Ford is trying to blaze an untraveled trail in the automotive industry: The company is aiming to make its AppLink platform open to all automakers with no costs or restrictions. On Monday, the automaker announced its Ford Developer Program. “Utilizing the SYNC connectivity system and AppLink application programming interface (API), Ford becomes the first automaker…
Facebook recently updated its “Nearby” feature in its iOS and Android mobile apps. The new version of Nearby allows users to find places of interest near their current location, using recommendations from friends. This is a nifty tool for consumers and businesses alike. For small businesses looking to take advantage of the new feature, the…
Before the end of 2012, Oracle made waves with its $871 million acquisition of cloud-based marketing automation company Eloqua. Whether Oracle’s acquisition of Eloqua is a boon for marketers or not is yet to be seen. “What most marketers can agree on is that Eloqua’s future success hedges on how Oracle plays its hand. Whatever…
Foursquare boasts more than 25 million users (31 percent of them are mobile) and more than 3 billion check-ins from around the world, according to its website. Not only that, but the social network has more than 1 million businesses utilizing its merchant platform. So clearly, if you’re a merchant looking for a new way…
In mid-November, Promo Labs rebranded itself as OutboundEngine and closed a $1.6 million Series A investment round. Then about a month later, OutboundEngine launched OutboundEngine Platform, a service meant to help small businesses. “Created with the needs of small businesses in mind – and, in particular, of independent professionals like real estate agents, insurance agents,…
Lab42, a market research company, recently took a closer look at what consumers think of ads, along with what they want ads to communicate. Here are some of the interesting findings, based on the thoughts of 500 respondents: –
Totsy, a site offering flash sales on products for mothers and children, has acquired the assets of Mamasource, another deals site for mothers. The deal will add 2 million members to Totsy’s user base, bringing its total to 5 million members. Guillaume Gauthereau, co-founder and CEO of three-year-old Totsy, says Mamasource, the commerce arm of…
On Monday, Matomy Media Group, a performance-based marketing company, announced its acquisition of MediaWhiz, an integrated digital media agency. Hakan Linskog, former CEO of Neverblue, has been named CEO of MediaWhiz. “We are impressed by MediaWhiz’s strong presence with advertisers and agencies and its recognized positive reputation in the marketplace,” said Ofer Druker, CEO of…
Responsive design has risen into prominence lately, thanks to the mainstream-ness of mobile devices. But what other aspects of Web design will be prominent in 2013? Amber Leigh Turner at The Next Web offers 10 predictions: 1) more responsive design 2) an emphasis on typography 3) Flash’s last leg 4) a shift away from skeuomorphism…
Using “Dave Smith Consulting” (a real company with a fake name) as an example, this post discusses building trust with prospects with a website. In this instance, the No. 1 Google search query leading visitors to Dave Smith Consulting was, as expected, “Dave Smith Consulting.” The No. 2 search query, however, was “Should I trust…
