Freckle IoT, a Toronto startup that uses its network of beacons to help brands reach consumers and seek out innovative solutions in advertising, is partnering with Postmedia, the largest publisher by circulation of English-language daily newspapers in Canada. The partnership has the companies working together to integrate the Freckle IoT Software Development Kit (SDK) into mobile apps from Postmedia’s publisher brands, which include publications like The Vancouver Sun, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, and Calgary Herald.
This step will help Postmedia leverage new advertising opportunities in order to stay relevant to next-generation mobile audiences.
“The real-time results from this initiative are key to understanding the mobile audience, their location and determining in and out-of-store attribution,” said Neil Sweeney, president and CEO of Freckle IoT. “Using beacon technologies for location confirmation will lead to a much more accurate and consistent experience, unlike bid request location data which is accurate only 16 percent of the time.”
Freckle IoT’s Open Beacon Network is fuelled by beacons, which are small Bluetooth transmitters that help identify a location more accurately than GPS or WiFi. The network allows for partnered applications to add context to a location which can be used by the application publisher to provide users with a personalized experience (all communication requires an opt-in from the user). In turn, advertisers can get precise attribution metrics from digital impressions to store visits. This new data and audience insights will help advertisers make informed decisions about their campaigns, and publishers will be able to leverage consumers’ opt-in location data to surface personalized, exclusive content and branded offers at optimal times.
As traditional publications struggle with evolving into effective digital media brands, this step will help Postmedia leverage new advertising opportunities in order to stay relevant to next-generation mobile audiences. Consumers are increasingly turning to mobile to access information, and the partnership will allow Freckle IoT’s Open Beacon Network and Postmedia’s vast publisher application base to complement the publisher’s mobile offering and provide integrated, measurable media opportunities to brands.
“The technology from Freckle IoT is yet another innovation that we’re excited to add to Postmedia’s existing mobile offering that is capable of measuring door swing and attribution for brands,” said Andrew MacLeod, EVP and chief commercial officer of Postmedia. “With publications across Canada, we are committed to providing these integrated media opportunities to brands that result in a trusted experience and enhanced user engagement.”
The addition of Postmedia’s mobile properties adds 3 million active users to Freckle IoT’s Open Beacon Network, which currently spans the top 30 metropolitan areas across North America with over 500,000 venues. This isn’t the first time that Freckle IoT has helped traditional brands adapt to changing consumer habits; recently, FreckleIOT was accepted into Mondelēz International’s Shopper Futures program, which is meant to bring retailers and entrepreneurs together to innovate the retailer experience.