News and Analysis
Swiftly Program Enables Circle K and its Brand Partners
Retail technology platform Swiftly has partnered with Circle K, a mobility platform, to make it easier for alcohol buyers to get cash back rebates, eliminating the friction and time waste involved in traditional mail-in ones. Swiftly’s Alcohol Cashback platform works with a Circle K app that enables targeted, real-time promotions by product, category, and geography. […]
Meet Pilates Franchise Power Woman Sarah Luna
Sarah Luna is the Founder and CEO of Pilates Addiction. The new brand is launching in California and New York, with plans to expand nationally through franchising. Pilates focuses on muscular balance and can improve strength and flexibility, and is gaining popularity worldwide. The Pilates and Yoga studio market is anticipated to grow from approximately […]
OOH into Action: Travel Surges, Consumer Habits Shift, and Brands Respond
How disruptive was the Covid-19 pandemic? So much so that it is still being used barometer to measure everything from travel to consumer sales. “COVID was a major inflection point that reshaped routines, mobility patterns, and media consumption,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO of the OAAA (Out of Home Advertising Association of America). “Using […]
Commentary
Subscription Fatigue: How Streaming Services Can Keep Customers Happy
Streaming is big business, and looks to only keep expanding in 2024 and beyond – with more players, more dollars to win, more subscribers, and a proliferation of new ad tiers. Eighty-three percent of Americans have at least one streaming service subscription and the average American subscribes to four services. For streaming platforms at first […]
When Gen AI Erodes Trust, Brands Take the Fall
Generative AI’s potential to change the way we work and shop holds amazing promise, but this new technology also poses heightened risks for brands. Maintaining customer trust will be a perpetual challenge as generative AI (GenAI) changes the fraud landscape in two important ways. First, GenAI is already making it easier for professional and amateur […]
How to Increase Social Media Engagement in 2024
Brands have a bigger marketing challenge today arguably than ever before because consumers are more skeptical about advertising than previously. Not only are they turning away from brand-created content on social media, but most of them also no longer trust influencers. That’s why increasing social media engagement and using social media effectively to promote brands […]
Latest Posts
Hallmark Launches its Own Media Channel
In the MULO (multi-location) retail world, Hallmark is one brand that has consistently been able to flex and scale — beyond the brick-and-mortar card store. Now, Hallmark is “joining the streaming fray.” The new media channel will (of course) be called Hallmark+, and it will make its debut in September. Hallmark has been way ahead of […]
Who Owns What in the MULO World?
Darden recently made a huge acquisition in the MULO (multi-location) food world, gobbling up Chuy’s fast-casual Mexican locations (100+) in a $605M deal. According to FSR Magazine, the holding company has also made some major acquisitions over the last decade. “Chuy’s marks Darden’s sixth acquisition in 15 years. In 2007, the company acquired RARE Hospitality […]
The Cookie Crumbled: Deprecation is Out, First-Party Data is (Still) In
While Google backed of its cookie deprecation plans, now is not the time for brands to become complacent. Smart marketers continue to prioritize third-party cookie alternatives to effectively and efficiently reach their audiences—and future-proof their targeting strategies, which are still likely to be impacted by privacy changes and signal loss. Google users will soon have […]
Mobility Data Optimizes Marketing for Retailers Amid New Lunch Trends
The working crowd still eats lunch. They just don’t do so at restaurants and take-out near their offices as much. Instead, they are saving their money to splurge on lunch out and drinks with friends on the weekends. A story on NBC.com went so far as to declare that “the lunch rush is dead,” citing […]
The MULO Dozen: July Brands in Review
Given the M&A activity that’s been going on in the MULO (multi-location) world these days, we’ve added a new section to our monthly dozen — DEALS. The reality of MULO is that unless brands listen to consumer voices, have strong leaders, and do the right deals, they may go BUST. The keys to BOOMING in […]
Solving the Identity Crisis: The Next Frontier for CTV Advertising
Driven by viewer demand for variety and convenience in content, Connected TV (CTV) has become one of the fastest-growing major advertising channels globally. A recent report in eMarketer stated that in the US alone, CTV advertising spend is projected to grow by 22.4% and reach $30.10 billion in 2024. Presenting a plethora of opportunities to […]
MULO Brands With Soul July Pick: Walmart
“It’s not just wages. Retailers are treating employees in a more insidious way.” That was the headline of a recent opinion piece in the New York Times. The sad reality is that it may be true for many MULO (multi-location) retailers. But we at Street Fight want to focus on those MULO retailers with heart, […]
Ad-Tech Experts Weigh In on Using GenAI
“Experiments are easy, but scale is hard.” That’s according to Jennifer Fleck, Senior Principal at Slalom Consulting, who talked about the challenge of scaling GenAI initiatives. The key is in balancing innovation, risk and feasibility, she said. “Most of the GenAI we see happening at enterprise organizations right now is an ambitious idea that stays […]
EVs, Gas, and Targeted Marketing: The Future of Car Dealerships, According to Stirista
Car dealerships, like many MULO (multi-location) businesses, are evolving. You can now buy used cars online, some dealerships are opening showrooms in shopping centers (rather than on traditional lots), and consumers are shopping around for the best deals nationwide. About 18K car dealerships exist in the U.S. today, but how consumers shop at them (and […]
Klaviyo Integration: Leveraging Pinterest for Enhanced Social Commerce
Social commerce is growing rapidly, with US retail social-commerce sales projected to hit $80 billion, representing 5% of total US e-commerce by 2025. To stay competitive, brands must offer personalized experiences across various social media platforms. To better support this direction, Klaviyo has expanded its ecosystem of over 350 integrations with the addition of Pinterest. […]
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