News and Analysis
Crafting a New Future: Michael’s Buys Joann Brands
When MULO (multi-location) fabric and crafts store JOANN declared bankruptcy and closed stores, crafters were up in arms. They took to social media, fretting about where they would buy their favorite handcraft supplies. Michael’s just purchased the failed brand’s 600 products across multiple categories, including fabric, quilting and sewing supplies, sewing machines, and yarn. Those crafters […]
dataplor Secures $20.5M Series B to Expand Global Location Intelligence
In another milestone for the rapidly evolving location intelligence sector, dataplor has announced a $20.5 million Series B funding round led by F-Prime, with participation from Spark Capital, FFVC, Acronym Venture Capital, Two Lanterns, APA Ventures, dara5, and Alumni Ventures. The investment marks a pivotal moment for the Manhattan Beach-based company as it accelerates the […]
Innovid Report: CTV Ad Spend Should Be Higher
Ad spending in CTV is not near what it should be given its potential and sophisticated targeting, reach, and ad formats, according to a report by Innovid, which recently released its 2025 CTV Advertising Insights Report. Citing data from eMarketer, the Innovid report noted that while eyeballs and time spent on streaming content among viewers […]
Commentary
What’s Old was New at This Year’s Upfronts
This year’s Upfronts mirrored the changes taking place in the industry as there was a greater focus on streamers, with Netflix, Amazon and YouTube dominating headlines and generating more buzz than their broadcast and cable counterparts. Despite the industry’s desire to embrace new technologies and fully enter the streaming era, progress from years past appears […]
Streets Ahead: Google DOJ Ruling and Google’s Search Dominance
In this week’s Streets Ahead update from SOCi, we learn about the Google DOJ ruling and AI’s effect on Google’s search dominance Google Ruled a Monopoly in DOJ Case In a 2020 lawsuit, the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general accused Google of maintaining a monopoly, leading to a ruling by federal judge […]
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 […]
Latest Posts
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 […]
Toilets, Termites, and Terraces: A $1.2 Trillion Opportunity
When we think of franchise businesses and other MULO (multi-location) operations, we tend to think of retail, restaurant, convenience stores, and service businesses like walk-in clinics and tax prep services. But a huge category exists called home services. Although many of these operations do not require brick-and-mortar locations (beyond a co-working space or small office […]
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 […]
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