Metrics, locations, and lift: mobile location analytics and the production of second-order geodemographics

ABSTRACTThis article examines the relationship between location data and geodemographic knowledge by focusing on the role of the third-party mobile location analytics companies that passively capture location data from mobile advertising exchanges to develop new approaches to audience measurement. It argues that in addition to segmentation, a key objective is to calculate the performativity of algorithmically targeted advertising by measuring its capacity to drive foot traffic to particular locations. This is known as measuring audience ‘lift’ and reveals how the value of location data depends on how metrics can be created to prove their ability to influence behaviour. ‘Second-order geodemographics’ is proposed as a concept for theorizing the relationship between location-based classification and measurement and is grounded in a case study of one company to illustrate the ecosystem of mobile location analytics.