ComScore: 10% of Display Ads Are Geotargeted

Geotargeting is one of several criteria that advertisers base their buys on. But as the technology has become more accurate, it has become increasingly standard. According to a study of the online display ads in four cities by comScore, roughly 10 percent of all display ads are geotargeted. The cities in the study include Atlanta, Chicago, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

ComScore VP Brian Jurutka says the rate for geotargeting is a bit lower for the 100 largest publishers: 9 percent. But that is weighted against regional and local publications, where 28 percent of display ads were found to be geotargeted.

Jurutka noted that certain buys, such as The New York Lottery, were 100 percent geotargeted for the NY Tri-State area, while The Cleveland Clinic was 95 percent geotargeted for the Cleveland area. Generally speaking, geotargeting isn’t going to be very important for brand awareness, adds Jurutka. “But if you are looking for a direct response play for specific targets, it is going to be No. 1 or 2 in importance.”