News and Analysis
Strategy for Bolstering Brand Safety Online Combines AI, Human Linguists
Despite promises that they would do better, platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and others are still struggling with the issue. Brands don’t want their ads appearing alongside extremist content and hate speech, but flagging every piece of content that could be considered inappropriate is not an easy task.
The challenge has opened the door for a new industry of “authenticators,” which use technology to help brands avoid inappropriate content online. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, these technology providers are usually able to evaluate the quality of an ad impression in real-time and help their brand clients avoid anything that could be considered inappropriate. Or at least, that’s what the goal is.
Pared Expands to DC, Connecting Gig Economy Workers with Restaurants
Pared, the platform matching restaurant and hospitality workers with businesses in need of staff to cover shifts, is expanding to DC. Pared is already live in New York and San Francisco, and it plans to expand to Philadelphia, Boston, and other locations in 2020.
The San Francisco-headquartered startup claims its service offers a prime deal for workers and businesses alike. It says it offers hospitality and food service workers higher wages and flexibility while offering businesses a ready workforce amid perennially high turnover in the industry.
Google Revises Policy Asking Users for Permission to Listen to Their Assistant Recordings
The fact that this was an open practice that at least some consumers simply did not understand they were either opting into or automatically participating in points to calls for greater transparency and regulation. Google says it “fell short” of its “high standards” on the issue, but legislation like Europe’s GDPR, CCPA, and legislation in some 10 other US states indicates those standards may be imposed on tech companies by government agencies going forward.
Commentary
How New Location Data Tools Are Making Attribution a Reality
The future of retail and attribution is evolving quickly and allowing brands for the first time to have a better understanding of how effective their advertising is. While the search for in-store attribution is at the top of the every marketer’s wish list it’s important that all know the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology.
Can Open Source Thinking Create a Sustainable Business Model for Local Journalism?
Open source software changed the landscape for the entire computing industry. Rather than commoditizing software completely, it actually made software development easier and more productive. I see tremendous parallels in the publishing industry today.
Research Roundup: Comparing Franchisees and Independent Professionals
Comparing some surveys focused at opposite ends of the local small business spectrum — franchise operators and self-employed professionals — it feels like, though the industry is selling these groups the same marketing and commerce technology and services, the two segments are more different than similar.
Latest Posts
Weather Company’s Webster Touts the Power of Forecast Data in Local Marketing
“We’re starting to have conversations about how we can take data and predict consumer behavior based on weather conditions,” says the Weather Company’s EMEA chief Ross Webster. “We’re not just looking at the weather as absolute … It’s much more about the different layers of weather data.”
Case Study: Timberland Empowers Local Retailers with Branded Content
“We know that our local retailers are the best way to engage and influence consumers,” says Frank Hwang, Timberland’s senior manager for digital and paid media. The company works with local retailers to provide product storytelling and brand lifestyle content for their digital and social media channels.
Street Fight Daily: Google’s New Tool for SMBs, Facebook Opens Up to Branded Content
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… One Year After ‘Mobilegeddon,’ Google Plans to Release a New Tool for Small Businesses (Business Insider)… Facebook Opens the Door to Branded Content from Top Publishers (Digiday)… Daily Mail Parent in Talks with Private Equity for Yahoo Bid (Reuters)…
Openings and New Hires at IBM, Verve, Infutor, and Pandora
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 Review Trackers, Yik Yak and Unacast.
Raise Report: Luxe and Planday score fresh rounds
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 Frichti, Virool, and Influenster.
Street Fight Daily: Verizon and Google’s Yahoo Bids, Foursquare President on Data Accuracy
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Verizon to Proceed With Yahoo Bid, Google Weighs Offer (Bloomberg)… The Right Questions to Ask About Location Data Accuracy (eMarketer)… Facebook Is Testing Weather Alerts on Mobile (The Next Web)…
Unacast Looks to Monetize Its Location Data, Hires ironSource’s Cunningham as CRO
Beacon and proximity data company Unacast announced today that Chris Cunningham, formerly the Vice President of Revenue for ironSource, is joining the company as chief revenue officer. Cunningham will help Unacast to monetize all the data it aggregates from beacons and sensors.
IAB Primer on Ad Blocking for Publishers Leans Toward Carrots Over Sticks
“Ad blocking is a crucial wakeup call to brands and all that serve them about their abuse of consumers’ good will,” says the IAB. Street Fight recently spoke with IAB general manager Scott Cunningham about how the group is working to help publishers combat ad blocking.
The Context for Contextual Marketing Is Changing
The idea behind contextual marketing makes a lot of sense. But in practice, contextual marketing is getting pretty hairy, especially for location-based marketing. That’s because context is getting more complicated
Street Fight Daily: HERE Wants to Compete with Google Maps, Yahoo’s Grim Financials
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Seeking Investments from Microsoft and Amazon, HERE Signals Intent to Compete Aggressively with Google Maps (Search Engine Land)… Yahoo Paints Grim Financial Picture as Deadline for Bids Nears (New York Times)… Why Pinterest Forces You Off Its Mobile Site and Into Its App (VentureBeat)…
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Why AI Describes Locations Differently