News and Analysis
Retailers Use AI to Rebuild the Customer Experience
Retailers are using artificial intelligence to enhance the customer experience and also run their own back-end operations more efficiently.
How Agencies Can Thrive as Data Restrictions, and Walled Gardens, Gain Strength
Agencies must figure out how to help clients navigate the new privacy era of digital ad targeting. They can thrive despite new advantages for walled gardens.
Yelp Launches New Takeout Management Tools for Restaurants
Yelp announced that it would be evolving its Waitlist system and introducing new features designed to streamline restaurants’ front-of-house operations.
Commentary
How Giant GateHouse Media Performed in Harsh Duke Study of Local News Sites
I went to Bill Church, senior vice president of news at GateHouse Media—the biggest publisher of newspapers in the U.S.—with questions about the quality of GateHouse sites that were put under the microscope in a 100-community study from Duke University that painted a critical picture of news deserts across the country.
How Brands Can Create Personalized Experiences for Each Local Market
Digital properties must not only gather information about people but also use it to help consumers meet their goals in a contextual and timely manner. With changes such as the GDPR going into effect, the onus is on brands to deliver a connected experience that will leave customers feeling as though brands’ use of their data is justified.
The Quantitative Evidence That Reputation Management Works
At times, the research findings published in our industry seem a little suspect. But in one vertical in particular, there’s a body of academic research that speaks to exactly the kinds of questions we want answered about reputation management—namely, does online review monitoring and response really make a difference to a business’s bottom line?
Latest Posts
Charting Google’s Shifting Priorities in the New Local Search Survey
For many years, Physical Address in City of Search was the most important ranking factor, but it has now been overtaken by Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance). As such, the canonical local search use case has become a mobile user searching for a business nearby his or her current location.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Suffers Data Collection Setback Abroad, Pitfalls of Location Tech for Brands
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook Gets Slap on the Wrist from 2 European Privacy Regulators… Brands: Prioritizing Location-Based KPIs Can Have Its Drawbacks… Uber Won’t Be Forced to Stop Developing Self-Driving Cars During Its Lawsuit with Alphabet…
The Current State of Google Maps — Fake News, Fake Reviews
“It’s incredible to me that given all of Google’s focus on new local products that they are still getting some of the basics wrong,” Mike Blumenthal tells David Mihm. “People who rely on Google more and more to find local businesses need to know that the fundamental metric of the business quality, reviews, is fair and well policed.”
Friends Don’t Let Friends Dial Drunk — There’s a ‘Mode’ for That
Drunk Mode is an app that helps users navigate their inebriation — and avoid making embarrassing calls at 2 am. (I’m looking at you every 22-year-old.) CEO Josh Anton, who will be speaking at Street Fight Summit, developed his suite of location-based apps after getting one of those late-night phone calls from a friend.
Street Fight Daily: Snap Loses Ground to Instagram, Lyft and Waymo Partner Up on Self-Driving Cars
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Snap Installs Fall 16% As Instagram Pulls Further Ahead… Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars… What is Digital Transformation, and What Does It Require?…
Street Culture: Balancing Structure and Exploration in Company Culture
Environment, talent, and process all encourage the growth of innovation, according to IT research firm CEB, which was recently acquired by Gartner. But there’s a balancing act that must take place between structure and exploration — especially for smaller companies on a fast upward growth curve.
The Evolution of Location-Based Targeting
The technical methodologies and approaches for answering the question of where a device is (or what the user is doing) are not all created equal, and it’s worth taking a look at the different methodologies and how they are evolving.
Street Fight Daily: Waymo’s Suit Against Uber Goes to Trial, Gen Z’s Tech Prowess Disrupts Branding
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Waymo’s Lawsuit Against Uber is Going to Trial, Judge Rules… New Study Reveals How the Tech-Centric Expectations of Brand Z ‘Are Reshaping Brand Experiences’… Vice Balances Brand Safety with Editorial Autonomy…
Why SharkNinja Keeps Searching for New Ways to Connect With Local Consumers
Building a rapport with customers at the local level can be a challenge for product makers who do not have their own stores. It can be an even more elaborate task for a brand whose products have long lifecycles. That makes it all the more important to ensure digital marketing is cognizant of its customers’ needs, says transformation VP Ajay Kapoor.
Street Fight Daily: Google Adds Local Event Discovery to Search, Snap’s Earnings Disappoint
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Search Will Now Help You Find Nearby Events… Snap’s $2.2 Billion Loss Caps Bumpy First Months as Public Company… Microsoft Releases New Custom AI Services for Businesses…
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Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem