Waze advertising – what to know in a nutshell
Why is Waze so popular with users?
It’s no surprise that Waze is one of the most popular mobile apps among users, as it is much more than just a simple navigation service. More people use it than Snapchat, Twitter or even Pinterest. That’s 140 million monthly active users in 185 countries around the world.
It’s also worth remembering that users, including our potential customers, spend on average 10.5 hours a month using Waze.
Waze provides convenience features that are easy to get used to and become a daily routine – like brushing your teeth. This makes it easy for potential customers to find our services when they are near our shop, restaurant, hotel, etc. Typically, by launching Waze ads, advertisers see a 20.4% increase in the number of navigations to their business compared to before the ad. In 2022, Waze helped more than 1 billion destination navigations to over 140 million users worldwide.
Let’s see how to make the most of Waze’s advertising features! (Article updated 31.01.2023)
Waze ads to go
When it comes to advertising solutions, you won’t be disappointed with the simplicity and convenience of this one. With Waze Ads Starter, our small business advertising solution, you can set up your campaigns in a self-service interface, giving you the shortest route to your business goals. It’s all based on a powerful argument:
- We can target potential customers and clients on the go in real time. So drivers who are navigating directly to our business.
- Daypart targeting is possible, allowing you to set the time of day at which your ad will appear.
- It is easy to predict the behaviour of drivers, so the ad is displayed when they are most likely to be interested in our services.
- We can get in front of potential customers with our physical shop as well as our ads on the webshop (Shopping).
- As an advertiser, we get accurate information about how our prospective customers interacted with our ads, e.g. how many users we reached or how many navigated to our shop.
Choose from two Waze advertising solutions
Waze Ads Starter – for smaller advertisers
- For businesses with less than 10 store locations and between $2 and $99 per day to spend on advertising
- Works in a self-service advertising system
- Two ad formats to choose from: branded pin (digital billboard) and promoted search
Waze Ads – for brands and agencies
- Designed for the largest advertising partners with many locations. A premium advertising solution for global brands that offers us contextual targeting, dedicated campaign management, advanced measurement and innovative partner solutions.
- Four ad formats are available, Pin, Search, Takeover and Arrows ads.
- Available from a minimum daily ad spend of USD 100 (USD 3,000 monthly ad spend).
It’s important to note that the cost of advertising is charged in USD, and you pay a unit amount for reaching 1,000 users (CPM-based pricing) – starting from as little as USD 2 per day, which is roughly HUF 600.
How to use Waze ad formats effectively
Let’s take a closer look at the Waze ad formats that can help you make your business more attractive and your brand more memorable to your target audience. To do this, let’s look at the advertising options we can use and how to make our Waze ads stand out with well-optimised creative.
Pin – the digital signage
Shows a location close to the driver’s route. Users can click on the pin’s info button to find out the exact address, opening hours, phone number and special offers of the business.
These interactions are available: navigate there, save for later, save offer.
Search – when they search near you
Can be used in conjunction with branded pins. Include the name, logo and address of your business or shop.
This ad gets priority when users search for a location near us.
Interactions: navigate there, save for later, save offer
Pricing: free, but only with the pin.
Takeover – reach the user even when they stop
Compared to the standard pin (based on US data), it can reach 3.1 times more users.
This ad is displayed when the driver comes to a complete stop for more than 4 seconds. This makes it even safer to advertise because you are not distracted while driving.
Available interactions: navigate to, save for later, save offer
Pricing: CPM, but only available in Waze Ads, not in Starter.
Let’s make the most of our creativity!
Imagine a billboard with your favourite advert. Got it?
They’re quick to absorb, short, clear, simple messages with a highly visible logo and text that fits. That’s exactly how Waze creatives work! We optimise them for the right user experience.
The store icon
If your brand message or business name is more than 10 characters, use a high-quality logo icon.
Image size: 152 x 112 px
File format: jpg or png
The business logo
It is also important to use a good quality logo. If the text on your logo is more than 10 characters, use a business icon instead.
Image size: 690 x 550 px
File format: jpg or png
Unique creative
Summarise our value proposition for our visitors in up to 60 characters. Please note that it is possible to use a custom creative format, but this is only available in the USA and only for preferred partners.
Image size: 174 x 174 px
File format: jpg or png
Specific calls to action
For this option only zero-speed takeover format Waze provides customizable CTA (call to action) text, e.g. “drive here”, “save for later”, “save offer”, “download app”. However, it’s worth starting to try strandard solutions.
To summarise
The Waze interface can be a great advertising platform for any advertiser who wants to attract potential customers to their physical store.
We can reach people interested in our products or services along the way and get accurate statistics when we advertise on Waze.
If you have less than 10 shops and want to advertise for less than USD 100 per day, the Starter solution is the right solution for you, with a self-service advertising platform where you can advertise for as little as USD 2 per day. It is worth bearing in mind best practices to ensure an effective presence on the platform.
If you’re looking for a targeted advertising presence that can get your physical business in front of potential customers, then you should definitely try Waze ads!