News and Analysis
Does Influencer Marketing Have a Transparency Problem?
Although the average share of budgets spent on influencer marketing is just 10%, that figure is growing as visual platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest see explosive growth.
The problem? Brands are often focusing on misleading vanity metrics in an attempt to justify those investments. For example, many marketers track follower counts as a primary indicator for determining brand and influencer partnerships. Growing evidence shows that follower counts do not equate to true impressions or reach data, giving brands a false sense of how their campaigns are performing.
As AI Adoption Accelerates, Brands Search for Competitive Edge
In Gartner’s 2019 CIO Survey, which included more than 3,000 CIOs from 89 countries, AI technology was ranked as the technology most likely to be disruptive. Despite their enthusiasm for AI, CIOs showed a lack of certainty over the best way to implement the technology and get their newest marketing strategies off the ground.
That uncertainty has the potential to negatively impact brands’ bottom lines, and it’s an issue that industry insiders like Cerebri AI co-founder Jean Belanger are working to combat.
Zenreach Attract Connects Online Ads to In-Store Results
Online metrics, like click-through rates and return-on-ad-spend, can quickly show ecommerce retailers how well their digital advertising campaigns are working. But what happens in the real world? The KPIs used in ecommerce mean almost nothing to brick-and-mortar merchants. In fact, digital approximations can actually cause merchants with physical locations to overspend on certain audience segments, while undervaluing others.
That’s something Zenreach is trying to change.
Commentary
Snapchat, Uber, and the Implications of Machine Learning
Machine learning and predictive analytics need to meld seamlessly with core app functionality. The technology needs to “just work,” without steep learning curves or frustrating dead ends. So I’d expect any company who experiments with machine learning for local search to start with a simple set of problems and hone the user experience.
The Accelerating Consolidation of the Digital Ad Market
“The flow of dollars from businesses of all sizes has clearly been away from lower-performance niche platforms into boosted Facebook posts,” writes David Mihm. “We can debate the value of that activity, but relative to the questionable/delayed/opaque performance of so many digital ad products, Facebook seems to have found a sweet spot.”
Just How Big a Deal Are Voice Search and Chatbots for Local?
At Street Fight Summit we raised a little controversy around the potential disruptiveness of voice search to the hyperlocal economy. Street Fight believes voice search is a critical emerging technology, a view that seemingly contrasts with that of many companies on the supply side of hyperlocal.
Latest Posts
Street Culture: Parking App SpotHero and Employees Working Out the Kinks
SpotHero, an on-demand app that helps drivers find parking spots, is at a turning point in its growth. The company grew from 35 employees to 75 in 2015, and is currently hiring for about 20 positions. The company is working to create policies that will keep everyone engaged and the business moving forward.
Street Fight Daily: GrubHub to Rebrand, New Stats Show Importance of Mobile to Physical Shopping
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… GrubHub Q4 Financials Show Growth as Company Plans a Rebranding (Chicago Business Journal)… More Than M-Commerce: Mobile Is Part of 46% of All Shopping Journeys (GeoMarketing)… Internet of Things Is Changing How Media and Entertainment Companies Operate (eMarketer)…
New President’s Focus at Hearst Digital: ‘News Users Can’t Get Anywhere Else’
“Many quality news sites with paywalls equate ‘premium’ with ‘quality journalism,’ where the paywall encircles the most expensive, ambitious and time-consuming public-service journalism,” says Rob Barrett, who recently took over as president of Hearst Newspapers Digital. “That’s not how the minds of consumers necessarily work.”
As Mobile Ordering Platforms Evolve, Expect More Personalization and Integration
Consumers are more likely to seek out restaurants that accept mobile orders, with 34% saying that technology is the reason why they’re ordering takeout more frequently. To keep these customers excited and engaged, vendors have to keep innovating and improving. Here are some predictions from top executives about where things are headed.
Street Fight Daily: Geofeedia to Expand After $17M Series B, How Patch Succeeds Post-AOL
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Geofeedia Raises $17M to Help Businesses Tap Into Social Location Data (TechCrunch)… Patch Rebounds After Split From AOL (Wall Street Journal)… Why Would Amazon Want To Be the New Barnes & Noble? (New Yorker)…
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