Some apps and brands have a more straightforward case for asking for location data. “If it's a transport or shopping app, we do advise to always speak about an experience that the user will [be able to have],” said Pascal Ehrsam, CMO of contextual location marketing company Herow.
For Jersey Mike’s Subs, that means clearly laying the case for data collection. “With our new app, we created an additional screen that explains why we want [a user's] location data, not just like the standard iOS screen,” said Kelly McGee, director of digital marketing for the sandwich chain. “We took that extra step to ensure that they knew exactly why, not that we just wanted to track their data for any reason. … We want our customers to be aware of how we're using their data. We're very transparent about that.”
The case for collecting data for better advertising is harder to make, but it’s possible by highlighting the chance for more tailored offers or of getting the service for free. Whether consumers will opt in to these services in large numbers over the long run remains to be seen.
“People will need to understand that they will have ads anyway, but the only question they need to answer is: Will they allow the ads to be relevant to them in a certain context and that includes location, or would they prefer any ad because they want to keep pretty much all their data to themselves?” said Stan Coignard, co-founder and Americas CEO of S4M.