Posts tagged location based advertising
Google is watching you…and sending ads your way
Jul 30th
Google has launched location-aware display advertisements for internet enabled mobile phones including the Android and iPhone handsets. Is it what we’ve all been waiting for?
Yes. It is what we’ve been waiting for, frankly. For years, I have visited companies and sat at press launches listening to announcements time and time again that tout ‘the year of mobile’ and go one about location based advertising.
Now it’s here and available to the masses. And best of all, Google will only charge advertisers when users tap to call the business or visit the advertiser’s mobile site.
Through Google’s “location extension” feature, advertisers can now include their location and phone numbers to appear in display ads on iPhone and Android mobile websites.
Announced on its Mobile Ads blog, Google said the feature – previously available only on search ads – will appear as banner text advertising and will pinpoint business locations on a small map as well as a “click-to-call” phone number. Consumers will also have the option for generate directions if needed.
Giving consumers the option of viewing businesses in their area increases Google’s chance that the consumer will call the business or click to its website, which are the two ways Google makes money on the service.
The move shows Google’s increased investment in mobile and display advertising – two areas that have traditionally played second-fiddle to regular search advertising.
The only catch is, rival Apple forbids application developers from collecting location data only for advertising purposes, which could set back some advertisers. Google faces massive competition from Apple’s iAds platform which has already generated $60 million. But the location extenstion feature at least launches Google onto the playing field finally.
To use the service, advertisers have to opt-in to the Google Ad Network and make sure they check the “Display Network” option. From there, the advertiser includes its number and address as well as the option to upload a logo. The last step is to check the box for iPhones and other mobile devices will full internet browsers.
Here’s some pointers to get you started from Google:
1. Ensure your campaigns are opted into the Google Display Network. As a best practice, we recommend setting up separate location extensions campaigns for Search and Display networks.
2. Set up location extensions and add your business phone number and address. Be sure to also upload your business logo or icon, or choose from the set of icons available. Your ad will display a default icon if none is chosen.
3. Check that you’ve chosen to show your ads on iPhones and other mobile devices with full Internet browsers.
That’s it! You don’t need any special programming skills to create the map, Google will automatically generate it for you based on your business location.
Think an iPad is too big for your bag? Just roll it up…
Jul 2nd
Apple’s iPads could soon allow users to roll it up like a good old fashioned newspaper thanks to new technology being developed in Australia and Italy.
Researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne University and Italy’s University of Padua are using laser technology to make products – including TV;s, iPads, mobile phones and Kindles – more flexible, thinner and cheaper.
While this all sounds pretty cool, I can’t help but think ‘so what’.
I have an iPad (as of the second day it was officially available) and I have absolutely no desire to put it in my handbag and carry it around with me.
The device is excellent, I use it for everything from reading books, playing games, using apps, email and checking my finances. But the device tend sit on my coffee table and I am mainly reaching for it during an ad break or when I have time to laze about on the couch.
It really isn’t an ‘on-the-go’ device. But, that being said, with the future of newspapers looking bleak, perhaps in a few years time when e-readers and tablets are more advanced – as well as a broader offering of Wi-Fi services in city centers – we’ll be more willing to ‘roll it up’.
But, just a few years ago, a similar technology to what is being developed in Australia and Italy was being used to develop screens that would replace light bulbs. The screens would be fastened to a ceiling like wallpaper to light a room. We’re yet to see this come to market though…
The laser technology for the iPad and similar devices will potentially dramatically cut manufacturing costs and make color displays brighter.
The biggest advantage for advertisers and app makers? Location based marketing.
Twitter’s going Places. Finally
Jun 15th
Twitter Places, announced back in April and in partnership with TomTom and Localeze, launches globally today as location based social media hits a new high.
Location based social networking has taken off in the US with sites such as FourSquare and Dodgeball – now, Twitter wants ‘in’ with its Twitter Places.
The sector is expected to be worth some $3.3 billion by 2013 and has advertisers excited.
The idea of location based advertising has been touted for some time. Pretty much since the advent of the mobile phone advertisers have pondered how to deliver ads based on a users location without being too intrusive.
But location based social networking seems to be opening up the doors for advertisers who wonder that if these social networkers don’t mind sharing their location with their mates, surely they don’t mind being advertised there too?
Location based advertising doesn’t have to be intrusive. It can be as simple as icons on a map. For those who opt in, it can also be awfully convenient and helpful.
To launch Twitter Places, Twitter is using the World Cup to lure in tweeters and advertisers to draw attention to the new location app.
It says on its official blog: “When turning to Twitter to keep up with the current game, it helps to know where a Tweet is coming from—is that person watching the game on TV or is he actually in the stadium?”
From today, Twitter users can tag Tweets with specific places, including all World Cup stadiums in South Africa, and create new Twitter Places.
Users can also click a Twitter Place within a Tweet to see recent Tweets from a particular location.
Several other features of the launch include:
Foursquare and Gowalla integration
Many Foursquare and Gowalla users publish check-ins to Twitter. Location is a key component of these Tweets, so Twitter has worked closely with both companies to associate a Twitter Place with Tweets generated by these services. This means that if a user clicks on a Twitter Place, such as “Ritual Roasters,” users will see standard Tweets and check-ins from Foursquare and Gowalla.
API
Twitter is releasing API functionality that lets developers integrate Twitter Places into their applications.
Support for more browsers
Now users can add location to their Tweets from any browser—Safari and Internet Explorer, in addition to Chrome or Firefox.
Over the next week, Twitter will roll out Twitter Places to users in 65 countries around the world. Keep an eye out for the “Add your location” link below the ‘Tweet’ box.
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