Amorphous has forged a new path for companies that want to retain their current customers and win over new ones without relying on common marketing phrases such as 'being relevant', 'staying ahead of competitors', 'knowing your customer', and 'having a digital strategy'.

The Dot Network platform features a number of segmented audience data groups that allow marketers to reach people across Africa with similar interests. Creating audiences with common-interest areas means that marketers who use Dot Network already have a refined audience and their messages are guaranteed to reach the best people for them.

Dot Network uses sophisticated software to help companies target specific individuals with the right message at the right time. Audiences are defined by demographics, interest areas, online behaviour, and legal and live location. These defining parameters mean that messages sent through Dot Network are relevant to audiences and cut through the noise of other advertising.

One of Dot Network’s strengths is its adaptability, which lets Dot Network build custom audiences for an advertiser’s exact needs on a variety of platforms. It does this by matching first-party data that is collected directly by the client to create look-a-like audiences, spreading the marketing message to people who behave the same way as other target audience groups.

What drives Dot Network

Dot Network is software based, allowing companies to buy space on the most efficient media platform at the optimal price. Media space is bought with real-time bidding, which means that advertisers can get the best rate for each message and the campaign overall. Every cent of the media budget works as hard as it can, and campaigns are measurable, so they can be refined based on performance.

Individuals are targeted across platforms and devices. This omnichannel approach relies on the fact that consumers use multiple devices, searching for a certain product on their smartphone, but perhaps only completing the purchase on their laptop the next day. Dot Network helps optimise each medium, tracking the customer journey from awareness to sales.

“With Dot Network, we want to show advertisers exactly who they are talking to so that they can refine their campaigns and meet their sales objectives at the optimal price,” says Grant Shippey, CEO of Amorphous.

Types of audiences

There are different types of audience groups currently available on Dot Network. YourData.Network, in particular, uses the first-party data a company has collected (for example, through loyalty programmes), and matches it to real people to reach customers in new ways and to create look-a-like audiences. Below are a few other audience groups available.
  • BusinessDirectors: A platform with 133 000 business directors who have been matched against the CIPC database. This audience group lets marketers target high-powered decision makers with business-to-business solutions, executive events, and high-net-worth products;
  • FashionBeauty: This network has an audience of over 4 million 'fashionistas' and beauty lovers and targets them on the sites they turn to for style inspiration;
  • EatDrink: A platform of over 2 million foodies who can be targeted with marketing about home and kitchen wear, food products, alcohol and restaurants; 
  • The EdgarsAudience: This network is comprised of Edgars Club members and Edgars shoppers. It lets advertisers carry out promotions through the Edgars Club website, social channels, and newsletters;
  • EdgarsAudience: A network that gives marketers a unique opportunity to reach potential customers; 
  • MobileLocation: This network sends messages via online advertising and on mobile channels to over 25 million financially active South Africans. It uses a person’s live location to send them messages about things that are happening near to them, and does the same using their legal location; and 
  • YourBusiness: A network that offers bespoke solutions to build and reach a specific audience for a company. 

To reach the right audience, marketers need to be able to understand and apply available consumer data well. The Dot Network suite is a unique product in South Africa and will influence the way audiences are reached across the entire advertising industry, making it a dynamic tool to watch.

For more information, visit www.dotnetwork.network.