MCN has partnered with location data specialist Near to launch a new offering allowing advertisers to create and target mobile audiences based on location.
The platform, MCN Location, uses Near's location technology, overlaid with third party data sources such as Roy Morgan Helix Personas and behavioural data sets, to provide brands with bespoke audience segments.
MCN digital partnerships and product development director Suzie Cardwell tells AdNews that the partnership put it in good stead to overlay TV data with its location data.
“We'll be looking at over the next 6-12 months on how we can take Near's location data into the MultiView datasets to make that an even richer data set,” Cardwell says. “We're also looking at how that would work across the TV assets and with the digital assets we have in our partnership.”
MCN has been working with Near since May this year after entering into an exclusive sales representation agreement.
Near has mapped more than one million points of interest including stadiums, shopping centres and retail outlets and also has the ability to add advertiser’s own locations for data sets.
It uses proprietary technology that uses Wi-Fi networks, 3G and 4G tower reception and GP location data.
Cardwell says the offering will benefit advertisers by giving them access to “highly targeted” mobile advertising based on location and context.
“This gives us a hugely scaled mobile offering in market,” Cardwell says. “The fact we have exclusive representation of this location base technology gives us a real market advantage that we can offer to our advertisers.”
Cardwell says MCN will integrate this location data across its digital network, and is looking to integrate the technology into the apps of existing partners to target against location on specific properties.
It has also started working on putting its out of home (OOH) screens onto the Near platform. Cardwell says the company is looking to see if innovations such as synchronised messaging – paring mobile advertising with the OOH screen – might be possible using the technology.
As part of the launch of MCN Location the company has hired Rob Marshall as its first dedicated mobile sale representative for MCN Melbourne. Marshall has more than six years experience in the media industry with three in mobile and is tasked with spearheading the MCN and Near partnership in Melbourne.
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