Google whines about iMessage, Axios acquired by Cox, Facebook B2B segments

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After dozens of failed messaging starts, Google has been on a campaign to get Apple to integrate with their telco favored RCS messaging service. It's not clear why Apple would want to do that and the campaign by Google is almost laughable.

Local growth highlighted in Axiosacquisition by Cox for $585 million.

With the ascendance of Google and Facebook advertising, local newspapers have been on the ropes. Cox, originally a newspaper company, exited that world for digital properties and broadband services. It appears that they are making a jump back in with the Axios acquisition. Axios Local, highlighted in the press release for the acquisition, currently operates in 24 cities and plans to expand its coverage to 30 U.S. cities by the end of 2022. Eventually, it hopes to be in hundreds of cities. It will be interesting to watch if a nationally run local news organization can find a successful monetization strategy.
B2B targeting has always been complicated and expensive or both. Facebook's newly updated offering seems to resolve both of these issues. Their focused entrance into the space could provide some price competition for LinkedIn and put pressure on other players in the market

The Near Memo is a weekly conversation about Search, Social, and Commerce: What happened, why it matters, and the implications for local businesses and national brands.
Near Memo Ep 77

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