OneRiot Introduces Social Targeting for Mobile

Online advertising marketplace OneRiot has launched a social targeting service in which advertisers can reach mobile users through interest profiles, demographics, social influence and real-time conversations.

Audience profiles are created via social streams such as Twitter, using relevant mobile content such as status updates, tweets, photos, advertising and more. OneRiot implemented the service for Chevrolet during the Super Bowl, trying to gain additional exposure for Chevy's television ad during the game.

The campaign was targeted to male sports fans and car enthusiasts who were talking about "football" across a network of mobile Twitter apps. When they checked their apps, users would see an ad for Chevy that prompted them to watch the car manufacturer's Super Bowl video on YouTube.

OneRiot explains that mobile targeting today is typically based on location and platform, as opposed to how targeting is done on the desktop Web - where granular audience segments can be identified based on interests, demographics, etc. As a result, mobile campaign performance tends to be much lower than those found on the desktop Web.

Until now. OneRiot's targeting service is based on the fundamental belief that mobile is inherently social, and that user behavior on mobile is social. Users engage with content on their mobile devices that is relevant to their current social activity - whether it be status updates, tweets, photos or advertising.

Based on the company's track record for innovation, this will be worth watching closely.