This week in Boston's seaport district the inaugural "Martech" event (aka "the marketing technology conference") is taking place bringing together a range of brands, ad tech, martech, analysts, authors and developers into sort of an avant garde cultural exchange. Technology,…
As part of our ongoing coverage of call monetization, we're holding a webcast next tuesday to further unpack some of our findings. We'll also hear from bandwidth, a company positioned at the center of…
Loyalty programs offering cash back or other rewards make a lot of sense for merchants – until it is 7:30 pm on Friday, and the loyalty program is still giving 20 percent back even though it is prime time for…
Local radio and television stations are trying to understand their roles in the new digital media marketplace. Last week at the Texas Association of Broadcasters annual conference, we presented BIA/Kelsey's latest information on the local media market and drilled into…
To bundle or not to bundle; that is the question we ask to kick off this week's analyst roundtable. Charles Laughlin, Abid Chaudhry and I discussed that and a few other topics from our respective coverage areas. The video is embedded…
Fifty-four percent of SMBs have a Facebook page, making it the most used form of media for advertising and promotion according to BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor?. LinkedIn is the second most used form of social media with 28 percent of…
Fifty-four percent of SMBs have a Facebook page, making it the most used form of media for advertising and promotion according to BIA/Kelsey's Local Commerce Monitor™. LinkedIn is the second most used form of social media with 28 percent of…
The Wall Street Journal published an insightful article yesterday about the use and value of paid Facebook ads for SMBs: "Facebook Ads Become Costlier Choice for Small Businesses." This is a hot topic indeed, given the explosive growth of social media…
In a move that shows a deep commitment to the future of classified/vertical advertising, Gannett has announced it will buy out its newspaper partners in Cars.com and take sole possession of the #2 car site (which trails only Cox?s AutoTrader…
In a move that shows a deep commitment to the future of classified/vertical advertising, Gannett has announced it will buy out its newspaper partners in Cars.com and take sole possession of the #2 car site (which trails only Cox’s AutoTrader…
Autos has traditionally been a leading category in mobile -- for consumer usage, ad dollars, and auto shopping apps. Cars.com (just acquired by Gannett) has been a leader, shifting focus largely to mobile in real life and in its iconic…
The latest edition of BIA/Kelsey's podcast series is brought to you by the letter Y. Yelp and YP both made notable moves this week, including earnings, product announcements and even some personnel news we uncovered. The streaming audio is embedded…
The U.S. search and directories company YP announced it generated nearly $400 million in mobile advertising revenue in 2013, placing it behind Google and Twitter as the third largest mobile advertising company. YP also reported it has total digital ad…
The U.S. search and directories company YP announced it generated nearly $400 million in mobile advertising revenue in 2013, placing it behind Google and Twitter as the third largest mobile advertising company. YP also reported it has total digital ad…
After Thinknear's Q2 Location Score Index, it recently followed up with the Location Score Tags it promised. We discussed the principles and drivers behind Location Scoring in a podcast last month (embedded below). The quick background on Location Scoring is…
Gift cards have been growing astronomically and now make up an industry nearing $100 billion in revenues. You’ll see racks of cards for national brands and retailers everywhere, from Safeway to Bed, Bath & Beyond. But can local merchants get…
We keep adding and adding to the lineup for our SMB Digital Marketing event, which takes place Sept. 22-24 in Rockin' New Orleans (yes, we are trying to top last year’s super event in Austin). We’re boasting 32 industry leaders…
Yelp has just announced it's adding video to its mobile app. In line with our prediction last year, this will involve short Vine-like videos for users to see and share local venue "ambiance" in richer ways than the previously-offered photos.…
Zillow is buying Trulia, its chief rival, for $3.5 Billion in stock. The two companies – both nine years old -- have a lot of overlap currently. But after the deal closes in 2015, they will seek to develop two…
Event listing sites were once seen as a leading hub for local media, and a great generator of user generated content and social media. It isn’t clear that they’ve fully caught on in these ways, but they remain strong promotional…
