The Google + redesign has caught us by surprise. By all measures, Google has clearly made something to take note of. Although they still have to refine their new interface, their design leapfrogged Facebook Timeline (though they borrowed some of Facebook’s ideas) in both cosmetics and functionality. What It Changes, What It Doesn’t for Online Marketing In one sense, the redesign changes little for independent restaurant owners, as it doesn’t...

On March 29th, I participated in Google Engage’s first Hangout on Air broadcast from the Google Engage+ page. Agencies from Greece, Portugal, Sweden and the US joined to learn how Google+ can help them promote their businesses. Gourmet Marketing was invited to speak about how we use Google+ as an agency to connect with clients, partners and friends. Now you get to see my face in uncomfortable close-up webcam fashion....

Groupon does not look so good on paper. Last week, they went from making $15 million to losing $15 million after they restated their 4th quarter earnings. And Wall Street is losing faith as it is down 7% in trading. It does not help that the accounting methods of Groupon have been described as both unusual and fragmentary by financial analysts. Its stock went from $26 right after its IPO  down to...

LivingSocial, and to a lesser extent Groupon, are dubiously fishing around for new services,as if they don’t have a long-term plan. Despite their marketing prowess from group deals, they haven’t been successful in these endeavors and are often abandoned for another pet project. New Service: Takeout and Delivery LivingSocial has launched yet another service, replacing their instant deals with takeout and delivery.  In 26 markets, this change has already gone...

Urbanspoon has released a new version of Rezbook, filling in gaps in their online reservation and table management system. These changes are not going to cause the ripples that accompanied the launch of Rezbook in 2010, but refine the original software. Rezbook altered the dynamics in online restaurant reservation even though it has not yet wrestled business away from Opentable at a threatening speed. After Rezbook’s arrival, Opentable, anticipating more...

For a few years, we have looking for a gift card service we could wholeheartedly recommend to our clients. Fortunately, we found Treatful, a company focused on restaurant gift certificates (an ever-growing marketing sector). It has been one of most satisfactory partnerships for us. Consequently, we are writing about them just because we like them. What Is Treatful? Treatful is a service that provides restaurants the opportunity to sell gift...

While Facebook is figuring out Timeline, Google has released Google + Pages to give businesses access to Google’s new social network. This a big move for Google because businesses take much of their online traffic from Google search. Google + connects with other Google services. Google + is functioning with the Google +1 buttons in websites and on search results. There will be a day (probably soon) where organic results...

Several news outlets are reporting that Yelp may have an IPO (initial public offering). It is still unconfirmed by the company. But here is what we know. On the heels of Groupon cashing in through a successful IPO, Yelp has hired Goldman Sachs and Citigroup to guide them through the process. Yelp may soon be a publicly traded company. Yelp is the king of online reviews, especially in regards to...