TKG Data and Analysis: A Weekly Recap
Here is a recap of posts from last week, in case you missed any. Click below to read each post in full.
Google Mobile Product Search Integrates Bar Code Scanner
A few weeks ago, Google announced it will optimize its online shopping search service for iPhones and Android. We liked this move but argued it only gets you halfway there: The feature set could really be unleashed with the capability to scan bar codes and search local inventory feeds. (read more…)
NPR’s Schiller: Radio Sites Must Do More Than Complement
NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller says that “radio and NPR [are] doing very well, but we have to think now about becoming our own disruptors before we take the path of newspaper companies.” Speaking on a Fast Search Webinar, the former GM for NYTimes.com opined that “digital media is more compatible with radio than any other legacy media. Radio is very specific. It is compatible and not really competitive with the Web or mobile experience.” (read more…)
Yell Launches U.K. SEM Product
The U.K. directory publisher Yell unveiled its SEM offering today, which features an alliance with Google to become an AdWords reseller. The service offering will include the creation of SEO-friendly landing pages as well as Google AdWords. (read more…)
Outside.in: For Hyperlocal, It’s Not About the Destination Site
Outside.in, the three-year-old placeblogger/hyperlocal company, is in the enviable position of being able to focus on building its blogger platform and network. Its lead investors, including Union Square Ventures and Esther Dyson, have given it an especially long leash, convinced (like Twitter and others) that revenues await high-volume sites down the road. And the company is getting there, with usage growing from 800,000 unique users in September 2008 to 4.2 million today. (read more…)
AdLocal Brings Its Self-Service Mobile Ads to the U.S.
I recently spent some time talking with Cirius Technologies, whose AdLocal platform targets mobile ads based on users’ location. BizDev Manager Tomi Brooks claims the company is seeing 2X clickthrough rates on mobile ads that are location targeted versus those that aren’t. (read more…)
New: Leaked Screen Shots of Loopt 2.0
Loopt is an application we’ve written about a bunch and was one of the first apps to operate at the three-way intersection of local, mobile and social. This will be an important combo for mobile apps, which will continue to manifest in different combinations. Google’s Latitude is the most recent example and could shine more of a mainstream light on apps like Loopt (or crush them). (read more…)
Is the Sales Approach Part of Yellow Pages’ Woes?
As the Kelsey Group has been studying the sales approach in the local media space, what has struck me is the lack of innovation on the part of the Yellow Pages. In the past, the Yellow Pages sales force has been viewed as a competitive advantage because of its size and depth of existing clients. What we’ve observed of late are a few chinks in this armor, not only in the U.S., but overseas as well. (read more…)
Everyzing Lands NBC as Strategic Investor
Everyzing, a video search company we’ve written about a few times, today announced a partnership with NBC Universal, and an $8.25 million C round led by NBC’s Peacock Equity. The most notable part of the deal is that Everyzing will run the video search capability across NBC’s online sites, including its flagship NBC.com, CNBC, Bravo, Sci-Fi and Telemundo. As NBC ports more and more video to these sites, searchability becomes an important consideration. (read more…)
TargetSpot Focuses on Online Radio Ads, Preps for Google’s (Re)Entry
Radio stations have only marginally leveraged the Web, generally via streaming news and music. Very little unique advertising has been sold. Aiming to fix that is TargetSpot, a two-year-old company that is working with 70 station groups to produce and sell both local and national audio ads. (read more…)
YellowSpaces: New IYP Focuses on Mobile-Centric Features
YellowSpaces, a start-up launched by New York entrepreneur Constantin Manta, hopes to differentiate itself from a glut of Internet Yellow Pages and local search applications by keeping things clean, better engaging users, and better integrating mobile channels. (read more…)
