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

How Enhanced Targeting Will Change Local Commerce in 2013

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Restaurants are moving away from the traditional daily-deal model and demanding more targeted services. In 2013 we will see the marketing landscape dominated by three types of marketing services addressing more specific merchant goals: snipers, niche pure plays, and the cycle-conscious…

Street Fight Daily: VeriFone Kills Square Competitor, FTC Probe Nears End

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.VeriFone Gives Up Competing Head-on with Square (GigaOm)… Deal Near on Google Antitrust Probe? (Politico)… With $8M In Seed Funding From Founders Fund, Goldman Sachs; Urban Compass Wants To Build A Hyper-Local, Human-Powered Database (TechCrunch)…

Openings & New Hires at Locu, Groupon, Patch, Signpost, and More…

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There’s lots happening in hyperlocal as the year comes to a close: Locu snags PayPal vet Mok Oh as an adviser, plus lands a hot ex-Googler. Booker brings on a dynamic duo in its hiring spree. Patch sees big moves at the top. And there are some shifts at Groupon and open gigs at Telenav, Signpost, Swipely, Yellowbook, Yelp, and more…

What Kinds of Mobile Ads Are Most Effective?

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Mobile advertising works best when it’s not in the form of a banner ad. On a panel at the Mobile Loco conference in San Francisco this week, participants agreed that the most promising approach is serving interesting content formatted to smartphones and tablets as a part of a contextual marketing strategy. The more an advertisement looks like a mobile app, the more consumer acceptance it will garner…

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

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In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan look at how phone carriers are striking back; Broadcastr spins to Spun; acquisition news from Urban Airship; funding news from Clearstory and Poshmark and special guest Spun co-founder Scott Lindenbaum…

Street Fight Daily: Airbnb Buys Localmind, A New Hail for Gotham

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Airbnb Goes Social and Local with Acquisition of Localmind (GigaOm)… Hail to the Big Apple! NYC Temporarily Approves Taxi Apps, but e-Hailing’s Restricted to 1.5 miles (The Next Web)… Franken’s Location Privacy Bill Voted Out Of Judiciary Committee (AdWeek)…

‘Post-Industrial Journalism’ Report Deserves an A, and an F

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A new report from Columbia’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism takes a look at everything that’s wrong with digital journalism, starting at the top and going all the way down to the hyperlocal level. The report pins antiquated journalistic practices to the wall and recommends specific fixes. But it also wrongly asserts that the Internet has permanently “wrecked” journalism’s advertising model.

Local Corp CEO: Mobile Is a Type of Traffic, Not a Type of Product

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Street Fight recently caught up with Local Corporation CEO Heath Clarke, who has helmed the company since 2001 — several lifetimes ago in Internet years. He talked about the company’s position in the hyperlocal ecosystem, the growing importance of mobile for SMBs and the future of daily deals as a category…

5 Social Gifting Apps That SMBs Can Use to Connect With Customers

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Social gifting apps allow users to send physical items or gift cards via Facebook or email, combining social media marketing and e-commerce. While some gifting platforms are aimed at national brands, a number of services are popping up that local merchants can use. Here are five…

Street Fight Daily: Google Maps on iOS, Amazon Pushes Local Services

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.While Apple Regroups, Google Offers a Maps App (The New York Times)… Amazon’s Latest Experiment: Installing Your TV and Other Household Items (GeekWire)… An Apple-Foursquare Hookup Could Mean The End Of Yelp Reviews In iOS (TechCrunch)…