Commentary
How Geo-Targeting Left One Client In The Lurch
- by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, August 17, 2015
The technology is coming along, but it remains risky to let a campaign hinge on laser-focused geo-targeting. That’s according to Jesse Plate, Marketing Manager at Vail Resorts. “Geo-location really let us down,” Plate told attendees of MediaPost’s Programmatic Insider Summit, on Monday. Plate was recalling a $50,000 RFP that his boss thought would be a boon for everyone involved. Unfortunately, the team later realized that they could only target consumers within half-a-mile of their actual location -- not nearly close enough for the purposes of the campaign. As a result, the inventory control team informed Plate and his team that they were not going to have anywhere near enough impressions to justify the execution.
Gavin O'Malley edits MediaPost's Mobile Marketing Daily and MoBlog column. Follow him: @mp_gavin. You can reach Gavin at gavin@mediapost.com.
The inaccuracy of geo-targeting is a problem for all delivery platforms because of the way IP targeting leads back to the service providers location, and the way the IP based mobile targeting can hop from tower to tower. No one should sell hyper accurate targeting. Advertising doesn't use GPS ;)