News and Analysis
Meet the Street Fight LIVE 2025 Speakers: Part 1
Street Fight LIVE was resurrected last year, after pausing for the pandemic. This “un-conference” thought leadership conference is the first of its kind because it brings together C-level executives and decision-makers across MULO (multi-location) retailers, restaurants, convenience stores, service businesses, eatertainment/sportainment concepts, and hospitality brands. They are joined by the agencies and technology companies (with […]
“Wegmaniacs” Rejoice as Wegmans Opens Restaurants
Industry crossovers are nothing new. Tommy Bahama has restaurants, a retail operation, and now a hotel. Fitness retailers like Athleta offer in-store workout classes. And now Wegmans , an iconic grocery store with more than 110 locations , is opening a restaurant to appeal to its Wegmaniacs fan base! Tastings is opening in Rochester, New […]
Spaceback Introduces CTV Launchpad Platform
Spaceback, which bills itself as a pioneer of social CTV, has released a new platform called CTV Launchpad that enables advertisers to produce hundreds of creative options that include local elements like business addresses for some multilocation brands or a QR code that can scan to a local office or store. “It used to be […]
Commentary
The Cookie Crumbled: Deprecation is Out, First-Party Data is (Still) In
While Google backed of its cookie deprecation plans, now is not the time for brands to become complacent. Smart marketers continue to prioritize third-party cookie alternatives to effectively and efficiently reach their audiences—and future-proof their targeting strategies, which are still likely to be impacted by privacy changes and signal loss. Google users will soon have […]
Solving the Identity Crisis: The Next Frontier for CTV Advertising
Driven by viewer demand for variety and convenience in content, Connected TV (CTV) has become one of the fastest-growing major advertising channels globally. A recent report in eMarketer stated that in the US alone, CTV advertising spend is projected to grow by 22.4% and reach $30.10 billion in 2024. Presenting a plethora of opportunities to […]
Streets Ahead: TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features, AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update we learn about TikTok adding Yelp-like features and Google’s updates to AI Overviews. TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features The News TikTok is adding features similar to Yelp, categorizing location-specific videos into segments such as food and drink, hotels, and shopping. This update aims to improve user experience by making it […]
Latest Posts
What Innovid Brings to the Mediaocean Table
Once the Mediaocean acquisition of Innovid (for upwards of $500 million) goes through, the company will have one tough tech stack. “Being able to manage everything from Meta to TikTok to Snap, to now Reddit, is the latest one,” said Mediaocean CMO Aaron Goldman. Managing ads inside walled gardens is something that Flashtalking does very […]
MULO Brands With Soul November Picks: The Season of Giving
Rather than single out one brand this month, we will focus on how several MULO (multi-location) brands are leaning into giving this holiday season with tie-ins to philanthropic efforts. Aligning a brand with a specific charitable effort can be risky, so doing due diligence before selecting a cause is imperative today. You certainly don’t want […]
Does Holiday Ad Spend Pay Off? (And Early Indicators from Skai)
As we publish this, Black Friday is less than 48 hours away. Although data shows that people are now taking advantage of year-round sale days, the next week is still considered a “big boost” time for many MULO (multi-location) brands and the agencies that buy their media. According to up-to-the-minute ad buying data from advertising […]
Raptive Survey: Cleaning Is a Top Holiday Stressor
There is no rest for weary creators during the holiday season, but opportunities for brands abound. Raptive, a media platform that works with enterprise publishers and more than 5,000 creators, conducted a survey recently of more than 300 creators and more than 600 consumers about various topics related to the holiday season. Publishing verticals included […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 7: Christena Garduno Predicts the Spending Future
Christena Garduno is the CEO of Media Culture, a performance marketing agency. As we continue our Holiday Shopping 2024 trends predictions, she offers her perspectives on what and where people will experience retail gift shopping this year. What is your #1 prediction for the holiday shopping season? “Experiential retail will play an even greater role […]
Give the People What They Crave! Gregg Majewski Adds Brand to Portfolio
Gregg Majewski was one of the highlight speakers at Street Fight LIVE 2024. This week, he made the news with Craveworthy Brands’ acquisition of Fresh Brothers Pizza, a MULO (multi-location) company with 22 locations. Craveworthy is currently the parent company of: BD’s Mongolian Grill Dirty Dough Flat Top Grill Genghis Grill Krafted Burger Bar + […]
Report: Advertisers Must Include Mobile Games in the Media Mix
It looks like the mobile channel is undervalued or at least under-utilized in advertising. Who knew? More specifically, the mobile gaming audience is being overlooked. According to a report by Digital Turbine called, “The Game-Changing Shift Report Series: CPG Edition. Why Brands Need to Consider Mobile Games in Their Media Mix,” ad campaigns miss up […]
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 […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 6: Christy Parrish Predicts the Spending Future
Christy Parrish is the Senior Director of Client Partnerships at Cordial, shares her 2024 Holiday Shopping Predictions in Street Fight’s exclusive interview. With a focus on customer behavior and channel preferences, Parrish delivers unique insights for retailers navigating the season What is your #1 shopping prediction for this holiday season? In her Holiday Shopping Predictions […]
How AI Can Help Multi-Location Restaurants Prevent Another Health Crisis
What if restaurants could spot a health crisis before it spreads? With the help of AI, they just might. McDonald’s burger patties may not have been the culprit of its recent E. coli outbreak, which the company quickly traced back to slivered onions, but customers temporarily took a step back from the quick-serve restaurant’s top […]
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