Waze: multiple features
What is special about the most downloaded GPS application in France?
The preferred GPS navigator for French drivers
Waze is a GPS navigation app created in 2008. It was bought by Google in 2013 and has continued to grow ever since. Today, the application has no less than 16 million monthly users in France and over 140 million users worldwide.
But how can the success of the application be explained ? Waze offers many innovative and practical features:
- Several types of itineraries (the fastest, without toll...)
- Live travel time estimation
- Real-time traffic information and alerts (traffic jams, accidents, checks, etc.)
Users can also interact by reporting events to the community. This social aspect is not unlike social networks, which are increasingly used in France. Waze has therefore been able to respond to various demands while adapting its media to current digital trends.
An effective advertising tool
Another interesting feature, but this time for businesses, is local ads. Using the app's ad manager, Waze Ads, brands can directly create customised ads quickly and easily.
The objective of these ads is to expose motorists driving in the catchment area to the sales outlets of companies located along their route. Companies therefore develop their visibility and their local reputation within a relevant target group. Waze Ads represents an opportunity for companies: they can strengthen their local marketing strategy and boost their drive-to-store.
This solution is a real godsend for companies with retail outlets or hospitality establishments, especially in the restaurant, hotel, tourism and automotive sectors. Why? It allows them to easily target holidaymakers, an often overlooked audience that is the core or primary target of many businesses.
Advertising on Waze: unique and adapted services
Waze Ads offers different advertising services depending on the company type and budget.
Channel Sales, an exceptional partnership
Channel Sales is an exclusive partner program with a common goal: to promote both Waze and the partner company in three specific areas.
- Business support: the partner company acts as a true ambassador for the application by sharing information (insights, presentations, content, etc.)
- Market support: this involves promoting the partnership, primarily through joint publicity, help in writing articles or press releases
- Product and trafficking support: companies have access to the Waze API, which allows them to manage their local campaigns independently.
This program is not based on an expansion strategy, but rather on exclusivity. Partnerships are therefore very limited and are only intended for companies such as DeepReach, whose expertise is a relevant complement to Waze's existing services.
" The partnership with DeepReach provides an effective response to the local communication challenges of French VSEs and networked companies.
The integration of Waze Ads into the DeepReach technology platform allows any small business (independent or franchise) to effectively and automatically activate a campaign that will generate awareness and traffic at the point of sale."
Yann Zidi, Lead Channel Sales - Waze
Waze Ads, the basis for local advertising
More generally, the advertising manager offers a solution for companies with a large budget: up to $30,000 per month. This option has many advantages:
- access to all advertising formats;
- telephone support;
- advanced targeting;
- payment by invoice.
SMEs and VSEs with smaller budgets can also create self-service ads on Waze Ads Starter, although the options remain limited.
Advertising formats in Waze Ads
The advertising manager offers various and original formats to enhance the visibility of your business on the GPS application.
Pins
Pins are markers that indicate to users that they are close to a point of sale, indicating the precise location of the establishment. They also display current opening hours and special offers. In other words, Pins act as digital advertising signs.
Search
With this feature, the name of the company appears in the results in the search bar. The logo and address are also high lighted, making it easier to catch the eye. This is a simple and effective way to stand out from the competition.
Takeovers
This feature displays an announcement in the form of a banner to Wazers when they are at a completest and still for at least 4 seconds. The store's promotions or information then appear and dominate part of the screen (like a pop-up). This generates traffic to the point of sale.
Arrows
Arrows in form drivers that there is an outlet near their location. They canclick on them to find out more. This is where the Pins are triggered.
How to advertise on Waze Ads
With Waze Ads, companies have a simple advertising manager that allows them to run,analyse and improve local digital campaigns.
Quick and easy steps
With just a few clicks, companies can create effective local advertising campaigns. The first step is to determine the location. It is essential to define the catchment area in order to target users who are passing by the point of sale.
The next step is to define the budget. This can be set freely, depending on the company's specific needs and without the risk of over spending. Once these two steps have been completed, Waze verifies the account within 24 hours, and the company appears on the GPS map!
Customised and constantly improved campaigns
With Waze Ads, businesses can personalise their ads with a relevant call-to-action : Go there (route), Call, Save this place, Send me a reminder...
They can also monitor the results and performance of campaigns in real time in order to adjust the budget:
- number of views;
- number of clicks and interactions;
- number of registered navigations to the point of sale.
Finally, Waze Ads enables the updating of ads already in place. This means that whenever they need to, businesses can change banners, replace their logo and even add additional information and services. This convenient feature is a significant time-saver.
In summary, Waze fits perfectly into a local communication strategy, as the ads target a unique audience in close proximity to a business's location. In addition, the ad manager enables not only effective campaigns, but also budget optimisation. Even if it is not a social network per se, Waze represents an additional media to exploit in a digital and local marketing strategy!
