As an automotive dealer, you have more than likely been pitched the ultra-targeted mobile Geo-fencing campaigns. You know the ones where you can target a customer in a competitor’s showroom while they are using their mobile device.
It turns out these campaigns may not be so targeted after all. A new report by PlaceIQ and Findyr, indicates that mobile device location is only accurate to within about 93 feet or 30 meters.
Quoting a report by Greg Sterling on Marketingland.com:
Findyr sent people in 5 U.S. cites to 150 specific locations and asked them to record their latitude/longitude coordinates within the Findyr app on their phone. The participants also sent a photo or video of where they were standing to verify their actual physical location. The initial stage of the study determined the difference between the recorded coordinates and the device’s actual location.
This is visually how the research was conducted:
So what does all this mean for you?
First, be aware of the claims made by vendors boasting exact longitude and latitude accuracy. It’s not something they can guarantee.
Second, by understanding the variance of the accuracy, you can evaluate the service or message, on a per location basis to determine if 30 meters off target is acceptable.
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
