Jumptap, a mobile ad targeting company, announced new partners today that will help the company acquire off-line data about consumers. That data can help app developers target ads at users. Jumptap has partnered with Targusinfo, Polk, Acxiom and Datalogix to add data such as purchase history and vehicle and market segmentation. While consumers may not like the idea of having specific ads targeted at their mobile devices, it is an effective way for developers to help monetize their endeavors.
Offline data can vastly increase Jumptap’s ability to target ads. Each of the four new partners specializes in a different category of offline data (see below for more details on each). Yet, the words mobile, targeting and advertisements set off alarm bells in consumers’ heads. Just as location is a sensitive issue, targeted advertising stokes the consumer fear of privacy violations, warranted or not. Jumptap aims to keep the balance between using data to target ads that will help developers make money and respect consumer privacy.
All four of Jumptap’s partners adhere to the company’s privacy standards that require that users are given notice and choice about how their data will be used. Data is aggregated from the partners without personally identifying users. Jumptap also allows users to opt-out of targeting advertising if they so wish.
The idea behind targeted advertising is supposedly benign – more useful, friendly advertisements that are relevant to users. The more relevant data the advertiser has about a particular user, the more they can charge for the ads because of the increased likelihood of effectiveness.
The partners offer a range of off-line data expertise. Datalogix integrates database marketing and digital media, offering anonymous purchase information to Jumptap. Acxiom is a consumer segmentation (read: demographics) company (that has a direct mail aspect to it) that can assist in reaching particular age groups. Polk works with vehicle data and will supply automotive indexing reports about vehicles by zip code.
Targusinfo is another market segmentation platform and is the most useful (and perhaps most invasive) of the partners. It studies U.S. households for brand preferences, lifestyle habits and other characteristics marketers care about.
If Jumptap is truly looking out for user privacy and its practices do not come back to haunt it down the line, then it can be a great tool for developers and consumers both. On the users’ end, the question has to be asked: would you prefer ads that have nothing to do with you that you can easily ignore or something that may potentially be useful to where you are and what you are doing?
