News and Analysis

Study: ‘Ghosting’ Customers Leads to $2.4 Billion Loss in Retail Sales

Study: ‘Ghosting’ Customers Leads to $2.4 Billion Loss in Retail Sales

Even if you haven’t heard the term “ghosting” before, you’ve almost certainly experienced it.  Ghosting, or ending a relationship by suddenly withdrawing from all communication, is the exact opposite of what brand marketers are going for when they work to cultivate and deepen their relationships with customers. And yet, according to a new study, by […]

Google Third-Party Cookies, Adds LiveRamp to Data Clean Room Lineup

Google Third-Party Cookies, Adds LiveRamp to Data Clean Room Lineup

One year.  That’s how long Google says publishers have to test — and raise any red flags on — the cookie alternatives in its Chrome Privacy Sandbox. In a recent announcement, Joey Trotz, director of product for Google’s Privacy Sandbox Ecosystems, all but guaranteed the company would finally be depreciating third-party cookies in the second half […]

Meet the Robotproof Leader: An Interview with Matt Robison About Boosting Product Sales

Meet the Robotproof Leader: An Interview with Matt Robison About Boosting Product Sales

Matt Robison is the Founder & CEO of a marketing agency called Robotproof. The company is aptly named because he has a unique perspective on how to boost product sales by entertaining and engaging humans — and training the people who sell to them — at multi-location retailers. Robotproof’s primary focus is experiential marketing — […]

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How to Create Video Ads for Local Businesses

Want to create an engaging video ad to promote your local business? Read on to get tips on creating a video ad that will get you more clicks and conversions.

How Privacy Will Change Digital Marketing This Year

The marketing industry finds itself facing the most significant disruption since the inception of digital: privacy changes, especially the end of third-party cookies. Google Chrome is inching closer to Deprecation Day for the third-party cookie, and though we still don’t know exactly when that is, the digital marketing industry is preparing to pivot in fundamental […]

Youth League Marketing Is a Bigger Opportunity than the Super Bowl

Few brands take advantage of the lucrative, more accessible sports marketing opportunities available at local youth leagues. These can make a big impact.

Latest Posts

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

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

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.

Retail Prepares for a Covid-Inflected Holiday Season

The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift from brick-and-mortar commerce to digital transactions. It has also forced brick-and-mortars resisting the hybridization of their own businesses to adopt digital methods, turning restaurants and apparel stores alike into both brick-and-mortar establishments and online sellers.

Against that backdrop, retail’s biggest quarter will present novel challenges this year. Retailers will need to optimize for online transactions and contend with fragmented national and global landscapes where it may be safe to go to stores in New York but not in Los Angeles.

Changing Behaviors Are Influencing Targeting Tactics

Online actions such as a person’s search history or the brands they like on social media platforms fall short in telling the full story of genuine consumer behavior. Offline behaviors, however, prove to be more indicative of a consumer’s likes, dislikes, and hobbies. During a time when people go fewer places, where they go tells us even more about who they are.

Coronavirus Boosts OTT Viewership and Opens New TV Ad Opportunities

To be sure, kids are not the only ones spending more time staring at the TV screen. The coronavirus has catalyzed a golden age for TV viewership and non-traditional formats such as over-the-top viewing in particular, said Sean Buckley, COO of global video advertising platform SpotX.

SpotX announced a strategic investment in CTV and OTT-focused ad serving platform SpringServe Monday. I checked in with Buckley to find out how the partnership will benefit both companies and how the coronavirus year has affected TV viewership as well as video advertising.

Location Weekly: Coca-Cola Goes Contactless, Amazon’s Smart Shopping Cart

In this episode of Location Weekly, the Location-Based Marketing Association covers Coca-Cola going contactless with its Freestyle machines, Amazon putting Go in a shopping cart, Walgreens opening doctors’ offices in its stores, and Shake Shack launching summer camp in a box. 

A Call for Brand Safety: Using OOH to take Ownership of Advertising Environment

Brands today are spending valuable time assessing and understanding the environments in which they exist and the communities they impact. I expect that more brands will turn to OOH as we move closer to the election; it is a one-of-a-kind medium that provides a safe platform to share messaging while fostering conversations and shaping a local environment. 

Most importantly, the tangible IRL impact of OOH provides a level of authenticity that amplifies voice and connects with people as they safely enjoy some much-needed time outside of their homes. 

Contact Center Should Be the Marketing Engine

Hyperlocal Device Targeting Should Be Part of Your Advertising Strategy

True hyperlocal advertising revolves around mobile location data. The intersection among time, place, device, and creative is the sweet spot that we’re aiming for here. By harnessing mobile location data, digital marketers can employ smarter audience targeting, deliver more timely and relevant ad messaging, generate more foot traffic, and measure the offline results of online marketing efforts. 

If you’re looking to add location-based advertising to your digital marketing mix, here are some effective tactics that can help you boost in-store visits.

Can a Pandemic Inflect Local Commerce Tech? Part II

What about the tech adoption accelerants happening on the supply side? Tech giants who provide marketing and operational tools for local businesses have been in hyperdrive over the past few months to roll out new Covid-era features.

Here are three areas where we’re seeing the most activity … and where we could correspondingly see the most local business evolution.

The Essential Data Requirements for Successful Developers

Leading brands and local businesses alike rely on innovative business and consumer data to market their products, sell directly, and advertise through multiple channels, including social media, display, email, and direct mail.

Tech companies rely heavily on data to support search and navigation, location analytics, risk assessments, and more.

While use cases might be different, here’s what all companies and their product developers should look for when evaluating the data that will fuel their solutions.