News and Analysis

‘A Buyer’s Market’: Why OOH Is in Demand During the Pandemic

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During a time when many other types of advertising have faltered, out-of-home (OOH) advertising is having a moment. Despite a nationwide pandemic, OOH activations are on the rise. Political spending on OOH media is up 75% compared to the same period in 2018, and direct-to-consumer brands are seeing increases in both aided and unaided brand awareness.

What’s driving the push? According to Quan CEO Brian Rappaport, there’s been a distinct change in consumer traffic patterns since the pandemic began. Brands that are capitalizing on those changes are reaching targeted groups of consumers at “firesale” prices.

Local Businesses Face Negative Reviews Due to Coronavirus Safety Requirements

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Google has taken several important measures to assist businesses during the pandemic, but none so far can prevent customers angry about coronavirus-related restrictions from lashing out at businesses attempting to follow public health best practices or the letter of the local law. “The review space has never been harder than right now,” wrote GatherUp co-founder and reputation management expert Mike Blumenthal.

But there are also possible strategies for survival.

With Walmart+, Retailer Combines Digital Subscription Service and Physical Stores

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Regardless of which retailer comes out on top, there’s no doubt that many will see Walmart’s decision to launch a digital-first membership program as a turning point in brick-and-mortar retail and a concession on Walmart’s part that e-commerce is the way of the future, displacing rather than complementing old-school retail.

Marcel Hollerbach contends that Walmart’s decision to launch a membership program points to just how well positioned retailers with physical locations are in the current climate, with the ability to quickly facilitate things like in-store returns and same-day deliveries of items that take much longer to ship by mail.

Commentary

Google’s Local Improvements—Posts Become Essential, and Mike Wins the Bet!

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“Google’s made plenty of laudatory improvements to Google My Business and associated products over the past 24 months, and there does seem to be a qualitative shift in the way it’s approaching the space,” David Mihm tells Mike Blumenthal in their biweekly column.

LBMA Podcast: Mapbox, GasBuddy, IKEA

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On this week’s edition of the Location-Based Marketing Association podcast: Propellant Media, Singapore’s Lifesight, Mapbox API, Gasbuddy, IKEA’s sleepiest ad ever, Swrve + Bluedot.

GateHouse Media’s Kirk Davis Argues Chain Is Becoming a ‘Leader in Community Engagement’

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Cost-cutting equity funds have hollowed out scores of daily newspapers, turning their communities into “news deserts,” the critics say. But Kirk Davis, CEO of GateHouse Media, counters that the equity-funded conglomerate is transforming its 144 dailies into tribunes of the people. He makes his case in this Q&A.

Latest Posts

What Does It Mean to Practice Local SEO Ethically?

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It can be all too easy to give the client the impression that search marketing is too hard from them to really understand — so they should just trust you. But that sets the stage for a relationship that is not based on ethical behavior.

Here’s How Marketers Can Capitalize on Valentine’s Day Foot Traffic Trends

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According to a new analysis of Valentine’s Day foot traffic trends conducted by the location intelligence company Foursquare, movie theaters are the place to be on Valentine’s Day. Theaters see an incredible 255% lift in foot traffic, compared to the week before — and 64% of moviegoers opt to eat out before or after the show.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Disrupts Retail in Seattle, Oracle Makes IoT Data Actionable

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon’s Living Lab: Reimagining Retail on Seattle’s Streets… Oracle Launches Apps to Surface Predictions and Insights from IoT Sensor Data… Using Data to One-Up the Competition…

Raise Report: New Funding for MapAnything, Cuebiq, SIM Partners

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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 The Bouqs, Soundhound, Reserve, and Fuze.

Why Back-end Tech Is Key for Food Delivery Startups

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Outside of college campuses, local food delivery startups generally have larger neighborhoods to cover and customers with more niche needs. This may be why some of the biggest names in local delivery don’t seem as different at first glance, because their focus is on the back-end.

Street Fight Daily: Yelp Sees Growth in Local Ad Accounts, Facebook Agrees to Audit

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yelp Stock Plunges After Sales Outlook Misses Mark, But Local Ad Accounts Grow… Facebook Agrees to Audit of Its Metrics Following Data Controversy… Lyft Has Hired the Head of Google Street View to Lead Its Mapping Team…

Swirl Launches Direct Facebook Integration for Online-to-Offline Attribution

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Retailers using Swirl’s platform can now connect “verified” real world store visits to Facebook ad impressions and more accurately measure the direct impact that Facebook ad campaigns are having on the way consumers move around inside their stores.

Newspapers Have High Level of Trust, but Will They Capitalize on It?

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The key will be not how Facebook shares its revenues or tinkers with its news-feed algorithm. How successful newspapers are in achieving sustainability will depend on the richness of the connections they build with their audiences.

Street Fight Daily: Square Launches POS App for Retailers, GrubHub’s Sales Surge

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Square Launches Dedicated Point-of-Sale App And Service for Retail Merchants… Grubhub’s Sales Surge… The Washington Post Rolls Out Customizable Content Ad Unit…

7 Fresh Ways SMBs Are Using Social Media for Marketing

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In order for business owners to maximize the impact of their expanded social media budgets, they need to think outside the box and try new tactics for reaching consumers online. Here are seven examples of fresh new ways that small and mid-size businesses can use social media for marketing in 2017.