Yell plans to restructure its global operation and focus on "owning" local search as it tries to defend its business from rivals Google and Groupon. In February, the Yellow Pages publisher saw its shares drop by more than 10 percent…
I've been watching over the past few days as three separate studies were released, each with a different angle on the growth of mobile apps. These are generally orbiting the AppNation conference that took place this week in San Francisco.…
In an increasingly connected multi-device world, all things cloud-based are getting lots of attention. For the same underlying reasons, social sharing is hot. That includes everything from Tweets and status updates to photo sharing apps like Instagram. A mashup of…
Webshoz announced that Directory Marketing Inc., a Yellow Pages management provider for publishers, is now representing Videobar, the video ad software for online directories. We profiled this technology last year. Webshoz developed Videobar to increase consumer views of online ads,…
Google has released results of a study filled with positive results on smartphone usage. Known as "The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users," it focuses on search and search-related ad performance. According to the study, 71 percent of smartphone users search…
Facebook today launched its Deals product as an "alpha" in five markets: San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Austin and Atlanta. The effort plays up Facebook's social connectivity, making it simple to "like" and share deals, and promote throughout the site.…
All advertiser phone numbers listed online with Yellow Pages Group are free calls for some Skype users. The new feature reflects an agreement we covered in February between YPG and Marchex, a company that provides call advertising services among its key SMB offerings. Skype software allows…
Pixelfish, armed with $3.5 million round of new capital raised since October, is evolving its model from a white-label provider of affordable SMB video to a destination site for SMB offers. Today, it announced that it has acquired Steve Espinosa’s…
Facebook Head of Groups Justin Shaffer told attendees at Where 2.0 that one of Facebook’s goals is to develop the largest database of “interesting” places. The collection of places has “really been the focus" of his division for the past…
The recent implosion of TMP has led to the creation of a new digital agency called, aptly enough, 2nd Act Local Marketing. Its founders are Gregg Stewart, Will Foust and Steve Haar, all veterans of 15miles, the digital advertising agency arm…
SeniorChecked, a national network that aids seniors with choosing trustworthy local service providers, is partnering with FirstLight HomeCare, a national franchise that provides non-medical in-home care for seniors. We spoke with SeniorChecked CEO Chris Spanos about trends in the local…
Finding and buying daily deals on a mobile device is about to get easier. Monster Offers, the mobile banking solutions provider and daily deal aggregator, will deploy a series of consumer and business banking solutions under a new subsidiary this…
We've known about Google Offers for some time -- the deals product that Google started working on in the wake of its failed bid for Groupon. Today Google is announcing its launch in Portland, and forthcoming availability in NYC and…
Chicago Magazine will partner with Next Jump April 28 for "Intersections of Style," a “VIP Shopping Night” that will bring thousands of Chicagoans to select stores offering exclusive discounts and perks (i.e., “champagne check-in”). The event is being promoted by…
Foursquare Cofounder Dennis Crowley spoke at Where 2.0 yesterday on the ongoing theme of innovating "beyond the check-in." Though lots of companies have taken this in directions such as checking in to TV shows, he remains focused on the "relationship between…
We've written in the past about Convergent Mobile and its SMS marketing for small businesses. One of the bright spots is giving SMBs their own keyword -- branded to their business and promoted through signage, menus, Yellow Pages ads or…
Chicago-based Groupon is pushing hard in Silicon Valley to build a major tech presence on the back of Mobility, a mobile services firm purchased last year. One piece of evidence: a billboard on the 101 touting the company as a…
You may have heard by now that eBay has acquired WHERE for an undisclosed sum -- continuing an acquisition streak of companies that appear to triangulate a mobile local strategy (Milo, RedLaser, WHERE). There is lots to talk about here…
This week, we release a report that takes a closer look at some of the content that was shared on our ILM East stage last month. This is part one of a three-part series that plucks the biggest and best…
Digital players are utilizing call measurement as a way to demonstrate ROI in real time. Along these lines, Telmetrics announced today at the Local Search Association conference in Las Vegas that its digital call measurement programs grew 30 percent year-over-year…
