An ad tech company has launched a new cost per visit metric and will only charges advertisers for when customers visit a location on the back of campaigns.
Blis Futures uses AI technology to predict when consumers are most likely to visit specific locations and will only charge marketers on a cost per visit basis.
Although mobile marketing is growing rapidly, the shift of advertising dollars has often lagged behind the growing use of mobile technology to deliver consumers their favourite media and entertainment.
Blis AUNZ managing director Nick Ballard, pictured, tells AdNews a major reason for this lag is poor attribution for mobile campaigns and their effectiveness.
“We've always sold on a metric like CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions), but how do we know that drives traffic – it's very much a reporting metric,” he says.
“Before clients have been buying footfall reports, where they pay on a CPM basis and we drive 'x' number of people and tell them how many a campaign is driving.
“Now we are going to sell purely on the metric of visitors who actually turn up to your store or location.
“We will invest in buying those impressions for a client and only charge them for the number of people we served an advert to that then goes into their store.”
Performance-based metrics
This essentially turns a reporting metric on its head and charges for an outcome rather than the method to arrive at that outcome.
Ballard accepts this form of ad selling straddles risk onto the media buyer and that the cost per visit will end up fluctuating by sector.
“We're confident with the terabits of data we collect every day that we can accurately predict consumer behaviour,” Ballard says. “There will obviously be some anomalies, like time of year, day or weather, but we are confident we can do this.
On cost, Ballard adds: “We are going to work with brands to try and come up with a number that they are happy with. We believe most brands have an idea about a CPA price and the value of their customers.
“If we're trying to drive traffic into a QSR, they're going to want a lower cost per visit price because their consumers are coming in and spending a lower dollar amount. On a car dealership, the cost of purchase is much higher where going into a Coles or Woolworths may be even higher.”
Blis has been working with AB InBev beer brand Stella Artois and its media agency Vizeum UK to drive footfall into bars, increase engagement and encourage consumers to purchase.
“For marketers looking to increase footfall and in-store sales, this alternative to traditional performance and payment methods is revolutionary. It won’t just increase performance; it will also boost trust between brands and their tech providers,” says Shaun Lynch, Vizeum digital planning manager
“It’s one of the many reasons we’re excited to work with Blis as we start unlocking new customers with Blis Futures.”
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