News and Analysis
Retail Media Networks: Perspectives from John Gomez of RPM Labs
John Gomez is a former Trader Joe’s executive and is now the CEO of RPM Labs. This new technology company is bringing retail media capabilities directly to mobile devices. We recently sat with him to better understand today’s retail media landscape and what to expect in the months (and years) ahead. How many retail media […]
Pacific Drive-Ins Partners With Make to Save $1,500 a Day! What’s Next?
AI AI everywhere! The topic is top of mind throughout the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, and its use cases are just starting to appear in business and industry media. One such example is Pacific Drive-Ins’ use of Make automation tools to streamline staffing. The companies reported that it helped Pacific (part of […]
Blue-Chip Brands Spend Big in OOH
When the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) released its annual MegaBrands report, Apple was again the top spender for 2024 in the OOH channel at $68.3 million. McDonald’s, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Verizon were the others, proving that blue-chip brands continue to invest heavily in OOH for its powerful reach, location, and immediacy […]
Commentary
Unveiling the Crystal Ball: 5 Predictions for Digital Advertising in 2024
As we say goodbye to 2023 and look forward to 2024, the digital advertising landscape is poised (yet again) for significant shifts and transformations. Here are five bold predictions that are set to reshape digital advertising in 2024. Political Ad Spend Will Soar to Unexpected Heights Creating Unanticipated CPM pain for ALL Marketers and Brands […]
The Evolution of Social Media Advertising in 2023: What Lies Ahead in 2024
In the rapidly shifting terrain of social media advertising, a single platform is stealing the spotlight, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. TikTok, with its exponential growth, is racing ahead as one of the most prominent social platforms of 2023. But the story doesn’t end there. Meta, the tried and true veteran in […]
Using Low-risk, High-reward Enterprise GenAI for Marketing
There is a dizzying array of new generative AI solutions promising to optimize customer journeys and experiences. So it’s no surprise many digital marketers are ready to go all-in with the technology. In fact, 63% of marketing leaders plan to invest in Enterprise GenAI tools over the next two years. But taking a frenzied leap […]
Latest Posts
Hooters Locations Go Bust, Along With Other MULO Restaurants
Sometimes, we writers can’t resist a great pun! (Hooters…bust…get it?). But now let’s get serious. Hooters is the latest MULO (multi-location) food chain to announce the closure of many locations. The sports bar just announced that it was closing underperforming stores (although they didn’t reveal an exact number). But just because a MULO restaurant brand closes […]
57% of Consumers Want Brands to “Get Personal” on Streaming Media
Despite the often negative buzz about consumer privacy and the ubiquity of shopping and dining data, a new study revealed that most U.S. consumers (57%) prefer personalized ads to mass marketing when they’re watching streaming media. The study was done by Moloco, a machine-learning company. As advertising on streaming media has become more common, opportunities […]
The MULO Dozen: June Brands in Review
In addition to our ongoing reporting about technology, creative innovations, and openings/closings in the MULO (multi-location) brand space, we publish this monthly quick-read summary of some of the developments at retailers, restaurants, and service brands. Whether you have just a few minutes or a few hours each month to track MULO trends for brands, Street […]
Apple’s ATT Privacy Crackdown, Strategies for Success in a Privacy-first Landscape
Three years have passed since Apple introduced its App Tracking Transparency (Apple’s ATT) privacy framework. Advertisers have faced numerous challenges since then, including a major shift in consumer behaviors due to a global pandemic, lingering macroeconomic challenges, and the potential implications of Google’s ever-changing cookie deprecation deadline. These issues have forced advertisers to adapt their […]
BUST: Why Do So Many Sports Stores Declare Bankruptcy?
Among the MULO (multi-location) sporting goods stores that filed for Chapter 11 during the past decade are: Mountain Sports (50 sporting goods and apparel stores in seven states under Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores brands) Olympic Sports (70 stores) Modell’s (153 stores) Sport Chalet (47 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah) Sports Authority […]
Amperity and the Power of First-Party Data
Amperity is a customer data platform that excels at helping brands unify and organize their first-party data using an average 30 different sources. Making sense of this data helps brand marketers understand when the same customer target shows up across disparate digital systems and lets them know the person is not three or four different […]
LOMA Platform Boosts Hyperlocal Marketing for Franchises
If LOMA knows anything, it’s how to support franchise businesses. Since launching last September with a $2 million pre-seed venture capital round, the data-driven platform is ready to take the next step in supporting local marketing efforts. (LOMA stands for “local marketing.”) In recent weeks, LOMA launched the first enterprise software platform for multi-location franchise […]
UNFI and Swiftly Bring State-of-the-Art Retail Marketing to the Grocery World
UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) supplies 30K stores across North America, ranging from small three-store regional brands to huge brands like Whole Foods. The largest wholesale distributor to the U.S. and Canada specializes in groceries, frozen foods, produce, health and beauty products, deli items, and bakery items. But their scope isn’t limited to getting these […]
Placer.ai Releases 100 Retail and Dining Index
Placer.ai, a market intelligence platform, has released its Placer 100 Retail and Dining Index, which it plans to release monthly in order to provide an ongoing understanding of retail’s status, challenges, and potential for brands including Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, Crunch Fitness, Warby Parker and other large retail chains. Location analytics including visit trends, trade […]
The Pause that Refreshes – How Ads During Paused Content Can Refresh in 2024
Imagine this: You’re going through the motions and you take a quick break. You reach for your Coca-Cola and take a sip – it’s exactly what you needed. It was a small pause from your routine that captured and revived you, a pause that refreshes. This was the catchy tagline that encapsulated Coca-Cola as a […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Meta Is Automating Ads, But Brands Still Face a Bigger Problem