TeleNav has announced a new “drive-time search and navigation mobile advertising platform” to allow brands to deliver relevant and targeted ads to users based on the location and context of their search query. The announcement is a big deal considering the wide reach TeleNav has acquired by being incorporated in so many navigation devices and mobile apps.
TeleNav’s navigation services, both ad and non-ad enabled, are used by millions of unique users each month, with these users logging approximately 700 million minutes of application usage time each month. Search is key to TeleNav’s strategy, as users view more than 40 million mobile search pages each month, according to the company. 84% of these users are in their car when using TeleNav’s products to search for a place to drive, signaling a perfect opportunity to serve up relevant ads.
The company’s advertising platform uses proprietary technology to deliver a relevant and targeted ad for nearby advertisers based on the location and context of the search query. The platform also helps users make a decision on which business to drive to by allowing advertisers to include additional content, such as coupons, menus or promotional information. What’s interesting is the added metrics this concept provides advertisers. TeleNav offers a metric called “Drive-to-Rate,” which captures the number of users who viewed an ad and chose to drive to the advertiser’s business location.
“With growth in data-enabled phones and mobile search, users want more actionable local content, and advertisers want to drive and measure those actions,” said Michael Boland, analyst with BIA/Kelsey. “Guiding users to local businesses’ front doors and measuring that action will resonate on both sides of this equation.”
The concept will likely be a success given the fact that it’s a robust mobile advertising offering placed on top of an already far-reaching platform with a thriving user base. Whether users will want to see ads pop up as they’re searching and driving is up for debate, but the concept is solid nonetheless.
