The High Cost of Hallucinations
No, this isn’t an article about the ins and outs of experimenting with Ayahuasca. You’ll need to go elsewhere for that. Or maybe you can
Charles Laughlin
August 24, 2023
Charles Laughlin
Charles Laughlin, senior analyst with Localogy, is a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the industry.
Ep. 35 Asks if Automation is the Answer with Evocalize’s Matthew Marx
“At the end of the day…operators don’t want to have to do anything…They shouldn’t even have to push a button.” In episode 35 of Localogy’s
Charles Laughlin
August 21, 2023
Evocalize Among Inc.’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies
The franchise-oriented digital marketing platform Evocalize landed on at least one prestigious map this week, making Inc. Magazine’s coveted annual list of the 5000 fast-growing
Charles Laughlin
August 17, 2023
Vcita to Roll Out New SMB AI Tool
The notion of “AI is my Co-pilot” has taken shape of late. And this is true even if that particular paraphrasing hasn’t been embraced (and probably
Charles Laughlin
August 15, 2023
Ep. 34 Unpacks Apple’s Adventures in Banking
“Banking is foundationally a trust-driven business…and that is what Apple is doing. That is the game they are playing.” In Episode 34 of Localogy’s This
Charles Laughlin
August 13, 2023
From Bad to Worse at WeWork
WeWork, the co-working company that once aspired to raise our collective consciousness, now just hopes to avoid bankruptcy. The company has long been beset by
Charles Laughlin
August 11, 2023
Is AI a Force Multiplier for Local Journalism?
One of the great things about doing a podcast called “This Week in Local” is the flexibility of the term “local”. Local is inclusive and
Charles Laughlin
August 10, 2023
Ep. 33 Explores The Great AI Writer and Assistant Uprising
“AI has become a buzzword. It has become this thing that people are just chasing around.” In Episode 33, Co-host Mike Boland and guest co-host
Charles Laughlin
August 7, 2023
Yelp Grows Q2 Net Revenue by 13%
The iconic local directory Yelp has released its Q2 2023 financial results showing a 13% net revenue increase to $337 million vs Q2 2022. The
Charles Laughlin
August 4, 2023
Thryv Rolls Out Free SMB Super App
It’s funny how life works sometimes. Something can be just a topic of conversation one day. And perhaps much more than that the next day.
Charles Laughlin
August 3, 2023
Post Covid, Hopin’s Demise Seemed Inevitable
Most of us who produce events were happy to see the end of the pandemic-driven, everything-is-virtual era. And we were happy to resume producing live
Charles Laughlin
August 2, 2023
BNPL Is Running Out of Sharks to Jump Over
The term “Jump the Shark” seemed to be everywhere not that long ago. But it seems to have fallen out of favor. It’s one of
Charles Laughlin
August 1, 2023
Ep. 32 Asks Will Apple GPT Kill Siri & Does “X” Mark the Super App?
“If you can pull off a super app, you have a few things. You have scale. You have stickiness. And you have sustainability. The three
Charles Laughlin
July 31, 2023
What is Adam Neumann Up to in Local?
Localogy is not really focused on real estate. Yet the intersection between the office market, local and SMB is pretty clear. For example, when commercial
Charles Laughlin
July 28, 2023
Ep. 31 Reveals How Google, Shopify Are Making Calendars Great Again
In Episode 31 of Localogy’s This Week in Local podcast, our hosts examine the evolution of the boring old online calendar thanks to recent innovations
Charles Laughlin
July 24, 2023
On Downtowns and the Future of Work
We’ve written in the past about a brewing local real estate trend that intersects with topics we write about occasionally here. These all fall loosely
Charles Laughlin
July 21, 2023
UK Pumps the Brakes on BNPL Regulation
We’ve reported that regulators around the globe, including in the UK, were ready to regulate buy now, pay later. And likely as a credit product
Charles Laughlin
July 20, 2023
Spectrio Boosts Analytics with InReality Acquisition
The digital signage firm Spectrio has strengthened its analytics capabilities with the acquisition of InReality, a firm that offers an AI-driven, fully anonymous audience sensing
Charles Laughlin
July 19, 2023
Ep. 30 Unlocks Savings Culture with Accrue CEO Michael Hershfield
In Episode 30 of This Week in Local, we interview the founder of a savings-based buy now, pay later rival on why America’s payments landscape
Charles Laughlin
July 17, 2023
Size Matters When it Comes to Agencies Investing in AI
If investing in AI will mark the difference between success and failure for digital agencies in the future, then smaller agencies need to start digging
Charles Laughlin
July 14, 2023