News and Analysis
Survey: Consumers Are Taking a Cautious Approach to Black Friday
Despite the somewhat complicated outlook, there are things retailers can do to change their fate. NMI found that 43% of consumers plan to avoid shopping with retailers that don’t offer contactless payments. Retailers that quickly adapt and add contactless payment options, and then market those changes aggressively over the coming days, still have an opportunity to win back customers who would otherwise be staying home.
DTC Brands Combine Physical Storefronts with Localized Search Strategy
Allbirds and Fabletics aren’t the first DTC brands to open up for in-store shopping, of course. Brands like Warby Parker and Bonobos pioneered the approach years ago. But the latest class of trendy DTC brands is doing things a little differently. Rather than focusing on urban centers, like New York and Los Angeles, DTC brands are using local data to target new, smaller locations in states like Arizona, Florida, and Texas.
Search Marketers Cater to New Customer Needs for Holidays
Grocery stores are doing more business than pre-pandemic, with average weekly household grocery bills surging from $120 to $161 at the height of statewide lockdowns this spring. Many restaurants are pivoting right now to promote their takeout and delivery options. Health and wellness websites are fielding questions about coronavirus, as are many news publishers.
Leaning into the changes means understanding and responding to the challenges consumers are facing right now and setting up a search strategy that focuses on providing the best experiences possible.
Commentary
Location Targeting is Nothing Without the Facts to Back it Up
Doing location targeting right is no simple matter, and common claims about it require further scrutiny. Accuracy of a location through parcel targeting, a rapid refresh audience strategy, and reaching the right people at scale through IP and cross-device targeting will make a major difference in location-based campaign outcomes.
Survey: Multi-Location Brands Continue to Shift Digital Budgets to Local
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.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Yext Set to Raise $115.5M in Today’s IPO, Snap Offers Brick-and-Mortar Attribution
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
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.
Street Fight Daily: Walmart Leverages Brick-and-Mortar to Win Online, Local Search Ranking Factors Rundown
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…
Street Fight Daily: Weather Channel Partners with Lyft, Alphabet Seeks Public Legal Fight with Uber
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
Two Mobile Marketing Studies Sketch Location Data’s Role in Cross-Channel Measurement
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.



















































Authentic Storytelling: Real-Life Scenarios Showcase Brand Values and Build Trust