Local Response is the world’s first cross-platform “check-in” based ad network. Founded in 2005, it’s based in Chelsea NYC, and is co-founded by digital advertising pioneers Nihal Mehta (founder ipsh!, sold to Omnicom in 2005 & early investor in Admob), Kathy Leake (co-founder Media6Degrees), and Michael Muse. It has received $6.5 million in funding to date.

How It Works?

Local Response aggregates over 1 billion check-ins a month from over 200 million users. These check-ins include Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Gowalla and more.

Brands and advertisers can deliver real-time messaging to users based on their check-ins for contextually relevant advertising. The service is turn key and has been used by Verizon, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Walgreens, and more.

Who should use it?

Any company looking to activate a mobile audience based upon geographic targeting. It is a solid alternative to promoted tweets and has seen CTRs up to 60%.

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Learn more at LocalResponse.com

Foodspotting is a mobile and web app available for all devices that allows users to find and share the foods they love by sharing photos and knowledge about their favorite dishes at their favorite restaurants. It has more than 1.5 million users and has worked with brands such as Zagat, the Travel Channel, Bravo, and Thrillist.

While some would say “Why the heck would I take pictures of my food?”, it’s actually more common than you think. The food photo phenomenon is taking the world by storm - infographic here.

So how can brands get involved?

1. In-App Offers: Foodspotting serves location-based images and tips to users on the go. Within this stream of content, brands can insert ads and deals for a highly targeted campaign that reaches foodies who are likely deciding where they want to eat. Brands with a compelling offer are likely to have a solid conversion rate on such ads.
2. Guides: Anyone can build a foodspotting guide free of charge. For example, “Top 10 Burgers in NYC”.
3. Build a Profile and Following: For restaurant chains, chefs, food personalities/networks, or food industry councils, building a foodspotting profile and following is a great opportunity. For free, brands can share recommendations and build dish guides, or they can upgrade to a premium profile with a branded design, custom badges for users, creative and technical support, and a listing in their featured user section.

Specific Opportunities

1. Beverage Promotion: I also see an opportunity for beverages brands to get involved. For example, a soda brand could encourage people to share their photos and create guides of what dishes are best paired with their drink.
2. Restaurant Chain Guides: For owners with more than one restaurant/location, building a guide is a great idea to retain and cross-promote locations to loyal customers. Brands could also host contests where users are incentivized to complete the guide.
3. Small Business Promotion: Whether you hire a professional or simply use Instagram, all restaurants should capitalize on the image-based UI of foodspotting to reach new consumers. Sharing Hi-Res images daily on Foodspotting is an easy, free way to create awareness for your restaurant.

Statistical Considerations for Brands

• Dinner is the most photographed and shared meal.
• The top 3 most photographed foods are Desserts, Vegetables, and Poultry.
• Only 12% of posts clearly exhibit a branded product.
• The #1 reason for sharing food photos is simply to have a “Food Diary” of what the person ate that day.
• Women are twice as likely than men to upload, tag and view a pic
  
• Foodspotting’s users demographics: 42% make over $100k, 65% are college educated, 37% are between 18-35, and 55% are female
• Foodspotting’s active user base is mainly in San Francisco and New York

In short, Foodspotting is a solid media buy to reach people that are passionate and social about food. It’s strengths lie in its location-based intent-driven targeting and its image-heavy user interface; while its weaknesses include its niche appeal and overall reach.

Cool product that allows you to separate work and personal profile within one mobile device. They provide business class solutions, which would be huge for the BYOD (bring your own device) movement that I’m a fan of. Learn more on their website.

thenextweb:

The Hype Machine is an essential site for music enthusiasts looking to discover new sounds. The site aggregates songs shared on a wide variety of music blogs, making them available in one place. While it’s had a slick, official iPhone app for some time, there hasn’t been anything anywhere near as good for Android – until now.

UberHype is an unofficial app that is essentially what The Hype