News and Analysis
App Science Audiences Deliver Higher Attention Than CTV Averages, Study Finds
As connected TV shifts from a reach-first channel to a performance-driven medium, attention … not impressions … is emerging as the metric advertisers care about most. New research from TVision suggests that CTV effectiveness is increasingly shaped by audience strategy, not just premium inventory labels. The study found that campaigns using App Science audience segments […]
Basis and Mediaocean Aim to Automate the Full Media Lifecycle
In an advertising ecosystem increasingly defined by fragmentation, operational complexity, and rising pressure for accountability, automation has moved from incremental improvement to strategic necessity. That shift is at the heart of a new integration partnership between Basis and Mediaocean, which together are seeking to automate the entire media lifecycle , from planning and activation through […]
Think National, Speak Local: Why Content Localization Drives Brand Trust
Brands earn attention when they sound like they belong. For national organizations, that sense of belonging doesn’t happen by accident. Content localization is the bridge between a big brand promise and a personal, community-level connection. It’s how a national healthcare message resonates in a small-town clinic, or how a nonprofit mission becomes a topic of […]
Commentary
2026 Predictions: Where Multi-Location Brands Win Next
As we head into 2026, multi-location (MULO) and franchise brands are walking into one of the biggest opportunities we’ve seen in years. Not because there’s a shiny new channel that suddenly solves everything, but because Paid, Earned, and Owned Media are finally starting to work together in a way that rewards brands who think locally […]
Streets Ahead: Google Core Update, IG Search, Review Delays
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses the Google December 20025 Core Update, Instagram search traffic and Google Review appeals delay. Google Rolls Out December 2025 Core Update The News Google has launched its December 2025 Core Update, marking the third broad algorithm change this year following major releases in March and June. The […]
Intentional Marketing in the Age of AI: Smarter Strategy Choices for 2026
If 2025 has taught me one thing about AI, it’s that success won’t be about who uses the most. It will be about who uses it most intentionally. That’s why I want to take a step back from the marketing buzzwords. Before you jump into implementing any new AI solution in 2026, it’s vital to […]
Latest Posts
Streets Ahead: OpenAI ‘Code Red’, Google Maps & Gemini, Review Extortion
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google and OpenAI escalating the AI platform race as Gemini outperforms GPT-5, Google Maps gaining new Gemini features, and Google responding to rising review extortion. Gemini’s Lead Triggers OpenAI ‘Code Red’ The News OpenAI has been shipping new ChatGPT features at a steady clip, but on core […]
Adform Integrates with Spotify Ad Exchange to Advance Programmatic Audio Buying
As digital audio spending accelerates toward a projected $43 billion global market in 2024, Adform and Spotify are expanding their partnership to bring agencies and brand marketers new levels of efficiency, transparency, and omnichannel precision. The companies announced that Adform is now directly integrated into the Spotify Ad Exchange, giving buyers streamlined access to Spotify’s […]
Plymouth Rock Launches Campaign for Northeast Region
Plymouth Rock Assurance, which provides homeowners and car insurance to customers in the Northeast, has a new ad campaign in which it advises customers to “keep calm and rock on,” a fairly reasonable directive, considering the vertical. North Carolina ad agency McKinney, created the campaign that is meant to support the idea that living in the Northeast […]
The App-or-Web Dilemma: Where Brands Should Steer Holiday Shoppers
A shopper clicked on your Black Friday email. They landed on your mobile site, ready to buy. A full-page interstitial pops up: “Download our app for a better experience!” They closed it. Lost sale: $150. Multiply that by thousands of clicks during peak shopping days, and you’re leaving serious money on the table. Most retailers […]
Balancing Local SEO and Paid Ads Using Hyperlocal Visibility Intelligence
For agencies working with multi-location (MULO) brands, one of the hardest ongoing decisions is how to split resources between local SEO and paid media. The reality is this: local SEO and paid ads are not competing disciplines. They’re complementary, and the most effective agencies aren’t choosing between them — they’re deciding where each produces the […]
StackAdapt Enhances the DOOH Process
StackAdapt has a new DOOH experience that replaces spreadsheets and static lists with real-time mapping that integrates Programmatic Guaranteed inventory access through both Broadsign and Vistar. Most DSPs typically integrate with only one. Under the improved system, advertisers will have greater transparency about pricing and availability to launch for reserved screens directly on the platform. […]
How To Explain AI Search Visibility to Agency Clients
The rise of AI in search is happening fast — and once again, agencies are tasked with making sense of a major shift for their clients while the playbook is still being written. Most enterprise and multi-location clients already understand the fundamentals of traditional local SEO, like Google Business Profile optimization. But when you start […]
Streets Ahead: Agentic Shopping, Reviews, and the Rise of Fresh Content
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses Google’s agentic shopping move in AI-Driven commerce, review recency and volume driving local visibility, and freshness as the new authority in AI search Agentic Shopping: Google’s Next Move in AI-Driven Commerce The News Just in time for peak holiday spending, Google has rolled out agentic Shopping in […]
‘Short-Term Rental’ Season Is Upon Us
Have you ever just borrowed something from a store instead of outright buying it? Apparently, this behavior is widespread and known in the trade as a “short-term rental” or STR. The practice involves consumers buying goods such as houseware, electronics, and clothing, fully intending to return them for a refund from the store after use. […]
The Voice Revolution: New Wave of Call Assistants
There’s a quiet revolution underway in the world of business communication—one that I find impossible to ignore. The humble phone call: an interaction so often overlooked or underappreciated, has become a hotbed for innovation. At the center of this shift? Voice agents and call assistants, tech that’s quickly moving from novelty to necessity. We need […]
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