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Vicinity: The Year in Data 2023
As we embark on the journey through 2024, it's essential to take a moment and recognise the significant milestones and achievements that marked 2023 for Vicinity Media. 20 Feb 2024 Read more

Is your targeting as accurate as ours? Smash the competition in the Vicinity Media Padel League!
Vicinity Media is excited to announce the Vicinity Media Padel League, and we’re inviting you to be part of the action! 19 Feb 2024 Read more

The power of 1st party data in omnichannel strategy and measurement
Digital transformation is well and truly underway, and marketing is now more and more data driven. While it lagged behind for a few years, out of home has quickly caught up. Data is everywhere and 'everyone has it', but not all data is created equal. Vicinity Media has many unique data sources and in this article I'll share how we use them for our clients and demonstrate the real wins when this data is leveraged in strategy, execution and measurement within an omnichannel approach, says Sharne Daniels, a DOOH campaign specialist at Vicinity Media. 28 Sep 2023 Read more

The biggest opportunities that mobile data and location technology offer the OOH and digital OOH industry
We can all agree that OOH is digitally transforming at break-neck speed, Covid pushed the Fast Forward button and it hasn't let up since. The days of thumb sucking traffic counts is not a too distant memory either which makes the pace of change all the more outstanding (not to say there isn't still some thumb sucking), says Vicinity Media co-founder and CEO Daryl van Arkel. 30 Jun 2023 Read more

DealFeed takes home 2 Silver MMA Smarties Awards
DealFeed, our digital catalogue solution, has been recognised for innovation at the MMA Smarties South Africa Awards, receiving 2 Silver Awards in the categories of Experience Technology (Geo Targeting) and E-Commerce Marketing (O2O/New Retail/Innovative Sales Channel). 6 Apr 2023 Read more

Vicinity: The Year in Data 2022
As we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2023... It's time to reflect on the standout moments and achievements made in 2022. 2 Mar 2023 Read more

Big Data hire at Vicinity Media
Vicinity Media have announced that Greg Mason has joined South Africa's leading location data and technology company as supply and data manager. Mason has over 12 years of digital advertising experience with a specific focus on commercialising online publications through advertising. 2 Feb 2023 Read more

Don't take claims at face value
Choose #IBuyVerified 13 Oct 2022 Read more

Celebrations continue with the True Location Cup
Makro successfully amplified their 51 Years of Great Savings campaign through utilising Vicinity's Digital Catalogue and True Location Targeting Technology - reaching the right audiences, at the right place. 10 Oct 2022 Read more

Print media legend joins the Vicinity Media team!
Vicinity Media have announced that Olav 'Ollie' Westphal has joined South Africa's leading location data and technology company as head of retail. Ollie brings with him a 25 year track record of unrivalled success in the marketing and advertising field, and is the industry authority on the printed catalogue and its role in retail advertising. 1 Sep 2022 Read more

Celebrations continue with the True Location Cup
Relevance is key to the success of Caltex's Big Flex campaign. Fuel prices at an all-time high, Caltex cleverly utilised Vicinity's True Location data and 4D targeting technology to advertise their Big Flex competition to specific audiences and locations. 15 Aug 2022 Read more

Celebrations start today with the True Location Cup
The True Location Cup inspires and educates the industry about the power of fresh ideas, creative thinking and innovation. Starcom's Otrivin pollen count campaign exceeded all expectations! 4 Jul 2022 Read more

Omnichannel. One audience, one message, any relevant screen
Vicinity Media's growth from 'the geo-fencing guys' into a big data player happened over a number of years. The transformation was complete when the company launched Vicinity 4D as a data source and targeting solution in 2020. This gold standard data product is derived from direct publisher integrations, near me searches, campaign engagements, store visits, and your website audience, and in layman terms means we know where and how to target your audience most effectively, eliminating risk and ramping up performance. 3 Jun 2022 Read more

Media powerhouse has joined the Vicinity Media team
Leading location technology and data business Vicinity Media are proud to announce that digital OOH marketing strategist Bianca Pianese has joined the team. 26 May 2022 Read more

Introducing the True Location Cup aka the TLC
It's official - we're taking awards to a whole new level with the True Location Cup. 17 May 2022 Read more

Vicinity: The Year in Data
It's been an explosive year for Vicinity Media... 10 Feb 2022 Read more

Vicinity 4D: We're not just advertising, we're mining data
At Vicinity Media, we've jumped into the big data space big time. We currently process over 500 million data points every month from our audience of 10 million-plus unique users through direct integrations with SA's best and most trusted premium publishers. This data 'gold dust' has become the underlying foundation on which our business ecosystem is built and allows our homegrown proprietary technology to laser target your audience unlike any other. 12 Jan 2022 Read more

Cheap data. An expensive mistake.
Unlike a billboard that a client can see, you can't personally police the whole internet, meaning the digital media space has always been open to abuse. Click farms and bots pretending to be customers have wasted millions of dollars of ad spend. Ads that aren't even viewable have been paid for all leading to the rise of independent 3rd party measurement. 11 Nov 2021 Read more

Near Me - The most effective way to target consumers with purchase intent
As advertisers ready for their busiest time of the year, the Near Me microapp - an endpoint providing laser targeted location data for users with purchase intent - helps brands reach their audiences with unerring precision. 2 Nov 2021 Read more

Vicinity 4D - Audience data and targeting with 4x the power
Big data is the driving force behind digital advertising. Vicinity Media leverages 1st Party Location Data from four unique sources to fuel consumer insights, behaviour and trends for more targeted data driven marketing. 11 Oct 2021 Read more

Near Me shows explosive growth!
Vicinity Media's Near Me microapp has seen incredible growth since launching late last year. In June the microapp appeared 94,998,674 times and recorded an incredible 493,979 engagements. With over five million unique users, Near Me already has one of the biggest audiences in the country. 19 Jul 2021 Read more

Near Me: Local Search behaviour in February
Vicinity Media's Near Me microapp was active across 10 publisher sites in February, with 17 search categories gaining a total 103,163 user clicks. 14 May 2021 Read more

Near Me local search trends reveal what's on the consumer's mind
Which local searches were trending in January? 3 Mar 2021 Read more

Location, location, location
This article from Brainstorm magazine is reproduced with the permission of ITWeb. 7 Jan 2021 Read more

The campaign that took home a Global Smarties X Gold Award
In 2019, Heinken ran a campaign - in partnership with Vicinity Media, Dentsu Redstar and Waze - to lead the conversation around the dangers of drinking before driving. 3 Dec 2020 Read more

See location accuracy and ad transparency in action
There are a lot of pretenders out there in the location-based advertising space. They lure you in with empty promises of accuracy and transparency. But can these companies actually show you the promised deliverables? 4 Nov 2020 Read more

Near Me: Happy users. Happy advertisers. Happy publishers.
Imagine if your favourite site or app had built in local search and weather functionalities? Imagine if these functionalities were intuitive. You don't need to imagine any more... 12 Oct 2020 Read more

Don't take AdTech claims at face value
Incredible capability claims made by many AdTech platforms seem too good to be true. Sadly, most are, says Vicinity Media Co-Founder and CEO Daryl van Arkel. 1 Oct 2020 Read more

Taking the distance window for a test drive
When it comes to location based mobile advertising, Vicinity Media's innovations are unmatched. Our Distance Window (DW) messaging is a prime example of our pioneering work, and we're excited to share test drive figures that back up our confidence. 3 Sep 2020 Read more

Add trust to your ad
Trust in a product or service is a major motivating factor for choosing one brand over another. Before buying offline, consumers look online for other consumers' reviews, because these are seen as unbiased and trustworthy - unlike an advert, where the goal is to place the product or service in the best light possible. 22 Jul 2020 Read more

Grand Prix award-winning case study
In 2019 Heineken ran a campaign, in partnership with Vicinity Media, that aimed to discourage individuals from drinking and driving. The combination of location targeting, relevance and utility proved so successful that it was awarded the Roger Garlick Grand Prix. 5 Jun 2020 Read more

Audience targeting | USP 3
Over the last five years Vicinity Media has grown into Africa's leading location-based mobile ad network and technology company. This impressive growth has largely been based on our USPs - the key factors that set us apart from the many location pretenders. 27 May 2020 Read more

Take advantage of lockdown relaxation with True Location targeting
As we continue to navigate our way through lockdown and the subsequent economic impact, it's clear that there is no quick and easy way out the other side. Lockdown will be relaxed gradually and in a sector by sector even branch by branch manner. 30 Apr 2020 Read more

Digital marketing during a pandemic
The past week has seen widespread panic and mass stockpiling, with doomsday predictions running rampant. South African businesses are nervous. The projected outlook is uncertain, particularly for small enterprises and physical retailers. The advertising fraternity is seeing clients cancel or postpone campaigns due to uncertainty related to Covid-19. 26 Mar 2020 Read more

Get to know your audience with real 1st party location data
As the African leader in location-based advertising, Vicinity Media continues to innovate its already impressive product stack with the release of an immensely powerful Data Visualisation tool. The Visualiser surfaces critical key insights leading to better targeting, audience profiling for clients and allows Vicinity's team of location experts to ensure campaign objectives are always exceeded. 25 Mar 2020 Read more

Vicinity Media 2019 - The year in location
2019 was a big growth year for Vicinity Media. We ran close to 2,000 campaigns, drove over two-and-a-half million customers to store (yes, we actually 'saw' them in store) and collected over two billion first-party location data points. This year we'll be harnessing that data for our clients and agency partners. See the other highlights in the infographic below: 7 Feb 2020 Read more

Vicinity. Now pinpointing your audience
Not satisfied with having the best location targeting on the market, Vicinity Media has been hard at work building market leading audience targeting and retargeting capabilities, harnessing the mountains of data being collected across SA's biggest premium publisher network. 25 Nov 2019 Read more

Premium Publisher Network | USP 2
Over the last five years Vicinity Media has grown into Africa's leading location-based mobile ad network and technology company. 26 Sep 2019 Read more

True location | USP 1
Over the last five years Vicinity Media has grown into Africa's leading location-based mobile ad network and technology company. 20 Jun 2019 Read more

Vicinity Media achieves 100% location accuracy in independent audit
At Vicinity Media our location technology and accuracy is our highest priority, so when independent location verification company Location Sciences entered the market, we jumped at the opportunity to have our tech audited. 11 Jun 2019 Read more

Vicinity Media nominated at the UK Drum Mobile Awards 2019
Vicinity Media is honoured to be one of three finalists - with our amazing client KFC - in the Location Based Services category of the UK's most prestigious digital advertising awards! 29 Apr 2019 Read more

VisitAbility video case study
Vicinity Media launched VisitAbility - an attribution reporting product in 2018. 18 Mar 2019 Read more

Location targeting case study
Vicinity Media is always innovating in the location space, in this case study we investigate delivering different messages to consumer's based on how far they were from the clients physical store...multiple messages based on distance from the same location. 11 Feb 2019 Read more

Distance, only sexier
One of Vicinity Media's key differentiators is the ability to publish and integrate the Distance to Offer/Store within the client's creative. This requires extremely accurate location technology, as well as an ad-building platform within your ad server to publish the location. 5 Nov 2018 Read more

Vicinity Media extends African footprint
Not content with monetising the biggest mobile network in South Africa, Vicinity Media has been building a comprehensive network of publishers north of the border. The network has been established as clients, in both SA and further afield, looking to reach consumers with true location targeting within a premium publisher environment. 30 Aug 2018 Read more

'Click and mortar' success for local store marketers
Without True Location Targeting you're not Local Store Marketing 11 Jul 2018 Read more

Does your location-based mobile partner know the location of your ads?
The digital media industry's latest obsessions are brand safety and viewability - two closely linked topics born out of the controversial practice of programmatic advertising. Programmatic does serve certain purposes but more often than not it's about trying to get inventory at the lowest possible rate, without actually knowing exactly where your ads are going. (Not knowing where your ads are going... bizarre isn't it? Especially when some of the players involved claim to be location experts, but that's the digital world we live in.) 10 Jul 2018 Read more

How Vicinity Media built SA's premium publisher network in under three years
1. Increasing revenue through the creation of a new mobile waterfall 20 Mar 2018 Read more

18 reasons why...
You should be getting True Location from Vicinity Media... 14 Feb 2018 Read more

You definitely haven't seen this video before...
Not satisfied with releasing a "me too" video product, location-based mobile network Vicinity Media have worked hard to release a truly first-to-market location-focused video solution and are proud to announce the product includes some global innovations. 8 Nov 2017 Read more

Vicinity Media - Over 100 million impressions not served this month
The digital advertising industry is full of networks and companies that continually talk about the billions of impressions they serve and the huge reach they have access to. 27 Sep 2017 Read more

Vicinity Media releases Visitability Reporting
Mobile advertising network Vicinity Media has released proprietary geo-fencing and audience location technology that allows for real world visit reporting post exposure to a mobile web advertising campaign. Although visit tracking from App has been around for some time, such reporting in the mobile web space is a global innovation. Vicinity Media COO Neil Clarence comments, “From the research we've done, the global events we've attended and the companies we've engaged with, we believe this is a global first to market solution.” 2 Aug 2017 Read more

Vicinity Media releases Time to Location
Vicinity Media have released a new location-specific feature, Time to Location. Since releasing their Dynamic Distance Window and Custom Landing Page features last year, Vicinity Media's clients have been able to display either the distance to their brand location, or a location-specific custom message within banner and landing page. 5 Jul 2017 Read more

Gavin Emes is in the Vicinity
Vicinity Media have announced that digital media heavyweight Gavin Emes will be joining the location-based mobile network. Emes will head up Vicinity's African expansion, bringing with him over a decade's experience in sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa and the UK. 30 May 2017 Read more

Real location turns advertising into relevant content
Vicinity Media was founded to increase relevance in mobile advertising. The belief at the mobile ad network is that something as personal as your mobile phone should only receive communication that's highly relevant to the owner of the phone. Vicinity achieves this by using precise location targeting that results in location-enhanced communication. 8 May 2017 Read more

Vicinity Media delivers in a David vs Goliath battle
Vicinity Media goes head to head with Google's Display Network (GDN) and outperforms across multiple sectors. Over 70% better in some cases! 4 May 2017 Read more

True location-based advertising is where it's at
Location-based advertising is a fast-growing, highly innovative field within the wider marketing industry. While there are major benefits to be had for marketers, it's critical they separate the ‘real location' providers from the many buzzword-sprouting imitators. 7 Apr 2017 Read more

Vicinity Media opens Cape Town office, welcomes new staff and publishers
February is a going to be a busy month for Vicinity Media. The growing mobile advertising network recently opened its third regional office in Cape Town (after Johannesburg and Dubai). The office will be run by CEO and co-founder Daryl van Arkel and co-founder Charles Talbot. 6 Feb 2017 Read more

Big data is like sex, everyone talks about it but no one has it - this and more from Ad:Tech 2016
Ad:Tech is a global meeting place for forward-thinking brands, agencies and media owners with events held throughout the year in different countries. Neil Clarence, COO of location-based advertising specialists Vicinity Media, provides feedback from day one at the New York event. 22 Nov 2016 Read more

Vicinity Media releases Dynamic Distance Window
Vicinity Media's Distance Window is a popular and award-winning innovation in the South African (and Middle Eastern) digital media industries. The window publishes the exact distance from the consumer's current location to the advertiser's offer in real-time and displays it within the creative. Until now the window was a static image, meaning advertisers had to allocate space for it within their artwork. 12 Oct 2016 Read more

Genevieve Nash joins Vicinity Media
Vicinity Media has announced that digital specialist and industry leader Genevieve Nash has joined the fast-growing location-based mobile advertising network. 23 Sep 2016 Read more

Vicinity Media launches interactive rich media - A wealth of location targeting
Hot on the heels of adding the 300 x 600 full screen mobile unit to its creative arsenal, Vicinity Media now brings you the world's most engaging rich media creative solutions - all with precise location targeting. 21 Jul 2016 Read more

Vicinity's premium publisher network hits 30-plus
This week Vicinity Media announced the addition of BizNews, TVSA, Career, Skills and Jobs Portal, radio stations Algoa FM, OFM and Visi to its premium publisher network, taking the number of active premium publishers in the network into the mid-30's. Vicinity is currently capable of delivering 60 million location-relevant banners every month in what has now become one of SA's leading mobile networks. 4 Jul 2016 Read more

Vicinity Media launches location-based video across rapidly expanding network
Following the recent launch of the 300x250 mobile ad unit, Vicinity Media has another first-to-market location innovation. Brands can now play mobile video on the Vicinity landing page, video that is only triggered when users are within close proximity to brand locations. 15 Apr 2016 Read more

Click fraud must fall
Mobile networks have been known to deliver 'suspicious' clicks and impressions from different cities, countries or even species! This is through no fault of the networks but is a side effect of mass scale and having thousands of publisher partners. Vicinity Media's location technology stops any potential false delivery or performance before it starts. 15 Mar 2016 Read more

Vicinity Media releases a 300 x 250 ad unit (with distance window)
Vicinity Media has added the 300 x 250 rectangle ad unit to their range of mobile ad inventory. The larger unit has been developed to take advantage of larger smartphone screens and thus increases performance. 28 Jan 2016 Read more

Vicinity Media opens Dubai Office
Location-based mobile advertising network Vicinity Media recently opened its first international office in the United Arab Emirates. American media entrepreneur Wendy Weckstrom and Finnish tech expert Alexander Le Bell will head up Vicinity Middle East (M.E), based in Dubai, serving the entire Middle East region. 18 Nov 2015 Read more

Vicinity Offers introduces the digital evolution of the printed insert
South Africa's leading retailers have built their businesses with printed inserts delivered primarily through the community newspaper network. Using a combination of reach, range and location, this has proven a highly successful medium. However as print readership migrates to digital, the insert industry has been left in need of innovation. 24 Aug 2015 Read more

Vicinity Media launches mobile banners containing Dynamic Distance Window
Vicinity Media, Africa's first true location-based mobile ad network, has released a revolutionary new feature - the in-banner distance window. This mobile pop-up banner reveals the actual distance from the user's location to the advertised offer. Consumers will now finally be able to distinguish between real, relevant location messaging and ordinary mobile display. 24 Jul 2015 Read more

Times Media Live and Guzzle join the Vicinity Media family
Vicinity Media, Africa's first true location-based mobile ad network, has announced the addition of two key publishing partners to their ever-growing network. The addition of Times Media Live (TML) and Guzzle sees the Vicinity network jump to double figures in terms of publisher partners. 10 Jun 2015 Read more

2015 South African mobile location-based advertising report released by Vicinity Media
Mobile spend across South Africa is growing year on year however still lags behind developed markets such as the US, where mobile is currently positioned as the true 'first screen'. As Africa's first true location-based mobile ad network, Vicinity Media releases its state of the industry report every quarter, with the 2015 first quarter report having recently been released. The report aims to inform marketers, agencies and brands just how effective mobile is becoming and recognises the early adopters that are getting it right. 21 May 2015 Read more

WeatherTrac - up advertising performance when the temperatures drop
Winter is around the corner and that means an increase in seasonal shopping habits. Coffee, hot chocolate, cold and flu medication and vitamins all experience a sales spike in the winter season. Vicinity Media, Africa's first true location-based mobile ad network have a unique targeting tool perfect for the coming colder months. 14 Apr 2015 Read more

Does your holiday marketing campaign feature on mobile?
Here we are, Christmas trees twinkling behind shop windows, Boney M on the airwaves and Santa's in malls beckoning shoppers to open their hearts and wallets. The festive season is upon us and if your holiday and back to school marketing plans are not yet finalised and ready to be executed, then read on. 9 Dec 2014 Read more

Vicinity Media technology revolutionises research methods
Local premium mobile advertising network, Vicinity Media, has announced a partnership with a leading global research house to flight a test mobile research campaign investigating the social grants sector in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KZN. Capitalising on its technology, the explosion of mobile ownership and the ability to directly reach location-specific individuals in real time, Vicinity Media is set to revitalise the field of mobile marketing and research in South Africa. 23 Oct 2014 Read more

Big brands fast to adopt location-based mobile advertising
The trend of American advertisers adopting Location-Based Mobile advertising (LBM) is ringing true in the local market. Africa's first true location-based mobile ad network Vicinity Media reveals that Nando's, Tsogo Sun, JD Group, FNB, Unilever, MTN, DStv, Shoprite, Jaguar, Telkom and Nissan are just some of the big brands taking advantage of location-based mobile advertising to drive in-store sales. And as the feverish shopping season approaches, we can expect to see more brands using location-based mobile to drive consumers from the digital world to the physical point of sale. 10 Oct 2014 Read more

Vicinity Media boosts business development team
Premium mobile advertising network Vicinity Media has announced the appointment of industry specialists Darren van der Schyff and Dwane McCarthy to take the helm of the company's new business development and media sales across South Africa, and the African continent. 26 Aug 2014 Read more

Vicinity Media announces publisher deal with Mail & Guardian
Start-up Location-Based Mobile (LBM) ad network Vicinity Media, has announced a publisher agreement with revered title Mail & Guardian - one of the world's first online newspapers. Launched recently as an independent offshoot from holding company BPS (Business Positioning Systems), Vicinity Media's positive traction in the LBM market has attracted investment from ex-RMB executives, followed shortly by the Mail & Guardian alignment. 1 Aug 2014 Read more

Vicinity Media targets rapid growth through private equity deal
Johannesburg based digital media company Business Positioning Systems (BPS) has announced a private equity deal with two ex RMB Executives to fund the expansion of recently formed business Vicinity Media. Vicinity's proprietary technology provides hyper-relevant advertising based on consumer profiles including location, search term, handset type, local weather conditions, demographics, time of day and day of the week. 25 Jul 2014 Read more