News and Analysis
MULO Hotel Brands Go Glamping
We recently wrote about how many multi-location (MULO) hospitality brands are getting into the extended-stay space to meet the needs of business travelers, digital nomads, and other transient professionals. Not only major hotel brands providing these creature comforts but they are also putting guests closer to real creatures with their entrance into the glamping (upscale […]
Crafting a New Future: Michael’s Buys Joann Brands
When MULO (multi-location) fabric and crafts store JOANN declared bankruptcy and closed stores, crafters were up in arms. They took to social media, fretting about where they would buy their favorite handcraft supplies. Michael’s just purchased the failed brand’s 600 products across multiple categories, including fabric, quilting and sewing supplies, sewing machines, and yarn. Those crafters […]
dataplor Secures $20.5M Series B to Expand Global Location Intelligence
In another milestone for the rapidly evolving location intelligence sector, dataplor has announced a $20.5 million Series B funding round led by F-Prime, with participation from Spark Capital, FFVC, Acronym Venture Capital, Two Lanterns, APA Ventures, dara5, and Alumni Ventures. The investment marks a pivotal moment for the Manhattan Beach-based company as it accelerates the […]
Commentary
The Demise of Third-Party Cookies is CTV’s Opportunity to Shine
On January 4th, we finally reached the beginning of the end of third-party cookies (for real this time?) On that date, Google Chrome began removing 3rd party cookies from 1% of traffic. By the end of the year, 3rd party cookies will be completely eliminated from Chrome and opening a new opportunity for CTV. This […]
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 […]
The Privacy Arms Race May Kill Ad Tech
A dangerous digital advertising arms race is brewing as browser makers try to prevent cross-site tracking. The desire of digital ad companies to keep tracking users, despite browsers’ preventative privacy measures, is leading our industry down a hazardous path for users, browser makers, and ad tech. In an effort to protect user privacy, browsers are […]
Latest Posts
EVs, Gas, and Targeted Marketing: The Future of Car Dealerships, According to Stirista
Car dealerships, like many MULO (multi-location) businesses, are evolving. You can now buy used cars online, some dealerships are opening showrooms in shopping centers (rather than on traditional lots), and consumers are shopping around for the best deals nationwide. About 18K car dealerships exist in the U.S. today, but how consumers shop at them (and […]
Klaviyo Integration: Leveraging Pinterest for Enhanced Social Commerce
Social commerce is growing rapidly, with US retail social-commerce sales projected to hit $80 billion, representing 5% of total US e-commerce by 2025. To stay competitive, brands must offer personalized experiences across various social media platforms. To better support this direction, Klaviyo has expanded its ecosystem of over 350 integrations with the addition of Pinterest. […]
The People Have Spoken: BrightLocal Reveals Review Ratings
When consumers search their small screens to decide where to shop, eat, buy groceries, or exercise, they often consult reviews. In fact, poor scores may send someone off to your competitors’ brands—never to return. We all know that UGC (user-generated content) and consumer reviews play a big role in decision-making today. The annual consumer review […]
Surveys 2.0: Chatmeter’s AI-Driven Solution for Enhanced Customer Insights
Chatmeter has announced the release of Surveys 2.0, a new solution from its Pulse Ai: Signals platform. This AI-driven tool offers multi-location brands a 360° view of customer insights by continuously analyzing survey data, reviews, and social data in real-time. This looks to be the first time such comprehensive, real-time analysis has been available in […]
The Billboard Now Big Screens: OOH Trends from Kevin Bartanian
We know that many consumers today use their small screens (i.e., phones and tablets) to organize their lives, find the things and experiences they need, communicate with friends, family, and colleagues, and watch countless hours of strangers and animals doing bizarre and sometimes comical/inspirational things. Marketers from MULO (multi-location) brands use those screens to push […]
Can Target’s Private Label Products Help Them Compete? Three Brand Experts Weigh In
Target launched its first private label brand in 1984 with the launch of the Honors clothing line. These product lines are now called “owned brands” by the MULO (multi-location) retail giant, which now has nearly 50 owned brands, some of which they have begun to sell to other retailers, making Target a wholesaler and shopping […]
Going for Retail Gold: How the Olympics Impacts MULO Retail & Food
We recently wrote about “momentjacking” and how MULO (multi-location) brands take full advantage of events — big and small — to boost sales and consumer engagement. BTW, “the bon moment” in French means “the right time.” So, why is the Summer Olympics the bon moment for MULO brands? 15 “global partners” have signed on to the Paris […]
Tinuiti Q2 Ad Report Sees Spike in AI-Powered Digital Campaigns
So how did the digital ad economy perform in Q2? Tinuiti explains it all for us in its Digital Ads Benchmark Report, released July 24, which looks at quarterly trends across Google, Meta, Amazon and other dominant platforms. First off, AI-powered digital campaigns drove spending up for the likes of Meta Advantage + and Google Performance […]
Streets Ahead: TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features, AI Overviews
In this week’s Streets Ahead update we learn about TikTok adding Yelp-like features and Google’s updates to AI Overviews. TikTok Adds Yelp-Like Features The News TikTok is adding features similar to Yelp, categorizing location-specific videos into segments such as food and drink, hotels, and shopping. This update aims to improve user experience by making it […]
Google’s Privacy Shift: Balancing User Privacy, Ad Utility, and Industry Concerns
A recent Google approach for the Privacy Sandbox moves away from deprecating third-party cookies. Instead, it introduces a new experience in Chrome where users can make informed choices about their privacy settings across their web browsing, with the flexibility to adjust these choices. This change aims to give users more control over their privacy while […]
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