News and Analysis

Brands & Concepts On the Rise in 2025

BOOM: Brands & Concepts On the Rise in 2025

Who would have ever guessed that the bookstore would make a comeback?  Barnes & Noble plans to open 60 new stores this year. Once considered a dying retail category, the bookstore is back and on the rise, selling more than just reading materials. Although physical books remain the brand’s main revenue source, stores have tapped […]

Stanley Tucci Hosts Allbirds New Series Cards on the Table

Stanley Tucci Hosts Allbirds New Series

It might be common knowledge by now that Allbirds, a footwear brand favored in Silicon Valley (and elsewhere), has launched an unscripted series in collaboration with actor Stanley Tucci, who hosts, and production company OBB Pictures and Salt Productions. It isn’t hard to find and stream the 20-minute episodes: They’re running all month on Rolling […]

Local Businesses: Social-First, Tech-Driven, and Highly Adaptable Street Fight

Local Businesses: Social-First, Tech-Driven, and Highly Adaptable

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, a new breed of businesses is emerging. These businesses are rewriting the playbook by prioritizing social media, embracing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), and maintaining agility in the face of uncertainty. Constant Contact’s latest Small Business Now report sheds light on these trends, offering valuable insights for multi-location […]

Commentary

What GoWalla's Resurgence Says About the State of SoLoMo

What GoWalla’s Resurgence Says About the State of SoLoMo

GoWalla is re-launching. And what better place to do it than its original birthplace at SXSW? Now fourteen years later, the product will contain a mix of its original SoLoMo formula, features to address today’s demand signals, and other learnings from its first run.

Redefining NFTs by 10 Emerging Utilities

Redefining NFTs by 10 Emerging Utilities

As some forward-thinking brands have already found, the unexpected utilities of NFTs makes them good for much more than digital art.

How to Fix Costly Subpar Data at the Source

As marketers increasingly rely on their own first-party data, the elephant in the room needs to be addressed: subpar data will yield subpar outcomes. In fact, according to Gartner, data of poor quality costs organizations an average of $12.9 million every year. 

Latest Posts

Finance Lobby and Placer.ai Partner to Elevate Data-Driven Insights

In a move aimed at reshaping the landscape of commercial real estate financing, Finance Lobby recently announced a strategic partnership with Placer.ai, the leading location data platform. This alliance signifies a monumental step for both organizations and underscores their shared commitment to revolutionizing the industry. Unlocking New Horizons For Finance Lobby users, this integration ushers […]

Deft CEO: the State of SEO and Search Advertising

Deft CEO: the State of SEO and Search Advertising

The team at Deft has some controversial takes on the state of SEO and search advertising. From the beginning, the company was founded on the belief that e-commerce is the most over-SEO’d and over-advertised search category — and the problem is only getting worse, as both Amazon and Google continue to make money by keeping […]

Hail Caesars Republic: Talking to Ryan Kirby about MULO Hotel Expansion

Hail Caesars Republic: Talking to Ryan Kirby about MULO Hotel Expansion

Many hotel companies now have different brands within their brand, offering various price points and experiences underneath their multi-location (MULO) umbrella. You may have thought of Caesars as just a casino experience in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, with giant statues and endless slots and tables. But Caesars is about to open its second non-gaming resort […]

The Cookie Is Crumbling: Americans Demand Better Privacy, Transparency, and Control

The ongoing debate surrounding the death of the cookie has prompted leaders in ad tech to reevaluate modern advertising practices and search for more privacy-conscious and user-friendly alternatives. Users are demanding greater privacy — including transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used. In addition, Apple has diminished the retargeting connection through IDFA, […]

The MULO Dozen: October Brands in Review

Last month, we launched this new section,  recapping some of the highlights across MULO (multi-location) brands — retailers, restaurants, c-stores, service businesses, and any other establishment that have multiple locations (or aspires to scale to that level), as well as the agencies that help them flourish. We cover: INNOVATION: Here are the brands that are […]

Study Reveals What Drives Attention From CTV Ads

We know that attention is a critical metric for advertising, especially on channels like connected TV (CTV), where advertisers are not only trying to reach their target audiences, but also to engage them to drive real business outcomes. We also know that it’s incredibly difficult to determine what, exactly, drives more attention from CTV ads. […]

Madison Avenue Needs to Think About a .1 Mile Radius

Madison Avenue Needs to Think About a .1 Mile Radius

Madison Avenue has long been code for the advertising industry. But, as we know, most agencies are no longer located on that iconic street. In fact, some agencies don’t even have physical offices these days. That doesn’t mean agencies no longer need to think about location! Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Locations are more important […]

Local Advertisers Navigate Looming Surge in Political Ad Pricing

Local Advertisers Navigate Looming Surge in Political Ads Pricing

As the global economy braces itself for the possibility of a recession, some sectors are standing out with surprising resilience. Driven largely by the anticipation of enormous spending on political ads in the coming year, local advertising in the U.S. is expected to increase by 8.6%. That puts anticipated revenue across all media in the […]

tvScientific CEO: Netflix Could Learn from Google+ and Facebook

tvScientific CEO: Netflix Could Learn from Google+ and Facebook

Netflix’s Q3 earnings are in, along with a rise in subscribers since July, price hikes for all types of them, and a jump in share price.  Now, it remains to be seen whether the streaming service can scale its ad-supported ambitions.  Jason Fairchild, co-founder and CEO of tvScientific, thinks the company still has work to do […]

Digital Disinformation Reaches a Fever Pitch, Social Media Execs Weigh In

Digital Disinformation Reaches a Fever Pitch, Social Media Execs Weigh In

Less than a week has passed since Meta and TikTok were ordered by the European Commission to provide details on the steps each company has taken to prevent the spread of misinformation during the Israel-Hamas conflict, and rather than simmering down, the debate over disinformation on social media is only getting hotter. X—the platform formerly […]