News and Analysis
Why a Streaming TV Ad Platform Is Buying Billboards
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is increasingly becoming a channel for B2B technology companies looking to reach decision-makers in the real world. As SaaS platforms compete for the attention of enterprise marketers, AI founders, and venture capital firms, some are turning to highly targeted billboards and transit campaigns in tech-heavy markets. Streaming ad platform Vibe.co is the […]
Gorilla Property Services Eyes U.S. Franchise Expansion
A leading property maintenance franchise is expanding into the United States, highlighting how home services brands are turning fragmented local trades into scalable franchise platforms. Vancouver-based Gorilla Property Services announced today that it has partnered with Franchise FastLane to accelerate franchise development across the U.S. The move positions the company inside one of the fastest-growing […]
Survey: How Rising Review Expectations Are Reshaping Brand Reputation Strategies
The BrightLocal 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey highlights a major shift for brands operating in local markets. Reviews from the last three months now carry the most influence in consumer decision-making, while rising rating expectations and AI-powered recommendations are redefining how consumers evaluate businesses. For brands with local footprints, maintaining a steady flow of fresh, […]
Commentary
The Biggest Risks Facing Influencer Marketing in 2026
Influencer marketing is entering a more fragile phase. As AI-generated content proliferates, trust in online creators erodes, governments introduce tighter social media regulations, and creator burnout accelerates, brands face a more complex and risk-laden landscape heading into 2026. While influencer marketing remains big business, shifts in authenticity, transparency, platform access, and audience behavior are forcing […]
Streets Ahead: Google, Apple, and Siri Signal a New Era for AI, Search, and Commerce
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi examines how Google is rapidly consolidating its role as the underlying infrastructure powering the next phase of AI-driven discovery, decision-making, and commerce. From a multi-year partnership with Apple to power Apple Intelligence and Siri with Gemini, to growing adoption of Gemini across Search and Android, and now the […]
Why Trust Is Now the Strongest Brand Growth Lever
For brands, growth is no longer won by louder marketing or faster product launches. Brand growth is earned through trust. As buyers become more self-directed, AI reshapes discovery, and confidence replaces claims as the deciding factor, brands are being judged on how clearly, consistently, and humanly they show up across every interaction. In 2026, winning […]
Latest Posts
Why Review Competition Breaks at Scale for Multi-Location Brands
Google reviews have become one of the most powerful competitive signals in local search — influencing Local Pack visibility, consumer trust, and increasingly, how brands surface in AI-driven discovery experiences. But while review strategy is relatively straightforward for single-location businesses, it becomes far more complex and fragile at scale for multi-location brands. For multi-location brands […]
Retail Media’s Maturity Moment: Why 2026 Changes Everything for Brands
Retail media is entering its maturity phase — and in 2026, there will be no hiding behind experimentation. As brands shift real budget into retail media networks, the pressure is on retailers to prove incremental impact, operational rigor, and measurable outcomes at scale. With U.S. retail media ad spend projected to surpass $69 billion, the […]
How Brands Can Influence AI Search Results—Not Just Rank in Them
As AI answers increasingly replace traditional search results, local and regional brands are facing a new visibility challenge: how to show up when consumers never click a link at all. In an AI search environment where recommendations are surfaced instantly—and often without a website visit—being included in the answer matters more than driving traffic. A […]
Google Anonymous Reviews Reshaping Visibility for Sensitive-Industry Brands
Amid AI Overviews, AI Mode, and a steady drumbeat of core updates, Google quietly introduced a change with outsized implications for certain businesses: Google anonymous reviews. By allowing users to leave reviews under a pseudonym rather than their real name, Google has lowered a long-standing barrier for customers in privacy-sensitive industries. For multi-location brands in […]
Paycom Taps NBA Star Jalen Williams to Put AI Answers Front and Center
B2B tech brands are increasingly turning to familiar faces to humanize complex software — and Paycom is leaning into that strategy with its latest campaign. The Oklahoma City–based HR and payroll platform has tapped Jalen Williams, an All-Star guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, to headline its new “Answers” campaign, spotlighting how its IWant™ AI […]
The Biggest Risks Facing Influencer Marketing in 2026
Influencer marketing is entering a more fragile phase. As AI-generated content proliferates, trust in online creators erodes, governments introduce tighter social media regulations, and creator burnout accelerates, brands face a more complex and risk-laden landscape heading into 2026. While influencer marketing remains big business, shifts in authenticity, transparency, platform access, and audience behavior are forcing […]
VIOOH and Atmosphere TV Expand Programmatic Place-Based Streaming
Programmatic video advertising is moving beyond traditional digital boundaries and deeper into the physical world. With a newly announced partnership, VIOOH, the global digital out-of-home (DOOH) supply-side platform, is teaming up with Atmosphere TV to unlock programmatic access to the largest place-based streaming TV network built specifically for businesses. The partnership expands access to more […]
Neuro-Contextual Advertising Signals the Post-Cookie Future of Attention
As cookies and identifiers continue to fade, a new frontier is emerging in digital advertising—one powered not by who users are, but by how they feel. New research from Seedtag suggests that neuro-contextual advertising, which aligns ads with emotional context and intent rather than personal data, is driving significantly higher attention and engagement across CTV […]
Streets Ahead: Google, Apple, and Siri Signal a New Era for AI, Search, and Commerce
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi examines how Google is rapidly consolidating its role as the underlying infrastructure powering the next phase of AI-driven discovery, decision-making, and commerce. From a multi-year partnership with Apple to power Apple Intelligence and Siri with Gemini, to growing adoption of Gemini across Search and Android, and now the […]
Why Trust Is Now the Strongest Brand Growth Lever
For brands, growth is no longer won by louder marketing or faster product launches. Brand growth is earned through trust. As buyers become more self-directed, AI reshapes discovery, and confidence replaces claims as the deciding factor, brands are being judged on how clearly, consistently, and humanly they show up across every interaction. In 2026, winning […]
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