• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 20, 2013

During the “After the Cookies Crumble” panel at OMMA RTB Seattle panelist David Shim, CEO of Placed, made an excellent point about the value of seemingly precise data -- a consumer’s GPS coordinates, you know their physical latitude and longitude.

Shim estimated 20% of programmatic inventory now has longitude and latitude positioning coordinates in it, but “the value of it is questionable.”

Both those points surprised me. First that that much inventory can now be targeted based on a user’s proximity. Secondly, that that proximity may not matter all that much.

The problem, said Shim, is that coordinates, when it comes to brand targeting, may not be granular enough. He said the fidelity of GPS coordinates can get a user’s proximity dow to a “six block radius,” which may not be sufficient for many brand goals.

“Are they next to a Walmart, or are they next to a Starbucks,” Shim said. Maybe it’s our proximity at OMMA RTB in Seattle today, but I have a feeling they are more likely to be next to a Starbucks.