Location isn't new to advertising. Take the billboard on the highway — there because that brand knows its target audience will see it. Merchants have been placing signs in places where their target audience will see them since the beginning of commerce. Today more than $130 billion is spent in the U.S. each year on locally targeted advertising. Most of that spending isn't digital, but rather, more traditional formats like billboards and newspapers — places where marketers are accustomed to advertising. So while location advertising may not be new, marketers can now digitall y localize their ads. The question is, how do brands win in this new world of location media?
Build for Scale
One of the most exciting aspects of location is the explosion of new content and services. There are now tens of thousands of location-based mobile apps, and even more that have made location a key feature. Many of these apps provide great platforms to test location ideas. However, they don't provide the audience size to roll out an impactful campaign or concept on a regional or national scale.
The key is finding balance. Advertisers must first develop campaign concepts that allow flexibility. Ask these questions: Can I scale this concept easily to all of my locations? Can I incorporate locations other than my own? Can I expand my target zone? Am I able to go beyond the immediate vicinity to engage consumers one mile, five miles, even ten miles away? If you can meet these qualifications, and reach an audience in the tens of millions , your location scale is...
