News and Analysis
Stop the Texting Madness! Jack Philbin on How to Not Get Blocked by Consumers
Jack Philbin is CEO at Vibes, a texting message platform many MULO (multi-location) brands use. We talked to him about how consumers view text messages and how to craft the right ones. Philbin stresses: “The most important thing marketers can do right now, especially as we enter the holidays, is to prioritize quality over quantity […]
‘Tis Swag Season: Year-Round Gifting Trends from Graham Walsh
This is the season of gifting for MULO (multi-location) brands and the suppliers, agencies and tech companies that support them. These brands: Give holiday and thank you gifts to their valued clients Buy giveaways for trade shows and conferences, and consumer activations Invest in employee incentives and keepsakes for team gatherings Stock their online shelves […]
SPB Now Stands for “Serve People Better”
Everyone loves a holiday miracle story! And that may be the turnaround of SPB, which took over a wide range of struggling brands. The abbreviation stood for “Steak, Pizza, and Beer,” but Josh Kern, the CEO, is now committed to changing its meaning to “Serve People Better.” That’s what he aspires to do with the […]
Commentary
A Bird’s Eye View of Digital Ad Trends in 2023
What’s in store for 2023? The key word is adaptation: across devices, tools, and channels. Brands and their partners will rely more on first party data, artificial intelligence, and tools to meet the ever-present demand to measure marketing effectiveness.
Marketing in a Recession: How 2008 Can Inform 2023 Strategy
By being creative with your marketing budget, listening to your customers, and taking advantage of data, you can do more than just survive an economic recession; you might even grow.
The Influence of Reviews on Conversion
Can the influence of reviews be quantified? This is one of the questions addressed by SOCi’s new State of Google Reviews report. The report examines the Google profiles of approximately 31,000 chain and franchise businesses, who together earned 4.9 million reviews from January 2015 to July 2022.
Latest Posts
BOOM: Hear This! An Interview with Dean Pappous, President of HearingLife
We are probably all familiar with MULO (multi-location) eyewear businesses like LensCrafters (900+ locations), Sunglass Hut (1,500 U.S. stores), and Warby Parker (200 locations and a booming online business). But people like Dean Pappous, believe our ears are every bit as critical as our eyes, especially as we age. Hearing loss doesn’t just impact older […]
Innovid Launches Cookieless Solution to Increase Conversion Rate Accuracy
As marketers prepare for the loss of third-party cookies, digital advertising vendors are rolling out alternative solutions at a faster clip. The latest product release comes from Innovid, the independent advertising and analytics platform, which just announced a new cookieless cross-device product that can match multiple devices to user interactions, with the goal of increasing […]
From Google to Social to Generative AI: The Evolution of Search Journeys
Remember when search ads were just a bunch of blue links? Believe it or not, that wasn’t that long ago – when a mention of search conjured a near-identical image in everyone’s minds. If you asked 100 people to describe their search journeys today, you might get 100 different answers. Those answers would almost certainly […]
Cost of Ad Buys Rises Ahead of ‘24 Presidential Race
Advertising wars are already heating up in the 2024 presidential race, but increasing costs for ad buys on television and social media are leading some marketing strategists to reevaluate their approach. According to a new analysis by Keen Decision Systems, a marketing insights firm, that approach — to change course, and pull back from channels […]
Fan Frenzy: The Rise of Merch in MULO Restaurants
Merchandise (merch) has long been part of the music scene. You love the band…you see the live show…you buy the music, tee shirt, and hat on the way out of the venue. But now, multi-location (MULO) brands are picking up on the beat and incorporating creative and varied branded merchandise into their offerings. Whether consumers […]
Snack Brands Lean Into Nostalgia this Back-to-School Season
The dog days of summer have arrived, and all around the country, parents are preparing kids for back-to-school in just a few short weeks. For snack and specialty food brands like General Mills, Conagra, and Nestlé, it’s go time. Despite often being overlooked during the back-to-school rush, when attention is generally focused on backpacks and […]
Snoop Dogg’s Munchie Meal and Celebrity-Inspired MULO Brands
We live in a world of stars — big, small, and on the rise. From singers and actors we watch on stage and screen to reality TV celebrity to previously-unknown consumers who make a name for themselves on TikTok, we exist in a world where everyone can be perceived as “talent.” Celebrity endorsements are certainly […]
6 Influencer Relationship Management Platforms for Brands
Just about anyone can call themselves a creator these days, and that makes it harder than ever for brand marketers to cut through the noise when putting together their influencer campaigns. With the creator economy on track to become a $100 billion industry, more brands and agencies are searching for tools to source potential brand […]
BOOM: Cookies
We’re not talking about tracking cookies. We’re talking about the kind we eat. Despite the healthy food trend, people still like a sweet splurge now and then. The snack market is up and estimated at $300B in 2023. The average American eats three or more cookies daily and 35,000 cookies throughout their lifetime. That’s a […]
Why Emotional Marketing Offers Greater Resonance Now Than Ever
With the economy in a state of flux, and federal interest hikes constantly on consumers’ minds, it’s no surprise that marketers are choosing to be more selective about where they spend their budgets. One area that isn’t facing a downturn is the e-commerce app industry, where marketing spend for attracting new shoppers to apps is […]
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