News and Analysis

Why Brand Success Is About Unique Experiences and Community (And a Massive Audience)

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“Look at Amazon versus Walmart,” says GGV Capital’s Hans Tung.. “Amazon innovated much faster than Walmart. The way they approach things to make things happen fast, iterate, make changes, do a quick test, change again, test again, change again – that kind of speed is what we look for.”

Time to Take a Deep Breath — Local News Isn’t Becoming ‘Extinct’

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The editors in charge of the slimmed-down newsrooms of local pure-plays know how to leverage technology, data and other information to produce coverage that, in some cases, is superior to what was produced in the so-called “golden” age of print.

Street Fight Daily: Amazon Tests New Delivery Service, Foursquare Revamps Developer Site

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Amazon Tests Its Own Delivery Service to Rival UPS and FedEx… Foursquare Revamps Its Developer Site as API Usage Soars… Will Messenger Lose Out to Snapchat and Instagram Through 2021?…

Latest Posts

Fragmentation in the Device Landscape and What It Might Mean for Local

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We know that the great mobile shift has arrived. This does not mean the end of the laptop era entirely, as any user of processor-intensive software like Photoshop knows. But it does mean that we are using our devices in ways that have become heavily context dependent…

Openings & New Hires at Advance Digital, Neustar, Factual, Yellowbook & More

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A new big-name CMO arrives at LivingSocial to shake things up, while a senior technology exec departs there. Brad Moore leaves Tribune Company. And now that the new year is fully upon us, employers are posting openings for a range of jobs, from digital account director to director of client services, as well as for SEO manager and manager of publisher solutions. Find your job now!

PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Waze, Spun

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In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan have nine different stories, including their bewilderment at Waze; why they think 4sqTrigger is onto something; and UrbanAirship’s progress with Tello. Also Scott Lindenbaum of Spun talks about using a goat for location-based marketing…

Street Fight Daily: Yelp Surrounded, Mobile Advertising’s Future

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Is It Time Local Site Called for Yelp? (The Wall Street Journal)… Is Location Based Advertising The Future Of Mobile Marketing And Mobile Advertising? (Forbes)… Openings & New Hires at Advance Digital, Neustar, Factual, Yellowbook, Apple and More (Street Fight)…

For Hyperlocals, How Long the Roller-Coaster Ride?

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Borrell Associates delivered an upbeat 2013 projection last week for an increase of 31% in ad spending in the local digital space. But even as the outlook seems brighter for local online, highly regarded hyperlocal editor and publisher Mike Fourcher announced his plans to leave the helm of his two neighborhood sites in Chicago…

Case Study: New Loyalty Program Connects ’Wichcraft With Customers

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After years of using paper punch cards to promote loyalty at its 16 locations, ’Wichcraft is going digital with a mobile loyalty program. By tying customer phone numbers to ‘Wichcraft’s POS system, director of marketing Ellen Kim hopes to send targeted promotions based on individual purchase histories and build more intimate relationships with the most frequent customers…

Street FIght Daily: Shopkick Hits Profitability, Groupon Expands Reporting

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Shopkick Says It’s Now Profitable, With Its Shopping App Adding $200M In Sales For Target, Best Buy And Others In 2012 (TechCrunch)… Groupon Unveils Merchant Impact Report, a Free Service So Merchants Can Justify Their Deal Performance (The Next Web)… AOL’s Patch to Go From Lousy Local News Network to Even Worse Community Message Board network (PandoDaily)…

#SFSNYC: Jim Brady on Building Engagement and ‘Stacking Digital Dimes’

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The TBD vet and Digital First Media editor-in-chief says that hyperlocal media must fill two roles for the reader. It has to be a water cooler — a place where people come to engage with news in a community — and an ATM, a utility connecting readers with actionable information.

#SFSNYC: Making Data Work for Hyperlocal Media

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In the wake of the Journatic scandal, the role of automation in hyperlocal publishing remains uncertain. Leaders from top hyperlocal media companies addressed the issue during a panel at Street Fight Summit on Wednesday. They discussed how use of data is affecting media today and the way it can make scale possible tomorrow…

#SFSNYC: Think Context Not Platforms, Says Google’s Tim Reis

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While 2012 was mobile’s breakout year, Tim Reis, head of mobile and social solutions at Google, urged marketers to move this year beyond platforms and instead focus on context during a morning keynote at the Street Fight Summit on Wednesday. “Consumers are very comfortable across [multiple] platforms; they don’t silo these activities,” said Reis…