News and Analysis
Meet Pilates Franchise Power Woman Sarah Luna
Sarah Luna is the Founder and CEO of Pilates Addiction. The new brand is launching in California and New York, with plans to expand nationally through franchising. Pilates focuses on muscular balance and can improve strength and flexibility, and is gaining popularity worldwide. The Pilates and Yoga studio market is anticipated to grow from approximately […]
OOH into Action: Travel Surges, Consumer Habits Shift, and Brands Respond
How disruptive was the Covid-19 pandemic? So much so that it is still being used barometer to measure everything from travel to consumer sales. “COVID was a major inflection point that reshaped routines, mobility patterns, and media consumption,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO of the OAAA (Out of Home Advertising Association of America). “Using […]
Yext Report Confirms AI Search Is Reshaping Brand Discovery
AI tools are no longer experimental — they’re mainstream. According to Yext’s new 2025 AI Search Archetypes report, 62% of consumers globally now trust AI tools to guide their brand decisions, signaling a major behavioral shift in how people search, compare, and commit to brands. The study, conducted in partnership with Researchscape, surveyed over 2,200 […]
Commentary
Streets Ahead: Google Monopoly Ruling, AIO Declines
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi looks at what’s next after the Google monopoly ruling as well as the continued decline in Google AI Overviews (AIO). Google Monopoly Ruling: What’s Next After the DOJ’s Landmark Decision? The News Last week, we reported on a significant development in the lawsuit filed against Google by the […]
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 […]
Latest Posts
Street Fight LIVE Insights: Are you Experienced?
For those OGs and rock fans, the title of this post pays homage to Jimi Hendrix. (It was the name of his award-winning album back in 1967!). And, like a great Hendrix guitar solo, the notion of experiences is timeless. That concept was reinforced at our opening session at Street Fight LIVE, led by Nick […]
From Pumpkin Spice to Prime Days: The Erosion of the Traditional Shopping Calendar
For years, shopping seasons were predictable. Black Friday, Back to School, and the holiday season provided distinct markers for consumers and retailers alike. Today, these events have blurred, creating an “always-on” shopping environment. Seasonal promotions now begin months ahead – Pumpkin Spice Lattes in August, Christmas decorations in September, and multiple annual Prime Days. This […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 4: Megan Hastings Predicts the Spending Future
Megan Hastings is Head of Customer Insight Strategy at Quantum Metric. The company specializes in analyzing the customer journey. And, as we know, that journey includes lots of retail visits for holiday gifting this time of year! And, according to Hastings, lots of visits to that mobile screen! Here’s the latest in our Holiday Predictions […]
Streets Ahead: ChatGPT and the Rise of AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the newly launched search feature in ChatGPT and the rise of AI Overviews for Google local search results. OpenAI’s New Search Feature Transforms ChatGPT The News OpenAI has introduced a new feature that brings real-time web search capabilities to ChatGPT, marking a significant upgrade from its previous reliance […]
A View From the Stage: 10 Takeaways from StreetFight LIVE
I had the pleasure of chairing the re-boot of StreetFight LIVE, the first gathering of its kind since 2018. StreetFight Live events are back! And, as one of our panels reinforced, people today are looking for inspiring, fun, and memorable experiences that engage them and keep them coming back. More than 30 professionals — across […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 3: Mike Debnar Predicts the Spending Future
As we continue with our Holiday 2024 trends and forecast countdown, we asked Mike Debnar what stars will be shining bright this season. Debnar is the VP Retail Executive Advisor at Medallia. He focuses on creating innovative customer experience programs for brands utilizing his extensive background in CRM and CX. Mike holds a degree in management information […]
Will the Election Affect Holiday Shopping?
Presidential election years tend to boost holiday-season spending, regardless of who wins the most votes, according to Experian plc, a global data analytics and consumer credit reporting company. Experian has released its 2024 Holiday Spending Trends and Insights report, and with it, the launch of contextually-Indexed Audiences. Advertisers can use this new offering to blend […]
The MULO Dozen: October in Review
As is always the case in the MULO (multi-location) world, the ecosystem in October was a blend of tricks and treats. The big news for November is the re-launch of Street Fight LIVE, but here are some highlights from the past month that are almost as exciting. Chipotle opens in Dubai. It joins the many MULO […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 2: Nikhil Raj Predicts the Spending Future
Our next spending prediction for Holiday Season 2024 comes from Nikhil Raj, VP of Retail Media of Moloco. The company is a machine-learning-powered adtech company. Raj was on the co-founding leadership team at WalmartLabs via the acquisition of Kosmix and started Walmart’s retail media business. What is your #1 prediction for holiday shopping season? “While inflation […]
Streets Ahead: Meta’s AI Search Engine, Foursquare Shutters App
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, we discuss Meta building an AI search engine and Foursquare shuttering it’s original app. Meta Building an AI Search Engine? The News Meta has reportedly been developing its own AI search engine, aiming to crawl and index the web for up-to-date information on current events and diverse topics to expand […]
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AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature