News and Analysis
How Digital PR Shapes AI Visibility for MULO Brands
AI platforms aren’t just a gateway to websites. They are narrators, deciding which brands are mentioned, how those brands are described, and which attributes are emphasized when recommendations are generated. For multi-location organizations (MULOs), this is important because search performance at the local level is no longer limited to whether a specific location ranks in […]
Kevel Integrates With Adobe to Enable Real-Time Retail Media Activation
Kevel has launched a native Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Destination that enables retailers, marketplaces, and commerce media platforms to activate first-party audience data in real time for retail media campaigns. The new integration creates a direct streaming connection between Adobe Experience Platform and Kevel’s ad server infrastructure, allowing customer segments to update instantly at the […]
AI Is Reshaping Even Direct Mail — And Home Services Brands Are Taking Notice
As AI continues to transform digital marketing, it is now reaching one of advertising’s oldest channels: direct mail. Imaginuity has launched AI Mail, a managed direct mail system designed specifically for home services brands. Powered by AdScience®, the company’s proprietary Customer Data & Activation Platform, the offering applies machine learning to identify high-probability households and […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Google’s Big Cleanup, New Profile Signals, and the Page Every Business Needs for AI Search
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google’s Knowledge Graph purge, new user-confirmed attributes in business profiles, and how a “Why Choose Us” page can help your business stand out in AI search. Google Purges 3 Billion Knowledge Graph Entities The News Google has reportedly removed about 3 billion entities from its Knowledge Graph […]
“Louder” is No Longer a Marketing Strategy, According to new Cordial Study
We all know that AI is having a massive impact on how consumers search for goods and services. A new study by Cordial, a leader in messaging for enterprise retail marketing teams, reveals that brands (including MULO or multi-location companies) are woefully under-prepared to deal with its impact. The Cordial report, combining the survey results […]
Streets Ahead: OpenAI User BackLash, Google Preferred Sources
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses OpenAI reinstating GPT-4o following user backlash to GPT-5 rollout and Google personalizing Top Stories with New ‘Preferred Sources’ features. OpenAI Reinstates GPT-4o Following User Backlash to GPT-5 Rollout The News OpenAI has rolled back part of its highly publicized GPT-5 launch after a wave of criticism from […]
Latest Posts
Pop-up Retail Abounds
We already know that the “big box” store model has its challenges these days. And micro store footprints have become a widespread alternative to high rents and excess inventory. Even Ikea is getting into the mini-store game. But this summer, another retail format is trending. The pop-up (like a food truck for shopping) is everywhere. Big […]
Streets Ahead: Perplexity’s Ranking Logic, Instagram Metrics
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Perplexity ranking patterns and Instagram’s data update insights. Inside Perplexity’s Ranking Logic: Why Classic SEO Still Matters The News A recent deep dive into how Perplexity ranks content—led by independent researcher Metehan Yesilyurt—suggests that good old-fashioned SEO still matters, even in this new era of AI search. […]
The Adult Arcade: Two Trends Converging
We’ve covered the rise of eatertainment. Multi-location (MULO) brands have discovered that incorporating entertainment, sports challenges (sportainment), and activities into their converging retail and restaurant models enables them to appeal to a vast and growing segment of the market. Add to that model the newstalgia trend (a mash-up of new and nostalgia). Brands are combining […]
The MULO Dozen: July Brands in Review
Some things slow down over the summer, but this July the MULO ecosystem continues to heat up phygital enhancements, leadership changes, and creative new marketing approaches. Hot dogs are not just for family BBQs this summer! Wienerschnitzel is making a bold new leap, with the hot dog chain announcing its expansion to the East Coast, aiming to solidify […]
AI Is Changing Customer Discovery Forever. Who Wins?
Until today, search has been the enabler of the internet. It served as a powerhouse of digital economics, the foundation of the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business model, and the model for organic customer discovery. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) underpinned how brands and companies crafted their marketing and communications strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) changes all of this. […]
MULO Brands With Soul July Pick: NIKE
“Just Do It” is the NIKE tagline. It’s been around since 1988, and it also captures the brand’s view toward giving back and building a positive company culture. The brand is our July choice for a Brand with Soul. Or, perhaps it should be Brand with Sole, although the footwear manufacturer has expanded to include […]
Meet the Street Fight LIVE 2025 Speakers: Part 2
We’re just weeks away from Street Fight LIVE 2025 on September 30th in Los Angeles at Microsoft’s Playa Vista headquarters. What better place to tackle the huge impact that tech, AI, and digital media is having on the brick-and-mortar business ecosystem? Plus, the ecosystem itself is rapidly changing, with retailers, restaurants, service businesses, convenience stores, […]
Blis AI Platform Offers Deeper Targeting
Blis, recently acquired by T-Mobile, has launched Blis AI, a platform that uses foot traffic data and other real-world signals such as in-store sales to help brands with audience building and media planning. If a brand wants to reach moms during back-to-school shopping season, they can enter KPI parameters such as “foot traffic,” and Blis […]
Swiftly Program Enables Circle K and its Brand Partners
Retail technology platform Swiftly has partnered with Circle K, a mobility platform, to make it easier for alcohol buyers to get cash back rebates, eliminating the friction and time waste involved in traditional mail-in ones. Swiftly’s Alcohol Cashback platform works with a Circle K app that enables targeted, real-time promotions by product, category, and geography. […]
Meet Pilates Franchise Power Woman Sarah Luna
Sarah Luna is the Founder and CEO of Pilates Addiction. The new brand is launching in California and New York, with plans to expand nationally through franchising. Pilates focuses on muscular balance and can improve strength and flexibility, and is gaining popularity worldwide. The Pilates and Yoga studio market is anticipated to grow from approximately […]
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