News and Analysis
Location Leaders Step Up to the Plate
During the Covid-19 outbreak, we’re seeing tech companies step up to the plate in a mixture of altruistic and opportunistic moves. That’s everything from Comcast removing data caps to Amazon removing its paywall for streaming kids shows. But what about local specifically? Again, that’s where businesses are getting hit most.
We’ve seen moves in the local space over the past week from Facebook, Yelp, and Foursquare. Though there are several others, we’ll drill down on this representative sample. We’ll also give a shoutout to Google for its work to free up human and compute resources for local listings updates, covered Monday by Damian Rollison.
Loyalty in the Time of “Near Me” Searches, Omnichannel, and Covid-19
In addition to the opportunities and challenges that come with an omni-channel commercial ecosystem, 2020 brings to businesses the challenge of mobile search, which leads people on the go to search for “X near me” and pick the closest possible option. The new year also brought, as hardly anyone would’ve predicted months ago, an impending recession as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I caught up with Nicole Amsler, vice president of marketing at loyalty tech firm Formation.ai, to garner her insights on loyalty strategy this year.
Google Disables Reviews and Q&A, Yelp Announces New Features Amid Outbreak
Important announcements were posted Friday by Google and Yelp as part of the effort to contend with coronavirus and its impact on businesses.
Google has published a new help page titled “Limited Google My Business functionality due to COVID-19.” Before diving into the details in the announcement, I’ll mention the most important headline. Due to a rapid reorganization of priorities, Google has determined that at this time, they will disable the ability to leave new reviews, reply to reviews, and post new Question and Answer content.
Commentary
With Data and Local Guides, Google Maps Stays Ahead of the Rest
Justin O’Beirne marvels that, with the AOI initiative, Google has figured out how to “create data out of data,” meaning that AOIs are a mashup of 3D modeling and data extraction from images. Looked at more broadly, this is not the only example where Google has built features on top of features within the Maps universe.
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Can Google Shift Its Revenue Model From Advertising to Products?
“Google rolling out integrated hardware and software is a big change,” Mike Blumenthal says to David Mihm. “They have tried their hand at manufacturing many times and failed, but this feels more strategic. Clearly their AI assistant effort is central and it seems that AI is table stakes for the coming battles.”
DAC Group’s Fritz: ‘Consolidation Has Already Started’ in Local Tech
“The biggest opportunity [will materialize] as we start to see technology platforms look at areas outside of their sweet spot,” says the company’s VP of business development. “We’ve heard rumblings around technology companies looking to purchase more agency solutions, as well as vice versa: agencies looking to acquire for tech.”
Street Fight Daily: Consumers Slow to Embrace E-Grocery, Location-Based Marketing Drives Foot Traffic
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… One Local Market — Packaged Food and Household Goods — Resistant to E-Commerce… Location-Based Marketing Boosts Store Visits… Gordon Borrell on Why Facebook is Killing It in Local Advertising…
LBMA Podcast: Waze’s Brands, EatStreet/PingUp, and McDonald’s.
This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Skedaddle, Netclearance, Marriott’s #Mgravityroom, Under Armour, Sears + Uber, Google Trips, Sito Mobile + Blue Bite, and Verizon buys Sensity.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook’s Virtual Reality Web Browser, Millenials Prefer Text-Delivered News
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… What Brands Should Know About Facebook’s New Virtual Reality Web Browser… Pew Research Shows Young Adults Prefer Text-Delivered News Over Video… Snapchat Parent Working on IPO Valuing Firm at $25 Billion or More…
Lyft’s Melnick: ‘No Magic Bullet’ for Building a Multi-sided Marketplace
Conjuring up up a community of drivers and passengers for a ride-hailing service from scratch is no easy feat. We recently caught up with Lyft’s New York City manager Seth Melnick to talk about the challenges of multi-sided local marketplaces and about what the company is doing to extend its reach in the city.
McClatchy Strategy: Go Big and Small to Create ‘Moments’ With Each Reader
Like other chains of dailies, the company is pouring resources into how to make the long leap from a no-longer-secure print past to an alluring but uncertain digital today and tomorrow. In this recent Q&A McClatchy’s Chris Hendricks and Dan Schaub detail how their company is planning to meet that future.
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