Cross-device ad targeting provider Drawbridge will use data segments from eXelate, the companies said today.
When it comes to delivering targeted ads on mobile devices, the process is more complicated than it is on a desktop PC, largely because of the inability to use cookies on a smartphone or tablet. Drawbridge gets around this challenge through its cross-device matching technology.
The company uses algorithms to estimate which mobile devices and desktop PCs are being used by the same person, based on anonymized data such as IP addresses and geolocation. Drawbridge claims it has paired more than 600 million mobile devices (both tablets and smartphones) with users’ desktop PCs.
To further strengthen its ad targeting capabilities, Drawbridge joined forces with eXelate, which collects household demographics, purchase intent and behavioral data points from a pool of 700 million consumers through proprietary sources and partnerships with Nielsen, MasterCard, Bizo and other companies. eXelate, for example, can tell marketers which of their customers are most likely to be interested in buying a new car or planning a family vacation.
By teaming up with eXelate, Drawbridge has expanded its segmenting capabilities from 800 groups to 8,000. In return, eXelate can apply its audience targeting capabilities to mobile ads. The enhanced offering has been in testing with several customers and is generally available starting today.
“Our customers will benefit by having more precise targeting, and we benefit by having happier customers that want to do more campaigns with us,” said Eric Rosenblum, VP of Product for Drawbridge. “This partnership makes the process of buying media in mobile more targeted.”
As consumers spend more time on mobile devices, advertisers continue to throw money at the channel. US mobile advertising spending grew 178% from $1.5 billion in 2011 to $4.1 billion last year, according to eMarketer, and spending is expected to rise another 77.3% to $7.29 billion this year. In four years, US advertisers are expected to devote $27.1 billion to mobile — approximately 45% of all digital ad spending and 13.8% of total media ad spending that year.
