News and Analysis

Valentine’s Day Boosts Entertainment, Food, and Social Apps

The data shows that Valentine’s Day marks a major uptick in app usage across verticals. Compared to an average February day last year, on Valentine’s Day, entertainment app usage was up 24%, food and drink apps 20%, and social 16%. Consumers also spent an unusual amount of time on transport (7%) and gaming (6%) apps.

Voice Tech Could Transform Loyalty Programs. Here’s How

Within the hospitality industry, a growing number of hotels are using voice technology to improve personalization with experiences like virtual concierges. Virtual concierges use voice technology to personalize a guest’s stay by offering experiences based on past behavior. For example, virtual concierges can adjust thermostats or place room service orders based on a traveler’s previous preferences. When hotels and other hospitality brands take action based on the insights gathered about guests through their loyalty programs, they improve the overall guest experience.

But brands in a number of industries are exploring loyalty use cases for voice.

How Panera Uses AR to Heighten Cravings, Reaching Millions of Customers

Following up on the success of its #YouMix2 AR campaign, which debuted at SXSW last year, Panera recently launched a follow-up initiative. Working with M7 Innovations, a technology-focused consultancy that specializes in artificial intelligence and immersive realities, Panera designed an AR campaign that involved animated breakfast wraps. Consumers were encouraged to experience Panera’s breakfast wraps through AR technology and share the assets to Facebook and Snapchat.

Commentary

Sophistication, Efficiency, Control: Unlocking the Future of Programmatic Direct for App Publishers and Advertisers

As it splits the difference between real-time bidding and totally manual ad-buy systems, programmatic direct allows publishers and advertisers to create specific agreements around how the process will work. It guarantees protected inventory and premium placements without requiring much in the way of hands-on operation.

iPhoneX, AR & Local: How Do All the Pieces Fit?

There are lots of ways that augmented reality (AR) is a natural fit for local commerce. But questions remain: How will AR will materialize in local? How long it will take? And how do these factors signal local startups and media companies where to place their chips?

How Social Media Disasters Can Tarnish Brands

Gaffes by businesses, celebrities, and politicians on Twitter and Facebook have been with us since the advent of social media, but recent events have highlighted two very serious consequences for brands that may not have been clear previously.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Attribution Tech’s Star Is Rising, Mall Operator Enlists Local Startups

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… What Yext’s Snapchat Integration Means for Brick-and-Mortar Biz… Attribution is Becoming More of a Priority for Marketers… Giant Mall Company Enlists 10 Tech Startups to Drive Brick-and-Mortar Business…

Survey: Demand for Multichannel Programmatic Is Promising

Nearly one-third of the respondents in Street Fight’s survey who also said that local media and content was important for their marketing were thinking about such cross-channel programmatic. Interest appeared highest for marketers who found local TV effective, but also played strongly with radio and print fans.

7 Retention Marketing Platforms for SMBs

As small and mid-size businesses move away from the once-ubiquitous daily deals platforms, they’re now funneling a great portion of their budgets toward retention marketing solutions. Here are eight examples digital platforms, each taking a unique approach to customer retention.

Street Fight Daily: Uber and Didi Close $35B Deal, Most Businesses Still Lack Mobile Strategy

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Sells China Operations to Didi After Losing Billions… Even as Mobile Gobbles Up Web Traffic, 80% of Businesses Lack Long-Term Mobile Strategies… Excited about Google’s New Map Ads? You Should Be!…

Openings and New Hires at Zenreach, Rocketspace, TruMeasure

Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at SweetIQ, AdviceLocal, and more.

Raise Report: New Funding for Kiip, Sprinklr, Shipt

Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Civil Maps, Brandcast, Peek.com, and Density.

LBMA Podcast: Snapchat, Life 360, McDonald’s, Google Nearby

Welcome to This Week in Location Based Marketing, a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Uber + Digital Globe, Placed, Samsung LANdry, Snorelax Alarm Clock, Vivid VR Cinema.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Posts Record-Shattering Q2, Whole Foods Enters Meal-Kit Delivery

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Beats Expectations with $857 Million in Profits Driven by AWS, Prime… America’s Meal-Kit Craze Attracts a Big New Competitor… GrubHub Announces More Investments Following Strong Q2…

Report: Beacons a Slam Dunk for Sports, Recouping Over $1B in Ticket Sales

The Q2 2016 report by Proxbook shows that since then, there’s been a 33% increase in global sensors since the beginning of the year. And according to the new report, proximity technology has enabled sports teams and their venues to reclaim ticket revenue at a time when fewer fans are going to stadiums.

Parse.ly’s Audience Analytics Help News Sites Make Stronger Case to Advertisers

Audience analytics firms Parse.ly aims to give community news sites the same kind of in-depth information that platforms like Facebook provide about how users are responding – and not responding – to content. The company aims to help editors and reporters make decisions that can go right to the bottom line, leading to higher revenue.