News and Analysis

Street Fight Daily: Facebook Feed May Oust Pubs, Google Helps Marketers with Holidays

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook Tests Removing Publishers from Newsfeed — Unless They Pay… Google Prepares Advertisers for Holiday Shoppers… How AI Helped Walmart Go from 700,000 to 60 Million Items Online…

Brand-building Expert Norty Cohen to Marketers: Consumer Engagement Is Key

Cohen’s message is that the old ways of trying to connect via TV and other media just aren’t as effective as they used to be. What you need now is to make a connection with the potential consumer of your product or service. And the person who now has a relationship with the brand can then help spread the message via word of mouth.

Street Fight Daily: Google Takes Over Local Bookings, Snap Goes Programmatic

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Reserve with Google Booking Service to Open Beyond U.S. and Include Restaurants… Snap Turns to Programmatic Ads for Snapchat Shows… The Most Successful E-Commerce Brands Build for Mainstream America…

Latest Posts

Mobile Digital Mood Ring? Gravy Targets Hyperlocal Events — All of Them

I recently caught up with Jeff White, the serial entrepreneur behind timeRAZOR’s app. Among other things, Gravy asks users what kinds of events and experiences they are in the mood for — rather than presenting them with a menu of options…

Placecast, SocialVibe Partner to Combine Geolocation and Virtual Currency

SocialVibeA new partnership between digital ad company SocialVibe and location-based mobile marketer Placecast will deliver virtual currency, accumulated via online browsing and gaming, to consumers looking for geotargeted retail discounts…

Street Fight Daily: Apple Talks with Foursquare, Facebook Guns for Yelp

A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal content, commerce, and technology.Apple in Talks With Foursquare About Data-Sharing Deal (The Wall Street Journal)… Facebook Pushes Into Crowded Territory — Again — With Local Discovery Update (AllThingsD)… Swipely Hits Its Stride Combining Payments, Analytics and Loyalty (GigaOm)…

5 Location-Based Marketing Platforms for Brands Without Retail Stores

Figuring out where to purchase products from a brand that doesn’t have its own retail establishment can present a challenge for many consumers. Increasingly, major brands like Vicks and Nestlé are using location-based marketing platforms to help point potential buyers in the right direction. Here are five platforms offering brands a way to take advantage of such technology on their own terms…

A Street Fight Brews in Europe Over Hyperlocal Info

Legacy yellow pages providers, domestic start-ups, and American powerhouses like Yelp are vying for the still wide-open European market. Street Fight caught up with 1001 Menus CEO Xavier Zeitoun to discuss the hyperlocal ecosystem on the continent, as well as some of the roadblocks for American companies looking to expand…

How Enhanced Targeting Will Change Local Commerce in 2013

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

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…

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?

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

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…