Location-Based Mobile Advertising Trial in Germany

23 June 2010, 8:20am

Berlin - June 23, 2010 - NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world, today announced the results of its
first location-based mobile ad services campaign in Germany. That campaign featured ads from global hotelier Best Western delivered via NAVTEQ LocationPoint Advertising to mobile German consumers using Nokia Ovi
Map-enabled smart phones.

Available in the United States and successfully deployed in trials in other parts of Europe, NAVTEQ's LocationPointT Advertising harnesses NAVTEQ's location content and capabilities to pinpoint where mobile consumers are, deliver ads and calls to action within close proximity to advertised points of purchase - and then guide them to the merchant's doorstep. Built-in calls to action, including "click to call," "click to web," and "click to map", bolster consumer engagement with ads, drive traffic to advertised locations, and make the service unique.

The exclusive advertiser in the month-long location-based campaign, the first of its kind in Germany, featured Best Western ads sent to on-the-go consumers of Nokia Ovi Map-enabled phones as they approached one of Best Western's 180 properties throughout Germany. The ads enticed consumers with an offer to receive 30% discounts when those users booked early at a Best Western property. The campaign garnered a click-through rate of 1.44%--more than seven times the 0.19 average of online banner ads, according to Forrester Research. Fifteen percent of all consumers who clicked on the initial ad requested mapping information to the local Best Western property, signaling NAVTEQ's LocationPoint Advertising power to convert clicks to paying customers.

"Hotel users by definition are in areas with which they are not familiar," said Alexander Birk, Manager E-Commerce Best Western Hotels Germany. "NAVTEQ LocationPoint provides an effective advertising channel to target those mobile consumers when they are looking for accommodation in unfamiliar areas or are within a short distance of a Best Western property. It's an elegant way to extend a more personal, relevant invitation for those consumers to become our guests."

"One of the reasons traditional brands have been slow to embrace new media like mobile is because it has been difficult to prove ROI," said Christopher Rothey, vice president, advertising, NAVTEQ. "This Best Western trial validates the promise of NAVTEQ LocationPoint Advertising to bricks and mortar businesses, such as hotels, retail stores and restaurants, which seek to drive consumers through their doors - and do it in ways which can be measured to show proof of return on investment."

NAVTEQ

Geo: International