Listen to this articlemobilads is a NY-based Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising platform powered by the gig economy. Below is our recent interview with Craig Cook, CEO of mobilads:
Q: For those who haven’t heard of it, what is the best way to describe mobilads?
A: We’re changing the way brands such as Amazon, AMEX, DraftKings, and MetroPCS connect to consumers. And we’re data centric – mobilads leverages location-based data and mobile technology to help brands amplify their reach through digital retargeting, as well as to justify their ROI.
Q: What types of businesses do you serve?
A: Typically Fortune 100 companies who already spend a significant portion of their marketing budget on OOH are interested in our platform, but we’re also seeing more traction with VC-backed, consumer tech and B2B companies who are beginning to realize the hyper-growth that comes from outdoor exposure.
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Q: How do you help brands understand true ROI and audience segmentation?
A: It’s very difficult to accurately measure if a consumer was exposed to an out-of-home ad placement, especially when you’re dealing with moving billboards. Our data team uses a rigorous process to clean and verify the data that we collect. We’ve developed a proprietary system that combines updated U.S. census data, and GPS data from both our vehicles and mobile devices (in partnership with Reveal Mobile). This allows us to measure impressions more accurately, understand audience demographics (anonymously of course), and even attribute consumer engagement at multiple touch points further down the conversion cycle. As an added bonus, we’re able to retarget the exposed audiences via digital display and connected TV, which has resulted in 2-3x higher click-through rates and conversions than the unexposed audiences. The goal is to provide all of this in real-time for our clients so they can make smarter decisions and justify ROI to their stakeholders.
Q: What makes you the best choice for brand awareness?
A: Given the nature of it’s algorithms, the gig economy automatically follows crowds every hour of every day, and therefore provides greater reach vs. a billboard that’s fixed in place. In comparison to digital car tops, our placement provides 5x the ad size as well as fully dedicated ad space. I think it’s important to note that Uber and Lyft are the preferred method of transportation for business travelers, and therefore your brand can be associated with a higher quality ride to a more relevant audience. That said, more than half of Uber/Lyft riders engage with our drivers about the ad.
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Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: mobilads will become the leading OOH ad platform for the gig economy. Given the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on our business, we’re taking this opportunity to double down on our data analytics and retargeting capabilities as we see the industry shift towards digital and more measurable media. Meanwhile, we’re focused on automating our operations internally to reduce the turnaround time to launch campaigns, and partnering with the right gig economy players that align with our mission.
