NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--xAd, the leader in delivering targeted mobile ads based on accurate user location and search context, today announced that it has been selected by Waze, the leading social driving app and top three map and navigation app in the iTunes store, as its exclusive third party provider of search and display mobile ads in the U.S. This integration will infuse xAd’s patent-pending mobile ad targeting technologies into Waze’s location-guided advertising platform to enable Waze to serve the most relevant ads to their users at just the right time.
Although most users have a specific destination in mind when using the app --- Waze’s location guided advertising provides users with a new and unique way of discovering and selecting businesses that are not only nearby – but are along the consumer’s designated navigation path. Through the use of xAd’s proprietary technology, ads can be further targeted based on context factors such as past anonymous search behaviors while leveraging the unique functionality of Waze to serve ads at the most relevant time along their route – when the consumer is likely to see and engage with the offer…. at zero speed.
“This is a perfect fit for us,” said Di-Ann Eisnor, vice president of platforms and partnerships at Waze. “By integrating xAd’s unique targeting technology into our platform we are able to tap into their vast number of hyper-local advertisers in order to both augment our own direct ad sales efforts and provide our users with advertising that more effectively presents fast, relevant location details and information that match their needs. As a result, we are able to provide our users with added value in time and money saved on the road due to greater awareness of nearby offers and locations – all while staying true to the Waze experience.”
“We are delighted to be able to help Waze take its Location Guided Advertising to the next level,” said Chi-Chao Chang, president of products & technology, xAd. “An important component of this partnership was working with Waze to provide ad targeting that not only drove smarter ads but fully integrated into the Waze user experience as opposed to traditional ads which can be more intrusive. Through this execution Waze is now able to provide real value to users while allowing advertisers a way to reach potential customers in literally their last mile prior to purchase.”
In addition to access to xAd’s advanced targeting technology, Waze will also benefit from xAd’s extensive network of over 1.5 million advertisers, a combination of small, local businesses and large, national brands, offering Waze advertising coverage in long-tail categories.
Come hear Waze’s Di-Ann Eisnor speak on February 27th at Mobile-Loco@MWC as she sits on the 10:30am panel discussing ROI in Mobile Marketing.
About xAd
Since 2009, xAd has grown to become one of the largest mobile advertising networks in the U.S. and the only one offering the ability to target audiences using a combination of accurate location signal and search context. Across its network, xAd aggregates and manages billions of monthly ad impressions from which it derives the largest supply of location based advertising inventory in the market. For over a million national and local advertisers, xAd delivers targeted mobile location@scale.
xAd is based in New York City with several satellite offices across the U.S and Internationally. For more information, visit www.xAd.com.
About Waze
Waze is a free traffic and navigation app, home to the world's largest community of drivers who work together to fight traffic, and save time and gas money on their daily commute. By simply driving with Waze open, drivers passively contribute traffic info that benefits their local driving community. Drivers can also actively report events such as accidents, police traps, or hazards along the way. Aggregating this crowdsourced road info, Waze provides the best real-time routes that bypass traffic, even re-routing drivers as road conditions change.
The Waze community is over 39 million strong and growing! You can download Waze free in over 25 languages from the iPhone Appstore and Google Play. Start saving valuable time and gas money, and make driving just a little more fun!