XAd Indicates 10x Performance for Location Targeting Ads

I’ve been travelling internationally so I’m late to this news. But it’s worth mentioning that xAd has joined the ranks of ad networks that produce reports on their network activity. We’ve seen these from the likes of Millennial, and more recently from the local networks like Verve and JiWire.

The inaugural report affirms what we’ve known and continue to say: Location targeting can boost ad performance. That leads to higher premiums, which, coupled with the growth of mobile search (i.e., Google’s figures), supports our optimistic mobile local ad spending forecast.

Below are some of the main data points, in the form of a few slides I made for a recent presentation. What sticks out most for me is mobile local CTRs averaging 6.5 percent. Compared with separately reported mobile banner CTRs (0.64 percent), it indicates a 10x performance boost for location targeting.

There’s also a great deal to say about moving “beyond the click” for more accurate representations of mobile performance. This is especially true where local intent is present (vs. branding play), and includes post-click activity like calls and mapping.

See below for more, and stay tuned for a deeper dive during our on-stage interview with xAd at the ILM West conference in San Francisco, Dec. 12-14. If you’re interested in coming and a discount code would sweeten the deal, email me at mbolandATbiakelsey.com.