News and Analysis
Did the Music Die or Just Take a Beat as Sam Ash Closes Stores?
Music stores used to be wildly popular. Although many still exist and vinyl records have made a comeback, the MULO (multi-location) music store category is struggling. Sam Ash recently announced that it’s closing 18 of its 45 stores throughout the U.S. The first music store opened in the U.S. in 1759. Sam Ash sells instruments […]
BOOM: Shopping Malls are Back!
A new study by Placer.ai confirms that shoppers are returning to malls. That’s great news for legacy MULO (multi-location) brands and new concepts like pickleball, pop-ups, and eatertainment venues, which are filling spaces left vacant by department stores and other big-box retailers. The study reveals five key findings and trends: Visits to malls are getting […]
The MULO Dozen: March Brands in Review
Openings, closings, leadership changes…the MULO (multi-location) beat goes on! Here are some highlights related to the people, technologies, and brands in the MULO ecosystem. Have news? Please e-mail me. And save the date — Street Fight LIVE is coming to Chicago on November 7th! The convenience store (C-store) industry is going through a major transformation and […]
Commentary
Industry Changes Ahead for Marketers: Cookie Deprecation, Dirty Data, and AI
With 2024 here, marketers need to prepare for a few big industry changes. The deprecation of third-party cookies and the death of the traditional customer journey will greatly impact marketing strategies, transforming how businesses engage with their customers. Marketers also must tackle the elephant in the room: dirty data. Accurate, unified data is the vital […]
Breaking Boundaries: Microsoft’s App Store and the Epic vs. Google Ripple Effect
It has been an earth-shattering few weeks in the app ecosystem. First, in a groundbreaking move that has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, Microsoft has announced its plans to launch an app store within the Apple App Store – a move that holds significant implications for app developers, especially those in the gaming industry. […]
Third-party Cookies, The Future is Here
The future is here. As the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2023, another clock gets set into motion: the beginning of the end of third-party cookies. Google’s long-debated cookie depreciation will begin in January incrementally and support for them will be gone by the end of the year. While anyone tracking this environment has seen […]
Latest Posts
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 […]
AtData Launches a New E-mail Marketing Tool
E-mail marketing is not dead. It’s on the upswing. A whopping 362 billion (yes, billion) e-mails are expected to be sent EVERY DAY in 2024. But how do brands ensure the health of their e-mail marketing campaigns and ensure that their budgets are going toward those people not likely to simply dump your precious message […]
Navigating the Post-Cookie Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities for Brands
Google’s long-awaited post-cookie world is now here, with the company officially turning off cookies for 1% of Chrome users last month. The loss of third-party cookies means that brands will lose one of the most frequently used ways to identify potential target audiences on the open web. Post-cookie, brands will have to find different ways […]
MULO Grows Up
What the heck is MULO anyway? MULO refers to multi-location businesses. They could be run by a corporate entity or franchises. MULO brands may be retailers, restaurants, health and wellness entities, personal services (like tutoring, tax prep, ear piercing, hair styling, or even podcasting) or even entertainment centers like those offering pickleball, golf, and baseball. […]
What a Yahoo Exec Brings to Today’s Agencies
Alia Lamborghini, SVP, Head of US Sales and Strategy at Yahoo explains why Jeff Rossi was brought in as VP of Global Agency Partnerships to focus specifically on agencies and agency integration. “Agencies require a dedicated partner to navigate issues like cookie deprecation, deliver on first-party data, and provide the transparency essential for supporting brands. […]
Social Factor Partners with Emplifi to Fuel the Social Commerce Wave
Social Factor, a prominent digital agency specializing in social CRM and strategy, has recently announced an agency-level partnership with Emplifi, a leading customer engagement platform. This partnership ties in with a shift in digital marketing, aiming to revolutionize customer engagement strategies through a social commerce-first approach. Social Factor, known for its expertise in working with […]
Vericast Collaborates with Snowflake to Transform Marketing Engagement
Vericast, a prominent marketing technology company, has embarked on a partnership with Snowflake, the Data Cloud Company, to pioneer solutions aimed at empowering marketers to engage with consumers in more impactful ways. Leveraging technology innovations and exclusive data available in Snowflake Marketplace, the company is set to revolutionize marketing engagement, driving meaningful commerce across various […]
Optable Integration Ushers in a New Era of Privacy-Centric Advertising
Since Google’s announcement regarding the eventual end of third-party cookies, the advertising industry has been actively seeking alternatives to ensure continued effectiveness while respecting user privacy. Among the proposed solutions, data clean rooms have emerged as a promising avenue, offering a secure environment for data collaboration in the absence of traditional tracking methods. Optable, a […]
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