News and Analysis

6 Recruiting Platforms for the Marijuana Industry

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Cannabis startups are struggling to recruit job candidates who understand the cannabis market, which is opening the door to an entirely new vertical for technology firms with recruitment platforms. With the market itself still in its infancy, a handful of key players are vying to become the go-to recruiting sources for the cannabis industry as they work to match employers with job seekers who understand the state-by-state rules and regulations that govern the marijuana market.

Google Being Investigated for Antitrust Violations by Slew of States

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More than half of US state attorneys general are investigating Google for antitrust violations, the Washington Post reported. Officials anonymously told the Post that the probes are expected to be announced on Monday.

This marks a serious escalation in mostly recent government efforts to increase regulation of the giant tech firms that have become the most powerful private enterprises in the world, squashing competition in their home industries and disrupting adjacent ones. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are already looking into the potentially anticompetitive power of Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple.

Klos Founders See Opportunity in Social Messaging Market

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Like so many other startups, Klos is being marketed as a solution to a problem. In this case, the company’s founders see the problem as social media being inherently anti-social. Original broadcast sharing on legacy social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is on the decline. Messaging services like WhatsApp and iMessage are incredibly popular, but they don’t help people expand their social networks. While there are existing services, like Tinder and Bumble, that combine messaging and network expansion, they almost all fall into the dating app category.

Commentary

How Brands Can Find the ‘Advertisable Moments’ They’re Missing

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Advertisable moments exist in a range of digital and physical contexts beyond TV sets and even beyond desktop browsers — and if a brand wants to capitalize on all available moments (especially those proverbial micro-moments) it has to look for ad opportunities in unexpected places.

Are We on the Brink of a Retail Revolution?

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Revolutions often happen over short periods of time and leave death and carnage in their wake. What we are experiencing today in retail is more of an evolution — a sort of “survival of the fittest” as both local and big brand retailers either embrace shifting consumer shopping patterns or face extinction.

What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Fake News’

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“Fake news” is actually about stories written to win clicks (and potentially do harm). Losing the focus on this accurate definition to spin and political jockeying creates a challenge for the business of marketers, advertisers, and publishers.

Latest Posts

Raise Report: New Funding for Via, Drivy, Home Chef

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Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes new cash infusions for Bnbsitter, Passport and Trov.

Openings and New Hires at Empyr, Matchcraft, xAd and CBS Local

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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 Ninth Decimal, Factual, and Promoboxx.

Street Fight Daily: New York Times Enters Food Delivery, Yelp’s Plans for Growth

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… New York Times Goes for Literal Snackable Content with Meal Delivery (Mashable)… More Than 146 Million People Have Used Yelp This Year (Eater)… Drawbridge Raises $25M As It Takes Its Cross-Device Tech Beyond Advertising (TechCrunch)…

How SMBs Can Take Advantage of Location in Paid Search Campaigns

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One theory among local agencies is brick-and-mortar merchants haven’t been as successful with paid search because they aren’t taking advantage of location targeting capabilities. Here are eight way that local merchants can take better advantage of location in these campaigns.

Native Ads Compete With News for Audiences’ Attention — And Get It

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A new Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism study find news publications tipping their revenue funnel toward native advertising. What caught my eye had nothing to do with dollars. It was all about how sponsored content could connect with readers as much as “news.” And sometimes maybe more.

Street Fight Daily: Brick-and-Mortars Crushed by Online Costs, Instagram Tests Profiles for Businesses

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Online Operating Costs Are Crushing Brick-and-Mortar Retailers… Instagram is Testing a Facebook-Like Profile for Businesses: Here’s What it Looks Like… AT&T Unwinds Web Alliance With Yahoo (Wall Street Journal)…

Street Culture: Collective Employee Mindset = Shuffleboard at Nextdoor

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“One hundred and eighteen people is not a lot, but corralling those opinions is a more difficult task,” said Margie Mader-Clark, the company’s VP of human resources. “It’s about a stewardship of culture, taking care of it, making sure the negative aspects go away as early as possible.”

Belly’s LaHive: Beacon Tech ‘A Little Bit Overhyped’

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The company’s CEO says that he considers beacons “an additional channel of communication so that businesses can identify when customers are inside a store and target them with special offers,” but he doesn’t see location-based tech and loyalty programs going hand-in-hand.

Street Fight Daily: Uber Gets Merchants to Pay for Rides, Shopify Teams Up with Postmates

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Offers Gets Merchants to Pay for Rides… More Than 21,000 Businesses Can Now Add Same-Day Delivery Through Postmates… Vacation Rental Startups Attract $100 Million in Funding So Far This Year…

Will Phone Calls Survive the Chatbot Apocalypse?

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The trillion dollar question is if this emerging chatbot technology will annihilate the phone call. Though I’m bullish on messaging and chatbots, the answer to that question is likely no.