News and Analysis
Let’s Get Phygital in 2025
Phygital is hardly a new word. The term was first coined in 2007 by Chris Weil, former chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. Like many concepts, many marketing professionals take credit for coming up with the term, but ownership doesn’t matter here. What’s meaningful is that the term is having a huge resurgence — almost […]
TikTok & the Future of Social Media Marketing
As the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to uphold the “divest or die” congressional act looms large over TikTok, the app’s fate in the United States remains uncertain. This past weekend marked a whirlwind of developments: the app went dark on Saturday, only to reemerge on Sunday after President Trump announced his intention to issue an […]
Navigating the US TikTok Ban: Strategic Insights for CMOs and Agency Executives
As the January 19th deadline for the US TikTok ban approaches, the marketing world is abuzz with speculation and urgency. With news breaking that TikTok may shut down its app entirely in the US and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the proposed ban, brands are left scrambling to adjust their social media strategies. For […]
Commentary
Elevating Subscriptions: Turning Transactions into Deeper Customer Relationships
What brands need to do to maximize the value of subscriptions is deliver—and differentiate themselves—on exceptional customer experiences (CX). This includes real-time support and service to meet high demand while furthering customer relationships.
What Amazon’s Clean Room Services Move Means for Advertisers and Competitors
The AWS foray into clean room tech has the potential to shake ad tech’s foundation and lock a lot of established providers out of the market before clean rooms even really become a standard part of the ad tech stack.
Reality Check: These Social Trends Will Actually Shape Local Marketing in 2023
These subtle, yet pragmatic, social marketing trends will guide next year far more than the bullhorn announcements that declare everything is different now.
Latest Posts
How 3 Brands Have Modernized Their Loyalty Programs in 2023
Virtually every top retail brand today has a mobile app designed to build loyalty, but the majority of those apps aren’t delivering the kind of return on investment that their creators expect. With so many branded apps and loyalty programs vying for consumers’ attention, companies are learning that they have to lean into personalized experiences […]
The Branding Implications of SEO: Why Franchise Brands are Embracing CMS
In the dynamic world of brand marketing, the digital experience is paramount. Historically, the speed of a website’s load time was not just a technical metric, but a reflection of franchise brands promises to consumers. Today, with the advent of Core Web Vitals (CWV), the narrative has evolved. It’s no longer just about speed; it’s […]
BOOM: Barry’s Bulks-up its MULO Brand
The boutique fitness industry is having a moment. And Barry’s (formerly Barry’s Boot Camp) is making moves to grow along with it. With plans to quadruple its 48-location footprint by 2030, Barry’s offers a “unique blend of high-intensity (HIIT) cardio, strength training, music, and signature red lights,” according to a profile of the company CEO […]
Mastering the Retail Supply Chain to Drive Intelligent Outcomes
Retail has been ramping up digital transformation for a few years now, in an attempt to keep pace with consumer expectations for frictionless, more personalized, omnichannel experiences. This transformation has been further accelerated by current external factors like the pandemic, global conflict and economic headwinds. As part of this effort, reimagining supply chain practices has […]
What the Cadent Acquisition Means for the Future of Converged TV
As consumers grow more comfortable with the idea of combining live TV, streaming services, and on-demand content into one platform, private equity firms are betting that converged TV startups are about to become a revenue goldmine. In the latest example of what’s become a trend in the space, Novacap, one of the most well-known private […]
Data Privacy Compliance Report Shows Slow, Positive Movement
Five years have passed since the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect, and companies across the U.S. are still struggling with compliance. According to a new report on the state of CCPA and CPRA data privacy compliance by CYTRIO, just 13% of non-compliant companies in the first quarter of 2022 moved to manual […]
On and Off the MULO Shelves with Dan Oliver and His Seasoning
We recently saw a LinkedIn post by Tyler Watson, Vice President of Sales for Dan-O’s Seasoning. Intrigued, we Googled the brand and discovered it’s available both online and in MULO (multi-location) retailers. Dan-O’s actually had its roots in social media when Dan Oliver (a former bartender) started making TikTok videos about his seasoning in 2020. […]
BUST: Christmas Tree Shops Declares Bankruptcy and Closes All Stores
We hope the Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas this year, but bankruptcy stole the 82 retail stores of MULO (multi-location) brand, Christmas Tree Shops. The bankruptcy was announced in May, and poor-performing stores were shuttered, but the company recently said that it will close its remaining stores on August 12th, holding a liquidation sale before then. […]
Vericast Goes Deep on Data Privacy with Qonsent Partnership
The martech and data intelligence company Vericast announced a new partnership with Qonsent last week, in a move designed to bolster the company’s consumer-first data privacy strategy. At a time when consumer data is becoming increasingly regulated in the U.S. and abroad, the partnership between Vericast and Qonsent is expected to help brands deliver more […]
How to Track Mobile OOH Advertising: An Interview with Jonathan Frangakis
Jonathan Frangakis has been a champion of out-of-home / OOH advertising for years. He and his brother Gabe founded an OOH analytics platform called Mira in 2014. Mira was acquired by Reveal Mobile, where he serves as its Chief Commercial Officer. He gave us insights into the next wave of moving OOH advertising (as in […]
Street Fight’s Big 3
Street Fight Columns
Street Fight Categories
The Local Media Paradox: Turning Community Trust into Measurable Confidence