In today’s data-driven marketplace, location data has emerged as one of the most powerful and under-leveraged tools for marketers and brand and business strategists.
No longer just a tool for counting footsteps, location intelligence is a strategic asset for understanding consumer behaviour in the real world, offering insights into movement, behaviour and intent. In other words, an invaluable tool for marketers and brand strategists.
Used smartly, it becomes a cornerstone of modern marketing intelligence, offering brand strategists and marketers strategic audience and media insights and knowledge for advertising investment decisions and consumer behaviour modelling, based on real-world data patterns.
Looking ahead, thanks to AI and real-time data, we’re moving toward predictive spatial analytics. This means brands will now be able to predict where their customers will go and be so they can show up before their customer even gets there.
This is the future of marketing, and none of us want to be left behind.
A new era
I have been fortunate to have a front row seat during the transition of location data, from when we simply tracked how many people walked past a store to the era of location intelligence, when data is no longer determined by basic footfall counts but by the contextual, real-time understanding of movement, behaviour, and patterns linked to place and time.
Location intelligence combines GPS data, mobile signals, app interactions and even environmental data to build a rich picture of consumer intent and context. It’s not just knowing that someone was near a gym but understanding that they visit regularly at 06:00, are likely health-conscious and respond better to ads for protein supplements than gym memberships.
Traditionally, location data was used to measure physical presence — how many visitors entered a shop, how long they stayed, and when peak hours occurred. While still useful, these metrics are now just the foundation.
The real value lies in interpreting what those movements mean and using that insight to make smarter, more predictive decisions. That’s what makes it one of the most powerful tools in the modern data ecosystem.
How does it work?
Simply put, location-based marketing (LBM) utilises comprehensive geographical location data of consumers to deliver targeted advertising and content.
For example, at Rook Digital we use location signals to build high-intent audience segments based on real-world behaviours such as frequent visitors to gyms, shopping malls or quick service restaurant (QSR) brands. These audiences are then activated across digital platforms, enabling precise targeting that reflects actual consumer interests and habits.
This is done by using precision modelling, where we enrich anonymised location signals with machine learning to understand patterns like dwell time, visitation uplift, and can track the consumer journey across zones.
We also have an aggregated real-world South African mobility panel built through partnerships in anonymised app ecosystems, enabling cultural and geographic specificity. Then, we bridge the data science with media strategy, allowing advertisers to make real-time, location-based decisions that drive business outcomes – not just impressions.
It’s easy to see that the true potential of location data lies in the broader strategic value and deep insight it offers to marketers and business leaders. In other words, it’s pure gold for marketing and operational decision-making.
This is how it works:
Smarter media planning
One of the topics I will be covering during my talk at this year’s MMA CMO Summit on 10th September 2025, is how AI and ML are being used in the new implementation of location data tracking by enabling more accurate, efficient, and insightful applications.
Broadly speaking they are used to:
- Identify patterns in spatial behaviour across consumer segments
- Predict high-opportunity zones before media placement
- Score location zones by quality, attention, and context — not just raw numbers
This enables marketers to create intelligent, adaptive media plans that evolve alongside foot traffic, effectively changing the game.
Location data is a valuable strategic asset for understanding consumer behaviour in high-traffic spaces like airports and malls, as it captures what no survey can: what people actually do, not just what they say and where they go, how long they stay, and how often they return.
This makes it an invaluable tool, for example, for marketers planning out of home (OOH) media strategy.
By utilising this interrogated geolocation data, brands can deliver tailored messages to the right audience at the right time, based on consumer proximity.
Temporal insights (measured by or related to time) from location data – such as peak visitation times or seasonal trends, inform when to push campaigns or upweight media spend. This leads to more efficient budget allocation and higher campaign performance.
The approach builds real-world consumer profiles and lets brands mirror physical behaviour with media presence, closing the online-offline loop.
Where location data shines brightest
Not all places are equal for data collection. High-footfall public spaces like shopping malls and airports serve as priority zones for capturing high-value behavioural signals.
At OR Tambo International Airport for example, travel accessory retailers can utilise geofencing in high-traffic terminal areas, and then use dwell time and movement data to optimise ad placements. Doing so, helps them to understand where passengers are spending the most time and tailor their ad content accordingly.
Total marketing impact measurement
Traditional attribution often stops at digital interactions, and this is where location data plays a big part, helping to connect online exposure with offline outcomes by offering full-funnel impact measurement across awareness, engagement, and conversion.
In other words, by integrating location data with other marketing metrics, brands can assess the full spectrum of campaign influence – from awareness to conversion – across both online and offline touchpoints.
A good case study of this is a campaign Rook Digital implemented for AKTV’s Summer Resorts Campaign, the objective of which was to target the family audience who frequents vacation resorts with child-friendly settings and amenities.
A case study
Working from historical data the team used location-based insight to geo-target selected DOOH placements by flighting ads on scheduled billboards in the areas most aligned with the visitor origins, factoring in traffic flow density to maximise visibility and impact.
The language of the messaging was based on dominant language usage in each area – extrapolated from the historical data. Display advertising was used to reinforce similar audiences in these regions, and each communication touchpoint carried location tagging, enabling us to collect first-party data on conversions by channel and location.
This gave the team a demographic breakdown of converted clients and insights into how they were exposed to the campaign, which also featured location data. This first-party data was then used to build lookalike audiences, similar to those who had already booked and visited the resorts.
This approach led to a 185% increase in conversion rate and ROI, along with a 13% month-on-month uplift in bookings and a 15.5% increase in revenue.
Predicting future behaviour and trends
Location data has evolved. It is no longer just about counting footsteps – it’s about understanding movement, behaviour, and intent. From refining media strategy to improving operations and measuring impact, location intelligence unlocks a new level of insight and agility.
Marketers who can interpret it smartly and integrate it into their marketing strategies will find themselves ahead of the curve.
I foresee that brands that embrace this new era of location intelligence, will be predicting trends rather than chasing them.
As mentioned earlier, I will be a participating speaker at the annual MMA South Africa CMO Summit that takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre on 10 September. There is so much more to this topic, and I will unpack it with my audience then. I hope to see you there.
To register please click here.
Lwandile Qokweni is executive partner at Rook Digital and a MMA SA member.
