• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, December 19, 2016

Harmelin Media, an independent media agency, on Tuesday said it selected PlaceIQ as its location data and insights provider. PlaceIQ will provide consumer insights using location data to the agency’s clients, which include marketers in the retail, automotive, consumer packaged goods, travel, and financial services sectors. Avis, Ford, El Pollo Loco, and Sheetz are among the agency's clients.

Under the partnership, Harmelin will access PlaceIQ’s proprietary foot traffic measurement solution, which aims to offer marketers a better understanding of their audiences and accurate campaign measurement. In addition, Harmelin will gain access to PlaceIQ’s data partner portfolio, which includes insights via MasterCard, IRI, Nielsen Catalina Solutions, Oracle Datalogix, comScore, and more.

“Large retail clients can use location data to segment and deliver creative to specific high-value audience groups, like frequent shoppers, nearby shoppers, or audiences that frequently drive by a retail location, for example,” Brad Bernard, vice president, digital strategy and innovation, Harmelin Media, told Real-Time Daily via email.

Location data helps marketers gain insights and analytics for campaign planning. “A CPG brand can use it to understand audience groups that are in-market for a hair care product, based on CPG purchase data and consumers’ visits to certain retailers. Once this audience group is built, the brand could deliver engaging media catered to their affinities for TV, recreation, or even their affinity to shop with a competitor,” Bernard said.

Harmelin will also use PlaceIQ’s Place Visit Rate (PVR) metric as the measurement component for connecting ad exposures to in-store visitation, in order to gauge campaign success. By connecting PVR to other data sources through PlaceIQ, like TV viewership or CPG purchases, brands get a complete picture of audience engagement, according to PlaceIQ. “Location data gives clients the ability to access insights about the consumer audience journey from initial ad exposure, to the cash register ‘ringing’ in-store for specific products. These are the insights that are informing media strategy across the board,” Duncan McCall, CEO and co-founder of PlaceIQ, told Real-Time Daily via email.