News and Analysis
Report: Consumers Have Mixed Feelings on Spending
When it comes to spring spending in 2025, consumers plan to keep the home fires burning, as the British sang during World War I. In 21st century America, however, nothing spells patriotism like consumerism. Although consumer confidence has been taking a dive this year, falling to a 12-year low in March. With inflation persistent and […]
Skai Says “Yes!” Celeste Has the Answers for Commerce Media
U.S. ad spending on commerce media will surpass $100B by 2028. What is commerce media? Marketers use data from consumer purchases and browsing habits to improve targeting, personalization, and overall campaign effectiveness. After all, if someone is looking for baby clothes, they may also shop for diapers, cribs, and bottles. Leveraging behaviors to boost same-category […]
Commentary
3 Ways to Battle Efficiency Headwinds in 2024
You don’t have to look too deep for significance there: measurement is tough right now (even for measurement companies), and fraud is rampant and stands to get worse as AI governance lags behind AI adoption. No matter how big your brand or what industry you’re in, efficiency is going to be a challenge in 2024. […]
Embracing AI in Media and Advertising
History changes slowly and then overnight. A mere two years ago, the early publicly-available generative AI models from OpenAI, Microsoft, Google looked like curiosities–intriguing but plagued by obvious limitations. Today these models have advanced so far and so fast that they are already well on their way to changing media and advertising forever. AI is […]
Latest Posts
Sneak Preview: A Chat With Steph Hadas About the New PR
Steph Hadas is a Vice President at 5WPR, one of the largest independently owned public relations firms in the U.S., and will be one of our featured speakers at Street Fight LIVE on November 7th at Meta’s Chicago headquarters. The firm was founded in 2003 and has an incredible roster of clients — from major […]
The MULO Dozen: August Brands in Review
Who says summer is slow? Not brands. So much is happening this August in the MULO (multi-location) brand and agency ecosystem that stopping at 12 was tough! Have news to share? Please reach out and we may include your MULO brand, agency, or tech company in our round-up or a feature article! Like pizza toppings […]
LG Ad Solutions Proves Screensaver Ads Drive Brand Engagement
LG Ad Solutions, a leader in Connected TV (CTV) and cross-screen advertising, has unveiled a new ad format called Native Screensaver Ads. Available on LG Smart TVs, these full-screen ads appear during periods of inactivity across the Home Screen, LG Channels, and the Content Store. By capitalizing on idle screen time, these ads transform what […]
The C-Store Five: Consumers Love These Convenience Store Brands
As we’ve covered in Street Fight, the C-store (convenience store) is a MULO (multi-location) category that is having a moment—a huge moment. Formerly viewed as the corner bodega or the highway stop for gas, smokes, emergency items, a beverage, and a bathroom break, C-stores are starting to play a more prominent role in the retail […]
Streets Ahead: AI Overviews and Organic Search, Google Core Update Concludes
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi looks at recent changes in AI Overviews as well as the conclusion of Google’s August Core Update. AI Overviews Now Better Reflecting Google Organic Search Results The News Recent research by Mark Traphagen and seoClarity shows that AI Overviews (AIOs) are now closely mirroring Google’s organic search results. After […]
MULO Brands With Soul August Pick: Sheetz
C-stores are a MULO (multi-location) brand category that often doesn’t get enough attention. Also known as convenience stores, the industry encompasses roadside retailers and neighborhood chains that we frequently rely on for last-minute grocery purchases, emergency items, and snacks/beverages. Given the transactional nature of these businesses, we don’t often consider them to have a “culture.” But Sheetz […]
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels