News and Analysis
How to Organize and Maximize the Value of Customer Data
We often hear that data is the oil of the digital economy. Very well — but how do companies acquire that resource sustainably and marshal it to reach new prospects and better serve existing customers?
Retailers Tackle Excess Inventory with Demand Planning Tools
The scramble to move excess summer inventory ahead of the holiday shopping season is forcing retailers to take a second look at new technology designed to help companies determine how much to discount or raise pricing to maximize profitability. At o9 Solutions, an enterprise AI software platform provider, retail clients are increasingly seeking out demand planning tools to help with demand sensing and inventory visibility.
What Retailers Can Learn from Spotify and Netflix
Peter Messana, CEO of Searchspring, believes retailers have a lot to learn from their counterparts in entertainment. And, he argues, consumers already expect the same level of convenience in retail.
Commentary
Location Leaders Step Up to the Plate
During the Covid-19 outbreak, we’re seeing tech companies step up to the plate in a mixture of altruistic and opportunistic moves. That’s everything from Comcast removing data caps to Amazon removing its paywall for streaming kids shows. But what about local specifically? Again, that’s where businesses are getting hit most.
We’ve seen moves in the local space over the past week from Facebook, Yelp, and Foursquare. Though there are several others, we’ll drill down on this representative sample. We’ll also give a shoutout to Google for its work to free up human and compute resources for local listings updates, covered Monday by Damian Rollison.
Beyond the Data Label: The Next Phase of Data Assessment
This past summer, the IAB Tech Lab launched a much-needed transparency initiative in the form of its Data Transparency Standard, establishing baseline statistics on the objective attributes of a given data segment, such as refresh cadence, ID types, and segmentation criteria. The Data Label should be a big relief to data buyers, including agencies and advertisers, that are trying to wrap their heads around audiences, but it’s still only the starting point when it comes to assessing digital audiences.
For as much as the Data Label injects transparency into audience construction, it only addresses objective attributes, and not the qualitative aspects of the data segment. To get the most value out of their data investments, advertisers and agencies need to go further and develop their own standards for evaluating data, especially when it comes to quality.
4 Mobile and Location Trends for Brands to Keep an Eye On
Believe it or not, this is the smartphone’s third decade. When it comes to mobile apps and location-based marketing, so much has changed since the advent of the iPhone in 2007.
While it’s hard to predict what will become of mobile and location-based media in the next 10 years, it’s fair to prognosticate what we can expect for the rest of this year and beyond. Here are four mobile and location trends brand marketers need to watch.
Latest Posts
Firefly, Mounting Ad Displays to Ubers, Comes Out of Stealth with $21.5M
Firefly, a new digital ad company, hopes to provide Uber drivers with another way to make money as they drive. The startup has quietly assembled a fleet of close to 1,000 Uber drivers in San Francisco and Los Angeles who have been mounting ad displays to the top of their vehicles.
Mike Ragsdale Says Putting Community First Makes His ‘Indie’ 30A Site a Big Winner
In this Q&A, 30A founder Mike Ragsdale itemizes what he thinks his industry is doing wrong and how 30A, by making community paramount, has become the top revenue-producing site among independents.
RhythmOne Introduces Linear TV Attribution Partnership with Placed
Marketing technology end-to-end platform RhythmOne announced an expansion of its relationship with attribution solution Placed this week, incorporating linear tv measurements into their already existing partnership.
Heard on the Street, Episode 17: Local SEO and Seeing the Matrix, with Andrew Shotland
What are the latest developments in local search ranking factors and SEO? These were a few topics we batted around with Local SEO Guide CEO Andrew Shotland on the latest episode of Street Fight’s Heard on the Street podcast.
Google Local Services Reportedly Expand to Canada, Signaling Rapid Growth
Launch in 2015 in Silicon Valley’s home court, Local Service Ads have since expanded to a whopping 90 markets in the U.S. and are now making their way abroad, where searches for local services are abundant.
The Numbers on Mobile’s Role in Holiday Shopping This Season
The results of a survey released just last week by mobile ad firm AdColony go beyond the already stale proclamation that the mobile revolution has taken over retail, pointing instead to granular details about just how consumers are using mobile today. We provide the highlights.
5 Ways Businesses Can Leverage Location Intelligence Beyond Marketing
Michelle Zhou: Location data can provide far better optics into consumer behavior than traditional data streams. Data from smartphones, social media, and other sources can track consumer purchases and migration in real time. Using data trends and insights, businesses can develop a comprehensive understanding of their customers and make the most informed business decisions.
Google Reviews Hit with Massive Spam Attempt
Google reviews, increasingly essential to the online search presence of brand and SMB brick-and-mortars alike, were hit by a massive spam attempt last week. At least 2 million fraudulent reviews were posted, according to ReviewFraud.org.
Kroger Pushes Boundaries with Mobile Holiday Strategies
Feeling the pinch from online-only grocers, many brick-and-mortar supermarkets are beginning to dip their toes into mobile marketing this holiday season. Kroger, on the other hand, is jumping all the way in.
2018 Ranking Factors Report Emphasizes GMB and Reviews
Damian Rollison: The annual report’s main takeaways are clear: to rank competitively for local searches today, you must focus your attention on three areas: one, providing Google with as much relevant local content as possible; two, pleasing your customers, pointing them to where they can review your business, and responding to their reviews; and three, creating a useful, relevant local landing page or website with authoritative backlinks.
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature