News and Analysis
The Adult Arcade: Two Trends Converging
We’ve covered the rise of eatertainment. Multi-location (MULO) brands have discovered that incorporating entertainment, sports challenges (sportainment), and activities into their converging retail and restaurant models enables them to appeal to a vast and growing segment of the market. Add to that model the newstalgia trend (a mash-up of new and nostalgia). Brands are combining […]
The MULO Dozen: July Brands in Review
Some things slow down over the summer, but this July the MULO ecosystem continues to heat up phygital enhancements, leadership changes, and creative new marketing approaches. Hot dogs are not just for family BBQs this summer! Wienerschnitzel is making a bold new leap, with the hot dog chain announcing its expansion to the East Coast, aiming to solidify […]
MULO Brands With Soul July Pick: NIKE
“Just Do It” is the NIKE tagline. It’s been around since 1988, and it also captures the brand’s view toward giving back and building a positive company culture. The brand is our July choice for a Brand with Soul. Or, perhaps it should be Brand with Sole, although the footwear manufacturer has expanded to include […]
Commentary
The Cookie Crumbled: Deprecation is Out, First-Party Data is (Still) In
While Google backed of its cookie deprecation plans, now is not the time for brands to become complacent. Smart marketers continue to prioritize third-party cookie alternatives to effectively and efficiently reach their audiences—and future-proof their targeting strategies, which are still likely to be impacted by privacy changes and signal loss. Google users will soon have […]
Solving the Identity Crisis: The Next Frontier for CTV Advertising
Driven by viewer demand for variety and convenience in content, Connected TV (CTV) has become one of the fastest-growing major advertising channels globally. A recent report in eMarketer stated that in the US alone, CTV advertising spend is projected to grow by 22.4% and reach $30.10 billion in 2024. Presenting a plethora of opportunities to […]
Streets Ahead: TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features, AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update we learn about TikTok adding Yelp-like features and Google’s updates to AI Overviews. TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features The News TikTok is adding features similar to Yelp, categorizing location-specific videos into segments such as food and drink, hotels, and shopping. This update aims to improve user experience by making it […]
Latest Posts
Multi-Family Housing: The Brand Experience Part 2
These days, MULO (multi-location) brands are not just restaurants, retailers, and service businesses. As society’s housing and work needs evolve, apartment complexes, residential property managers, and live/work landlords are also building brands. The first part of this series dealt with the unique challenges of MULO real estate brands. We also spoke to Lia Nichole Smith, […]
Streets Ahead: Google’s AI Driven Search, Apple Business Connect
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, we discuss Google’s new AI-driven search features and updates to Apple Business Connect that expand business presence to the Apple ecosystem. Google Introduces New Search Features The News Google is introducing AI-driven enhancements to its search features, focusing on providing diverse and intuitive ways for users to interact with […]
Physical Books Are a Hit with Digital Natives
For all the handwringing about how social media is chipping away at our mental health, digital social platforms are driving at least one type of analog media: physical books. As in the kind, where you flip actual pages by lamp light. No scrolling. No clicking. Just honest-to-God printed words on paper. And the delicious irony […]
Who Says Chickens Can’t Fly? Raising Cane’s is Soaring (BOOM)
Why did the chicken cross the road to Cancun? To meet with Raising Cane’s 3,000 team members to present the plan for the future! Raising Cane’s is a multi-billion-dollar brand with over 800 locations. Founded in 1996, the company’s sales have been on the upswing. The brand gathered its team in Mexico to present its […]
Brand Building or Performance Marketing? Why Multi-Location Brands Must Invest in Both
Brands have long grappled with the decision of how to allocate marketing dollars across brand building and performance marketing. Building sustainable brand awareness and a strong reputation requires a long-term investment with tough-to-measure results. Performance marketing delivers more immediate local leads and sales. It’s easy to see why many brands overinvest in performance marketing at […]
Content Creators are Upping Their Game
When we hear “content creators” and “influencers” we may think primarily about people unboxing new products, waxing poetic about their cosmetics, sharing branded recipes, or merely dancing on TikTok. Many of these people are “citizen marketers” who promote products for a paycheck. However, another group of content creators focuses on developing more in-depth content that […]
Holidays 2024 Installment 1: Megan Harbold Predicts the Spending Future
We recently announced that because the holidays are a huge and complex spending season for MULO (multi-location) brands we are reaching out to industry leaders for their predictions about holidays 2024. Our first perspective is from a company with a broad and deep understanding of spending data and today’s marketing strategies and tactics. Skai VP […]
Multi-family Housing: The Brand Experience Part 1
We met Jennifer Carter, VP of Marketing of the Multifamily Media Network, at the Blueprint conference, where commercial and residential real estate businesses shared their perspectives about the multi-family industry’s future and the marketing and technologies behind it. As we spoke with Carter, we realized that multi-family homes (e.g., apartment complexes, condos, co-ops, and mixed-used […]
Why Purpose-Built Marketplaces Matter for Marketers
Today’s digital landscape is brimming with buzzwords like “full-funnel campaigns,” “omnichannel,” “data-driven,” “personalization,” and more. These concepts promote the idea that marketers can achieve all their goals with a single, unified approach. However, while these ideas sound appealing, the reality is that one-size-fits-all solutions often fall short, especially when it comes to achieving distinct objectives […]
Wings, Breasts, and Betting: The Evolution of the Sports Bar
Technology is having an impact on ALL types of MULO (multi-location) businesses. With football season upon us, thousands of people are flocking to the ubiquitous sports bar to watch their favorite teams, interact with fellow fans, drink beer, spiked seltzer, and Bloody Marys (in the case of early games), and cheer and boo (all while posting on […]
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