News and Analysis
How AI May Win Prime Days in 2025
When Amazon launched its Prime Days concept, it was a true novelty. After all, who doesn’t want deals, especially those that come up unexpectedly? This year, Amazon has expanded Prime Days to four full days (July 8th to 11th) and has already begun spending on pre-promotion awareness ads. Amazon spends approximately $20B on advertising annually, […]
B-to-B Takes on Cannes
Cannes Lions claims to be the world’s largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry. Agencies, CPG brands, and related companies have long made the trip to France to connect, accept awards, party, and (of course) brag on social media that they attended. This year, we saw many B-to-B companies cross the Atlantic to […]
The Rise of Partner-Led Marketing
Impact.com is a commerce partnership management platform that is increasingly bullish on partner-led marketing, which is the development of communities around brands to drive revenue. Best Buy is a notable success in this endeavor for Impact.com but the platform also welcomed 700 new clients to its customer portfolio, including New Balance, Hydrojug, and Monzo. Globally, […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Evolution of Search, Social Platforms and Links
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the AI driven evolution of search and explores the potential that social platforms are restricting the reach of posts with links. AI and the Evolution of Search The News Semrush, in partnership with Statista, has released a comprehensive report on the role of generative AI in th […]
How Retail Media and Performance Media are Shaping the Future of Brand Strategy
Shifting consumer behavior is driving a profound shift in how brands approach their marketing strategies. The once distinct silos of retail and performance media are no longer functioning as separate components of a brand’s advertising toolkit. Instead, they are converging into a unified framework that reflects the complex, nonlinear shopping journey of today’s consumer. This […]
Streets Ahead: Bluesky Soars and Google Expands
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the mass exodus from X to Bluesky and Google expanding its “Nearby Offers and Events” feature. Bluesky Usage Soars Amid Exodus from X The News In the aftermath of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Bluesky, a two-year-old decentralized social media platform, has seen a dramatic rise in user […]
Latest Posts
Streets Ahead: TikTok Past the Ban, Global AI Adoption
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the current status of TikTok and global AI adoption trends TikTok Past the Ban The News TikTok went offline for U.S. users on the evening of Saturday, January 18, shortly before a 2024 law’s deadline took effect on Sunday. Sixteen hours later, on the morning of January […]
Screenverse President Assesses the RMN, DOOH, Programmatic Landscape
Adam Malone, co-Founder and President of Screenverse, predicts that retailers will all want to own and operate their own ad networks. Outside of the top 5-8 retailers, however, the vast majority of retailers would be best served teaming up and supporting third-party networks. This scenario may not become a reality in 2025, but Malone says […]
The Last 2025 Predictions Article You Need to Read
Admit it… We’re all getting a little tired of seeing the “Greatest Hits & Stats of 2024” and the “Predictions for 2025” articles that are proliferating throughout the media. And, most of us are now scrolling and scanning rather than spending massive amounts of time reading and ruminating. So here, in snackable form, is the […]
Beyond Burgers & Fries: 10 Fast Food Trends for 2025
Fast food and fast casual dining are massive categories within the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Although they are related, fast casual dining usually entails sit-down service and more menu options, whereas fast food usually entails a smaller list of choices and different ambiance. Options for hamburgers, pizza, wings, tacos, and other “grab and go” foods exist […]
Global Brands, Local Strategies: How Retail Media is Catering to Diverse Markets
As performance media and retail media converge, advertisers stand at a pivotal juncture to redefine consumer engagement within an increasingly complex shopping ecosystem. This convergence underscores the critical balance between maintaining a global brand identity and achieving regional relevance, highlighting the necessity for strategic collaboration between local and global teams. Breaking Down Silos: Redefining a […]
Let’s Get Phygital in 2025
Phygital is hardly a new word. The term was first coined in 2007 by Chris Weil, former chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. Like many concepts, many marketing professionals take credit for coming up with the term, but ownership doesn’t matter here. What’s meaningful is that the term is having a huge resurgence — almost […]
TikTok & the Future of Social Media Marketing
As the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to uphold the “divest or die” congressional act looms large over TikTok, the app’s fate in the United States remains uncertain. This past weekend marked a whirlwind of developments: the app went dark on Saturday, only to reemerge on Sunday after President Trump announced his intention to issue an […]
Scaling MULO Social Media Management
Managing social media for franchises presents a lucrative opportunity for agencies and franchise brand managers. However, scaling and maintaining consistency across multiple locations can seem daunting. Fortunately, the right tools and strategies can simplify the management of franchise social media accounts, ensuring consistency and local customization. The Challenges of Franchise Social Media Management Businesses face […]
Navigating the US TikTok Ban: Strategic Insights for CMOs and Agency Executives
As the January 19th deadline for the US TikTok ban approaches, the marketing world is abuzz with speculation and urgency. With news breaking that TikTok may shut down its app entirely in the US and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the proposed ban, brands are left scrambling to adjust their social media strategies. For […]
Kevel and Vantage Partner to Scale Retail Media
Kevel, the leading provider of API-based ad-serving technology, announced it had partnered with Vantage, the Orchestration Layer for Retail Media™, to streamline operations and empower retailers to create high-performing media networks. Kevel is known for its highly customizable ad-serving technology, which allows retailers to build and manage bespoke retail media networks powered by first-party data. […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Streets Ahead: ChatGPT, AI-Generated meta descriptions and AI Mode