News and Analysis
The Pivot Stuck: Video Ads Dominate App Revenue
Digital marketing journalists touted the pivot to video so incessantly that mention of it after a certain point sparked obligatory mea culpas. Redundant as the proclamations may have proved, fresh data from mobile ad firm AdColony suggests those who heralded video as the future of digital advertising have been vindicated.
Using Smartwatches to Join Marketing’s Vanguard
Spending on wearables is predicted to hit $52 billion this year, according to forecasts from the research firm Gartner, and spending on smartwatches specifically is expected to increase by 24%. Smartwatches represent the merging of physical and virtual worlds, and they provide marketers with a direct line for reaching consumers.
Here are five examples of how tech-savvy brands can put smartwatches to work and develop better strategies to take full advantage of the new opportunities that exist for reaching consumers through these wearable devices.
QR Code Generators for Cannabis Businesses
If the California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s proposed regulations are passed, state-licensed cannabis businesses will be required to display unique QR code certificates in their store windows. They would need to have their QR codes handy when transporting cannabis as well. In the long term, lawmakers are hoping the regulation will help consumers avoid purchasing cannabis from unlicensed vendors. In the short term, though, the proposed regulation is forcing dispensaries and other cannabis businesses to search for ways to create compliant QR codes for their stores.
Commentary
The Shift in B2SMB: It’s All About Platforms
Major changes are coming to SMB marketing as the market shifts away from media towards cloud-based services, artificial intelligence, marketing automation and location marketing. This cluster of tech movements represent real opportunities to help SMBs target and engage customers, and become more efficient.
Foursquare Data Shows Up Today in More Places Than You’d Think
It’s remarkable to see how often Foursquare data is popping up today in the apps that garner the most consumer traffic and press attention. These votes of confidence would seem to solidify Foursquare’s position as the forefather of natively digital location data.
Report: Matching Up With Local Merchants’ Marketing Objectives
Our analysis of local merchants shows that SMBs are spending more money on digital marketing — particularly social media and email — because they find those channels most effective. But there appears to be some missing links between new customer acquisition and their favorite tactics.
Latest Posts
LBMA Podcast: UberMedia, JC Penney, L’Oreal, and Localz
This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Aubriana Lopez. On the show: Pokemon Go, Yahoo! Japan + AdMax, Peerless-AV + Volta, NEC’s Neoface, SenionLab, PlaceIQ + Oracle, and IKEA Canada.
Street Fight Daily: Bots Boom on Facebook, Tinder-Like Interface Takes on Retail
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Bots Take Over Facebook… Twitter’s User Base to Grow by Double Digits This Year… Sephora is Driving Mobile Sales with Tinder-Like Features…
Could the ‘Smart Home’ Be the Next Big Opportunity in Local?
We can now make a taxi, a pizza, or a plumber appear with nothing more than clicking a button or speaking a phrase. And convenience-hungry consumers not only want more, they’re expecting it. Smart home technology is now on deck to deliver on that expectation.
Leader of Reuters Institute’s Bleak News Report: ‘We Can Do It’
A recent report had mixed emotions about the future of community news. So should publishers despair, or is there promise of sunlight behind the lowering clouds? We spoke with Nic Newman, digital strategist at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and author of the report, to find out more.
Sponsored Content: Enterprise Totally Trounces Hertz in a Battle for Local Marketing Presence
Vehicle rental companies Enterprise and Hertz battled their branding strategies in a Brand Battle that analyzed data accuracy, local search and advertising, reviews, and social engagement. In an industry where service can make all the difference to customers who are often stressed and rushed, Enterprise influenced its consumer base in positive ways, supporting loyalty and growth…
Street Fight Daily: The Location Data Sharing Boom, Google Enables Call Campaign Attribution
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Marketers Don’t Need Pokémon Go to Track You: Inside The Location Data Sharing Boom… Google Empowers Businesses to Establish Attribution for Call Campaigns… Uber Rival Gett Enjoys a Lift from Brand Filter on Hot App, Prisma…
5 Self-Serve Platforms for Location-Based Mobile Campaigns
Although there’s still debate within the ad tech community over whether SMBs are best served by self-serve platforms, the demand is certainly there. With limited budgets and a strong desire to get the most bang for their buck, local business owners are searching for self-managed advertising and marketing solutions.
Telmetrics CEO: A Phone Call to a Business Is Really a ‘Data Call’
Andrew Osmak talks with us about how the company has been evolving under his leadership over the past six months, where he sees the white spaces in call and data analytics, and why a tracked phone number can be a more valuable data point than a form-fill on a website.
Street Fight Daily: Zenreach Emerges from Stealth with $50M, Uber Partners with DigitalGlobe
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… WiFi Startup Zenreach Emerges from Stealth with $50 Million and Peter Thiel on its Board… Uber is Partnering with a Satellite Imaging Company to Help Drivers Find You… IBM’s Watson and Macy’s Team Up to Make In-Store Shopping Assistant…
TRAY Cooks Up Ways to Make Restaurant Checkout More Mobile and Social
The startup is seeking to reinvent service businesses for both customers and proprietors by bringing a different experience to the table with cloud-based “self-service checkout made easy.” The company’s beta launched at the beginning of the year.
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature