News and Analysis
Ranking Correlations with Other Reputation and Search Metrics Are Not Linear
Google appears to think of ranking in terms of zones, where the first zone features the best possible mix of proximity, relevance, and prominence, and the second zone begins to sacrifice either proximity, or relevance, or both, but is less likely to sacrifice prominence. In more human terms, this means that Google wants to show us the best options for a query, and when it runs of inventory, it brings in results that are farther away or that might offer a reasonable alternative.
How AI is Evolving Ad Creative
The creative process is notoriously challenging for advertisers and publishers. Beyond the difficulty of the creative talent that goes into the ad, publishers and advertisers struggle to settle on creative and match it to viewers at appropriate times. It’s a huge logistical challenge.
More Brands Are Going DTC. Here’s Why
Yeti’s recent decision to no longer sell its products at Lowe’s and transition to a direct-to-consumer model is not an anomaly. A growing number of traditional brands are moving away from wholesale and opting to sell to consumers directly through their own e-commerce channels.
Commentary
Shift in Gift-Giving Culture Speaks to Changes in Digital Commerce
At the heart of the shift in gift-giving culture is the rise of online shopping. While previous generations would take to their local shops or markets to find the perfect gifts, today the process is infinitely simpler thanks to online retail giants like Amazon. At the click of a button, Internet users can purchase a present to be sent directly to their (or, even better, the recipient’s) door. Indeed, this is how the majority of people appear to be approaching gift giving today; approximately three quarters of consumers in the UK say they now buy more than half of their Christmas presents online.
Google Accelerating Its Path to the Transaction Layer of the Internet
Mihm to Blumenthal: Our mutual friend and Local U speaker Cindy Krum has long highlighted Google’s ambition to become the “presentation layer of the internet.”
It’s been apparent for the last four years that they want to take that one step further and become the “transaction layer of the internet,” as we’ve discussed in this space before.
A little birdie told me that you’re seeing that ambition accelerate.
LBMA Vidcast: Vibenomics, Southwest Airlines and ApplePay, Blis and Location Sciences
On this week’s Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Vibenomics AOOH platform, Cerberus Interactive takes on location-based gaming, Southwest Airlines with ApplePay, Blis partners with Location Sciences, 7Eleven launches mobile checkout in NYC, Unacast releases Turbine platform.
Latest Posts
Square’s Acquisition of Weebly and The Battle for the Modern Merchant
Square’s acquisition of Weebly, its largest to date, signals the beginning of a consolidation wave that we have been expecting at SurePath for some time. It also suggests the beginning of a competition to see which tech company can become the first all-in-one small-business solution.
Street Fight Daily: Regions Localizes Its Social Strategy, Developers Harried by Facebook Changes
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Regions Bank Foregrounds the Lives of its Customers on Social With a Local Focus… Facebook’s Privacy Changes Leave Developers Steaming… Why Marketers Struggle With Data Management…
Brand Battle: Shell vs Exxon Mobil
Sponsored: To see how two gas giants—ExxonMobil and Shell—stacked up in a competitive marketplace, digital marketing company Brandify used its proprietary software to see which marketing and branding areas stood out as strengths, and which areas fell short.
Shift to Mobile and Eurozone Growth Fuel Search Spend on Global Scale
Global search spend increased by 11% YOY, according to digital marketing provider Marin Software’s Q1 2018 Digital Benchmark Report.
The study found that the increase in search ad spend has been spurred by higher cost-per-click rates, driven by mobile spending.
Domino’s Mobile Gaming App Increases Brand Exposure Between Sales
Forget special badges or gold-level status—for those who complete all six levels of its new mobile game, Domino’s is giving out free pizza.
Street Fight Daily: Square Buys Weebly, Shift to Mobile Fuels Search Spend
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Square Buying Spree Continues With Weebly Acquisition… Shift to Mobile and Eurozone Growth Fuel Search Spend on Global Scale… Google Sharply Limits DoubleClick ID Use, Citing GDPR…
Report: Smartphones, Developer Kits Drive Local AR and Visual Search
A new white paper from Street Fight examines how developer kits from Google and Apple have jumpstarted approaches to AR and visual search and sketches strategies for developers, marketers, and media companies hoping to tap into an exciting new trend.
Street Culture: Sitter.me CEO on Owning Mistakes and Terrible-but-Fun Team Building
“How we view mistakes is you admit it, you learn very quickly, and then turn it around,” says Sitter.me CEO and co-founder Kristen Stiles. After quoting a client a wrong price, Stiles owned up to the error, and the company develop a new procedure to ensure similar stakes would not be made again.
Street Fight Daily: Google & Apple Boost Local AR, Foursquare’s New Location-Based Creative
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Report: Smartphones, Developer Kits Drive Local AR and Visual Search… Foursquare’s New In-House Agency Will Pump Out Location-Based Creative… Marketers Still Shy Away from Venturing Too Deep into Ad Tech…
Sprinklr Launches AI Solution to Help Brands Manage Customer Experiences at Scale
Dubbed Sprinklr Intuition, Sprinklr’s AI tool can process an average of 700 million messages per day across social channels, and it becomes smarter with each customer interaction.
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature