News and Analysis
Church’s Wants to Make Your Day
A new female buddy comedy is playing in theaters, and Church’s Texas Chicken not only has a cameo role, but a marketing tie-in. “One of Them Days” stars SZA, who had her own star turn in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl half-time show earlier this month, and Keke Palmer (“Akeelah and the Bee)” playing roommates who […]
5 Reasons the Media Ignores (or Trashes) Your Brand
As someone who has sat on “both sides of the desk” (as a marketer and now a research analyst, trend spotter, and content creator), I have a unique perspective on media exposure. The right press — online, conventional, or some combination — feeds your public image when consumers search for your brand. What MULO (multi-location) […]
Report: Consumers Have Less Debt, More Uncertainty
The good news is that almost one-third of American adults are debt-free. The less good news is that inflation is on the uptick, and they’re worried about healthcare costs, and poor leadership and government fraud—with 42% of respondents giving equal weight to each issue. Nevertheless, according to Resonate’s Spring 2025 Outlook Consumer Trends Report, U.S. […]
Commentary
Celebrities Who Help Turn Multi-Location Food Brands Into Stars
Celebrities, including actors and athletes, have long invested in businesses that will help guarantee them a nest egg after their fame has waned. Many now even have their own investment firms. Some, like Mark Wahlberg and Michael Jordan, developed branded concepts, while others invested in multi-location brand franchises. Among the multi-location food brands with celebrity investors […]
The C-Store of the Future: Beyond Gas & Gum
Although the industry has consolidated in recent years, close to 150K convenience stores (C-store) exist in the U.S. We may take them for granted, but they are a staple of modern life. The C-store is a solution whether we need pain relief, diapers at 2 AM, or a much-needed rest stop and re-fuel (physically or […]
Rootstrap Co-Founder on AI Regulation
First of all, Anthony Figueroa wants everyone to know he is a big believer in the power and potential of AI. As co-founder and CTO of outcome-driven software development company Rootstrap, he is both amazed and afraid of AI’s potential based on what he has seen so far. “I think the biggest danger is that […]
Latest Posts
Advertisers Can Learn from Political Marketers
Political advertising can be viewed as the north star for B2B and B2C marketers. In politics, voter outreach and paid advertising campaigns are building towards the ultimate one-day sale event – Election Day. From crafting campaigns around tentpole events and timely big moments, to planning ahead from a budgeting perspective, political marketers know how to […]
Adomni, TikTok, and Screen Power
Jonathan Gudai is the co-founder and CEO of Adomni, which has developed a state-of-the-art platform that enables digital marketers at brands and agencies to make smarter and faster media buys on screens in the real world. Adomni has connected 37 screen types ranging from large format digital billboards to digital screens in retail locations, gyms, bars/restaurants, and more. […]
Enhancing Customer Engagement: Vericast and MessageGears Collaborate
Vericast NXTDRIVE and MessageGears have strategically collaborated to redefine customer engagement, promising a seamless solution that delivers scalability, speed, and efficiency. Set to launch early next year, NXTDRIVE represents a customer data marketing platform (CDMP) designed to elevate brand communications through personalized messaging across various channels, including email, short message service (SMS), and push notifications. […]
Sheeva.ai and Visa To Enable In-Vehicle Payments
Visa has joined the in-vehicle payment revolution. The brand’s heritage is in plastic credit cards, but for quite some time, it’s been a sophisticated global digital-payments platform. Its Visa Acceptance Solutions division has entered a partnership with Sheeva.ai, which enables digital payments using network tokens activated from the dashboards inside vehicles. “Network tokens are the […]
Sneak Preview: Holiday Season 2023 Retail Sales
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us. A lot of shopping and feasting still remains. But Street Fight wants to glimpse what retail sales have seen so far and what you might expect in the shopping and eating days until the end of 2023. What’s especially interesting is that in-person shopping seemed to take […]
The MULO Dozen: November Brands in Review
As we wind down 2023 and head into the holidays, here are some of the latest happenings among MULO (multi-location) brands. Because consumer sentiment and social media buzz can have a huge impact on brand reputation and sales, we’ve added a new section this month — consumer voices. If you have any news to add […]
AxleHire CEO Goes Deep into Delivery Experience
If you think the retail industry is overwhelmed at this time of the year, when the holidays take center stage, try working in the shipping industry. Raj Ramanan is CEO of AxleHire, a last-mile shipping service for e-commerce retailers, touts its “Amazon-like” service experience of next-day and same-day delivery as desired. And satisfaction goes right […]
What Content Marketers Can Expect in 2024
Productsup is a P2C (product-to-consumer) platform that processes the flow of content about more than two trillion items a month across upwards of 2,500 marketing and retail channels for enterprise customers around the world, including IKEA, ALDI, and Sephora. Its goal is to help companies overcome commerce complexity to deliver consistent product information and a […]
How Retailers are Keeping the Grinch from Stealing This Holiday Season
Sadly, it’s not just the Grinch ruining the holidays for many retailers. It’s thievery. Last year, about $112B was lost to various types of retail crime, including shoplifting, flash mobs, and organized crime. Technologies, including AI-based video at point-of-sale, sensory heat maps, cash automation technology, and autonomous security robots, are helping retailers prevent, spot, and […]
What’s Entertainment? Agency VP Nick Dan-Bergman Reveals New Research
LaneTerralever, a full-service marketing and digital experience agency that works with a wide range of attractions and entertainment destinations (as well as the gaming industry), just completed a research report that provides insights into what today’s consumer is looking for in location-based entertainment and experiences. We don’t typically think of attractions (like amusement parks or […]
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