Apple
Apple Vaults Visual Search
One particular flavor of AI stood out during Apple’s Glowtime event: visual search. Specifically, Apple’s Visual Intelligence will be a valuable part of the Apple Intelligence mix.
Pro Features
Gannett’s LocaliQ Raises its Game with Yelp Ads
Last week, Gannett digital marketing subsidiary LocaliQ dropped several announcements that elevate its ability to bring presence and promotion to SMBs. These expand LocalIQ’s marketing suite, with the ultimate goal of retaining business, and broadening its addressable market to a wider range of SMBs.
Pro Features
Yext Social Federates & Formalizes Local-Social Marketing
Yext has announced the official release of Yext Social – a social media management tool meant for multi-location (MULO) brands to manage their social presence.
Foursquare
Foursquare Elevates its Attribution Engine with Sales Impact
Foursquare today has rolled out the latest feature to its attribution engine, Foursquare Attribution. Known as Sales Impact, the feature tracks a more extensive and holistic set of steps that consumers take before they buy something.
Apple
Apple Doubles Down on Intelligence, Introduces Visual Search
During Apple’s big Fall hardware event yesterday, one thing that stood out (besides the new iPhone 18 line) was its commitment to Apple Intelligence. First announced at the Spring WWDC event, Apple Intelligence will permeate Apple devices and apps, bringing more AI and automation into the mix.
Local Radar
FranShares Brings Crowdfunding to Local Franchises
New investing platform FranShares wants to lower barriers to franchisee ownership by bringing the crowdfunding model to the franchise world.
Pro Features
Automattic Will Migrate Half a Billion Tumblr Blogs to WordPress
The already-massive WordPress universe just got bigger – to the tune of half a billion Tumblr blogs. This follows Tumblr’s 2019 acquisition by WordPress.com owner
Google
Google Doubles Down on Offline Maps & Circle-to-Search
Google just dropped a big release with a series of updates that are relevant to local search. So we’ve assembled the highlights and quick analysis for Localogy Insider readers.
Data Scout
Which Social Apps Get the Most Engagement?
According to eMarketer, Facebook has the greatest overall daily engagement (20 min). That compares to TikTok (18 min) and Instagram (16 min). But it’s not all good news…
antitrust
What’s Yelp’s Position on its Antitrust Suit Against Google?
Earlier this week, Yelp filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. This is Yelp’s latest move in a longstanding battle against Google’s practices. The suit alleges that Google used monopoly positioning to prevent competition and dominate local search and ad markets.
Pro Features
Walmart+: the New Home of the Whopper
Walmart has recently taken QSR collaborations to new levels It’s new Burger King collaboration grants Walmart+ members a robust 25 percent discount on all food ordered via the Walmart app at any Burger King locations.
Pro Features
SMB SaaS and the Telco Provider Channel
vcita fielded a survey to 250 SMB owners about their relationships with their telcos. Do they use them for just telephony services (broadband, cell service, etc.), or for a broader bundle of marketing tools?
acquisition
Hibu Acquires RevLocal to Go Deeper and Wider
SMB-focused digital marketing powerhouse Hibu has announced that it acquired location-focused martech innovator RevLocal. The deal, priced at an undisclosed amount, accomplishes a few things
eCommerce
YouTube and Shopify Challenge TikTok Shop
YouTube has formed a deal with Shopify to make more content shoppable. There are already lots of products promoted on YouTube – some of which are shoppable – but the latest brings greater ability to click and buy on the spot.
agency
Has Publicis Gotten Too Big for Its Own Good?
Publicis has grown into a giant in the agency/ad-tech world through a steady stream of such acquisitions and a focus on blitz-scaling. But has this brought unintended consequences?
Instagram
Meta Joins the Local Mapping Wars
Instagram revealed plans to develop a social mapping function. Similar to Snap Map, the idea is to array social signals on a map.
FTC
FTC Officially Bans Fake Reviews
The FTC has announced its final rule that bans fake reviews and testimonials. We break down the results and provide an official statement from the reviews king: Yelp.
MULO
TikTok vs. Instagram Reels: Tiger Pistol’s Face-Off Reveals Clear Winner
As social media evolves and the landscape shifts, questions continue to swirl about what platforms and features perform best. Tiger Pistol ran an experiment to settle the discussion.
AI
Automattic Doubles Down on AI Writing Assistants
WordPress.com owner Automattic has launched a new writing assistant. Known as Write Brief with AI, the AI assistant function is meant to automate the tedious process of editing and improving website copy for individuals and SMBs.
AI
Chat GPT Mobile App Hits Revenue Milestone
OpenAI’s latest bar it has set involves its mobile app usage. Specifically, the ChatGPT app derived $28 million in net revenue on iOS and Android in July, according to Appfigures.