Centro, a pioneer in local online ad placement for national marketers, has received $22.5 million in equity financing from FTV Capital. The money will go toward expanding its regional sales presence and also toward software development. CEO Shawn Riegsecker tells…
Deal-a-day group buying is a certain hit. But how important is it in the scheme of things for local media companies? For The San Diego Union-Tribune, deals represented “the number one new revenue growth,” in 2010, according to Mike Hodges,…
Shopping portals have moved beyond “federated search,” and now combine the best of daily deals, coupons, weekly ads and other promotional information in ways that are more efficient -- and drive more shopping. At the national level, Gannett's ShopLocal.com has…
The ability to track retail inventory has been on the retail wish list for years. Retailers advertise goods, and then disappoint customers when they don’t have them in stock. Or they have loads of stock in the store, and don’t…
I take great delight in the Carlsbad Patch updates on my smartphone every morning. And the Fwix local app on my iPad. But why do I feel they are my “guilty pleasures”? Because there is a rap out there that…
In case you haven’t noticed, eBay has been ramping up a local strategy in the past few months via the integration of all its vertical properties with its home site, the $75 million purchase of Milo.com, and today, a $200…
Our ILM:10 conference probably hit something of “a perfect storm” for the 681 senior level execs and entrepreneurs in attendance. While we’ve been cheerleading the local opportunity since the mid-1990s, the big money has now really focused on the local…
In the context of Google’s reported $6 billion acquisition offer to Groupon, questions were raised at ILM:10 about the true potential of deal a day beyond its current two or three daily deals and banner ad e-mails. For Nimble Commerce…
In the wake of Groupon's rejection of Google's reported $6 billion offer, Groupon VP of Business Development Sean Smyth told ILM:10 attendees that one positive aspect of the news coverage was the incredible exposure Groupon received. “We had 3 million…
Facebook sees strong potential in local advertising and will develop an aggressive local strategy, according to Facebook Local Leader Emily White, a Day 3 keynoter at ILM:10. White, who left Google four months ago, said businesses are always being told…
Best-selling author Steven Johnson keynoted at ILM:10 in Santa Clara today. In his talk, based on "Where Good Ideas Come From," a new book, he focused on how local media and commerce is affected by ideal environments for innovation that…
Cox Target Media’s Valpak business is "better than ever, with free cash flow better than it has ever been,” according to COO Jim Sampey, who was keynoting the Deal-a-Day SuperForum at ILM:10 in Santa Clara. But the company, which puts…
Content farms and aggregators are a major part of the new, scalable local ecosystem. But the rules of the road are different for local content than for general content, according to executives speaking at ILM:10 in Santa Clara. MerchantCircle Local…
Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, in his opening keynote at ILM:10, noted a general frustration with Google's apparent de-emphasis of Yelp's content, but said he sees major opportunity in mobile app access as a workaround of Google. Stoppelman showed an example…
SEO companies are a dime a dozen. How do you stand out? How about guaranteeing a front page rank on major search engines to SMBs? That’s what Relevant Ads’ Local Splash has done. The fast-growing SEO company cofounded in 2006…
Fresh in the wake of reports that Google will spend at least $5.3 billion on Groupon, LivingSocial -- the Avis of deal a day -- has announced a $175 million investment from Amazon. It simultaneously announced an additional $8 million…
Sixty-eight speakers have been briefed, the BIA/Kelsey moderators have done their research, the demos have been tested, 30 sponsors are in place, and we’re basically ready for a record-setting 600 attendees at ILM:10 in Silicon Valley next Tuesday through Thursday…
Google is reportedly set to pay $5.3 billion for Groupon, a spectacular investment that would give The Big G a compelling way to get close to local businesses, leverage Gmail and really rev up a social media paradigm (as opposed…
Local media brands continue to look for ways to populate their sites with local bloggers and Twitterers. In return, they provide them with a bigger platform. The latest to jump into the game is NBC Universal, which paidContent reports has…
The hordes of shoppers who still enjoy standing in lines and fighting for parking spaces on the “Black Friday” after Thanksgiving is an offline event. Or is it? Local sites are prepping shoppers who want to see what’s available at…
