must divest from its parent company, ByteDance, by January […]
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