News and Analysis
Google Finds Itself Beneath EU Regulatory Hammer Once More
Google has been fined $1.7 billion for violating Europe’s antitrust policies. Specifically, the company stands accused of compelling companies that deploy its search capabilities on their own platforms to display a disproportionately high humber of text ads that will line Google’s pockets.
During Privacy Battle, Brands Adjust Location Targeting Strategy
Can privacy and personalization ever be compatible? It’s not a question consumers regularly ask, even though concerns over targeting and apps that continuously log location data grow greater by the day. For marketers, however, the answer to whether privacy and personalization can coexist, and what happens to location data in the wake of tightening restrictions, has important ramifications. Industry experts weigh in.
Commentary
As Local’s Complexity Grows, What Does It Take to Build a Sustainable Agency Business?
“There are two paths for consultants or small agencies today,” writes David Mihm. “Either be a generalist who’s aware of all the major channels, and the kinds of businesses that are good fits for those channels, or develop an incredibly deep focus in a particular channel, and make a name for yourself as the go-to resource within that channel.”
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Pinterest Prioritizes Search Advertising, Facebook’s Quiet New Yelp Competitor
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Pinterest Narrows Ad Focus to Match Users’ Interest (Wall Street Journal)… Is ‘Facebook Professional Services’ Facebook’s Stealth Project to Beat Yelp? (Search Engine Land)… Storefront Fills a Growing Market for Short-Term Retail Spaces (Street Fight)…
Get Ready: Holiday Returns Season Set to Begin
During the holiday season, we focus so much attention on when people buy, how much they spend, and whether it got there on time that we tend to overlook what happens once gifts are purchased. An equal test for retailers — both online and brick-and-click — will be making returns as easy as the purchase itself.
Case Study: Children’s Center Uses Scheduling Platform to Streamline Administrative, Marketing Tasks
Almost half of small business owners say they’re being overrun by basic administrative tasks. When Roo’s World of Discovery owner Michelle Pollak Landwehr found herself in that same position, spending hours each week on basic administrative tasks like tracking member visits, scheduling classes, and managing recurring payments at her Washington-based children’s indoor play space, she began looking for digital solutions.
Street Fight Daily: Yahoo’s Search App Gets a Big Update, Postmates Moves Further into Commerce
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Search App for iPhone Gets a Bit More ‘Now’ with Personalized Content (Search Engine Land)… Postmates Digs into Commerce with Curated ’12 Days of Postmates’ Campaign (TechCrunch)… Procter & Gamble’s New Strategy Shows Agencies Still Needed for Programmatic (Digiday)…
LBMA Podcast: UberMedia Introduces LROI Concept, Soundpays Launches Mobile Wallet in Canada
On the show: UberMedia introduces LROI concept; Soundpays launches mobile wallet in Canada; Mobify Buys Dónde; bfonics launches Wi-Fi beacon; racist tweets on billboards in Brazil; Tyrers Department Store tests “Digital Clothing Rail.” Plus, news from Aruba Networks; Domino’s; Placemeter; Krispy Kreme and NCR; and Blue Bite and Rouge Media.
The Power of Pairing: 4 Reasons Matching Is Gaining Traction in Local Home Services
When variables such as trust, uncertainty, availability, and geography are at the core of decision-making — as they so often are when it comes to hiring professionals to perform home services — matching, especially when coupled with ratings and reviews, offers consumers peace of mind. It also provides an immediate connection in an often urgent and sometimes complicated time of need.
Street Fight Daily: Twitter Will Show Ads to ‘Casual Viewers,’ Location Startup Factual Raises $35M
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Twitter Aims to Show Advertising to Much Wider Audience (New York Times)… Startup Factual Knows Your Commute, and Much More (Wall Street Journal)… Billy Penn and Knight Foundation Want to Build ‘Yelp for Mobile News’ (Poynter)…
6 Ways Local Merchants Can Use Rewards to Bring in Holiday Shoppers
Consumers are expected to spend $630.5 billion this holiday shopping season. Local merchants are fighting tooth and nail to take back a larger share of that revenue from their ecommerce competitors. Here’s what industry leaders said about the types of incentives that work best for encouraging shoppers to make holiday purchases at local retail businesses instead of big-box stores or ecommerce sites.
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AI Is Breaking Down Data Silos — Without Breaking Privacy