News and Analysis
Let’s Get Phygital in 2025
Phygital is hardly a new word. The term was first coined in 2007 by Chris Weil, former chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. Like many concepts, many marketing professionals take credit for coming up with the term, but ownership doesn’t matter here. What’s meaningful is that the term is having a huge resurgence — almost […]
TikTok & the Future of Social Media Marketing
As the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to uphold the “divest or die” congressional act looms large over TikTok, the app’s fate in the United States remains uncertain. This past weekend marked a whirlwind of developments: the app went dark on Saturday, only to reemerge on Sunday after President Trump announced his intention to issue an […]
Navigating the US TikTok Ban: Strategic Insights for CMOs and Agency Executives
As the January 19th deadline for the US TikTok ban approaches, the marketing world is abuzz with speculation and urgency. With news breaking that TikTok may shut down its app entirely in the US and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the proposed ban, brands are left scrambling to adjust their social media strategies. For […]
Commentary
Impossible? How to Actually Get a Return on Your Technology Investments
Technology investments have been a priority for most companies since before the pandemic, which brought new urgency to the implementation of new solutions. However, fully implementing a digital transformation is surprisingly uncommon – a new study found that only 15% of businesses with digital transformation programs have completed them. That low success rate is concerning because […]
Multi-Location Marketing Mistakes That Could Tank SEO Success
As a marketing professional, you probably know how to avoid common industry pitfalls. But even if you think you’ve got a foolproof strategy, you can always count on Google to throw another curveball your way. And if you’re not thinking ahead, you could easily fall behind. With that, consider these five commonly overlooked marketing mistakes […]
Marketers, Time To Tame Your Data For Good
As marketers, you already know the value of data. It’s a powerful tool for any organization to understand its customers, guide its strategy, and make informed business decisions. But, just like any powerful tool, if you don’t tame your data, it will do more harm than good. The conversation around marketing data tends to focus […]
Latest Posts
The MULO Dozen: February Brands in Review
It’s that time again! Every month, we report on new developments in the MULO (multi-location) space. We cover brands, trends, and the agencies and technologies that serve the MULO (or aspiring MULO) business. Love and the Super Bowl were in the air in February. And we saw our usual range of management and product changes. Have news? […]
Eagle Eye’s AI Product Can Scale, Personalize Promotions at Retail
When Eagle Eye introduced its data-centric solution powered by AI earlier this year, its intended business targets were grocery and retail verticals. The offering uses retailers’ existing customer data to generate personalized promotions for consumers at scale. In this way mass promotions can be segmented and curated specifically for individuals, said Cédric Chéreau, Untie Nots Co-Founder […]
Just For You: MULO Brands Built Around Personalization
The Bear Cave is a grown-up version of the kids’ multi-location (MULO) brand Build-a-Bear. Personalization or the concept of making something unique as a gift or for yourself is nothing new. Most people like to think of themselves as unique beings with specialized tastes. Mainstream brands like Chipotle, Starbucks, and salad and ice cream franchises […]
The Franchise of the Future
The franchise MULO (multi-location) business model has been around since 1731 and boomed in the U.S. in 1960, with the formation of the International Franchise Association (or IFA). The IFA now represents 1,300 franchisors, 10,000 franchisees, and more than 600 professionals and suppliers to the industry, according to its website (which also features a robust […]
BOOM: This MULO Diner Chain is Roaring
The diner as a concept seems to be timeless. Back in 1913, the first stationary diner was established and ultimately grew to 6,000 privately owned locations nationally. That’s a giant MULO (multi-location) venture! Fast forward to today. Although foodies have a wide range of options for where to eat — from single-unit locations to specific […]
When Gen AI Erodes Trust, Brands Take the Fall
Generative AI’s potential to change the way we work and shop holds amazing promise, but this new technology also poses heightened risks for brands. Maintaining customer trust will be a perpetual challenge as generative AI (GenAI) changes the fraud landscape in two important ways. First, GenAI is already making it easier for professional and amateur […]
BOOM: Retail Media According to Skai
We often use “BOOM” to identify a category or store brand that’s thriving. But BOOMing can also apply to trends in media buying and creative. So, for 2024 we’ve expanded the term to cover that as well, so MULO (multi-location) brands and the agencies that work with them can identify how to better reach consumers […]
‘Judge Beauty’ Wants this e.l.f. on Your Shelf
And the award for best non-sequitur in a Super Bowl ad this year goes to the TV personality known as Judge Judy: “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining,” Judge Beauty said when learning a “defendant” claimed she needed to spend $92 on makeup products. The 30-second spot, “Judge Beauty,” was from […]
Retail Bankruptcies: Life in the ‘Express’ Lane
Business and retail media are filled with stories of companies that are in the express lane towards restructuring and holding huge sales on their way toward bankruptcy. It has become such a popular topic of speculation that one online source even gives odds of bankruptcy filing. Over the past week, the media was placing odds […]
BOOM or BUST? Will the Mega MULO Crafts Store Survive?
As tech-centric as the world has become, handcrafts are still alive and well! Just look at Etsy, which has been steadily growing. Although the MULO (multi-location) crafts industry is not unraveling like an unfortunate knitting project, online competition has put a pin prick into big box store revenues. The pandemic also eliminated many in-store events. Just […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Why TV Remains the Heartbeat of Local Connection