A few months ago, we wrote about ByteLight, a Cambridge MA indoor positioning startup that's pioneering the area of in-store lighting to communicate data to smartphones. It's a novel take on retail customer engagement that goes beyond what others have…
As part of our overall effort to analyze the fast moving local media space, we're experimenting with new formats like infographics and video. One of those projects is an executive interview series to highlight recent areas of coverage and top…
According to BIA/Kelsey’s Media Ad View Plus more than 43 percent, or $10.7 billion, of retail advertising dollars went to direct mail in 2012. That $10.7 billion represents 30 percent of direct mail’s total ad spending. Furthermore, BIA/Kelsey doesn't expect…
Much of the social media conversations we have at BIA/Kelsey deal with progress in the monetization of social, building social media solutions for small-business advertisers, or how social is being infused throughout local media. We are beginning yet another conversation…
Members of Generation Y, defined as those born since the early 1980s, have earned a very specific workplace reputation. Some characteristics associated with Gen Y include a need for ongoing recognition and positive reinforcement (the result no doubt of coddling…
In the age of Infographics, BIA/Kelsey has decided to add some color to the many data points we devise throughout the year. This has been done to a limited degree over the past year, but we've now formalized the effort…
Lenders are taking control of the UK-based directory company Hibu and converting much of its GBP2.3 billion in debt into equity. This action wasn't unexpected. A series of debt restructurings failed to buy Hibu enough runway to transform the business…
As Peter Krasilovsky posted this week, Apple made two acquisitions last week to advance its position in mapping and navigation. Locationary standardizes local business listings and HopStop -- a company we've been talking to for years -- specializes in navigation…
A quick scan through a summary of BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View Plus unearthed a number of fun, interesting factoids about the local media ecosystem. Media Ad View is BIA/Kelsey's research product that offers a market by market view of the…
Foursquare just announced that it will now offer its Promoted Updates and Promoted Specials to a wider swath of SMBs. When we first covered the unveiling of these ad units (exactly one year ago), it was available to a list of…
The Leading in Local: SMB Digital Marketing event in Austin Sept. 11-13 is now mostly completed -- and it is looking really, really good. Many of the industry’s top executives have committed to participating, including leaders from top new media…
Can coupons be reimagined to spur more consumer engagement? That’s what DataSphere is working on. The Seattle-based company sells and hosts marketing solutions to more than 20,000 SMBs under local TV and newspaper brands owned by Gannett, Belo, Raycom, Meredith…
One of the more common debates in SMB digital marketing revolves around the DIY vs. DIFM dilemma. Is it realistic for a service provider to hand over its tech platform to a small merchant, or is high-level "done for you"…
Apple finally made some moves into the local mapping wars last week with the purchase of Locationary, which helps find business locations, and HopStop, which provides transit maps and travel suggestions. We'll go out on a limb and predict that…
Sometimes there is no substitute for dropping in on industry leaders to exchange ideas and specifically, to find out how their efforts relate to yours. That's what our friends at The Local Media Association have been doing the last few…
The transition from one-off daily deals to an 'always on' loyalty/rewards platform that keeps merchants in the fold has been a Holy Grail of sorts for the deals companies. This was the case for Groupon Rewards, which launched in May…
Traditional media's rush into digital marketing services as an incremental revenue source is in full swing, with Hearst LocalEdge, GateHouse Media's Propel, Digital First's AdTaxi and GannettLocal among those taking aggressive stakes in the opportunity. Now smaller publishers are seeking…
Fast, efficient service leads has been a goal of numerous companies since the commercialization of the Internet. Richard Rosen and his team at FastCall411 pioneered the space seven or eight years ago, although their service was initially limited to hiring…
ReachLocal is now largely focused on providing integrated marketing solutions, including search, retargeting, promotions and process management. As part of this effort, it has also introduced three new brands: ReachCommerce, a process management service; RealLocal Edge, a lead conversion service;…
The daily deals business isn't dead, but it isn't growing either. At this point, they aren't the anchor for SMB digital solutions that had been hoped. The question is whether more sustainable loyalty and rewards programs - many putting their…
