News and Analysis
Turning Digital Signage into Responsive Retail Experiences
In a move set to redefine in-store engagement, Spectrio has unveiled Smart Content Triggering, a new suite of capabilities that brings real-time intelligence to digital signage in retail and food service environments. By enabling displays to respond dynamically to real-world inputs—from customer behavior to weather conditions—Spectrio’s platform aims to make physical spaces as personalized and […]
BOOM: The Extended Stay Hotel
Street Fight is always looking out for MULO (multi-location) categories on the upswing. The hospitality industry is now complex and growing. Currently projected to reach $443 billion worldwide this year, it comprises every variation of places to sleep and play — from the luxury hotel and resort to the trusted roadside motel brand. One category […]
LG Ad Solutions Expands with Amazon Publisher Direct Integration
LG Ad Solutions, a global leader in connected TV (CTV) and cross-screen advertising, recently announced a strategic integration with Amazon Publisher Services (APS), further enhancing access to premium inventory on LG Channels — LG’s free, ad-supported streaming service available on all LG Smart TVs. This collaboration makes LG Channels inventory available via Amazon Publisher Direct […]
Commentary
Shuttered Forever or Transformed? 12 Storefront Businesses That Went Poof!
Is this about nostalgia or a MULO (multi-location) business lesson? Probably a bit of both. In our ongoing BOOM and BUST series, we talk about MULO retailers, restaurants, and service businesses that declared bankruptcy or became obsolete because of management issues or blindness to consumer trends and technologies. Let’s walk down memory lane and reflect […]
As DMPs Face Extinction, It’s Time for Marketers to Adapt to the New Advertising Landscape
There’s a seismic shift happening in the advertising landscape as privacy takes center stage and the era of cookies slowly fades away. Yet, somehow, there are still those who cling to cookies as their primary means of audience targeting and measurement in online advertising. Despite roughly 60% of industry leaders foreseeing the consequences of losing […]
The Branding Implications of SEO: Why Franchise Brands are Embracing CMS
In the dynamic world of brand marketing, the digital experience is paramount. Historically, the speed of a website’s load time was not just a technical metric, but a reflection of franchise brands promises to consumers. Today, with the advent of Core Web Vitals (CWV), the narrative has evolved. It’s no longer just about speed; it’s […]
Latest Posts
OOH Will See Record Political Ad Spending in 2024
Alright, we survived Super Tuesday and its political ads, but the OOH ad-media beatings won’t stop until the election is finally over. And even then, we can’t be sure. From now until November, U.S. voters must endure messages around choosing a president, 33 senate races, representatives for all 435 seats of the House, and 14 gubernatorial […]
Embracing AI in Media and Advertising
History changes slowly and then overnight. A mere two years ago, the early publicly-available generative AI models from OpenAI, Microsoft, Google looked like curiosities–intriguing but plagued by obvious limitations. Today these models have advanced so far and so fast that they are already well on their way to changing media and advertising forever. AI is […]
Voices Amplified: How Consumers Are Rewriting the Rules for Brand Accountability
Today, consumer voices can be magnified across channels with the click of a button. The power of the consumer is undergoing a seismic shift, providing both opportunities and challenges to businesses around the world as they rewrite the “rules” of brand accountability. Traditional online review sites are no longer the only medium to share opinions. […]
How NXTDRIVE’s Data Can Target without Cookies
When American Furniture Warehouse (AFW) wanted to expand its customer base in Texas and Arizona it turned to Vericast, a marketing technology and data company, whose NXTDRIVE™ customer data marketing platform (CDMP) was made available to retail marketers nationwide earlier this year. Using NXTDRIVE, AFW and Vericast were able to supplement and enrich the retailer’s […]
How to Find the Perfect Spot for Your Restaurant
A huge key to the success of MULO (multi-location) brands is knowing which cities, neighborhoods, streets (and even which side of the street) to put a location. Technology is now playing a huge role in distribution planning. Brands used to pick their locations using maps and a wide range of demographic data. They would also […]
One Location Wonder: MULO is Not for Everyone
Some MULO (multi-location) brands measure success by the number of locations they have. However, other retail, restaurant, and service businesses choose to remain small and mighty. Lisa Richards, Founder and CEO of RPZL (as in Rapunzel), falls into the second category. She has one location now but has found ways to scale creatively without adding […]
And the Oscar Goes to…
No, this isn’t a big reveal of the Oscar for the best of MULO (multi-location) advertising and media. No ad spending red carpet here. (But watch for our “Dozen” reports each month for key news highlights.) A recent article in Ad Age noted that ad spending on awards ceremonies is still a “star,” despite the […]
Caffeine and Commerce: MULO Coffee Perks
Starbucks and Dunkin may be the giant-size MULO (multi-location) players in the brew space (with 38K and 13K locations respectively). However, coffee is a staple of many consumers’ routines and represents a market size of close to $500B. Many regional and national players are heating up the field and coffee brands are offering a wide […]
Birdeye Social : Insights into Social Media Management
The significance of a robust social media presence cannot be overstated, particularly for multi-location brands aiming to connect with local audiences. Acknowledging the complexities of managing social media across diverse locations, Birdeye, a leading reputation and customer experience platform for local businesses, has just introduced Birdeye Social. With this move, the company is aiming to […]
BUST: Multi-Location Movie Theater Chains Struggle
With Oscar season around the corner, let’s examine the silver screen (or lack thereof). A 100-year-old movie theater MULO (multi-location) operation just declared bankruptcy. Founded in the day of silent films, Metropolitan Theaters has 16 theaters and 87 screens, including two IMAX auditoriums in California, Colorado, and Utah. The pandemic and the rise of the […]
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