News and Analysis

Hyperlocal Pioneer Howard Owens Sees New Mobile App as Key to Scaling Beyond His ‘Batavian’

Eight and a half years after launching his hyperlocal news site The Batavian, in upstate New York, Howard Owens is looking at growing his base company, Album Corp., beyond Batavia to multiple locations. His plan for expansion is driven by a homemade mobile app that he’s experimenting with for the site.

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Unveils Tools for Brand Marketing, How the Best Brands Do Mobile

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Two New Facebook Tools Will Help Brands Craft Ads for Every Environment… What Sets the Best Brands in Mobile Apart from the Pack… Understanding Amazon as an Advertising Platform…

Brands Struggle to Keep Up with Demand for Cross-Channel Personalization

Consumers want offline shopping experiences to be just as personalized as online, but new research from the customer data firm Segment shows that most major brands are failing to meet those expectations.

Latest Posts

PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Triton Digital

In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan discuss news from Placecast, Facebook, Foursquare, Grokr, Sensewhere, Shopular, Chase Bank, UrbanCompass and Tapit Media. Plus Mommy Googles Santa Claus and special Guest Patrick Reynolds of Triton Digital…

Street Fight Daily: Same-Day Delivery, Managing Competitors in Hyperlocal

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Instantly Yours, for a Fee (The New York Times).. Making of a Hyperlocal: Competitors (Sarah Hartley).. Social-Local Optimization: A Strategic Imperative in 2013 (iMedia Connection)…

6 Tips for Increasing User Engagement On Mobile Apps

More and more businesses are developing branded apps as part of their mobile marketing programs, integrating location-based technology with product reviews, deal information, and even gaming elements to reach consumers. Here are six tips from experts on what brands of all sizes should consider when building their own custom apps…

Street Fight Daily: SoLoMo Hype Wanes, Groupon Makes Another Goods Buy

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.

Startups Adjust to Web’s Down Cycle (Wall Street Journal)… Groupon Buys CommerceInterface To Improve How Vendors Sell On Groupon Goods (TechCrunchWhy Malls Are Getting Mauled (AllThingsD)…

Hyperlocal Execs’ 2013 Predictions: Goodman, Tolles, Kucharz, and More…

As 2012 wraps up, it’s clear we’ve had a ton of action and evolution in the world of hyperlocal this year. Looking toward next year, Street Fight asked 12 hyperlocal luminaries to share their predictions for where local is headed…

Is Facebook Local’s Waking Giant?

“Google is the best advertising product in the history of the world… because it’s like advertising at a store,” Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget said recently. “Facebook, meanwhile, is like advertising at a party.” But despite Google’s user-side advantages here, Facebook could have an edge in SMB engagement…

How Press Association Ad Networks Can Help Newspapers Compete Online

One would think that the Internet would help ad networks from state press and newspaper associations operate with even greater efficiency, but these groups are only in the early stages online. Still they are well-positioned to help increase CPMs and provide a way for newspapers to ensure that their ad inventory is always sold at a set value…

Parsing the Value of Social Media Brand Advocates

Although building a brand advocate network on social media potentially involves a lot of quid pro quo costs, it also likely creates stronger commercial relationships with the customer base than any campaign involving an attempt to buy loyalty with a discount coupon…

PODCAST: This Week in Location-Based Marketing — Yoose

In this week’s episode, hosts Rob Woodbridge and Asif Khan look at whether Bing can perform as the underdog, discuss the new Google Maps for iOS, and review the new Point augmented reality app. Plus funding news, resource of the week and special guest Christian Geissendoerfer of Yoose…

Street Fight Daily: Bloomspot Bought, Passbook a Hit

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.J.P. Morgan Buys Daily Deals Company Bloomspot (The Wall Street Journal)… Apple’s Passbook Is a Surprise Success for Developers (Wired)… Mobile, Location, Data (Nieman Journalism Lab)…