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
BOOM: We All Scream for Ice Cream (and retailers reply)
The summer is upon us, and many people are seeking ways to cool down. Although the old-fashioned neighborhood ice cream truck is a rarity, multi-location (MULO) ice cream and frozen dessert retailers show no sign of melting. Although the category has declined slightly from time to time, it still represents $5.5B in revenue in the […]
5 Brands Using QR Codes to Drive Traffic to Online Platforms
The predictions were correct. QR codes are back — in a big way. After debuting in the 1990s, then losing relevance in the early 2000s, QR codes came roaring back to life in 2020. Now, three years after QR codes re-entered the mainstream during the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the biggest brands in the world […]
Seedtag Launches Next-Gen AI Solution
Global contextual ad company Seedtag has launched a next-gen AI powered context platform that gives brands and agencies the ability to create tailored creative ads that fit the context of the page on which they are featured. Dubbed “Liz,” the platform uses deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing to create insight-driven prompts from […]
Latest Posts
AtData Launches a New E-mail Marketing Tool
E-mail marketing is not dead. It’s on the upswing. A whopping 362 billion (yes, billion) e-mails are expected to be sent EVERY DAY in 2024. But how do brands ensure the health of their e-mail marketing campaigns and ensure that their budgets are going toward those people not likely to simply dump your precious message […]
Navigating the Post-Cookie Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities for Brands
Google’s long-awaited post-cookie world is now here, with the company officially turning off cookies for 1% of Chrome users last month. The loss of third-party cookies means that brands will lose one of the most frequently used ways to identify potential target audiences on the open web. Post-cookie, brands will have to find different ways […]
MULO Grows Up
What the heck is MULO anyway? MULO refers to multi-location businesses. They could be run by a corporate entity or franchises. MULO brands may be retailers, restaurants, health and wellness entities, personal services (like tutoring, tax prep, ear piercing, hair styling, or even podcasting) or even entertainment centers like those offering pickleball, golf, and baseball. […]
What a Yahoo Exec Brings to Today’s Agencies
Alia Lamborghini, SVP, Head of US Sales and Strategy at Yahoo explains why Jeff Rossi was brought in as VP of Global Agency Partnerships to focus specifically on agencies and agency integration. “Agencies require a dedicated partner to navigate issues like cookie deprecation, deliver on first-party data, and provide the transparency essential for supporting brands. […]
Social Factor Partners with Emplifi to Fuel the Social Commerce Wave
Social Factor, a prominent digital agency specializing in social CRM and strategy, has recently announced an agency-level partnership with Emplifi, a leading customer engagement platform. This partnership ties in with a shift in digital marketing, aiming to revolutionize customer engagement strategies through a social commerce-first approach. Social Factor, known for its expertise in working with […]
Vericast Collaborates with Snowflake to Transform Marketing Engagement
Vericast, a prominent marketing technology company, has embarked on a partnership with Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company, to pioneer solutions aimed at empowering marketers to engage with consumers in more impactful ways. Leveraging technology innovations and exclusive data available in Snowflake Marketplace, the company is set to revolutionize marketing engagement, driving meaningful commerce across various […]
Optable Integration Ushers in a New Era of Privacy-Centric Advertising
Since Google’s announcement regarding the eventual end of third-party cookies, the advertising industry has been actively seeking alternatives to ensure continued effectiveness while respecting user privacy. Among the proposed solutions, data clean rooms have emerged as a promising avenue, offering a secure environment for data collaboration in the absence of traditional tracking methods. Optable, a […]
Swiftly Connects the Cart to the Screen for Save a Lot
Large multi-location (MULO) grocery stores have the resources to develop technologies that enable consumers to make their shopping lists, see sales and coupons, and arrange for delivery or pick-up. But smaller stores may have been at a disadvantage — that is until Swiftly stepped in. Swiftly, a leading provider of innovative technologies, partnered with Save […]
Placer.ai, ESRI Form Analytics Partnership
What do you get when you cross a location-analytics company with a company that uses sophisticated geographic-information system (GIS) technology? It’s no joke, and this isn’t a punchline: Placer.ai and ESRI have formed a partnership to provide advertisers and their partners with new and advanced analytics and insight. The goal is to get deeper insights […]
The MULO Dozen: January Brands in Review
2024 is off to a fast start! As MULO (multi-location) retailers, restaurants, and service businesses head into a new year, they face new challenges and opportunities. And, of course, “The Big Game,” when brands get to flex their creative and digital muscle. Here’s what we saw this month. Have news? Please e-mail me. Fridays is […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Beyond Likes: Win Hearts with Emotional Marketing