News and Analysis
In-Game Ads Play the Long Game
Just because someone is an avid gamer doesn’t make them impervious to DOOH advertising. In fact, it’s a great channel in which to reach them via geotargeting and complements the in-game advertising experience across devices. As always, DOOH is non-intrusive. So why does only 5% of ad spend target the immersive, highly focused user platform […]
MULO Brands With Soul Fall Pick: Neighborly
What’s soulful about having a toilet unclogged or dust bunnies removed from under your bed? Neighborly, the fastest-growing home services company (with 19 brands in North America and $4B+ in revenue) prides itself on offering services along with soul throughout their business, building out a culture of caring and community. In fact, their recent convention was […]
Keen and Accretive: OOH Drives Hidden Growth
In a media landscape dominated by search, social, and streaming, a new analysis from Keen Decision Systems and Accretive suggests marketers may be missing one of their most efficient levers for growth: out-of-home (OOH) advertising. The joint study reveals that OOH delivers a marginal ROI (mROI) of $7.58 … well above the average media mROI […]
Commentary
Scaling Seasonal SEO Across Locations With AI Insights
For multi-location brands, adapting to highly localized, seasonal shifts in consumer behavior is key to maximizing revenue. But when it comes to local SEO, it can be incredibly complex to manage strategies at scale across locations numbering in the double or triple digits. For marketers managing dozens or hundreds of locations, tracking these hyperlocal patterns […]
Independent Agencies Are Getting Boxed Out of Adtech
Adtech wasn’t built for the local shop on Main Street. It was built for the holding company on Madison Avenue. Independent agencies—fast-moving, deeply embedded in their communities, and focused on outcomes—have always punched above their weight. But today’s advertising infrastructure doesn’t support how they operate. From minimum spend requirements and opaque supply paths to bloated platforms […]
Streets Ahead: ChatGPT, AI-Generated meta descriptions and AI Mode
In this week’s Streets Ahead update, SOCi discusses OpenAI expanding the ChatGPT ecosystem, Google experimenting with AI-Generated meta descriptions in search results and Google’s AI Mode reshaping how people search OpenAI Expands ChatGPT’s Ecosystem The News OpenAI has unveiled a major expansion of the ChatGPT experience with the launch of in-app integrations and a new […]
Latest Posts
Matt Lopez: The Human Behind the Robots
Leading up to Street Fight LIVE 2025, we have been getting up close and personal with some of our speakers, encouraging them to share stories of how they found themselves in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem. How will one of our speakers, Pepper, get to Microsoft’s headquarters? Not via Uber. But he does have a human guide […]
Beyond Search: AI Visibility the New Growth Lever for MULO Brands
For years, agencies have measured local search success with a simple formula: check Google Maps and Search rankings, optimize, repeat. However, the rise of AI-driven search experiences, including Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, and of course standalone tools like ChatGPT, has fractured what “local visibility” means, with AI visibility creating both a challenge and […]
Study: OOH Ignites Sports Fans
Sports fans respond enthusiastically to humor, especially when they are reached with an OOH message inside the venue of an event. That’s according to a new report from the OAAA in conjunction with The Harris Poll, which found that those same fans tend to spend locally. According to the findings, sports fans act on OOH […]
Kindness (and Nature) Still Rule for Justin Freeman
Our column “Brands With Soul” comes alive on September 30th at Street Fight LIVE 2025, when a panel that includes Justin Freeman, Managing Director at the KINDR Foundation, takes the stage. As the search for retention of (human) talent becomes more important in the MULO (multi-location) ecosystem, company culture and leadership behaviors can make all […]
I “Cooked Up” the Term MULO
I’ve been writing profiles of all our MULO speakers and sponsors for Street Fight LIVE 2025, so why not include a little something about myself as well? After all, I will be chairing, emceeing and had the pleasure to line up many of this year’s speakers. If you’re reading this and are interested in scoring […]
Scoring Goals in the Franchise Ecosystem with Gregory Ugwi
Gregory Ugwi is back for his second year speaking at Street Fight LIVE. And what a year it’s been! The company he co-founded, Wefranch, has given both franchisors and prospective franchisees a tech-powered way to start and scale. This year, Gregory Ugwi hosted a series of events to bring major brand franchises together with individuals […]
Getting Brandy With Reilly Newman
Reilly Newman is the co-author of a book called Brandy: 101 Sips of Wisdom for Attaining a Successful Brand. Whereas in the past, MULO (multi-location) brands had significant control over how they presented themselves, both at the corporate and local levels. Social media has disrupted that model, and brand reputations are as likely to be impacted […]
Realize by Taboola Boosts Brand ROI with Generative AI
Taboola is seeing rising adoption of Realize, its outcome-driven technology suite launched earlier this year. The company announced that Realize is delivering measurable success for brand advertisers across verticals, while also being enhanced with Generative AI-powered Motion Ads that lift conversion rates by 20% for select advertisers. Advertiser Momentum Across Verticals Realize was designed to […]
Marketing Cycles & Trends With Rachel Noonan
Rachel Noonan is one of the 30+ thought leaders offering perspectives on MULO (multi-location) brands and marketing at Street Fight LIVE 2025. She comes to the stage with 14 years of experience in consumer brand strategy, digital product development, and strategic partnerships across entertainment, media, and tech. Having worked with Universal Pictures, Meta, and Samsung, […]
NBCUniversal Taps Guideline for Smarter, Data-Driven Advertising
Guideline and NBCUniversal have announced the expansion of their partnership to bolster NBCUniversal’s data-driven strategies across ad sales. The collaboration highlights how major media companies are leaning into predictive analytics to stay competitive in a fragmented advertising marketplace. Navigating a Fragmented Market The advertising ecosystem continues to be reshaped by cross-platform consumption, shifting budgets, and […]
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