News and Analysis
Consumers Welcome Some Automated Business Messaging, But Humans Must Tag Along to Help
More than half of consumers are frustrated by customer-service situations in which they can only interact with automated agents, and nearly one in five even reporting feeling angry in those situations. That’s per a new survey of U.S. consumers conducted by The Harris Poll and commissioned by call tracking and analytics firm Invoca.
Texting Allows Marketers to Reach Customers Where They Spend the Most Time
Seventy-six percent of consumers are already receiving texts from businesses, and a majority of consumers across all age groups would prefer that more businesses take up texting as a mode of communication, a new report from business text messaging platform ZipWhip indicates.
A whopping 83% of Gen-Z respondents and 82% of millennials said they “wish more businesses” would use texting. Even for older generations, that number made up a more than slight majority, including 76% of Gen-Xers and 64% of Baby Boomers.
5 Consent Management Platforms for Brands and Publishers
For brands and publishers that work with multiple ad tech partners, the process of obtaining user consent for data processing is overwhelming. To simplify the workflow, publishers have started using consent management platforms (CMPs). Not only have CMPs been designed to help brands and publishers obtain and manage user consent, but they also help with monetizing users, even when users haven’t opted-in to sharing data.
CMPs were largely developed in response to the GDPR — most are built on the IAB’s transparency and consent framework — which means the systems themselves are still relatively young. Nonetheless, the popularity of this type of platform has led to a spring of new players entering the space. Here are five examples of CMPs on the market right now.
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.
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
Why AI Describes Locations Differently