Are you like me, do you hate having to type in your zip code to get your location on the mobile web? If you are an iPhone user who has run the latest software update (3.0), that is no longer a problem. Much of the lure of applications was the ability to ‘locate me,’ which didn’t work in the Safari browser, well now it works on iPhone, Android and Palm Pre.

Why should advertisers care about that feature?

Location in the browser is good news for two reasons:

1)    No more typing!

2)    Speeds up discovery of content

3)    If you don’t want your ad tied to app store discovery or approval processes, you have an alternative for running location based advertisements on the mobile web

Luckily, Google did the bulk of the work explaining the value of HTML 5. Specifically they’ve done three big things to hype ‘location in the browser’ in the past month. They launched the ability to locate yourself on http://google.com, enabled Latitude for iPhones via the browser, and followed up at Mobile Beat 2009 with the statement that they could not afford to customize experiences for all mobile devices.

But in a down economy the only innovation that gets a long look is that which relates to advertising: “how can I make money right now from this locate-me feature?”

 
Try it on your iPhone,Android, Palm Pre or email it to your phone.  (Note: If you are on a BB or other non-HTML 5 phone you will get a regular mobile banner that links to a dealer locator page with a prompt to enter your zipcode)

Now is the time for national brand advertisers who have enough geographic coverage to be able to target by time of day and use location as a lubricant to make the interaction easy and fun. Here are some easy campaigns that can work today:

1)    Automotive companies can direct buyers to the closest dealer

2)    National retailers and food chains can drive foot traffic to their closest retail locations

3)    Movie studios can help their audience find the closest theater

Adding some creativity, you can drill into more local businesses. For example, big companies that drive national loyalty programs such as airlines or American Express can tell users where their closest loyalty program partners are, which could be restaurants that offer deals to card members.

But make no mistake, location aware ads are right here, right now.
If you’d like a demo please email Tom Limongello or you can send us a tweet @crispwireless.