News and Analysis
More Brands Are Rewarding Customers with Digital Currency. Here’s Why
Permission.io CEO Charlie Silver sees blockchain technology as one of the best mechanisms for issuing digital rewards in the form of cryptocurrency, and he says the ability to issue a desirable reward is essential for those brands that want to succeed in the next era of permission-based digital advertising.
5 Startups Offering Blockchain for Loyalty Programs
In a nod to just how mainstream blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Dogecoin have become, 44% of people now say they’d like to receive loyalty rewards in the form of digital assets. By offering digital currencies as an alternative to cash-back rewards, retailers are helping their programs stand out and bringing curious shoppers back into their stores.
With Fresh Funding, dataPlor Expands to Map the World
dataPlor was founded in 2016 with a mission to map the businesses of the developing world. But before it could extend its reach across oceans, the company focused for years on just one country, Mexico. Now, with the help of expanded seed funding it announced just this morning, the startup is taking a technology-first approach to enrich its database, map vast territories, and accelerate growth.
Commentary
Google Posts: Less Visible but Still Valuable
Mihm to Blumenthal: Google has been making a serious effort to get more business owners more engaged with Google My Business over the past 12-18 months. The irony is, though, that deprecating the success business owners can see from easy, compelling offerings like Posts makes them less likely to remain engaged. It’s a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. That said, and despite my initial skepticism about Posts, I have become a long-term believer.
How to Craft a Successful Content Marketing Strategy
Andrew Witkin: One of the main reasons businesses miss the mark with content marketing is that the goals and execution of effective content marketing are at odds with those of traditional marketing methods. While traditional marketing principles dictate that products and services should be the main focus of any advertising initiative, a successful content marketing strategy views a company’s products and services as secondary or supplemental to providing the audience with information that is useful to them and interesting to read or view.
LBMA Vidcast: Toyota & GroundTruth, GOAT Sneakers AR Campaign
On this week’s Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: GOAT Sneakers AR campaign, Swatch goes contactless, BevMo tests voice, Solving homelessness in London with ClearChannel, Nextdoor monetizes data, Toyota dealers + GroundTruth.
Latest Posts
Where Will VR Fit Into Local Advertising?
How will advertising play out in (admittedly nascent) VR, especially in local? We’ll likely see the same early and ongoing misfires, such as banner ads. Or, as in video experiences, we’ll likely see a fair share of legacy formats — like pre-roll ads — ham-handedly shoehorned into VR.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Guides Retailers on Mobile, US Ad Firms Prepare for Data Regulation
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… A New Facebook Feature Will Help Print Catalogs Translate to Mobile… GDPR Is Coming, and Many U.S. Ad Tech Firms Are Not Ready… Yelp Claims Google Broke Promise Made to Regulators…
The New ‘Location, Location, Location’ in Retail
“The new consumer (and search) paradigm favors small-scale, hyper-focused boutiques close to population centers as opposed to horizontal big box retailers on suburban commercial strips,” David Mihm says to Mike Blumenthal in their bi-weekly conversation.
How Cinnabon Uses Digital Tools to Thrive Despite Declining Foot Traffic
“Everyone’s going to use the buzzwords like omnichannel, but the bottom line is you have to figure out how your brand is going to play in the new world and be accessible to people in the way they want it,” says Joe Guith, president of Cinnabon.
Street Fight Daily: Instagram Video Engagement on Steep Rise, Smartphones Drive Web Traffic
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Engagement with Instagram Videos Is Surging… Advertisers, Take Note: Smartphones Are Driving All Web Traffic Growth… Google Changes AdWords Guidelines in Response to Apple’s Intelligent Tracking…
Raise Report: New Funding for MapR, Appier, AdWerx
Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Strikingly, GetAccept, Turo, and Dataiku.
LBMA Podcast: Disney Goes AR, Starbucks QR Codes, Reveal Mobile
This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Overnight app, Fuelcycle, Softbank’s Robot Priest, Smirnoff Cider + Locomizer.
Street Fight Daily: Google’s E-Commerce Influence Declines, Uber Under FBI Investigation
Google’s E-Commerce Influence In Steady Decline (MediaPost)… Uber Faces FBI Probe Over Program Targeting Lyft (WSJ)… Postmates Expands Unlimited, a Prime-Style Subscription Service, to 250k Merchants (TechCrunch)…
Placed Analysis Uncovers Location Data Biases
According to a new report released by the location-driven insights firm Placed, accuracy has fallen by the wayside in the rapidly expanding location-based advertising industry, which is estimated to reach nearly $30 billion by 2020. Placed’s analysis found that just 1% of locations are accurate enough to identify a store visit.
SMB Index: August a Flat Month for Local Stocks
After coming off a banner month in July where the SMB Index gained 4.6%, August 2017 was a flat month where the Index gave back 0.4%, consistent with other major indices we track.
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem