Wanting some of the $9.8 billion pie–estimated 2012 campaign spending–The Weather Channel has partnered with Jumptap to offer mobile ads.
Through The Weather Channel mobile app, political candidates will be able to have targeted ads appear on the devices of more than 30 million TWC users–roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population– across the nation. The partnership was announced on July 31, 2012, just as candidates begin stepping-up their ad spending.
Jumptap, the industry leader in targeted mobile advertising, is able to offer unique targeting capabilities, making the best use of the candidate’s ad budget. This new step in mobile advertising is expected to be a successful one as campaign ads are typically most effective during news and weather reports says Paran Joharchief marketing officer at Jumptap.
One of the best weather apps, according to CNet writer Jason Parker,the app alerts users to updates throughout the day which in turn prompts users to open the app and check the forecast. With such repeated use, it’s a great advertising platform. The ads will run based on the ZIP code that users enter when they register their device.
For iPhone and Android users, the user’s latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates can be accessed through the application on their device. Since users are used to entering this information to access the news and weather reports, the ads will seem organic and not intrusive to their information consumption. As election day draws near, targeted weather triggering–running specific ads based on the local weather–will be possible.
This new step in mobile advertising is expected to be a successful one as campaign ads are typically most effective during news and weather reports says Paran Johar , chief marketing officer at Jumptap.
Not Just For The Presidential Election
A nation-wide service provider with millions users, TWC app will also be used to help candidates in city and state elections. Jumptap, based in Smyrna, Georgia, says that ballot issue marketers will be able to buy ad space as well. Through the technology that Jumptap employs, ads can be targeted right down to the city block on which users reside. In addition to possible ads for Obama and Romney, TWC mobile app users might also be reminded of who’s running for office in their state, district and city.
Mobile Monetization On The Rise
As more American’s adapt to using mobile devices for their Internet access, companies like Jumptap are in high demand to help monetize otherwise free apps. Selling ads to third parties is natural way to earn money for app developers who may not have a product or service that generates income. This monetization stragey offers scalability as there is no physical product that needs to be produced and marketed. It can scale indefinitely as long as more people are using the application on their device.
Though no candidates have jumped on board just yet, The Weather Channel told Ad Week that it is in talks with people from major political campaigns. With such a massive reach, and a way to influence the younger generations, candidates are sure to embrace this new advertising strategy in the weeks leading up to November’s election.