Why Arts Marketers Should Use Location Targeting

March 15, 2017 Sarah Chapman

What if you could target your organization’s current and future patrons that can be found within a geographic area as small as a 150 feet? There are several ways to target online audiences based on geographic location.  You can target broadly against an entire market (this could be a certain city or zip code) or as precise as inside of a building of your choice.

How does it work? Today, our mobile devices are continuously transmitting their location by giving off a device ID.  This is how your Lyft driver finds you, how you can get nearby restaurant recommendations, or how you can use Google Maps to find your way home.  These same device ID’s can be identified by utilizing longitude and latitude and then deployed within online advertising campaigns.

When patrons load websites and apps that accommodate advertising, Mogo can identify these devices and target those users with advertising messages, all in a privacy compliant manner.

We create five custom behavior segments based on observations of location-based consumer behaviors. These include place based, time based, frequency based, event based, and activity based behaviors. Place based behaviors include visitation to specific places of interest or various businesses. Time based behaviors include a patron’s current location and previously visited locations. Frequency based behaviors include routine behaviors. Event based behaviors include attendance at specific live performances or events. Activity based behaviors include digital activity, such as app usage or website pages visited.

Ideal for Reaching Patrons

Mobile phones are ubiquitous for patrons today.  We take them everywhere and constantly use them to perform tasks, communicate, and navigate the world around us. According to a 2016 Apple study, consumers check their phones an average of 80 times per day, with millennials checking 150 times per day.

The Power of Location Psychology

Our physical location can be a powerful indicator of our demographics, interests, and intent.  With location, marketers can deploy location based strategies tailored to the target audience like:

Theatre & Performing Arts Patrons:

  • Previous attendees of the ballet or musical theatre, marketing to those who attended a holiday show with the next performance, tourist areas, etc.
  • Highlighting highly visited tourist destinations to capture an out of town crowd.

Museums:

  • Targeting previous museum attendees with an upcoming exhibition and conquesting against attendees of other museums both past and present.
  • Having a brand presence around your organization to capture walk up ticket purchasers

Accurate Location Data via Factual Data 

At MogoARTS we have several sources of location data but the partner we have found to have the most accurate and effective data is Factual. This is the location data that powers some of the largest and most advanced advertisers, including Facebook, Uber, and The Weather Channel.

Factual has aggregated 100MM+ places across 466 different categories, in 29 languages within 50 countries. This company is processing 600 billion data points per month to validate location data and to process the location requests used in campaigns.

Factual and MogoARTS Drove 40% Return on Ad Spend for 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle

Earlier this year, Factual published a case study on MogoARTS and our use of location targeting to drive ticket sales for 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

Location Strategy

MogoARTS built out a customized mobile audience to find the people most likely to attend one of 5th Avenue Theatre’s musical theatre performances.  MogoARTS utilized Geopulse Proximity to reach devices visiting Seattle attractions, such as Pike’s Place and the Space Needle, people traveling to Seattle, and Fans of Broadway musicals.

Results

The results were outstanding. Targeting these devices lead to over 1,500 unique new sessions to the 5th Avenue website, served 143,000 impressions, generated a 0.28% click-through-rate, and ultimately lead to a 40% return on ad spend in ticket sales for 5th Avenue Theatre.

See Factual’s case study HERE

Driving Ticket Sales for The Denver Center for the Performing Arts in the River North Arts District (RiNo) of Denver, CO

Location Strategy

MogoARTS deployed an innovative targeting tactic called Geo-Fencing.  Geo-Fencing leverages c
ell phone GPS coordinates like longitude and latitude, as well as bluetooth low energy beacons, to deliver targeted messages to mobile devices within a precise geographic area. This type of location targeting, leverages the location psychology of the audience. By dropping a pin to create a virtual fence around the RiNo, we were able to identify cell phones loading websites and apps, and purchase the ads as the content opened.

Results

The results were excellent. By targeting specific audience segments, individuals ages 18 to 34, we generated a 44% increase in ticket revenue from cross-device. We also saw a 120% lift in cross-device ticket purchases from targeting mobile devices within the geo-fence.

See the entire case study HERE.

Location targeting is a powerful tool for reaching patrons where the aggregate online the most. With the right targeting methods, your organization can reach local patrons and provide content that is relevant to them.

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