News and Analysis

Openings and New Hires at Infogroup, Vistar Media, Unacast

Every two weeks, Geoff Michener covers some of the latest openings and new hires in this dynamic industry. This week’s edition includes moves and new openings at Functionize, Emissary, X-Mode and dataPlor.

Raise Report: Privy, Reflektion, InVision Lock Down New Funding

Every two weeks, we round up some of the biggest fundraises taking place in hyperlocal marketing, commerce, and tech. This week’s edition includes funding for Glint, Instart Logic, Wibbitz, ActionIQ, and Connatix.

LBMA Podcast: Hilton Hotels, Hatch Loyalty, Twitter

This Week in Location Based Marketing is a weekly video podcast from the Location Based Marketing Association with Asif Khan and Rob Woodbridge. On the show: Phann music, Mastercard goes AR, Yext, Plot Projects, Staples + WorkBar.

Latest Posts

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

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

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?

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

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

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’

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

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

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…

#SFSNYC: Patch has Grown Up ‘Enormously,’ Says Webster

In a fireside chat with Forbes’ Jeff Bercovici at the Street Fight Summit on Tuesday, Patch’s co-founder and president, Warren Webster, defended his closely watched hyperlocal network, denying reports that the AOL property was struggling to sustain its rapid growth.

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Threatens Yelp, Locu Expands

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Watch Out Foursquare And Yelp: ‘Places’ Really Shines On Facebook Graph Search (TechCrunch)… JiWire Serves Up Location-based Ads Over Airport Wi-Fi (GigaOm)… Locu Brings Up-To-Date Menus to Restaurants on TripAdvisor and Citysearch (The Next Web)…