Global location platform Sonata has a trademark phrase: Where you are is who you are. In other words, both real-time and historical location data are key to building an understanding of a consumer’s total self, and brands need to look at this complete picture in order to target mobile audiences successfully. As such, Sonata — a subsidiary of European ad network TAPTAP — launched in May 2015, with the goal of offering brands the ability to build custom audience segments based on location patterns. As the platform expands its operation in the US, Lara Mehanna, Sonata’s GM/VP Sales and Business Development, looks to the near future mobile location data and omnichannel strategy — and keeps one eye on the growth of connected devices and IoT.
GeoMarketing: To start, how do you describe Sonata? Is it fair to call it a mobile ad network? How do you incorporate the global aspect?
Lara Mehanna: We are a global location platform that connects advertisers with their consumers, and we focus on bridging that online to offline gap. We take [the idea of] driving foot traffic further, and we invest in all that we can to connect the right consumer at the right time with the right contact and the right location — giving a very strong intent of what might fit [that person] the best.
How does the Sonata platform operate differently in the US than in Spain?
We probably utilize the audiences and “connecting the dots” much more here than we do there. There is more data available here, which is great. Spain traditionally has been very much more a premium paid market, so we’re bringing that here to the US, too. We’re really helping each other out. The US is bringing more of the technology and the measurement to what Spain is bringing, which is more the premium offering of connecting publishers and advertisers.
As you help grow the US business, what are the initial goals? And is there a plan to extend campaigns for multinational brand clients to the US in “global to local” connections?
Obviously, because we’re global, we love having conversations about how we can find campaigns across multiple markets. What’s interesting about that, for me, is that can mean multiple markets internationally as well as multiple markets within the US, and it really brings everything into one platform.
Goal number one is to really help advertisers understand how location is actually a much better indicator and much better information provider. Goal number two is to build on a lot of the work we’ve done in terms of really looking at the social and the messaging space.
Because this is so strong in the international market, we actually want to bring more of that here — so that we can connect the consumers’ intentions, what they’re talking about, what they’re interested in, and really try and drive to be more action-oriented. We match that in with our location-based technologies.
The third goal would probably really be focused on the attribution side. That’s something that we really focus a lot on here. Asking ‘How can we get close to that package purchase, to that customer journey, and how can we provide great services to our customer base?’ should be learn about what is a cdp? and how it can help us?
From our standpoint, we have access to all this data and we’re building all this data. The idea is understanding and utilizing everything that is available to us, and then adding in the other partners and providers that we need to have to really connect and tell a story.
Looking at the increasing adoption of omnichannel strategies by retailers, does the role of mobile change? Do you advocate that clients adopt a mobile-first strategy to achieve omnichannel objectives? Or is mobile simply an important complement to brand’s targeting strategies across search, display, social, and other media formats?
I’m going to give an answer which probably isn’t the one [everyone] wants to hear: it depends. The reason we are mobile first is because, generally, when [targeting] people are on the go and trying to drive foot traffic, mobile first is the right strategy. The way to encourage people who are walking around and looking at their phones to do something is to be very quick and very action-oriented. But when that same customer is in their home environment, they’re looking more to be entertained. Their creative experiences are different.
In that case, mobile may be part of the strategy, but it may not be the first priority. That person could on their laptop. They could be watching their TV. There are so many other places that the first could be generated. I think it depends on location, which is very important. Whether you’re home, you’re on the road, wherever you are — everything depends on context and your environment, which is something that we pay a lot of attention to. Is there a lot of traffic on the road? Is it sunny? Is it raining?
All that really becomes very, very important. Essentially, when you’re trying to drive people to a physical location and they’re within a very small radius of that place, mobile first makes a lot of sense. Then there are other times where it doesn’t. We take all that into consideration.
Will the rise of Internet of Things and wearables change the way mobile advertising is predominantly focused? For one thing, does it mean that the app-based mobile web is more important to marketers than the mobile-browser based web? Or do those distinctions not even matter any more?
I think that IoT and wearables are definitely going to have an impact on how people use devices, but right now you still cannot use your watch without your phone. You have to have the two connected.
To me, it’s more about the integration of all these devices. They can play in the story. Right now, instead of spending a lot time focusing on driving push notifications [on a smartwatch], our place is really about how we can utilize all the devices to collect data to understand how to make the right messaging for advertisers, and make it more effective. To me, it’s about the data and driving the relevancy before it’s really about investing in all those app notifications or advertising on the watch.
Source: Geo Marketing
