News and Analysis
The Shopping Mall Is Becoming a Media Platform
The shopping mall has spent years evolving beyond a collection of stores. Dining, entertainment, events and other experiences have increasingly turned major shopping centers into places designed to give consumers more reasons to visit and stay. Now that evolution is moving into advertising. Simon Property Group has launched Simon Media Network, a commerce media platform […]
Ace Hardware Makes Retail Media More Local
Ace Hardware is expanding its retail media network around weather, store proximity, customer intent, and local inventory. Ace’s approach is showing how physical context can give retailers an advantage that audience targeting alone cannot. Retail media networks have generally been built around first-party customer data and proximity to a transaction. Ace Hardware is adding the […]
When Falling Store Traffic Isn’t a Marketing Problem
Lululemon plans to increase marketing as sales weaken across stores and ecommerce. Its challenge is determining which parts of the customer journey need fixing before applying the same response across an 825-location network. Lululemon plans to increase its marketing investment as it attempts to reverse declining sales and weakening brand sentiment. But before spending more […]
Commentary
Buying Signals Are Replacing Lead Lists
Lead generation is evolving from static prospect lists to AI-powered buying signals that reveal who is actively entering the market, not just who matches an ideal customer profile. For multi-location brands and franchises, that means more qualified opportunities, smarter outreach, and better marketing ROI. Traditional lead generation delivers a list of the usual suspects. It […]
Why Challenger Brands Win by Solving Different Problems
The biggest opportunities for challenger brands often come from solving problems established competitors have overlooked. This founder perspective explores why educating the market, not simply promoting a product, can be the key to winning in saturated markets. Americans spent over $121 billion on shoes last year, according to the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, […]
Why AI Is Raising the Cost of Inconsistency for MULO Brands
AI search is exposing a problem many multi-location brands have been able to hide for years: inconsistency across locations. In a world where AI systems recommend businesses rather than simply rank them, operational discipline at the location level may become one of the biggest competitive advantages in local marketing. Multi-location brands have spent the last […]
Latest Posts
In-App Messaging, the Most Undervalued Channel in Modern Marketing
As AI-driven personalization becomes central to customer engagement, in-app messaging is emerging as one of the biggest untapped growth opportunities for brands with mobile apps. When I started MoEngage in 2014, it was born from a real problem. My co-founder and I had built an earlier mobile app, DelightCircle. We had a good understanding of […]
Buying Signals Are Replacing Lead Lists
Lead generation is evolving from static prospect lists to AI-powered buying signals that reveal who is actively entering the market, not just who matches an ideal customer profile. For multi-location brands and franchises, that means more qualified opportunities, smarter outreach, and better marketing ROI. Traditional lead generation delivers a list of the usual suspects. It […]
Multi-Location Growth Is Becoming an Operating Platform
When reports surfaced that Inspire Brands had confidentially filed for an initial public offering, much of the attention focused on valuation, revenue, and the scale of a restaurant company operating more than 33,000 locations across Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, SONIC Drive-In, and Baskin-Robbins. The more interesting story, however, is the collection of […]
Why Challenger Brands Win by Solving Different Problems
The biggest opportunities for challenger brands often come from solving problems established competitors have overlooked. This founder perspective explores why educating the market, not simply promoting a product, can be the key to winning in saturated markets. Americans spent over $121 billion on shoes last year, according to the Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America, […]
Hyper-Local Cultural Moments Are Changing Media Strategy
National campaigns are no longer enough to connect with local audiences. As brands shift toward hyper-local media planning, cultural moments like Pride offer a blueprint for how localized execution can drive more authentic engagement and stronger marketing outcomes. National brands have long relied on centralized media strategies to deliver consistent campaigns across every market. But […]
Jersey Mike’s IPO Highlights the Power of Disciplined MULO Growth
Jersey Mike’s decision to file for an initial public offering comes at a time when restaurant operators face a difficult operating environment marked by cautious consumers, higher labor costs, and slowing industry growth. Yet the sandwich chain has continued to expand its footprint while improving profitability, positioning itself as one of the restaurant industry’s strongest […]
Why AI Is Raising the Cost of Inconsistency for MULO Brands
AI search is exposing a problem many multi-location brands have been able to hide for years: inconsistency across locations. In a world where AI systems recommend businesses rather than simply rank them, operational discipline at the location level may become one of the biggest competitive advantages in local marketing. Multi-location brands have spent the last […]
Kroger’s Giant Eagle Deal Signals the Next Battle in Retail Media
Less than two years after regulators blocked its proposed acquisition of Albertsons, Kroger is back in the acquisition market. This time, the company is taking a smaller and more targeted approach, announcing an agreement to acquire regional grocery chain Giant Eagle in a deal valued at approximately $1.65 billion. At first glance, the transaction appears […]
Big Happy Brings Real-Time Context to 3D DOOH Campaigns
Imagine a billboard that changes based on the weather, local events, or what’s happening in the neighborhood around it. Big Happy says the next generation of 3D DOOH advertising is designed to do exactly that. Which will it be, contextual relevance and visual impact? Brands that want both in the DOOH channel no longer have […]
What Google’s Search Agents Mean for MULO Businesses
Google’s new Search Agents could fundamentally change local discovery by moving from answering questions to finding businesses and completing transactions on behalf of consumers. This means location pages, booking flows, and local data consistency may soon matter more than rankings alone. Google is adding Search agents to Google Search, beginning with information agents that run […]
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