News and Analysis
MULO Brands With Soul August Pick: Raising Cane’s
A “one love” philosophy may sound more like Woodstock, Burning Man, or a spiritual retreat than a MULO (multi-location) food brand with more than 900 locations. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has become known for its corporate culture, which emphasizes the importance of respect, community, teamwork, and having fun as part of every employee’s daily experience […]
From Data to Dachshunds: Meet Elizabeth Lafontaine of Placer.ai
In the weeks leading up to Street Fight LIVE 2025, we’ll be getting up close and personal with some of our speakers, encouraging them to share stories of how they found themselves in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Elizabeth Lafontaine is the Director of Research at Placer.ai and will share the latest insights on consumer trends, including […]
Ryan Serhant Update: Disrupting the MULO Real Estate World
We interviewed Ryan Serhant a couple of years ago, when he introduced the concept of a “real estate broker office as content creator studio.” His vision appears to be gaining momentum as Serhant expands into new markets. Serhant is also upping the talent game in a legacy industry by recruiting the best property “influencers” with […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Cheeg Sues Google, Terakeet & AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the first major lawsuit against Google’s AI Overviews as well as the Terakeet study highlighting the positive impact of AI Overviews on website traffic. Chegg Sues Google Over AI Overviews, Claims Major Revenue Loss The News Chegg, a well-known education technology company specializing in study resources and […]
A Guide to Scaling Social Media Management for Agencies
As your marketing agency grows, effectively scaling your social media management processes becomes crucial. However, scaling isn’t just about adding more clients—it’s about doing so efficiently while maintaining high-quality service. The key to achieving this? Integrating the right software solutions to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and optimize client management. This guide explores how leveraging technology […]
Streets Ahead: TikTok Returns, Google AI-Powered Q&A
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the return of TikTok and a new AI-powered Google feature for local answers. TikTok Returns to App Stores Amid Uncertainty The News After weeks of being unavailable for new downloads, TikTok is back in Apple and Google app stores. From January 19 until last week, new users […]
Latest Posts
Streets Ahead: Google Business Profile Reverifications and Meta Chatbots
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discuss the issues regarding Google reverifications and explores Meta’s roll out of AI Chatbot features. Google Business Profile Reverifications The News In early March, the SEO community noticed a significant increase in locations requiring reverification on Google Business Profile, prompting many to temporarily halt updates. Last week, Google […]
IHOP & Applebee’s Serve Up Huge News
From hot cakes to happy hour, a new co-branded restaurant in Texas now gives diners a wide range of food options. Applebee’s and IHOP (owned by the same operator) announced this new concept last month. Those who love breakfast for dinner and power-eaters who want to start the day with a Bloody Mary and a […]
8 MULO Ad Trends 2025
The 2025 advertising season kicks off annually with the Super Bowl. Brands spend millions and attempt to out-do each other with cinematic artistry and celebrity appearances. Savvy brands take those trends and enhance them throughout their digital footprints, ensuring that visitors to TikTok, Instagram, and brick-and-mortar stores will notice and, ultimately, pull out their wallets (physical or […]
The Rise of AI Ad Buying Agents: A Marketer’s Perspective
AI-driven ad buying is not new. From Google Ads’ “set-it-and-forget-it” approach to Meta’s dynamic audience targeting, the goal has always been to automate away the tedium of bidding and targeting. But with the more recent advancements in generative AI and deep learning, the promise is morphing into something more expansive: real-time, hyper-personalized ads that match […]
Seedtag’s Contextual AI Seeks to Understand Multi-screen Content
Is multi-screen contextual targeting at a granular level even possible? With Contextual AI, Seedtag aims to make it a reality sooner rather than later. The global contextual advertising company specializes in serving ads across the open web and CTV, which is rapidly expanding its reach but struggles with precision audience targeting. Targeting to broad genre […]
Vistar Media and Western Union Partner Up for DOOH Ecosystem
Vistar Media, the leading global provider of technology solutions for out-of-home (OOH) media, just announced an agreement with Western Union to manage and monetize its growing network of more than 2,200 digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens across the United States, Canada, and Brazil. The global out-of-home (OOH) advertising market is projected to reach $42B billion in […]
Streets Ahead: Instagram AI-Powered Search, TikTok Creator Search Insights
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi covers Instagram’s new AI-driven search feature and TikTok Creator Search Insights Instagram’s AI-Powered Search The News Instagram is testing an AI-powered search feature within the comments section, according to AdWeek. This new tool automatically generates AI-driven search summaries, offering users relevant context as they engage with posts. 🔹 […]
Study Reveals Why You Got those Ads
We’ve all been served ads that made us wonder, “How’d that sucker get in my feed?” The answer is inefficiency. Adlook, a global media tech company specializing in digital advertising solutions, conducted a study that showed how outdated data results in reaching the wrong audiences with ads. The chief offender is demographic targeting. In a poll […]
Not Your Momma’s Market: The Grocery Store Embraces Technology
Like all other MULO (multi-location) industries, grocers or more correctly the grocery store sector is amplifying its use of technology to aid the shopping experience, increase consumer preference, and streamline buying and inventory management. Swiftly, a leading integrated retail technology platform trusted by grocers like Target, IGA, and Save Mart, recently announced a major expansion […]
Going Local with Paige Sawin of Sparkcatcher Media
Paige Sawin, President of Sparkcatcher Media, won our virtual scavenger hunt at Street Fight LIVE 2024. She knows the local search space intimately and works with brands to ensure that when people search “near me,” her client brands, products, and services can be quickly and effectively found. We sat down with her to discuss the […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Streets Ahead: Google, Apple, and Siri Signal a New Era for AI, Search, and Commerce