The analytics division of media conglomerate Omnicom Group and digital marketing software firm Kenshoo are using mobile check-ins to match online advertising with in-store activity.

Annalect, the digital analytics and metrics division within Omnicom Media Group, has formed a strategic global partnership with digital marketing software firm Kenshoo to collaborate on new services within search engine marketing, social media and emerging online advertising channels. One of the focuses of the partnership is mobile marketing and using social network APIs to track check-ins and other location-based activity as evidence of the impact of online ads. 

?For marketers with physical locations like retailers, check-ins are an important signal to see the full impact of online marketing,? said Aaron Goldman, chief marketing officer of Kenshoo, San Francisco.

?And the mobile device is the key connection point,? he said. ?In a nutshell, check-ins give us a way to prove the value of online campaigns.?

Connecting the dots
The partnership will help marketers connect the dots between the Web and the cash register as well as optimize consumer touch points.

Kenshoo and Annalect will also provide advertisers with unique targeting data to reach consumers at the right time with the right message.

The strategic global partnership extends an existing relationship between the two companies, with Annalect using Kenshoo?s digital marketing software for clients such as HBO, HP, Lowe?s and Starbucks.

?Essentially, what we are doing in the first phase is using mobile devices to measure the impact of online advertising,? Mr. Goldman said. 

?One of the ways we are doing this is by tracking when someone checks-in and matching that information up with the information we have about online campaigns,? he said.

This will enable advertisers to measure if an increase in their spend on Facebook corresponds with a spike in people going into a store and checking-in.

The program will leverage check-ins on foursquare and Facebook to track the impact of online ads on offline actions.

?This is leveraging something that people are used to doing ? checking-in,? Mr. Goldman said.

?And it follows that mobile campaigns will drive higher check-in conversion rates as they're more likely to reach consumers at a time and place that's more conducive to entering a store and taking that action,? he said.

The next phase of the partnership will move beyond using mobile for tracking into using it as a way to activate campaigns with offers, deals and redemptions.

?Mobile search spend via Kenshoo is increasing month over month,? Mr. Goldman said. ?By importing more metrics like check-ins into Kenshoo, we expect this growth to accelerate ? not just for search but across all marketing channels.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York