News and Analysis

Report: Advertisers Spending More on Search and Amazon, While Social CTRs Drop

Digital marketing software provider Marin Software has released its Q2 Benchmark Report, and the findings confirm the hype about advertising spend on Amazon: It’s on the rise, while social click-through rates decline and search spend remains a major priority for brands.

Street Fight Daily: Google Fined Record $5 Billion by EU; What Consumers Prefer in Loyalty Programs

TODAY IN DIGITAL MARKETING… Google Fined $5.1 Billion by EU for Monopolizing Mobile Search via Android Practices… Hard Data on the Choices that Make or Break Loyalty Programs… Report: Advertisers Spending More on Search and Amazon, While Social CTRs Drop…

Street Fight Daily: Attribution Remains Top Challenge for Brands, Nextdoor Partners with HouseCanary

PARTNERSHIPS, ACQUISITION, AND PERSISTENT INDUSTRY PROBLEMS… Proving Local Attribution and ROI Remains a Top Challenge for Multi-Location Brands… Nextdoor Partners With HouseCanary, Adding Real Estate Functionality to its Social Network… Salesforce Will Acquire Data Integrator Datorama for a Reported $800M…

Commentary

Could Simple Website Builders Be the Next Hyperlocal Superstars?

Where is the next billion-dollar opportunity in hyperlocal? You might be surprised by the likely answer. Assuming they play their cards right, simple website builders like Wix, Weebly or Squarespace — and not the traditional hyperlocal platforms — have the best shot…

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.

Latest Posts

How Google’s Product Listing Ads Are Hurting Home Remodelers

In the name of a strong user experience and a better advertiser experience, Google’s product listings algorithm could be adjusted to better reflect the intent of homeowner search queries…

It’s All About Mobile for Brands and Agencies at Mobile Media Summit

On September 29, Mobile Media Summit, the largest mobile media and advertising conference will kick-off Advertising Week in New York at the famed New World Stages. As a Street Fight reader, save 10 percent on tickets with code SFM10…

Street Fight Daily: Apple Locks NFC to Apple Pay, Clear Channel Rebrands

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technologyApple’s iPhone 6 NFC Chip is Restricted to Apple Pay (Verge)… Clear Channel Rebrands As IHeartMedia (AdAge)… Is the Mobile Check-In Dead? (AdWeek)…

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 technologyKKR 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…

Washio Discovers a Hidden Local Market in Dirty Laundry

The astronomical ascent of Uber has spawned a deluge of copycats, appropriating the taxi company’s on-demand model for other industries. In Washington D.C., a small startup called Washio has built a thriving business in one of the most unlikely verticals of all: laundry.

Street Fight Daily: Square To Raise $100M, Digital First Mulls Sale of Papers

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technologySquare to Raise $100 Million at a $6 Billion Valuation (New York Times)… Digital First Media Will Explore Sale of Papers (Poynter)… Apple Deal Sheds Light on McDonald’s Digital Transformation (Mashable)…

In Apple Pay, Signs of a Digital (Payments) Divide

The belief that Apple Pay will turn the payments industry on its head draws on a long-held assumption in the tech industry that the Internet and the physical marketplace live by the same rules. In fact, these two marketplaces operate under much different dynamics…