TomTom to measure billboard ad views

Advertisers can now know which billboards are most likely to be read by drivers, using new software from satellite navigation specialists TomTom.

The software identifies where motorists are regularly stuck in traffic and their driving speed for any hour of any day and allows advertisers to get maximum impact.

Interbest is the first company to take advantage of this.

Interbest director, Meindert van den Heuvel, says: “We think giving advertisers such up-to-date and accurate insights into the reach of their campaigns will bring us new opportunities. Never before could we give advertisers this level of accountability.”

TomTom can also show which region, city or postal code area a car begins or ends their journey. The company says it will prove useful for advertisers that want to target campaigns to drivers in specific regions.

The offering is based on billions of anonymous speed measurements it collects from drivers. These measurements are also the basis for its IQ Routes technology.

TomTom senior vice president of development dynamic content & publishing, Anne van Houwelingen, says: “Advertisers relied on guesswork and instinct when it came to reaching their core audiences. Now the possibilities are endless. For instance a cereal company can now know which locations have the slowest traffic flow early mornings.”