Barnes Noble’s opening of 60 new stores in 2025 and an expected 60 more in 2026 is a strong signal that brick-and-mortar retail is not fading—it’s evolving and winning again, even in the shadow of Amazon’s online dominance. The company’s momentum is tied to making stores feel more local: curated by real booksellers, tailored to local tastes, and built around browsing, discovery, and community. For local retailers, the lesson is clear: you don’t beat e-commerce by copying it—you win by delivering what screens can’t, like human trust, sensory experience, and a welcoming “third place.” For MarketingInsights.Info readers, this creates a compelling story to help local businesses invest confidently in consistent, place-based marketing that turns foot traffic into habit and habit into brand preference.

Executive Summary A study by Critical Mass Insights reveals that radio listeners are significantly more likely to engage with social media ads for products they’ve heard advertised on the radio. The survey, conducted among 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 18-64, found that 55% of listeners are more likely to click on social media ads after hearing a radio ad, with this likelihood rising to 64% among adults aged 25-44. Additionally, 72% of consumers are more likely to notice social media ads for products they’ve heard about on the radio, and 7 in 10 are more likely to read and try new products advertised on social media after hearing about them on the radio. This study highlights the powerful synergy between legacy media, specifically radio advertising and social media engagement, making it a valuable strategy for local media outlets.

Americans lead media-driven lives, and technology is always changing how businesses can communicate with consumers. Not so very long ago, advertisers were limited to static media like billboards, newspapers, direct mail, and the Yellow Pages; radio, television, and cable followed. Social media and the internet are the newest tools in the box. With all these options, it can be hard to choose what to...

Home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are surging again in 2025–2026 as homeowners sitting on record equity and ultra-low first-mortgage rates look for smarter ways to fund renovations and consolidate high-interest debt. HELOCs growth is a great opportunity for local media. Unlike the pre-2008 era, today’s growth is driven by more disciplined, prime borrowers and stricter underwriting, making HELOCs a strategic tool rather than a reckless ATM. Banks, credit unions, and fintechs are all racing to capture this demand, but local media are uniquely positioned to help them win by combining trusted storytelling with data-driven targeting of equity-rich homeowners. For local media sellers and agencies, this creates a timely opportunity to build HELOC campaigns around real-life use cases—“don’t move, improve,” credit-card cleanup, and life events—while pairing brand messaging with performance channels. Ultimately, the HELOC revival reveals a middle class trying to regain control in an anxious economy, using their homes not to splurge, but to stabilize their financial lives.

How one company used existing remote team management experience to take the rest of its sales staffers remote and set them up for long-term success Remote work went mainstream in 2020, and the forced experiment showed us that working from home doesn’t have to derail productivity. In fact, a 2020 survey from FlexJobs shows that 51% of respondents said they feel more productive in their home office than at a traditional workplace.

Miles had just been promoted to his first position at the director level after two short years of working for a large manufacturer in a complicated, heavily regulated industry. What surprised him most about the culture of the company is how project oriented the firm had become during his tenure as a manager. Common practice was to assign a project team to study the details to the nth degree. Miles felt the phenomenon of analysis-paralysis was slowing down decision making, and he was not alone in this opinion.

Dec 2, 2024 | Digital Media and Technology, Industry Press Highlights Executive Summary: X, formerly known as Twitter, has launched new labels for parody and fan...

I was delighted to be asked to contribute the following article to the International Journal of Sales Transformation’s special report on “Emerging from the Pandemic”. I chose to focus on issues that I believe B2B sales leaders should be prioritising in 2022. As always, I’d welcome your comments. As we head towards 2022, sales organisations are emerging from a tumultuous two years.

Humans have invented and embraced technologies for millennia. Whether they were fire, the light bulb or the computer, all have been valued for improving our lives, making us safer, extending life expectancy, allowing us to be more productive and enjoying more of life. Now, we live in a time of transformational disruptions – primarily digital disruptions –

Whether it’s criticism, embarrassment or unresolved conflict, anything threatening credibility, self-worth or identity can trigger defensiveness. High-level leaders aren’t immune to wanting to shield themselves from vulnerability. The first form of self-protection is defensiveness. Rather than protecting the leader, defensiveness has the opposite effect: exposing insecurities and making the leader seem arrogant or unapproachable. Here are four ways leaders can stop being defensive and create a more collaborative culture.

As the media world and brands and retailers rsquo; ad spending becomes ever-more complex, competition is fierce, but more collaboration is required so everyone in that competitive arena can succeed. The expansion of media channels to engage with consumers more effectively and efficiently has diluted audiences on some of those channels, but agencies and advertisers have more pathways to reach targeted consumers, which is a positive trend.

Industry Press Highlights, Media, Retail, Advertising and the Economy

This glossary provides definitions of key concepts, technologies, and methodologies in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It covers foundational terms from machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and ethical AI practices. It is your quick reference to demystify Al jargon and help understanding and informed discussions in AI-related projects.

Every leader wants control of their team. They want them to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time. Many leaders lack a set of strategies that would allow the better results they want. In the worst case, they use force. In the best case, they use inspiration. What follows here is a list of positive strategies leaders can use to have greater control, without harming their results or creating a toxic environment.

Selling with purpose starts by solving with empathy.
At Marketing Insights, we believe the best sales conversations feel less like a pitch—and more like a partnership.

Solution-oriented selling is rooted in service. It’s about asking the right questions, listening deeply, and offering value that aligns with real needs. When we shift from pushing products to providing meaningful solutions, we build trust, loyalty, and long-term success.

This collection of quotes highlights:
✨ The mindset of service over pressure
✨ How understanding creates stronger outcomes than persuasion
✨ The power of offering real value through authentic connection