What Happened
Popular navigation app Waze introduced its first native ad product named Favorite Brands on Monday at its NYC AdWeek event. Marketers can now invite Waze users to tap an ad to “favorite” a brand to make their favorite stores and restaurants more accessible in Waze’s mobile map. It will also surface customizable brand messages in some on-the-road features such as Planned Drives, Calendar Sync, and Speed Limit. Dunkin’ Donuts is the first brand to sign on for this ad product, which will be in beta testing for the remainder of the year.
What Brands Should Do
Waze has 65 million monthly drivers worldwide, which presents a sizable audience for brands with physical stores to make a play for. By integrating brand messaging into its app, Waze manages to deliver location-based native ads in the form of utility with minimal disruption to its user experience. Brands that are looking to drive store traffic and engage their customers to build long-term relationships should consider giving this native ad product a try.
Source: AdWeek