Latest news with #geolocation
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Local Targeting Can Help Marketers In Stormy Economic Conditions
Rob Davis, President and CMO at Novus Media. At my company, we have a saying: Geography is destiny—in life and business. People of similar economic, demographic and cultural backgrounds tend to live near each other. And when people join communities and become part of something larger, it tends to influence how they feel and think and what resonates with them. Geography becomes particularly important during economic duress. For companies—and their agencies—this means you must work hard to find potential buyers without overspending on data and impressions that don't convert. Guideline, among other industry watchers, is predicting modest advertising spend increases, but at a slower rate than 2024 due to economic concerns. Therefore, there will be increased pressure to make those dollars count. So, what is the best way for companies to find the in-market buyers? Meeting them where they live, work and play alongside other similar people. I recommend using the humble ZIP code to leverage geolocation for targeted advertising. This goes beyond advertising and doesn't just affect pure-play retailers. From insurance to technology providers, if you have a target audience, you have several ZIP codes that will likely perform better than others. I believe geographic data should always be a core component of every business's strategy, but especially so when times are tough because it's often the best way to drive buyers to make a purchase. Here are some reasons why: You can supercharge prioritization. It's not uncommon for people who live together to develop bonds and speak the same dialect. If the town or city is known for certain industries, people who live next door to each other are probably more closely aligned in salary and worldview than they might be to someone in a similar job in another state. That's just the reality. Modern organizations develop one or a few ideal customer profiles (ICPs) with descriptors that identify the most likely or most lucrative customers. Oftentimes, you can find many people in these ICPs in the same area. You can then look at patterns in the data to identify the best prospects and opportunities for prioritization. For example, we had an enterprise software client that wanted to target the largest companies in the U.S. We identified 16 cities that housed high percentages of those ideal customers and digitally skewed our impressions in those cities while still running a national campaign. Those cities included the obvious—New York, Chicago and the Research Triangle in North Carolina—but also Minneapolis (which features Target, United Health and General Mills), Dallas (which includes AT&T and American Airlines) and St. Louis (which includes Anheuser-Busch, Centene and Edward Jones). As another example, a spirits client of ours wanted to reach casual non-beer drinkers who like to socialize in small groups. We were able to find and heavy up areas with the highest concentration of these groups. You can save on data costs while improving targeting. Many marketers too often think of targeting in pure psychographic or non-location-based demographic data, attributing half of their media spend to data and targeting costs instead of exploring potentially better or cheaper options. It's important to remember that not every localization strategy is alike. Advertisers that instead prioritize third-party audience data, which can add significant costs on a cost-per-mile basis, may struggle to maximize their value. Not only is the oft-forgotten ZIP code typically free in most digital media buying platforms, it's also more likely to drive purchase decisions in many scenarios. So, why doesn't everyone use ZIP codes for targeting? First of all, a ZIP code alone won't tell you much. You also need the historic data to unlock pertinent insights. Second, setting up a ZIP code strategy can take more effort. But once you get the mechanics down, in my experience, it's pure value. You can advertise nationally, but tailor locally. Research from Locality and The Harris Poll, published in AdAge (paywall), found more than 50% of individuals are more likely to purchase from a brand advertising locally compared to 13% nationally, highlighting the importance of a robust local strategy. Local advertising also gives companies the opportunity to frame messaging in terms that most resonate with that audience. For example, while planning a retail client's national buy, we tailored ads for different products to different neighborhoods (e.g., nasal spray to areas with high pollen counts or beauty products to neighborhoods that tended to have high concentrations of young women interested in low-cost makeup). We saw immediate gains. Advertisers that use local targeting can either affect national sales by targeting those areas most likely to buy or drive deeper local sales by tailoring messaging and placements to those most swayed by local advertising. In closing, audience targeting can be a powerful tool for marketers to reach buyers and prospects with improved precision. Whether you are conducting a national campaign or just advertising locally, the power of matching the right message to the densest market makes a ton of sense. Remember the common refrain: think global, act local, especially when it comes to advertising. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
First Due Partners with NextNav to Provide First Responder Vertical Location and 3D Visualization to Improve Responder Safety and Accountability
NextNav (Nasdaq: NN), a leader in next generation 3D geolocation technology, and First Due, the all-in-one AI-powered platform for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, today announced a partnership that brings NextNav's vertical location and 3D visualization technology to Fire and EMS giving these agencies a powerful new tool for personnel accountability. This partnership and NextNav's technology will allow incident commanders to visualize not only the horizontal location of personnel but also their vertical position. By displaying first responders using a NextNav 3D wireframe view of buildings directly within First Due's Incident Command and Response solution, commanders on scene can now pinpoint the exact real-time location of personnel inside tall or complex structures. This capability supports faster and more informed decision-making during emergencies and is designed to enhance responder safety and operational awareness, helping both front-line personnel and their command teams make better tactical choices in high-pressure situations. 'We're focused on ensuring First Due delivers real impact when it matters most. With the ability to visualize personnel not just on a 2D map but within a 3D model of a structure, incident commanders gain powerful situational awareness in the moments that count,' said Andreas Huber, Co-founder and CEO of First Due. 'We're proud to continue our partnership with NextNav and further develop solutions that aim to improve operational outcomes during the most complex urban responses.' 'NextNav is excited to bring its accurate z-axis location and 3D visualization services to First Due's application ecosystem. This partnership gives first responders and command staff a clearer picture of what's happening inside buildings during an emergency,' said Rob Clark, Senior Director of Public Safety at NextNav, 'This rollout marks a major milestone in bringing advanced actionable data into real-world emergency response — and sets the stage for similar upgrades at 9-1-1 call centers across the country.' About NextNav NextNav Inc. (Nasdaq: NN) is a leader in next generation positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), enabling a whole new ecosystem of applications and services that rely upon 3D geolocation and PNT technology. Powered by low-band licensed spectrum, NextNav's positioning and timing technologies deliver accurate, reliable, and resilient 3D PNT solutions for critical infrastructure, GPS resiliency and commercial use cases. For more information, please visit or follow NextNav on X or LinkedIn. About First Due First Due is the end-to-end, AI-powered operational suite for Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement. Its comprehensive, cloud-based platform includes Training and Learning Management, NERIs ePCR, Fire Prevention, Pre-Incident Planning, Scheduling & Personnel, Assets & Inventory, Community Engagement, Mobile Response, and more. Built for the modern responder, First Due delivers unified, data-driven solutions that reduce risk, streamline operations, and serve as the last piece of software an agency ever needs to buy. To learn more and see what First Due would look like for your agency, visit
CNET
23-07-2025
- CNET
I Set Up a VPN on My Roku to Stream Geo-Restricted Shows and Movies. Here's How You Can Too
Watching movies and shows from your favorite streaming services is easy with a streaming device or smart TV. These devices can give you access to thousands of live and on-demand streaming options with the push of a button or even a voice command. If you set up a VPN on your smart TV or streaming device, you can unlock a world of streaming options far beyond what would normally be available in your location. With a VPN, you can have streaming services register your internet connection as originating in another part of the world, which allows you to unblock geographically restricted content. On top of that, you'll keep your streaming activity private from your internet service provider and other online snoops because a VPN encrypts your online traffic. While some streaming devices like Fire TV Stick and Apple TV offer native support for VPN apps, allowing you to download the VPN app directly to the device, Roku devices do not. So, you'll need to take an alternate route to set up a VPN on your Roku device. Although not nearly as straightforward as downloading the VPN app directly to your device, getting a VPN set up on Roku is relatively easy -- and there's a good chance that you already have the necessary equipment to make it work. There are a few ways you can go about setting up a VPN on your Roku device, depending on what equipment you have on hand. For my setup, I have a VPN-enabled router that I use for whole-network coverage -- which is the most straightforward way to use a VPN on Roku. Alternatively, you can share a mobile hotspot from your Windows or Mac computer. Either way, you can use a VPN on your Roku and keep your activity private while vastly expanding your access to international streaming libraries, even if the device doesn't natively support VPN apps. Here's how. Use a VPN router You have several options if you want to use a VPN-compatible router with your Roku -- some potentially more complicated than others but all incurring extra costs. If you don't already have a VPN-compatible router, then you'll need to purchase one, which can cost anywhere from $50 to $250 for a decent model or even upwards of $1,000 for something extremely high-end. If you're budget-minded, then you can purchase a compatible router and install (or 'flash') special firmware onto it to make the VPN work. However, even though many VPNs have tutorials on how to do this on a variety of router models, it can still be a tricky process and probably risky to try if you're not particularly technically inclined. For one, if you botch the process, you run the risk or 'bricking' your router -- in other words, making it as useful for your VPN purposes as an actual brick. You also may end up voiding the warranty on your router. So if you do choose to flash your own VPN router, make sure you know what you're getting into before doing so. Another option is to go with a company like FlashRouters, who has partnerships with various VPN providers including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN. FlashRouters sells routers that are already flashed with the firmware you need and work right out of the box with your VPN provider. The catch is that you'll need to tack on about an extra $100 to the purchase price of the router you choose. If you already have a compatible router, FlashRouters can also flash your existing router remotely -- for about $75 to $100 depending on your router. But if that's in your budget, it's an easy way to go and eliminates the risk of turning your router into an expensive paperweight. If you're an ExpressVPN user, you can purchase its Aircove router, which comes in a portable version for $170 or a standard size for $190. The Aircove router is probably the easiest router solution to set up and use, but it's limited to ExpressVPN subscribers, whereas a router purchased from FlashRouters can be configured for a variety of VPN services. Besides giving you the ability to use a VPN on your Roku, a VPN router setup allows you to protect all of your devices at once. Simply connect your Roku or any other device (whether it supports VPN apps or not) to your VPN router network and you're good to go. This gives you whole-network coverage and can also help you get around simultaneous device limits imposed by VPN providers because the router connection counts as a single connection. Share your VPN connection with your Roku through your Mac computer If you're a Mac user and don't want to use a VPN router, you can create a Wi-Fi hotspot from your Mac computer and connect your Roku to it. When you connect to your VPN on your Mac, your Roku will use your Mac's Wi-Fi connection, and its traffic will go through the VPN server you're connected to. Here are the steps you'll need to take: Download your VPN app to your Mac. Connect your Mac to your Wi-Fi router using an Ethernet cable. Go to System Preferences → Sharing. Click on Internet Sharing. Select your VPN connection from the Share your connection dropdown menu. Tick Wi-Fi in the To computers using box. Click on Wi-Fi Options. Set a network name and password for your Wi-Fi hotspot. Select WPA2 Personal in the Security field and click OK. Click on the box next to Internet Sharing and then click Start. Open your VPN app on your Mac and connect to a server. On your Roku, navigate to Settings → Network → Set up connection → Wireless. Select your mobile hotspot from the list of available networks and enter the password you set for your mobile hotspot. Stream your favorite content like you normally would on Roku. Share your VPN connection with your Roku through your Windows computer Setting up a VPN on your Roku using a Wi-Fi hotspot on your Windows computer is essentially the same idea as with Mac, but the process is a bit different. Here's what you'll need to do: Download your VPN app to your Windows machine. Go to Settings → Network and Internet → Mobile Hotspot. Toggle Mobile hotspot to the On position. Click Edit under Network properties to edit the hotspot name and password if desired. Go to Control Panel. Click on View network status and tasks under Network and Internet. Click on Change adapter settings in the left panel. Right-click on the adapter that lists your VPN provider and click on Properties. Click on Sharing. Check the box next to Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection. In the drop-down menu under Home networking connection select the Local Area Connection* that corresponds to the Local Area Connection number with Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter listed underneath in the Network Connections window. Connect to a VPN server. On your Roku, navigate to Settings → Network → Set up connection → Wireless. Select your mobile hotspot from the list of available networks and enter the password you set for your mobile hotspot. Stream your favorite content like you normally would on Roku. What VPNs work with Roku? Using one of the methods outlined above, most any VPN would technically work with your Roku device. However, not all VPNs are created equal and some work better than others when it comes to things like streaming, privacy and fast speeds. Any one of CNET's top VPN picks is a solid choice and should work smoothly for streaming on your Roku, but the one you choose is up to you and can depend on factors like your budget, server locations, speeds, device compatibility and overall feature set. If you want the best VPN for streaming overall, ExpressVPN is a great option. If you're after the fastest download speeds, I recommend going with NordVPN because it was the fastest VPN in our most recent VPN speed tests. If you're on a budget, Surfshark and Private Internet Access are both excellent choices because they deliver premium VPN performance at wallet-friendly prices. Each of these VPNs is a well-rounded option for streaming, gaming, boosting your privacy and pretty much any other online activity. Each one also offers a money-back guarantee, so there's little risk in trying a few options to see which one works best for you.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
Yahoo is part of the
If you click ' Accept all ', we and our partners, including 236 who are part of the IAB Transparency & Consent Framework, will also store and/or access information on a device (in other words, use cookies) and use precise geolocation data and other personal data such as IP address and browsing and search data, for analytics, personalized advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, and audience research and services development. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click ' Reject all '. If you would like to customise your choices, click ' Manage privacy settings '.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
U.S. Investigates How Much of Iran's Nuclear Program Was Destroyed—And How Much Remains
Analysts seek clues through satellite imagery, but beyond large holes and evidence of discoloration, comprehensive conclusion of strike success proves elusive for now.
