Maps, Apps and How You Can Target Both

In the wake of the iPhone 5 maps blunder, alternative mapping options have been all the craze; to the point that Apple CEO Tim Cook even suggested going elsewhere in the meantime.

One such suggestion is Waze, an Israel-based traffic and navigation app. Since Cook’s suggestion to use Waze, the app is adding 100,000 users daily. Waze isn’t taking this lightly, they are capitalizing on the opportunity.

On November 7, Waze is releasing ads on the app in the US and they aren’t using banners. Instead, they are taking a much more creative and useful approach. Waze will be integrating ads into the map itself through in-map coupons driving users to a nearby retail location.

While click-to-map ads are fairly common among mobile advertising, Waze is integrating this straight into its interface. I think it’s a great opportunity to utilize mobile ads in a native map environment. While the lasting power of Waze might be diminished when Google releases a maps app or when Apple releases a usable maps application, for the time being they are capitalizing upon their growth opportunity with style.

The opportunity is similar to click-to-map or geo-targeted mobile execution, but how willing would you be to use an in map coupon on Waze instead of traditional mapping opportunities?