News and Analysis

At Retail Conference, Google Dangles Shiny New Visual Ad Format

Share this:

The visual-first ads are here. Google announced at the retail conference Shoptalk on Wednesday that it is launching shoppable ads in image search, propelling the search giant into the center of the visual zeitgeist that has made Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat hot targets for advertisers.

Native Ad Industry Booms, Capitalizing on Hunger for Ads That Don’t Look Like Advertising

Share this:

Native ad firm AdYouLike is staking its reputation on the assumption that the ads you like may not look like ads. That bet appears to be paying off, as a report from the firm shows the native ad industry set to grow to $400 billion by 2025, a 372% jump from the projected size of the market in 2020.

Poor Data Quality Is Hurting Location-Based Campaigns—Here’s How to Fix It

Share this:

“Location data offers the ability to turn universal ads into local ads. Same as local TV. The issue is how location targeting is being executed,” says location-based ad veteran Warren Zenna. “People don’t look at ads on their phones when they are out doing things like shopping and driving around. They look at them, sometimes, when they are inactive. Mobile ad creative needs to be better — more engaging and more contextual — and presented when someone is in a contextually relevant mindset.”

Commentary

How Old-School Tactics From Emerging Economies Can Inform Local Marketing

Share this:

There is tremendous insight in old-school marketing tactics about to how to strengthen local digital strategies through offline expertise. Here are a few tips from a few ever-impressive emerging markets.

How Apple’s iOS 10 Enables Location Marketing On-Demand

Share this:

The company unleashed a slew of features with iOS 10, such as the ability to transcribe phone messages automatically. Three features in particular give businesses a glimpse at how the customer journey continues to increase in velocity.

How Apple’s Subtle AR Play Could Impact Local: Sights and Sounds

Share this:

Apple just entered augmented reality, without anyone really noticing. Though the iPhone 7 was met with a collective ‘meh,’ the real impact is below the surface, where the world’s biggest company collides with tech’s biggest opportunity.

Latest Posts

LBMA Podcast: Key Trends for 2016

Share this:

Welcome to episode #265. On the show: This is our annual predictions show. We highlight the things that stuck with us throughout 2015, how our 2015 predictions panned out during the year, the trends we see gaining steam and the companies that you should be paying attention to as we head into 2016. Show Notes: […]

Street Fight Daily: Nextdoor Going International, Uber Wants to Help Book Travel

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Nextdoor, the $1.1B Social Network for Neighbors, Is Finally Expanding Overseas (Business Insider)… Uber Is Thinking of Getting Into the Travel Business (Business Insider)… In Silicon Valley Now, It’s Almost Always Winner Takes All (New Yorker)…

Street Fight’s Predictions for 2016: Part Two

Share this:

With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time again to look ahead to what we can expect in the hyperlocal space in 2016. We asked Street Fight staffers and weekly columnists what they thought would be the biggest story (or stories) in local in 2016. We ran the first installment yesterday — now here are the rest.

10 Pivotal Moments From the On-Demand Economy in 2015

Share this:

From huge expansion to Asian markets to massive funding rounds to drone deliveries and new technologies, 2015 will go down as a landmark year for the on-demand economy. As we get ready to watch the ball drop on December 31, it’s a good opportunity to look back at 10 pivotal moments from this past year and their impact on the future of on-demand.

Street Fight Daily: How Facebook Intimidates Google, Quantifying Mobile Ads’ Impact

Share this:

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Google Is Afraid of Facebook’s Search Ambitions (Motley Fool)… Marketers Can Now Run Studies to See How People Respond to Their Mobile Ads (Adweek)… Sidecar Shutdown Leaves Uber and Lyft to Battle It Out in Ride-Hailing Market (GeekWire)…

Street Fight’s Predictions for 2016: Part One

Share this:

With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time again to look ahead to what we can expect in the hyperlocal space in 2016. We asked Street Fight staffers and weekly columnists what they thought would be the biggest story (or stories) in local in 2016. We’ll be running their outlooks in two installments, the first today and the second tomorrow.

Rating Street Fight’s 2015 Predictions

Share this:

At the end of each year, Street Fight invites staffers, friends, and luminaries from the industry to share their predictions for what’s in store for the coming year. Today, we take a look back at some of the predictions for 2015 to see who was on target and who missed the mark.

Street Fight Hyperlocal Analyst Predictions for 2016

Share this:

With 2015 drawing to a close, it’s time again to look ahead to what we can expect in the hyperlocal space in 2016. This year, we did things a little differently. We invited our regular analyst contributors to 1) weigh in on what they felt would be a “sure thing” in the coming year, 2) offer a prediction on something that might get big (but might not happen), and 3) identify something that hyperlocal marketers and merchants really don’t need to worry about. This is the first of several predictions pieces we will feature this week.

10 Ways Retailers Can Create Awareness of In-Store Mobile Channels

Share this:

Consumers increasingly prefer to communicate with businesses through their smartphones rather than face-to-face, even while they’re shopping in-store. Retailers have reacted to this shift by investing in beacons and mobile apps. But many are finding that use of these technologies is low because consumers don’t realize they exist. To understand how merchants should go about building these relationships and creating awareness of their mobile channels, we spoke with seven industry experts.

LBMA Podcast: WayRay’s Holographic Navigation System, Samsung Makes Holiday Piano Out of Tablets

Share this:

On the show: WayRay launches the world’s first holographic navigation system; Samsung fashions a holiday piano out of 112 tablets; Membo — the Yik Yak for local discovery; Moz partners with NavAds BV; Netflix socks turn your TV off if you fall asleep. Plus, news from Factual; Mondelez; Facebook and Uber; JCPenney; and Best Buy.