News and Analysis
Skai Says “Yes!” Celeste Has the Answers for Commerce Media
U.S. ad spending on commerce media will surpass $100B by 2028. What is commerce media? Marketers use data from consumer purchases and browsing habits to improve targeting, personalization, and overall campaign effectiveness. After all, if someone is looking for baby clothes, they may also shop for diapers, cribs, and bottles. Leveraging behaviors to boost same-category […]
This Brand Won’t Get Stale!
What brand? Cracker Barrel, of course! Any MULO (multi-location) brand can all get a bit soggy or rancid with time. However, savvy brands must get ahead of the aging process and bring in fresh talent to keep their traffic and revenue appealing. Cracker Barrel, which was founded in 1969, is leaning into that trend and […]
IHOP & Applebee’s Serve Up Huge News
From hot cakes to happy hour, a new co-branded restaurant in Texas now gives diners a wide range of food options. Applebee’s and IHOP (owned by the same operator) announced this new concept last month. Those who love breakfast for dinner and power-eaters who want to start the day with a Bloody Mary and a […]
Commentary
Career Moves: Yahoo!, Semify, Chatmeter, TikTok, Snap and more
In Street Fight’s biweekly roundup of career moves, Kelly Benish looks at new faces at Yahoo!, Chatmeter, Blackberry, SEMify and more, anniversaries at Spokeo, PartnerStack and beyond and numerous opportunities at companies including TikTok, Snap and Seismic Tressie Lieberman is a Chief Marketing Executive with over 20 years of experience building the marketing engine behind […]
In the Age of AI, 3 Must-Have Skills for Digital Marketers
Everything changed in November 2022. That’s when OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched to the public, and having a clear understanding of how to harness generative AI instantly became a requirement for digital marketers around the globe. In the eight months since generative AI went mainstream, the field of digital marketing has undergone a metamorphosis. Marketers today find […]
From Google to Social to Generative AI: The Evolution of Search Journeys
Remember when search ads were just a bunch of blue links? Believe it or not, that wasn’t that long ago – when a mention of search conjured a near-identical image in everyone’s minds. If you asked 100 people to describe their search journeys today, you might get 100 different answers. Those answers would almost certainly […]
Latest Posts
The Franchise of the Future
The franchise MULO (multi-location) business model has been around since 1731 and boomed in the U.S. in 1960, with the formation of the International Franchise Association (or IFA). The IFA now represents 1,300 franchisors, 10,000 franchisees, and more than 600 professionals and suppliers to the industry, according to its website (which also features a robust […]
BOOM: This MULO Diner Chain is Roaring
The diner as a concept seems to be timeless. Back in 1913, the first stationary diner was established and ultimately grew to 6,000 privately owned locations nationally. That’s a giant MULO (multi-location) venture! Fast forward to today. Although foodies have a wide range of options for where to eat — from single-unit locations to specific […]
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 […]
BOOM: Retail Media According to Skai
We often use “BOOM” to identify a category or store brand that’s thriving. But BOOMing can also apply to trends in media buying and creative. So, for 2024 we’ve expanded the term to cover that as well, so MULO (multi-location) brands and the agencies that work with them can identify how to better reach consumers […]
‘Judge Beauty’ Wants this e.l.f. on Your Shelf
And the award for best non-sequitur in a Super Bowl ad this year goes to the TV personality known as Judge Judy: “Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining,” Judge Beauty said when learning a “defendant” claimed she needed to spend $92 on makeup products. The 30-second spot, “Judge Beauty,” was from […]
Retail Bankruptcies: Life in the ‘Express’ Lane
Business and retail media are filled with stories of companies that are in the express lane towards restructuring and holding huge sales on their way toward bankruptcy. It has become such a popular topic of speculation that one online source even gives odds of bankruptcy filing. Over the past week, the media was placing odds […]
BOOM or BUST? Will the Mega MULO Crafts Store Survive?
As tech-centric as the world has become, handcrafts are still alive and well! Just look at Etsy, which has been steadily growing. Although the MULO (multi-location) crafts industry is not unraveling like an unfortunate knitting project, online competition has put a pin prick into big box store revenues. The pandemic also eliminated many in-store events. Just […]
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 […]
Opterus Puts the ‘Opps’ in Franchise Operations
If you are a pet owner who resides in California, your pet’s needs will differ to some degree compared to those of a pet owner in the Northeast. For example, the fundamental level of care can change based on local weather differences, explained Gary Stonell, SVP Sales & Operations at Opterus, a SaaS-based company that […]
The Demise of Third-Party Cookies is CTV’s Opportunity to Shine
On January 4th, we finally reached the beginning of the end of third-party cookies (for real this time?) On that date, Google Chrome began removing 3rd party cookies from 1% of traffic. By the end of the year, 3rd party cookies will be completely eliminated from Chrome and opening a new opportunity for CTV. This […]
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“Why Aren’t We in ChatGPT?”: The New Question Agencies Must Answer