Location Tracking Is Going Indoors; Procter & Gamble Goes Broader With Marketing

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Your Every Move

Location-based targeting is moving up – and inside. Both Apple and Google have introduced “location-aware” Bluetooth technologies for their devices, allowing hospitals, museums, retailers and more to offer personalized, on-location services. And among VCs, beacon tech and location-tracking services remain a hot commodity. Just look at startups like Blis Media ($25 million Series B), PlaceIQ ($25 million Series D) and Euclid Analytics ($20 million Series C), writes Arif Janmohamed, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, in a column at TechCrunch.

Cutting Weight

Procter & Gamble shed some light on its media diet at an analyst event Friday. By cutting its agency roster in half, P&G has been able to shrink fees and production costs by 30% (or $620 million). A major part of that strategy was looking at media spend more continuously, and not on a month-to-month basis, according to CMO Mark Pritchard. The world’s largest ad spender will shift budgets “to more broadly appealing television shows and also higher-reach digital platforms,” Pritchard said. More at Ad Age.

Battle Of The Titans

The pendulum of regulatory favor swung from cable companies to tech platforms under President Obama, but now it’s is swinging back in a hurry, and some Silicon Valley companies will get clipped. Google in particular is poised for policy setbacks under Trump’s administration, Reuters reports. Newfound Republican opposition to global trade pacts, specifically the Trans-Pacific Partnership, also negates a hard-earned win for Silicon Valley, which would have enjoyed looser regulations on cross-border data usage and stronger copyright enforcement over content. Tech bellwether stocks like Alphabet, Netflix, Amazon and Facebook have skidded since the election – Comcast and Verizon are both on a tear. More.

The Long Game

Amazon has a two-pronged plan for its Alexa voice assistant: Partner for widespread distribution and find ways to leverage exclusive value for users. For instance, last week AT&T became the first mobile carrier to integrate with Alexa when it introduced hands-free messaging via Amazon’s voice control, an interesting potential window into “conversational commerce.” Amazon will also roll out holiday deals on some prized items (including the new Star Wars BB-8 bot and a Samsung TV) that will only be available to Alexa users. More at The Verge.

But Wait, There’s More!