News and Analysis
Report: 34% of Ad Impressions Placed on Low-Quality Sites
Reputable brands have pushed back hard against having their ads appear alongside content that goes against their values—for example, advertising running alongside articles or videos about how to complete the Tide PODS challenge—but Gartner L2’s research shows that the pushback hasn’t been effective enough, and the industry still has work to do.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Releases Slew of Local Features, Here Challenges Google Maps
TODAY IN LOCAL & DIGITAL MARKETING… Facebook Announces Slew of Changes to Boost Local Businesses… Here Attacks Google Maps with New Freemium Website Plan… Alexa Users Are Reportedly Not Buying Anything with Their Voice…
5 Things to Know About Amazon’s Fast-Growing Ad Biz
Search “Amazon advertising,” and the first webpage you’ll find comes from the e-commerce giant itself. The pitch? In a phrase: “Reach millions of customers who find, discover, and buy at Amazon.” It doesn’t get much more compelling than that. Here are five things you need to know about the most legitimate challenge to Google and Facebook’s digital ad dominance.
Commentary
As Google Updates Places, Could Some Merchants Find Their Listings Deleted?
Local SEO consultants and service providers offer businesses the peace of mind that comes with knowing someone is watching the forums and industry news in order to act on policy changes and new developments quickly. Given the complexity of local SEO and the fast pace of change, it’s unreasonable to place the onus for listing management solely on the small business owner…
Apple’s Next Trick: Making the Retail POS Disappear
The idea is to enable shoppers to conduct roving transactions throughout retail stores by scanning items with their iPhones, paying on the spot via iTunes then going on their way. No checkout aisles, no gum-snapping shopgirl, no 15 items or less. It creates a world where the mobile device is the POS…
Consolidation Watch — Where to Look for Deals in Local Tech
The first half of 2013 saw total investment activity, which includes both M&A and private financing, grow from a year earlier, as the number of deals stayed flat but total reported deal value jumped from $5.2 billion to $7.2 billion over the same period. Expect to see more deals — both large and small — in the local space as big firms search for a foothold in the industry and host of maturing startups look for the exit…
Latest Posts
5 Tips for the Aspiring Hyperlocal Publisher
Although the business — and consumption — of journalism continues to evolve, its health certainly seems much more robust than it was five years ago. This is particularly true at a hyperlocal level. Yet at the same time some constants remain. In particular, issues around funding — and sustainability — continue to remain one of the sector’s biggest challenges…
Street Fight Daily: Revel Raises $100M, Groupon Splits App
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…Revel Lands A Whopping $100m To Put Another Nail In Cash Registers’ Coffins (VentureBeat)… Groupon, Too, Turns to Multiple Apps (New York Times)… Small Business Lending Platform On Deck Files For IPO Valued At Up To $150 Million (Fox Business)…
The Clever Solution Behind Path’s Place Messaging Service
In late September, the company added a feature to its messaging app called Places that allows users to text local businesses with questions, and, often within minutes, receive an answer. The experience is simple and habitual for both merchant and consumer, yet the infrastructure inside is a patchwork blend of technology and people that demonstrates a remarkable empathy for the realities of the market today…
5 Hyperlocal Platforms With Acquisition-Based Pricing
Local merchants are looking for immediate results with their hyperlocal marketing programs, and most aren’t willing to pay up front for the online clicks of a customer who may or may not actually show up. As vendors search for better ways to serve the small business market, the focus is shifting away from website clicks, and toward customer acquisition…
Street Fight Daily: Uber’s Billion Dollar Round, Local’s ‘Moral Imperative’
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber Said in Early Talks to Raise Another $1 Billion (Recode)… The ‘Moral Imperative’ Behind Small Business Marketing (Screenwerk)… YC Alum Fivestars Sees Explosive Growth In La, Fights For The Loyalty Of Consumers And Local Merchants (Pando)…
Openings and New Hires at Belly, UBL, WorldNow, and FreshLime
Every two weeks, Kelly Benish — who knows practically everyone in hyperlocal — covers some of the latest job changes taking place in this dynamic industry. In this week’s edition, new jobs and hires at Fathom Voice, Hearst, PlaceIQ, Sonata and more…
LBMA Podcast: Nomi’s Acquisition and Swirl’s Ad Exchange
On the show: Neiman Marcus wants you to snap, find and shop; Appy Pie’s new API; Mogl funded; Facebook relaunches Atlas; iHeartRadio vending machine with Instagram; TouchTunes partners with Kinetic Active Exchange; and a resource of the week from Esri…
Is Location More Than a Feature in Mobile Advertising?
The rise of smartphones has created a wealth of location data that marketers on both the buy- and sell-side are desperate to capitalize on. But is location really more than just another targeting mechanism for mobile advertising? That was the question posed to a Street Fight Summit panel Tuesday…
30A.com Is More Than a Website — It’s a ‘Brand’ for the Laid Back
Mike Ragsdale’s 30A.com, serving the Gulf Coast beach communities of Santa Rosa in Northwest Florida, is much more than a website. It’s an “international brand” that includes a digital radio station and a retail operation that sells everything from to T-shirts to beach chairs to beer…
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
AI Won’t Fix Advertising – It May Scale Its Chaotic Nature