News and Analysis

OOH Emerges as Strong Digital Channel for CPGs

Consumer-packaged goods shoppers trust out-of-home advertisements more than those delivered on any other channel, a new report on CPGs and advertising from Vistar Media and MFour indicates. Fifty-three percent of consumers say they trust the content in OOH ads, more than any other single medium.

B2B Video Marketing Grows Up, Getting Briefer and Garnering More Attention

The standards for B2B video marketing are rising as marketers get the hang of the hottest, no longer so new medium. Marketers are learning to keep things short and sweet, decreasing the average video length from six to four minutes from 2017 to 2018, and audiences are tuning in longer, Vidyard reports in its annual video in business report.

TRUSTX Takes Aim at Opaque Programmatic Trading Practices

The lack of transparency in the programmatic space has finally reached a tipping point. According to a survey on the state of programmatic media buying, conducted by Digiday, 27% of media buyers say the greatest concern they have with programmatic advertising is the lack of transparency. While many players in the space are claiming that their hands are tied, and agencies continue to push back against audits, upstart technology firms are carving out niches as leaders in the push to bring trust into programmatic advertising.

Commentary

Why Social Media Is a Battleground for Prompted Search

In a world of omnichannel search, a business’s social media spaces are places where consumers can find what brands have to offer at a local level. As consumers search across a larger palette of devices and channels such as social, a brand needs to view its social spaces as battlegrounds for prompted search.

Which Apple Will Show Up For Local’s Next Revolution?

Apple’s relative inaction on VR/AR thus far could either indicate that the company is missing this next tech shift (which I’ve speculated), or that it’s playing the long game. The latter could involve a deliberately late entrance to VR and AR, just as it did with previous technologies.

Imagining a Local Search Pathway for Snapchat

Snapchat may be considered by many to be “the next Facebook,” but its approach to social media and interactions couldn’t be more different. From its emphasis on moments to the uneasiness the founders have with ad personalization, the company is certain to blaze a trail all its own the the local space.

Latest Posts

Street Fight Daily: Why Amazon Confuses Wall Street, Another Big Ad Tech Acquisition

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Wall Street Still Doesn’t Get Amazon (Bloomberg)… Telenor Jumps Into Ad Tech, Acquires Tapad for $360M (TechCrunch)… The Consumer Isn’t a Moron (The Next Web)…

Raise Report: Moz, Estimote, FiveStars Find Fresh Capital

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 HopSkipDrive, Olo, CityMapper, and Boxed.

Openings and New Hires at Instagram, Euclid, Button, Billy Penn

Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes new jobs for eBay vet Walt Doyle and Twitter’s SVP, and job openings at Netsertive, Foursquare, Factual, and more.

LBMA Podcast: Proxfinity, Estimote, Carrefour and Basket

On the show: Real holograms thanks to Kino-Mo; Samsung’s TipTalk lets you talk into your finger; Down with walkie-talkies thanks to Theatro; Microsoft’s Skip means no lineups at Gerrity Supermarkets; PlaceIQ trumps that with $25M; Microsoft is acquiring InMobi; InMarket puts beacons in every RiteAid store. Our App selection is Basket from Andy Ellwood.

Street Fight Daily: UberRUSH Now Delivers Your Nordstrom Orders, Facebook’s Mobile Dominance

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… UberRUSH Now Delivers the Same Day from Nordstrom and Other Big Retail Stores (TechCrunch)… How Facebook Turned Its Greatest Weakness Into Its Greatest Strength (Forbes)… Amazon Sales Soared 22% in Holiday Quarter, but Profit Fell Short (New York Times)…

Is Uber Paving the Way Toward Verified Consumer Reviews?

In an atmosphere where fake reviews are all too easy to create, we need tools that help distinguish real opinions from garbage. Moving beyond the limitations of data algorithms, fact-based approaches hold out the promise of grounding review services in observable truth.

Mobiquity Brings Beacons to the Movies — And Consumer Data to Hollywood

Mobiquity will be installing beacons in 300 of the theater complexes with which Screenvision is partnered. The beacons are intended to help further engage consumers with the brands that are serving up pre-roll ads on the silver screen.

Street Fight Daily: Inside Yahoo’s Restructuring, Sharing Economy Goes Small

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Yahoo Restructuring Begins Slowly With Stealth Layoffs and ‘Invest/Maintain/Kill’ List (Recode)… Consumers and Mobile Pay: We’re Aware of It, But We Don’t See the Benefit (GeoMarketing)… Is the Future of the Sharing Economy Small-Scale? (Pacific Standard)…

PlaceIQ Looking to Build a Role for Location Tech Into TV, OOH, and Even Direct Mail

Brands don’t want only to measure the persuasive powers of their mobile ads. They also want to know the efficacy of their TV, OOH, online, and even direct mail efforts, which is where PlaceIQ, with its freshly acquired $25 million, wants to deliver bigger results.

Taking ‘Local’ Right Down to the Keystroke

A new group of companies are finding ways into local services by getting in between consumers’ desires and fulfillment of their desires at the core level: where their thumbs are hitting the glass. Startups like PopKey and Slash have found what feels like a Trojan Horse into our stream of communication.