Why marketers need to start embracing the true potential of GPS
In response to Gary Tramer’s anti-GPS opinion piece published in Mumbrella last week, Tom Gregory from mobile location marketing specialist Blis argues the case for GPS.
As Gary Tramer points out in his piece, Uber uses GPS to provide a ‘(mostly)’ accurate service. For the rest of his piece to describe GPS as a poor advertising tool strikes me as odd.
To cite Gary’s own example about food delivery, anyone who’s used Deliveroo will know GPS technology is one of the fundamental tools that drives engagement.
I know I find myself frequently checking the app to track my delivery flying through the leafy streets, and pinpointing the exact moment my dinner will arrive on my doorstep. It’s something that has quickly become core to my mobile experience.
How about that new feature in current Android and iOS that is going to flash-up and constantly alert people to turn off apps that use background GPS tracking. Isn’t the game over for companies that rely on Android and Apple handing over location tracking data to sell to third parties? This advertorial is akin to Kodak arguing that film is still the most important aspect of photography. Tom its better to innovate than to sit on your hands and be disrupted.
Ouch, Kodak. But agree about innovating and disrupting. In my view good GPS + WIFI data + Programmatic media buying efficiencies is doing both of these things.