News and Analysis

Billionaire Steve Kuhn Finds New Use for Empty Retail Spaces

Billionaire Steve Kuhn Finds New Use for Empty Retail Spaces

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What’s that new use? You guessed it…pickleball!  But financier and Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn called his new multi-location brand Picklemall. Taking full advantage of large empty spaces in shopping malls, the company will launch its first indoor pickleball concept in Arizona Mills in Tempe in July 2023. It expects to open 50 locations […]

Amperity Getting Ahead of Cookieless Targeting

Amperity Getting Ahead of Cookieless Targeting

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Google’s plan to eradicate the third-party cookie is still on track for 2024, but it is starting slowly, turning off just 1% of these tracking pieces of code in Chrome in Q1. Other companies are already taking similar steps to wean their measurement systems to prepare for cookieless targeting, and Amperity is no exception. The […]

Omnichannel Media Strategy: the Power of DOOH

The Power of DOOH in an Omnichannel Media Strategy

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To the layperson, out-of-home advertising means nothing but billboards that litter the landscape and ads on taxi tops or elsewhere that their eyes randomly scan. Even some sectors of the marketing industry do not give much thought to DOOH advertising or digital-out-of-home advertising. But these media channels are much more strategic and powerful than many […]

Commentary

Predictions Roundup: Organic Search and Cookie Deprecation

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Experts assess changes to local search and location marketing in the wake of Google search updates, privacy changes, and cookie depreciation.

Digital Advertising’s Big Moves in 2021

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2020 was a challenging year for digital advertising, and there’s no reason to think 2021 won’t be as well. The industry is facing several issues, including privacy and cookies, ad tech dominance and ad fraud. And they’re all coming to a head now. With that in mind, here are five big moves I anticipate this […]

5 Digital Transformation Steps for Retailers in 2021

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Retailers need to prioritize digital transformation. They should focus on omnichannel acceleration, inventory transparency, and customer communication.

Latest Posts

Contactless Convenience Is the Next Normal

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SYKES for FinTech recently conducted a survey to assess new consumer trends and discover how Americans view the next normal. SYKES polled 3,000 adults about their experiences with contactless financial technology (FinTech), like mobile banking, as well as touch-free purchasing, curbside pickup, delivery services, and other contactless customer experiences. The survey responses offer insights into the marketplace of tomorrow.  

Yes, Brands Can Boycott Facebook — and Still Work with Influencers

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While you want to be safe, pausing your Influencer campaign altogether right now might not be the right move. Yes, even if you are boycotting Facebook, you can still work with Influencers. 

In fact, brands need to work with influencers in order to maintain a social and online presence and remain top of mind for consumers. This is especially critical now as mobile and social media consumption is up and online shopping is increasing, while budgets are up in the air and the election year crowds the marketplace.

Street Fight’s August Theme: The Next Normal

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As we roll into August, it’s time to establish Street Fight’s monthly editorial focus. After our standard ritual (no animals harmed), we’ve settled on “The Next Normal.” Forced to adopt new technologies just to survive, some local businesses have experienced a decade of evolution in just a few months.

So the question is, how will newly elevated local businesses transform the local commerce landscape? If a large share of the local business universe has raised its game, what will be the new “bar” in local media, advertising, and commerce? How should tech providers adjust to new demand signals?

food

Location Weekly: Walmart’s Grocery Partnership with Yahoo Mail

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In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Walmart partnering to let people buy groceries through Yahoo Mail, Iceland’s Airport using sensors and AI to streamline passenger flow, a project between Trident and Instagram that can get you to the Grammy’s, and MUJI taking their products to the mountains.

Ad Tech and Privacy

Why You Need to Build a Data Governance Team Right Now

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In today’s climate in which consumer and regulatory expectations change so quickly, data governance is increasingly becoming a necessary function for all businesses leveraging consumer data.

GDPR, CCPA, and future state and federal privacy laws force brands, agencies, tech vendors, and data providers to either comply or face fines and other legal action. Without a data governance team to operationalize and manage their consumer data assets, they put themselves at extreme risk of losing competitive advantage or of being put out of business altogether.

5 Ways to Use Location-Targeted Ads During a Pandemic

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Savvy brand marketers are finding ways to take advantage of location-targeted advertising to inform consumers about shifting variables such as store hours of operation and social distancing requirements. Despite some apprehension among advertisers worried about seeming to capitalize on a catastrophe, surveys show that consumers are OK with being targeted with ads right now. More than 90% of people surveyed say they think brands should continue advertising during the crisis.

Here are five examples of ways that brands can start using location-targeted advertising to more effectively connect with consumers during the pandemic.

How Advertisers Can Pursue Brand Safety without Avoiding Sensitive News Content

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Advertisers blocking all potentially sensitive content is a raw deal for advertisers and publishers, says Rachel Tuffney, EVP of US operations at Dianomi. Publishers need advertiser support for serious stories. Advertisers need to be able to tell their own stories without avoiding 50% of serious news platform content and without blocking stories that may actually resonate with the brands they want to build.

Tuffney spoke to Street Fight to elucidate the trade-offs on this issue and explain how brands can be safe without blocking all sensitive content. 

Why SMBs Are Flocking to Martech to Combat Covid Slump

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The old way of doing business isn’t working anymore. As restaurants, retailers, and other businesses work to keep customers updated about shifting hours of operation and in-store social distancing requirements, they are opening up to outside-the-box ideas and becoming more comfortable trying location-targeted marketing platforms.

Data show that digital adoption among businesses and consumers jumped forward at least five years in the first eight weeks of the pandemic. Small restaurants and retailers are eagerly adopting the same tools now that they were hesitant to try back in 2019. That push is leading technology providers to expand their offerings and develop new tools for a growing market.

Mediaocean Acquires 4C Insights. What’s Next for Ad Tech?

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The coronavirus pandemic and ensuing recession have forced tech vendors to step up their games and make a stronger case to advertisers as to why their products and services are essential amid tightening budgets. The year of Covid-19 is also fostering a favorable environment for mergers and acquisitions, as solo players team up to emerge stronger on the other side of a stormy season.

Last week, ad tech got a fresh acquisition, as Mediaocean acquired 4C Insights. I checked in with Aaron Goldman, CMO of 4C Insights, to find out what the acquisition portends for the two companies and how it matches up with broader trends in ad tech.

The All But Inevitable Outcome of the Facebook Advertiser Boycott

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The boycott may yet exert some meaningful pressure on Facebook to change its ways, but that outcome is unlikely. This is partly due to the dynamics of the advertising market itself but also to the global scale of Facebook’s business and the essential role end consumers must play in any boycott. It’s worth examining each of these factors in turn.