5 Examples of Effective Geotargeted Marketing

Learn from success with this list of geotargeted marketing examples

Ad campaigns based on geographic location are crucial in today's digital advertising landscape. Understanding where potential customers live and travel allows marketers to create targeted promotions that yield significant benefits for businesses and consumers alike. By tailoring their messages and advertisements to suit the needs and preferences of consumers in a particular area, brands can maximize their marketing efforts and generate higher conversion rates. 

In this article, we’ll explore some noteworthy geotargeting examples where these strategies helped brands connect with their target customers. These examples will demonstrate how geotargeting can be a powerful tool for brands to increase their brand awareness, drive sales, and enhance customer engagement.

Learn more about geotargeting strategies, platforms, tools, and more with our comprehensive article, Geotargeting: The Complete Marketer's Guide.

Geotargeting Examples in Marketing

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters has employed innovative advertising strategies to tailor its ads based on customer habits and travel plans. By utilizing geotargeting and mobile location data, the popular retailer has been able to deliver relevant messages to its target audience.

Geotargeting allows Urban Outfitters to customize its advertisements based on the location of their customers. This means that individuals in different areas will receive ads that are specific to their local store or a nearby location. By using mobile location data, Urban Outfitters can further personalize its ads by targeting customers who are currently in the vicinity of their stores.

One specific strategy Urban Outfitters has implemented is sending geotargeted push notifications to customers who are near its stores. This allows it to alert shoppers of special promotions or exclusive deals that are specifically relevant to their location. Urban Outfitters also optimizes its ads for store-open and high-traffic hours, ensuring that its messages are delivered at the most opportune times.

These tailored advertising strategies have yielded impressive results for Urban Outfitters. It has witnessed a remarkable 146% increase in revenue, demonstrating the effectiveness of its targeted marketing approach. Additionally, conversion rates have received a significant 75% boost, further emphasizing the positive outcome of ad tailoring efforts.

Urban Outfitters' utilization of geotargeting, mobile location data, and targeted notifications has proven to be highly successful. By tailoring its ads based on customer habits and travel plans, the retailer has effectively captured their audience's attention and boosted their overall sales performance.

UNIQLO

In 2012, UNIQLO sought to enhance its annual sales campaign by leveraging Facebook, the preferred social platform for its youthful target audience. It introduced the 'UNIQLO Check-in Chance' initiative, offering anyone “checking in” on Facebook while physically visiting stores the opportunity to win 100 yen usable during the sales period.

All check-ins were made publicly visible, creating excitement globally. The campaign acted as a geotargeting strategy, driving store traffic through the allure of winning cash coupons. The three-day event resulted in a record-breaking 202,479 check-ins and over 10,000 Facebook page likes. Conversions were up as well, as record-breaking foot traffic during the event resulted in clothing sales exceeding 10 billion Japanese yen (approximately $93,000).

UNIQLO’s clever initiative successfully transformed Facebook check-ins into a powerful tool for geotargeted promotions and increased brand engagement.

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty successfully employed geotargeting and proximity targeting tactics to enhance awareness and engagement with potential customers for its latest store launches. To achieve this, the company employed several key strategies.

Firstly, Ulta specifically targeted direct competitors' locations through geotargeting. By identifying the proximity of its stores to competitor establishments, Ulta was able to generate increased awareness among potential customers who were already familiar with similar beauty retailers. This approach effectively positioned Ulta as a convenient alternative and encouraged customers to explore its offerings.

Secondly, Ulta employed behavioral audience targeting to enhance engagement with potential customers. By leveraging insights from GroundTruth, a trusted partner, Ulta was able to identify individuals showing a strong interest in beauty and cosmetics. This enabled the company to effectively reach and engage with highly relevant audiences, increasing the likelihood of converting them into loyal customers.

Lastly, Ulta utilized proximity targeting to drive foot traffic and engagement. By identifying specific areas or neighborhoods where target audiences frequently visited, Ulta could deliver personalized messages and promotions to potential customers in real-time as they were in close proximity to new store openings. This increased the chances of individuals actively seeking out and visiting these new stores.

Ulta Beauty's geotargeting examples utilized proximity targeting, direct competitor targeting, behavioral audiences, and insights-led radial targeting through its partnership with GroundTruth proved to be highly effective in boosting awareness and engagement with potential customers for their new store openings.

Hyundai

Hyundai Motors America, an automobile manufacturing company founded in 1967 and known for its affordable vehicles, executed a strategic campaign in 2017 dubbed 'Dealer Stealer,' to attract customers away from rival dealerships.

Geotargeting was a key tactic in this campaign. Hyundai digitally mapped the locations of 115 Mazda dealerships, 282 Toyota dealerships, and 152 Hyundai stores. By tracking individuals near or entering competitor stores, Hyundai collected unique and anonymous mobile phone data IDs. These potential customers were then targeted with advertising deals on their mobile phones, enticing those primarily considering Mazda or Toyota vehicles.

These marketing efforts resulted in approximately 815,000 views of Hyundai ads, with at least 50% of viewers reconsidering Hyundai as an alternative, surpassing the industry average click-through rate. Hyundai also monitored the mobile phone users' locations, re-targeting them with additional mobile ads if they showed interest by visiting a Hyundai dealership.

This innovative approach leveraged the likelihood that individuals entering a car dealership were ready to make a purchase, effectively isolating and targeting them with relevant ads through geotargeting.

SXSW

SXSW, one of the biggest events in the tech and entertainment industry, takes personalized experiences to the next level by leveraging geotargeting technology in its mobile app to cater to users' needs and interests based on their location within the festival grounds.

With this cutting-edge technology, SXSW delivers a personalized experience by providing location-specific recommendations. Attendees can rely on geotargeting examples of customized suggestions for nearby sessions, workshops, and events that align with their interests. This ensures that they don't miss out on valuable opportunities that are specifically tailored to their preferences.

Additionally, geotargeting at SXSW enables attendees to discover networking opportunities in their vicinity. By analyzing their location, the technology suggests potential connections nearby, making it easier for participants to find like-minded professionals to collaborate with or exchange ideas. This feature streamlines the process of forming new relationships, enhancing the overall networking experience.

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