This month, Burger King did something genius. They offered their signature Whopper burger for a penny. The only catch? You had to be within 600 feet of a McDonald’s. And the result? Millions of downloads in just a few days, pushing Burger King’s mobile app to the top of both the App Store and the Google Play Store. In this article, we break down the best examples of geo-targeting.
1. Burger King’s Whopper Detour
More than a year in the making, the Whopper Detour campaign involved collecting highly accurate data on more than 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants. Burger King created a 600ft geo-fence around every single one of those locations. To get the iconic burger for just a penny, all customers then had to place an order through the Burger King app within the geo-fence.
This isn’t just geo-targeting, it’s called geo-questing. And it’s where you use location-based marketing not just to target consumers but consumers who are currently or have previously visited a competitor’s store. By using mobile and geo-questing, Burger King was able to capture competitor’s customers. All while getting a tonne of free PR!
2. Whole Foods
To draw customers away from competitors, American supermarket chain Whole Foods placed a number of geo-fences around its stores as well as competitors’ locations. Any shopper that then entered these areas were sent tailored special offers and promotions through their smartphones. The result? This campaign saw almost a 5% post-tap conversion rate, more than 3x the industry average. How did they do it? By focusing on customer experience.
Whole Foods didn’t just spam customers with ads. Instead, the supermarket sent targeted messages leading up to peak shopping times. So, each customer received a relevant promotion at the perfect time. Customers want targeted and personalised promotions, just as long as they’re highly relevant.
Source: Mallory Sugita
3. Volvo Dealership
An American Volvo dealership wanted to boost its brand awareness among luxury car buyers. You know the deal by now. The dealership’s marketing team built a bunch of geo-fences in surrounding areas and competing dealerships. Over the thirty-day campaign, luxury car buyers were then shown highly-targeted ads in their apps and websites.
The impact? 500 people visited the dealership’s website and 132 visited in person. It works out at about $20 to get each person into the dealership. For this company, geo-fencing made lead gen more cost-effective.
Source: Dealer Marketing Magazine
Quick Mentions
- Uber at LAX: Some airports like LAX in Los Angeles don’t allow private hire cars like Uber. But geo-fencing gets rid of Uber’s problem. As soon as passengers land, they get a push notification welcoming them to LA and asking if they’d like an Uber. It’s convenient and it’s what they know. All they have to do? Walk to an area near the airport where their Uber is waiting.
- Vouchercloud: The Vouchercloud app delivers highly targeted push notifications to customers within 200m of any participating store. Brands such as Hotel Chocolat, Loch Fyne, Papa Johns, Prezzo, Strada and Subway. By getting rid of generic voucher offers, the app has been able to reach a clickthrough rate of an astounding 45%!
Interested in Geo-Fencing?
With mobile, you open up a direct channel between you and your customers. But geo-fencing helps you make the most of that channel. So many short-sighted companies look at an app download as a chance to spam users with generic adverts and push notifications. Don’t make the same mistake!
With geo-location marketing, you can drive engagement and create a truly personalised and valuable experience for every customer. We’ve helped many businesses use mobile and location technology to do just this. If you’re interested in hearing more about this or doing the same yourself, then give us a call on 01737 45 77 88.