News and Analysis

Brands Are Struggling with Customer Loyalty in 2020. Here’s Why

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The pandemic has sparked changes in consumer behavior. Some changes are predictable, like people stocking up on toilet paper when lockdown orders first went into effect.

But other changes occurring over the past seven months have been more slight and easier to miss. Now, with the holiday shopping season getting into full swing, brands are discovering that these minor shifts in consumer behavior have the potential to wreak havoc on their seasonal marketing strategies.

How Consumer Behavior Toward Auto Ads Changed During Covid-19

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As one of the largest spenders on digital advertising in the U.S., the automotive industry is a bellwether. Prior to the pandemic, the automotive industry had consistent double-digit growth in digital ad spending. That growth was forecast to continue through the end of 2020 — then, in March, everything changed.

Prop 24 Could Majorly Impact California Data Privacy. Will Businesses Comply?

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All eyes are focused on the presidential election today, but for businesses, a ballot initiative in California could have major implications. Proposition 24, known as the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), is seen by many as an even more stringent version of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). That has some businesses rethinking how they collect user data and questioning whether they might be vulnerable to lawsuits if the proposition passes.

Commentary

The Enduring Benefits of Mobile Apps for Brands

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Thanks to a variety of factors including speed, user experience,  personalized messaging, reliable security, and fully customizable content, native apps increase your customers’ connection with your brand, driving more engagement and conversion than a mobile web product ever would.

Survey: Multi-Location Brands Continue to Shift Digital Budgets to Local

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Many multi-location brands still find some traditional media more effective than most digital tactics and focus their digital efforts on the corporate e-commerce site or company branding. But an aggressive group of budget shifters are increasing spending across a variety of digital advertising and marketing vehicles, often with a local focus.

Google’s Path to Becoming the Transaction Layer of the Web

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“Google is controlling the entire local experience—discovery, presentation, and transaction—and there’s just nowhere for agencies to add value, or make any money from that value,” David Mihm tells Mike Blumenthal in their biweekly column.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Yext Set to Raise $115.5M in Today’s IPO, Snap Offers Brick-and-Mortar Attribution

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yext is Set to Raise $115.5 Million in IPO After Final Pricing… Snap Advertisers Can Now See if Their Ads Increase Foot Traffic… Will it Blend? Oath Will Combine Disparate AOL-Yahoo Ad Tech Assets…

Disney’s Deep Dive on Personality Research, and Its Potential Implications for Brand Marketers

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A division of The Walt Disney Company has been working on a method to better target marketing by learning more about consumers’ personalities. Research scientist Maarten Bos spoke to us about how consumer personality can be understood and how the information can be used to tailor ads more precisely.

What Happens When Google Can Manipulate the Very News It Seeks to Protect?

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A recent controversy finds the search giant caught in a contradiction. The company has strong financial interest in acting as the gatekeeper to the news. But Google also has a strong interest in portraying itself positively in the news that it effectively controls.

Street Fight Daily: Walmart Leverages Brick-and-Mortar to Win Online, Local Search Ranking Factors Rundown

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Walmart to Discount Some Online Orders When Picked Up At the Store… Just Released: 2017 Local Searching Ranking Factors Survey Results… Uber’s Head of Communications, Rachel Whetstone, is Leaving…

How Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Could Change Local Marketing

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The new smartphone promises increased opportunities to bring local marketers closer to consumers with a new “intelligent interface.” Bixby, the phone’s voice assistant, has “contextually aware” capabilities that can help personalize location, retail and other user experiences.

CloudSponge: Soaking Up Your Contacts to Connect You Anywhere

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The startup is touting tremendous success for at least one company using their service: local (under the radar) giant, Nextdoor, has seen a significant uptick in growth since deploying CloudSponge’s technology. How? We talked with Jay Gibb, the company’s CEO, to find out.

Street Fight Daily: Weather Channel Partners with Lyft, Alphabet Seeks Public Legal Fight with Uber

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… The Weather Channel Lets You Request a Lyft When Bad Weather Strikes… Alphabet Wants Its Lawsuit Against Uber to Play Out Publicly… Twitter is Expanding Its Video Measurement Partnerships to Help Marketers Gauge Ad Performance

Why Real-time Geofencing Is a Missed Marketing Opportunity for Brands

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Many marketers are focusing too exclusively on the simplest form of location data. Geo-fencing severely limits the potential of location data and also the reach of a digital campaign.

Two Mobile Marketing Studies Sketch Location Data’s Role in Cross-Channel Measurement

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The reports released last week by industry organizations provide useful advice on mobile marketing tactics and using location data. Both studies point to the need to apply integrated, cross-channel measurement techniques, and to use location data for targeting, customer segmentation, and attribution.

Street Fight Daily: How Amazon Shipping Impacts Small Retailers, Facebook Updates Instant Articles

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon’s Free Shipping Pushes Small Retailers, Delivery Firms to Compete… Facebook Updates Instant Articles, Encourages Email Sign-Ups… Native Ad Spend Increased 600% in 3 Years, But Early Adopters Are Bailing…