Kelsey Local Media Blog
While pay-per-call usage is growing across all local search media channels, Telmetrics reports today that mobile advertisers and SMB programs are the real drivers of a more than three-fold growth in adoption. The call measurement solutions provider is tracking 348 percent…
AT&T has sold a 53 percent stake in its Yellow Pages business to the private equity firm Cerberus Capital for $950 million. This works out to a valuation of $1.8 billion. The deal involves both the Advertising Solutions and AT&T…
Manta announced today that it received a $44 million minority equity investment from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Norwest Venture Partners. The exact proportion of the holding sold to the firm is undisclosed, but its minority stake puts the valuation…
Localeze, a provider of business listings, announced a partnership today with Locationary, a local data management company, to simplify the exchange of local business listings. Localeze will use Locationary's "Saturn" cloud-based data management and exchange platform to streamline the sharing…
ILM East 2012 took place last week in Boston and is now one for the history books. It was definitely a fun show that really showcased the fast moving local innovations that BIA/Kelsey focuses on. There are many learnings we…
Tom Bates, Founder, Kudzu Wiley Cerilli, CEO, SinglePlatform Dave Galvan, President, Schedulicity Randy Parker, President, SMBApps John Vitti, Cofounder and CMO, Mobile Spinach Which SMB solutions will stand out and make a difference in 2012? Our SMB SuperForum discussed some…
Merrill Brown, principal of MMB Media, joined ILM East conference architect Peter Krasilovsky on stage this morning to talk about the transition of hyperlocal and hypervertical sites from unprofitable hobby sites for civic and mom-and-pop organizations to one that is…
BIA/Kelsey's chief strategy officer and ILM program director, Matt Booth, led a discussion with David Hornik, principal, August Capital, at ILM East. Hornik has had an eclectic career ranging from computer music to intellectual property attorney, entrepreneur, and now venture…
What does a popular urban magazine franchise tailored to the digital world look like? New York Media’s GM of Digital, Michael Silbmerman, shared his vision at ILM East 2012, and it includes healthy doses of synergy (with the core print…
Today at BIA/Kelsey's ILM East conference, Christine Merritt, Google's head of business development of channel sales, revealed the inner workings of the AdWords local reseller program. This follows closely behind lots of industry consternation, given some of Google's shifting moves…
During the first ever public presentation of Google Offers at ILM East today, Google Offers head Nitin Mangtani noted that Google Offers is now live in 40 cities, but he emphasized that Google’s after more more than just deals. The…
The biggest boom in local is actually national. With geotargeting options, better metrics and better creative national brands and agencies are increasingly going the local route. GroupM research shows that 83 percent of brand advertisers expect their local online spending…
BIA/Kelsey Program Director Mike Boland ran yet another data packed and insightful mobile forum that attendees have come to love and expect at each BIA/Kelsey conference. With a power-packed lineup of speakers, Boland and the panelists covered the waterfront of…
Today at BIA/Kelsey's ILM East conference, outgoing Citygrid Media CEO Jay Herratti gave a retrospective view of the past five years of local media -- what has worked and what hasn't. He also didn't miss the opportunity to make some…
Eight billion dollars. That's the total estimate of political advertising spend this year given by Andy Slater, vice president of digital agency sales at Katz 360, during our morning session of day 2 at ILM East. Of $8 billion, Slater…
Two leading digital executives from the Boston Globe shared some of the innovative ways the newspaper is using social media to connect with Boston consumers and extend the newspaper's relevance in the community. Lisa DeSisto, chief advertising officer/GM of Boston.com,…
Today at BIA/Kelsey's ILM East conference, a panel of leaders in the local deals space batted around how things are playing out in the space's Sophmore year. Bill Bice, President and CEO, BoomTime Jere Doyle, Founder, President and CEO, Prospectiv…
American Express executive Leslie Berland described how the company is using its unique relationship with merchants to help national brands and local small business leverage social media. Berland delivered the opening keynote address here at ILM East in Boston. "We…
"AOL has a huge bet on local and Patch in particular," said Mark Josephson, senior vice president of revenue at AOL Local during our afternoon session at ILM East. Patch hyperlocal sites reach 865 communities that Josephson describes as "under…
Hundreds of millions of dollars have now been invested in interactive local media services. Venture capitalists are hot on the trail of new opportunities. At ILM East, BIA/Kelsey CEO Tom Buono and Scott Maxwell, Founder and Senior Managing Director OpenView…
