Commentary
As Digital Media Gets ‘Horizontal,’ It Acts More Like Local Businesses
Local businesses are the most suited to life in the networked world, because they already deal with people directly, and often on a first-name basis. To the extent that local businesses have learned to do this, they can teach the rest of the business world how to behave in our increasingly collaborative environment…
Mobile Is Huge — But Two Key Elements Could Slow Its Growth
We in the media think we’re in the information business, when the reality is that we’re very much in the advertising business, and advertising is in disruption right now. In their effort to influence and produce results, marketers are simply unable to demonstrate even a modicum of restraint when it comes to the line between useful and nuisance.
Is Content King in Local Too?
In the pantheon of buzzwords overtaking pitch decks and CMO-speak, “content marketing” is the new darling. The term has legitimate grounding to be fair, but like “long tail” and “web 2.0” in days past, its overuse precedes it. Content marketing also isn’t anything new — it’s been done for years, albeit under the ethically challenged “advertorial” rubric among other flavors. Now it’s new, improved, and hitched to en vogue terms like “native.”
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: LightSpeed Raises $35M, Small Businesses Spend on Social
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Retail Software Startup LightSpeed Raises $35 Million From iNovia (Recode)… Small Businesses Spend More on Social Than Any Other Media (AdAge)… For Mobile Marketers, The More Crowded The Better (Wall Street Journal)…
Handybook Rebrands As Handy, Says It Grew 10x in Past 9 Months
New York-based Handybook, which allows users to book pre-approved home service providers through a mobile app or website, is dropping the “book” from its name, rebranding as Handy to avoid confusion with — well — books. The company’s chief executive Oisin Hanrahan believes the move will help the company develop the type of brand that has helped to propel Uber and Airbnb into multi-billion dollar companies.
Macy’s Expands Shopkick Beacons to Stores Across the Country
Macy’s just made a big bet on beacons — the proximity messaging technology widely hailed as a key ingredient in the future of retail. The company says it plans to expand its partnership with the Silicon Valley-based Shopkick from a small pilot in the retailer’s flagship stores in New York and San Francisco to a national roll out that will include over 4,000 beacons in Macy’s locations across the US.
Street Fight Daily: First Data’s Turnaround, Offline Sellers’ Search Spending
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… KKR Banks on Bisignano Forging Apple Deal at First Data (Bloomberg)… More than Half of Top 25 Google AdWords Spenders Sell Mostly Offline (Screenwerk)… The Case Against Everything on Demand (Recode)…
7 Strategies for Using Mobile to Drive In-Store Sales
Mobile commerce is driving nearly $40 billion worth of sales for retailers today, with 84% of consumers now using their devices before or during real world shopping trips. Here are seven strategies that retailers of all sizes should consider as they begin using mobile to drive purchases…
Streets Ahead: Google Chat, and Instagram Reels