News and Analysis

NFT

How Restaurant Chains Are Using NFTs in 2022

What was once an approach used primarily by fashion brands, like Gucci, Adidas, and Louis Vuitton, is now being adapted for the restaurant industry. Fast food giants like McDonald’s are using NFTs to energize their social media followers, while other restaurant chains are allowing investors to use NFTs to buy shares in brand franchise fees and adding virtual ordering and online delivery to their metaverse presence.

The “Say-Do Gap”: Why Marketers Can’t Simply Ask Consumers for Data

Asking consumers to relay their information in a survey is not as bullet-proof a privacy-adjusted marketing strategy as it might sound. That’s because of what consumer insights platform DISQO calls the “say-do gap”: What people say they do and what they actually do often does not line up. This forces brands to collect data on behaviors with consent — which is what DISQO aspires to enable.

How Advertisers Can Work with Local Publishers to Connect with Communities

Fun fact: Street Fight started out as a publication covering local media, less so martech and localized marketing. This interview is where the two come together: how national or even global advertisers can partner with local publishers to develop targeted, location-based messages that resonate.

Commentary

How Engaging Online Games Can Shape Your Rewards Program

My experience managing product for both the “Farmville” and “Words With Friends” franchises at Zynga afforded me critical insight into the lessons smartphone games offer marketers looking to engage with and create loyalty among all types of people. 

Today, there’s a smartphone game for everyone. Regardless of topic, most games tend to follow a few basic principles that are critical to keeping people entertained, attracting attentionm and incentivizing players to return. Using these same principles, marketers can create campaigns that are more engaging, effective, and enjoyable for the consumer. 

Channels Are the New Citations

Enter Phase Three. As my column’s title suggests, I would argue that the old concept of citation building has largely lost its relevance, and that thinking of the local network as a system of channels — parallel, somewhat independent sources of consumer traffic — is a more appropriate paradigm for where we are now. 

In all, there are approximately 10 independent sites and site categories that together make up the primary channels where any business should be well represented in order to be competitive.

What Facebook’s Second Wave of Data Privacy Tools Means for Advertisers

Facebook finally rolled out the ‘Clear History’ feature, now known as the ‘Off-Facebook Activity Tool.’ This tool will show users a summary of the apps and websites that have shared their user data with Facebook and gives users the opportunity to control what information, if any, is shared with these websites. According to Facebook, the company “won’t know which websites you visited or what you did there, and won’t use any of the data you disconnect to target ads to you on Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger.”

As advertisers, it’s important for us to understand how to prepare for the impact and to keep these updates top of mind as we move further into the second half of the year. 

Latest Posts

SMB Index: Local Stocks See Solid Gains in April

April marked another volatile month in the public markets. But it was a relatively strong month for local stocks, as the SurePath SMB Index was up 2.8% in April, topping all major indices.

The Bifurcation of the Local SEO Services Market

“The changing nature of search and the increasing localization are making “traditional SEO” harder, more expensive, and less productive of ROI, and that should lead every agency to assess what they are delivering and to whom,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm in their latest biweekly column.

Street Fight Daily: How Agencies Can Adapt to SEO Market Changes, Amazon Preps Alexa for Brands

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… The Bifurcation of the Local SEO Services Market… Amazon Is Finally Cashing in on Alexa… Facebook Weighs Ad-Free Subscription Model…

Raise Report: BigCommerce, Poq, SoundHound Secure New Funding

Every two or three weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Uberflip, Cera, Pusher, and Rocketrip.

LBMA Podcast: RetailLoco, Adsquare, PlaceIQ, Bluedot

On this week’s podcast from the Location-Based Marketing Association: A RetailLoco Recap, Adsquare’s Footfall, PlaceIQ + IRI, Bluedot raises $5.5M from TransUrban, Waze + Carto, Amex ends Plenti, DAC Group launches ConvergenSEE.

Survey: 72% of Shoppers Use Online Reviews to Judge Local Businesses

A survey by Netsertive found that 72% percent of consumers use online reviews to evaluate local businesses and eight-in-10 always research big items online before making their purchases in-store.

Street Fight Daily: Instagram Creeps Into Payments, Reviews Shape Local Offline Purchases

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Instagram Quietly Launches Payments for Commerce… Augmented Reality Heading to 3 Billion Devices, $85 Billion in Revenue… Yelp’s Chad Richard on the ‘Decentralization’ of Reservations…

Retailers Use AI for In-Store Experimentation, Customer Service

Brick-and-mortar retailers are looking for an edge in their fight against the e-commerce behemoths, and as the battle rages on, it’s looking like artificial intelligence might be the answer.

LMC Aims to ‘Think Completely Differently’ About Future of Local News

“The biggest challenges for the LMC and the local news industry are concerns around transparency, viewability, and fraud, which produce disconnects between buyer and seller,” says Local Media Consortium Board Chair Chris Loretto.

Street Fight Daily: Google Revamps Maps, Echo’s Market Share Slides as Speaker War Heats Up

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Maps Platform Arrives, Changing the Game for Developers… Amazon Echo Losing Market Share as Smart Speaker Rivalry Intensifies… Square’s Loss Widens As Spending Picks Up…