The Why of Where – Location 2.0

In the fast-paced world of digital advertising, where every click counts and every impression matters, the imminent demise of the cookie has the industry scrambling for a solution. But fear not, for in the absence of this familiar tracking tool, a new hero emerges – area-based marketing. Welcome to the era of Location 2.0, where the power of place reigns supreme in the quest for targeted, efficient marketing campaigns.

Cookies: The Crumbling Foundation

Before we delve into the significance of location, let’s take a moment to understand what cookies are and why they’re facing extinction. Cookies, those tiny packets of data stored in your browser, have long been the lifeblood of online advertisers. They track your browsing history, your clicks, your purchases – essentially, your every move on the internet. But with mounting concerns over privacy and regulatory crackdowns, tech giants like Google have sounded the death knell for third-party cookies, signalling a seismic shift in the digital landscape.

Location: Everything Happens Somewhere

But fear not, for in the wake of this ‘cookiepocalypse’, location emerges as a beacon of hope for advertisers everywhere. Location data offers a treasure trove of insights into consumer behaviour, both online and offline. By tapping into the power of geo-affinity mapping, advertisers can pinpoint their target audience with unprecedented precision, delivering relevant ads in the right place at the right time.

Simply put – every action or behaviour can be understood through a number of dimensions and one of the most interesting dimensions is where this action or behaviour occurred.  

When you consider the 100’s of online and offline data points available to marketers today, a big challenge is that many of these data points are fragmented and often sit in silos which limits their usefulness. How do we connect these disparate data points for a more complete view of Consumers? Consider the following data sets; census, mobility patterns, first-party sales data, online content interest and social engagement levels – each of these data points can be understood through the lens of location. This is what we call geo-referenced data, where location becomes the common connector that unifies all these different data points for a more complete view. 

Unlocking the Power of 1st Party Data

In a post-cookie world, first-party data becomes more valuable than ever. Unlike cookies, which rely on tracking users across the web, first-party data is collected directly from consumers, often with their explicit consent. This data, whether it’s purchase history, demographic information, or location-based insights, provides advertisers with a goldmine of actionable intelligence, all while respecting user privacy.

Charting a Course in a Cookieless World

So what does the future hold for digital advertisers in a post-cookie world? Whilst some options are emerging, one approach stands out above the rest – area-based marketing. By leveraging the power of location data, advertisers can craft omnichannel campaigns that seamlessly integrate online and offline channels, reaching consumers wherever they may roam.

Using location as the unifier between different data points sits at the heart of an area-based marketing approach at Taptap. This allows us to move away from the need to understand data on an individual level towards a more privacy-first approach. This in turn powers smarter planning, activation and measurement of omnichannel strategies across CTV, DOOH, Audio, Mobile and Desktop without the need for cookie-based identifiers.

Balancing Personalisation and Privacy

Of course, as we chart this new course, we mustn’t lose sight of the delicate balance between personalisation and privacy. While cookies offered a one-to-one targeting approach, they also raised concerns about data privacy and user consent. In the era of Location 2.0, we advocate for a more aggregated approach, where audience segments are defined based on anonymised, georeferenced data, ensuring both relevance and respect for user privacy.

The Impact on Omnichannel Planning

Using an area-based approach powered by rich on and offline datasets allows for the ability to plan, activate and report on the same audience within one omnichannel strategy. Advertisers can onboard and georeference any custom data like GRP’s or first party data for even more granularity and control. Whether you’re activating CTV, DOOH or mobile/video, you are using the same area-based audience throughout the process. There’s no signal loss which is often the challenge when using multiple platforms to buy different channels.

Taptap: The Leaders in Area-Based Marketing

Taptap is a specialist omnichannel DSP offering a unique area-based marketing approach that allows brands to define their ideal customers by connecting and analysing rich on and offline data sets based on the common unifier of where they occur through a method called georeferencing. Media investment is then focused on areas where their target customers are in high concentration rather than the need to target them individually. 

Audience Targeting: Precision Meets Scale

But Taptap’s expertise extends beyond mere data analysis. With its sophisticated audience targeting capabilities, Taptap helps brands reach their ideal customers without the need for third-party cookies. Whether it’s fashionistas in Constantia, coffee lovers in Sandton, or high-net-worth individuals in Menlyn, Taptap enables advertisers to identify and activate audiences with unparalleled precision and scale.

A New Era of Advertising

In conclusion, as we bid farewell to the cookie and usher in the era of Location 2.0, one thing is clear – the future of digital advertising is firmly rooted in place. By embracing the power of location data and leveraging innovative techniques like geo-affinity mapping, advertisers can unlock new levels of efficiency, relevance, and respect for user privacy. So let us raise our glasses to the ‘Why of Where’, for in the world of digital advertising, location truly is the new cookie, and Taptap is leading the charge into this brave new era.

For more information on area-based marketing or for a demo of Taptap’s capabilities, or access to Case Studies, please contact Andrew Gillett here.