Automotive marketing is in a state of transition: while budgets are high, companies are demanding to see results including increased effectiveness, and a measurable ROI for marketing spend.

A recent study by PWC reports that as overall returns decrease industry-wide, and the market becomes more competitive, automotive companies will be pressured to control costs zealously; spending strategically and managing the ROI of every dollar spent.

The automotive industry will spend over $15 billion this year in digital marketing. Budgets are increasing, but so is the need to improve the effectiveness of marketing spend.

Using data to create business intelligence can help automotive marketers apply data-driven decision-making to strategic goals. Data-driven decision-making can help to improve reach, drive growth, and provide measurable ROI that can be applied to strategic marketing decisions.

Currently, the majority of data-driven marketing is predicated on demographic information. Demographics are basic information such as age, gender, income and family status that can be applied to marketing campaigns and strategies. Customers can be segmented on the basis of demographic categories, placed in groups that have similar attributes, and marketing can be targeted to the interests of customers with those attributes.

Demographics tell a marketer about the people who have purchased their cars, allowing them to identify other people who may purchase their cars in the future.

Geographic intelligence such as foot traffic gives a deeper layer of customer understanding. Perhaps one of your customers has visited a competitor in a higher luxury bracket – marketing a more luxurious car from your own brand could have a positive impact on someone considering an upgrade.

Event analytics go even deeper, providing information about a customer’s interests, values, and priorities. For example, knowing that a customer goes to a stadium is one thing, but knowing that they regularly attend professional baseball games gives another level of insight altogether.

Data-driven marketing is the key to delivering a personalized message and customized experience for automotive marketers, which could be the key to customer acquisition, retention and engagement. Recent studies have found that 54% of consumers would buy from a dealership that offers an exceptional customer experience, even if it didn’t have the lowest price; and that auto sales as a whole could increase by an incredible 22% if the buying process was improved.

Using data in automotive marketing can also help a business to improve decision making, becoming more agile in response to changes in the business environment. With the correct tools, analytics can be conducted in real-time, and campaign strategies adjusted for maximum effectiveness. It can also help accelerate results, driving marketing decisions that maximize measurable ROI in the short and long-term. 

Data-driven decision-making is a critical component of long-term success in automotive marketing, allowing the optimization of marketing spend for maximum impact and focus. Data, including demographic, geographic and event analytics will help a company to control costs, ensuring that marketing spend is used in the most effective ways, while at the same time helping to identify opportunities to improve reach and drive sales and revenues.

Escalate: I spent more than 25 years in software and engineering management at companies like TransUnion, LexisNexus, and Unisys. Most recently, I was SVP and CTO for TransUnion (TLO Division). I’m also a startup guy, and was at Seisint in the early days. It was purchased by LexisNexis in 2004.

In my free time, I’m building an experimental aircraft. It’s a fun challenge and nearly complete. I’m also finishing my private pilot license.

Escalate: Over the last few years, I’ve joined the boards or invested in a few promising technology startups. I enjoy being at the stage in my career where I can share my engineering and technology management know-how with others, helping them to build great products and gain traction in their respective markets.

Escalate: Location intelligence is a powerful new source of consumer data – and data is what makes the difference between a good product and a great one, a good company and a great one. Five years from now, data will be the difference between a company that thrives and one that fails. So there is a huge emerging market for data that companies can use to enrich their own 1st party data stores, and location intelligence is one of the big ones.

Escalate: Gravy DaaS. After all, I spent much of my career working with the original ‘big data’ giants.

Escalate: Today location data is being used for ad targeting, for competitive intelligence, but I think the bigger opportunity is in using it with other datasets – demographic, purchase, social network activity, other qualitative data. It’s a rich layer providing better place and consumer understanding, fueling things like predictive analytics, machine learning, AI. We’re going to see many, much more complex, use cases emerge.

Greenwell: I’m a tech executive who has participated in three successful exits. I’m the former CEO of Danal, Inc – a company that pioneered a number of solutions in the mobile identity/authentication space. I’ve created successful global partnerships and customers in a broad range of areas (financial institutions, government, e-commerce, wireless, and others). I have served (and still serve) on a several executive and advisory roles. I am currently an Executive Advisor to Gravy Analytics, Thomson Reuters, Boku Identity and RECON Analytics. My deep knowledge of mobile and digital identity was developed from my past experiences in mobility. Prior to Danal, I was a key executive at ACE*COMM Corporation serving as a board Director, President and CEO. Prior to ACE*COMM, I was the COO/SVP of the Americas and AsiaPac for LCC International. I began my career as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army where I served in Northern Iraq and Turkey as part of the Kurdish Relief effort following Desert Storm. I hold an MBA from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia and have received several industry awards and recognitions. One World Identity recognized me as one of the top four CEOs in Identity and Authentication in 2018 and I was awarded  “Top 100 Influencer” in the industry for 2019.

Greenwell: Gravy is an important element where three meta trends are converging – marketing, security and payments/e-commerce. Having the opportunity to work with Gravy team to advance this solution is an exciting proposition.

Greenwell: Location intelligence transcends a variety of industries. With the massive amount of data that Gravy processes in location intelligence, the market will begin piecing together important slivers of our digital selves.

Greenwell: Gravy Data-as-a-Service as it provides important data for enterprises to better understand their customers.

Greenwell: I see my industry using location intelligence for asset recovery, digital identity, and public safety and security in the future.

This interview has been lightly edited.

Rubley: I have been working with federal, state and local government agencies for more than 30 years. I specialize in using data analytics to help them fulfill their missions of creating safer communities, protecting national security, and preventing fraud. I have had the privilege of working with highly motivated people who want to do good in the world. I live in the D.C. area with my wife and three daughters who range from high school to college-aged, which makes life interesting.

Rubley: The company which I work for has a similar culture to Gravy. I enjoy working with smart, motivated people who enjoy making a difference in the world with technology-driven solutions.

Rubley: Location intelligence is important because it can help make communities safer by preventing fraud in a privacy friendly manner.

Rubley: All of them.

Rubley: It will continue to balance the need for location intelligence to create safer communities while making sure privacy concerns are top priority.

This interview has been lightly edited.

The landscape of mobile app fraud is ever-changing: dramatic shifts in fraud can happen in just days or weeks. Between Q4 2018 and Q1 2019, for example, fraud perpetuated through device farms decreased while SDK spoofing and click spamming increased. These shifts indicate that less sophisticated methods are quickly being replaced by new, more complex methods of committing fraud.

At the end of 2018, 20.4% of programmatic display ad fraud involved smartphone apps, and this is projected to increase. Whether manipulating ad display rates, creating fake ad impressions, or generating fake clicks, mobile ad fraud is big business. The financial impact of mobile ad fraud is estimated to reach $44 billion in 2022.

A year ago, the industry expected a debate in support of federal data privacy laws. While that debate rages on, it has taken shape as a patchwork of state regulations, influenced by big tech heavyweights like Facebook and Google. And their influence steers the rules in their favor — edging out competitors and stifling innovation through the acquisition of smaller players.

Advertisers have long facilitated the demand side of platforms, while publishers have fueled the supply side. However, major players like Google and Amazon have created walled gardens, and current agency models are becoming harder to scale with the proliferation of new channels that connect brands to consumers. While these allow brands to advertise outside of traditional mediums like television, it has made the ecosystem much more complex. There is no one vendor that serves as the central supply-side source to keep the ecosystem for brands and advertisers running smoothly — and given the way we consume media, brands need to be able to see across these walled gardens through to all of their other advertising channels.

By the end of 2020, we’ll see a major change in how the ecosystem is plumbed, with adtech integrating into one system for advertisers — or one system for publishers. As big brands come to terms with the demand for transparency, and regulations foster the need for a simpler ecosystem, we can expect significant disruption to existing advertising models. The ideal system will be one that provides a higher level of transparency and accuracy for measurement.

DULLES, VA., December 4, 2019 — Gravy Analytics is pleased to announce that its location data-as-a-service (DaaS) products are now available via the Amazon Data Exchange. The new partnership between Amazon and Gravy Analytics makes it simpler than ever for prospective buyers to discover, evaluate and use Gravy’s location data sets.

Gravy is among the first location data providers featured on Amazon’s AWS data exchange, which makes it easy for AWS customers to subscribe to and work with a range of third-party data services in the cloud. The initial data sets include Gravy’s verified Visitation data and Visitation data for the Automotive sector, and are available at no charge. Additional data sets will be released in the coming weeks.

“Making Gravy’s location data available via Amazon’s AWS Data Exchange enhances our brand promise,” said Jeff White, founder and CEO, Gravy Analytics. “As the largest, most accurate source of trusted location data, our partnership with Amazon makes Gravy’s location intelligence more usable by current customers and for prospective buyers.”

Unlike other location data providers, Gravy’s data co-op includes raw location data from multiple location data aggregators representing tens of thousands of apps. This unique approach provides Gravy with unmatched scale, and the unique ability to corroborate, unify and verify billions of daily location signals across multiple sources. Working with many partners and SDKs – as opposed to just one – enables Gravy to identify fraudulent and suspicious signals and devices within the location data ecosystem. The result is higher-quality location data sets and location-based products that organizations can use with confidence. 

For marketers, location data and the consumer behavioral information it provides can be used for audience targeting, buyer segmentation, and offline attribution. Location intelligence also supports various business and research needs, including foot traffic measurement, community planning and development, real estate site selection, and risk mitigation and fraud detection based on how people move about the physical world.

To view available products and request access to Gravy DaaS, visit the Amazon Data Exchange. To learn more about location intelligence and Gravy DaaS, contact us at info@gravyanalytics.com.

Location data is rife with problematic location signals. Some may argue that location signal quality is only an issue with location data sourced from the advertising bid stream, but that’s simply not true: SDK-sourced location data also contains fraudulent device and location information. Moreover, not all valid location signals have equal precision. For businesses using – or planning to use – location data to inform their business decisions, it’s essential to work with only valid data so that the results of any analysis are sound.

Gravy Analytics’ AdmitOne processing engine, with location data forensics, validates and tags every single location signal, to ensure that our clients are able to access and use only the location data that is appropriate to their analysis. Why does this matter?

Gravy Analytics is excited to launch 11 new audiences related to in-market car buyers for use in digital advertising campaigns. These new audiences make it easy for marketers to reach their target audience, using information about where people go – and what they do – in the real world.

Included in this month’s release are:

Auto Buyers – Eco-Friendly and Socially Minded – These in-market car consumers recently visited an auto dealer and are interested in eco-friendly cars. This audience is ideal for car dealers targeting consumers who would like to purchase either a hybrid like a Toyota Prius C or an electric car such as a Tesla. Expand your opportunities to engage with eco-conscious consumers further by looking into our ‘Green Living’ audience.

Auto Buyers – Family Friendly – These in-market auto buyers have recently visited a car dealer and are interested in family-friendly cars. Great for dealers looking to engage with parents (and soon-to-be parents) searching for sedan or SUV with top of the line safety features. Check out ‘Parents‘ or ‘Parents of High School Students‘ for more audience inspiration.

Auto Buyers – Made in America – These in-market car consumers have recently visited a dealership and are interested in cars made in the United States. They want their money to go towards a domestic car company rather than a foreign one. Their loyalty lies with brands such as Ford or Lincoln. 

Location intelligence can help auto dealerships engage with their customers and improve sales performance. Read Gravy’s recent blog post, ‘5 Ways for Automakers to Use Location Intelligence to Sell More Cars and Drive Customer Satisfaction.’

Looking to target auto buyers loyal to specific brands? Explore our audiences for brands such as Audi, GM, Lexus, and Nissan.

Browse all new audiences, below, or download the full list of Gravy Audiences available today.