Denny |
February 11, 2015
The massive corporation is using this offline shopper data collection to target mobile ads.
Unilever is now using location based marketing techniques to be able to better understand how appealing shoppers find its brands while they are in store, so that they can later send mobile ads that will be relevant to those individual consumers.
The company will be using iBeacons to be able to glean the information about the smartphone using consumers.
The idea is that while this type of location based marketing could encourage purchases at the point of sale, it can also be used for a broader purpose. This is primarily to use the technology to lower the consumer acquisition cost by providing each individual with content that has been customized to a consumer’s individual interests, wants, and needs.
Unilever entered into a location based marketing partnership in order to be able to test this concept.
In this geolocation technology using effort, Unilever is working with Glimr, a data specialist firm, and Mindshare. This strategy steps away from the “traditional” use of beacons, which have been conducted by other companies and that have focused nearly exclusively on driving performance, in favor of an effort to build the company’s brands.
In the pilot in Sweden, consumers who visited a food truck that was Knorr branded were given the opportunity to sample its latest flavor of soup. Those shoppers were then retargeted with a mobile ad the next time they launched the Aftonbladet Swedish newspaper app. The typical display ads that had been displayed within that app were often replaced with coupons that were designed to provide shoppers with a reminder of the campaign, and to underscore the idea that Knorr is a brand that is modern and that is keeping up with the things that people care about the most, right now.
At the moment, the company hasn’t revealed any intentions to expand the location based marketing program to other regions, such as the United Kingdom or the United States. However, Unilever has indicated that it will be moving its tests using iBeacons into major supermarkets, over the first half of this year.
Koozoo developing new service that could revolutionize geo-marketing
Koozoo, a start-up based in San Francisco, California, has received $2.5 million in seed funding that will help it continue developing an ambitious project that could change the face of geo-marketing and online search. Advertisers are becoming increasingly interested in using geographic information to target consumers. This information can go a long way in developing marketing campaigns that have a strong impact on certain demographics. Koozoo may be able to help revolutionize geo-marketing by tapping into consumers to provide their geographic information in the form of videos.
Platform turns smart phones into live streaming devices
Koozoo aims to provide live video information to consumers, which is produced by consumers themselves. In a sense, the company is working to develop a platform where people can provide geographic information in a very dynamic fashion. This information could be something simple, such as the length of a line at a local restaurant, or more complex, such as whether a particular store is open and what deals they are offering that day.
Video feed could provide information on local stores and other attractions
The Koozoo platform can turn a smart phone into a live video feed, with the approval of their owners, of course. The idea is that consumers can use the platform to provide access to visual information that could influence traffic to physical locations, such as restaurants, stores, and beaches. This information can be freely accessed through a mobile application, which will display a live video feed. Koozoo users can turn off the streaming service whenever they choose. If Koozoo can establish an extensive network, it may be able to provide constant video information to consumers at all times of the day.
Advertisers could benefit from Koozoo
Geo-marketing is not exactly a new concept to the world of advertising. Marketers have long used geographic information to target consumers, but the tools they have access to are beginning to evolve with the advance of technology. Koozoo’s service is not designed solely with marketers in mind, but advertisers could stand to benefit from the platform if it proves popular among consumers and other early adopters.
