Ad networks with advanced targeting capabilities are giving national brands and smaller advertisers a way to drive conversion rates and boost sales. By narrowing their focus and targeting specific audiences based on location, demographics, or interests, advertisers can increase the relevancy of their ads and improve click-through rates (CTRs) by a factor of 2x.
Although targeted ad campaigns are being used in nearly every vertical, a 2012 report by Verve Mobile found that brick-and-mortar retailers, restaurants, and businesses with “inherently local products,” are leading the way in location and demographic targeting. Here are six ad networks that offer these targeting capabilities.
1. Airpush: Increase the relevancy of mobile ads.
Airpush is a mobile ad network for Android. Marketers can use Airpush to launch campaigns in multiple formats, using “HyperTarget technology” to reach consumers based on audience profiles, purchase histories, location, carrier, device, operating system, and time of day. This advanced targeting allows advertisers to drive the same number of sales (if not more) than they would with traditional online advertising, while sending out fewer ads, therefore, reducing the cost. Airpush ads are priced by CPC.
2. Millennial Media: Push ads to your target audience.
Millennial Media has developed a proprietary technology that separates audiences into seven unique segments. Advertisers can target consumers based on demographic characteristics (like education or age), behavior (based on actions related to interest, purchase intent, and life stage), location, mobile device, and context (what is going on around the consumer at the moment when the ad is being served). Ads can also be served based on the types of content being consumed, and they can be retargeted to reach consumers who’ve already expressed interest in a brand. Advertisers can manage their own mobile campaigns on the Millennial Media platform using a CPC model.
3. Jumptap: Get intelligent targeting at scale.
By relying on partnerships with more than 20 third-party data providers, Jumptap has been able to build detailed audience profiles that advertisers can use to target virtually any demographic. Audiences are categorized into “hundreds of discrete segments,” based on factors like purchase intent, purchase history, geography, interests, and lifestyle. Advertisers can narrow the focus of their mobile ads to reach only moms, luxury car drivers, Latinos, or business travelers at specific locations or times of the day. Although fewer people will see an ad as the number of selected categories increases, the CTR for each delivered ad should increase. Advertisers who use Jumptap can choose between a CPC or CPM model.
4. InMobi: Reach audiences in any location.
InMobi is a mobile ad network that advertisers and agencies can use to reach audiences anywhere in the world. The company’s in-house research team helps clients pinpoint the consumers they’re hoping to target, based on location, lifestyle, and demographics (like gender and age), as well as carrier and device. Using InMobi’s geolocation API, publishers can geo-target their advertisers’ ads on any mobile platform. Ad scheduling allows advertisers to deliver their ads on specific days, at specific times. InMobi uses a CPC revenue model for advertisers and publishers.
5. DMG: Ensure mobile users are getting the most relevant message.
Advertisers who partner with DMG can rely on the network’s precision targeting capabilities to ensure their ads are being seen by mobile users at the most relevant times. DMG’s mobile platform supports targeting based on geolocation, day and time, carrier, device (make and model), traffic type (3G or WiFi), and channel. Advertisers can choose between a number of display ad types, including image banner ads, text banner ads, expandable banners, and HTML5. DMG operates on a CPC and CPM model.
6. Affinity: Use device targeting to boost campaign ROI.
Affinity’s “contextual” ad network offers tools that marketers need to run text-based PPC campaigns. The network’s enhanced targeting features allow advertisers to streamline their campaigns by selecting the devices (iPad, iPhone, Android), operating systems, and browsers where their ads should appear. Advertisers can also target their messages based on business category, geography (down to the country/state/city level), and keywords. Advertisers can set up campaigns to run only in selected business categories (like restaurants), in selected locations (like Seattle or New York), and on selected devices (like Android phones).
Know of other ad networks with targeting capabilities? Leave a description in the comments.
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Hi Stephanie nice article, check out http://pingjam.com we are the first caller id ad network, our SDK has an innovative display area and contextual targeting.
Thumbs up for HyperTarget… Airpush and then maybe Millennial Media are the two best that you’ve listed when it comes to really, really good targeting capabilities.
Have not had good experiences with InMobi or Affinity. Airpush’s HyperTarget has been great, so I’m staying put. I haven’t heard that the others are anywhere near as good.
Thanks, Stephanie… I can endorse MM and Airpush from personal experience. My list begins and ends with those two.
Affinity is awesome from what I keep hearing but my experience is with InMobi and Airpush. Both are excellent, but I would give the edge to Airpush, better overall experience.
you left out Mobcircle Mobile Ad Network (http://www.mobcircle.com)!
My experience in using ad networks has been really bad until I discovered adtomatik. The best ecpm and the highest fill rate!!!