According to Gumtree's media head of advertising, Warren Ravinsky, the site is uniquely positioned for brands to reach their intended audiences because of the abundance and detail of purchase data that is generated.
"We know exactly what products over five million South Africans are looking at and responding to, what they are buying, selling and searching for. Moreover, this audience is wholly representative of the South African population in terms of demographic and economic breakdown," says Ravinsky.
Ravinsky says that Mediamark is the ideal partner to bring Gumtree's unique value proposition to clients. "Mediamark has strong relationships with the major spenders in South Africa. They represent multiple mediums and brands who serve desirable audiences across the country," he says.
Mediamark MD Werner Lindemann adds, "Mediamark is excited to partner with such a dynamic team and the Gumtree brand, which is a South African icon still going from strength to strength."
Lindemann says, "Gumtree’s huge reach and deep targeting capabilities into the South African Internet market, together with Mediamark’s current channel and audience proposition, places us in a unique position to provide advertisers with the right solutions to meet their integrated marketing needs."
Ravinsky adds, "There is no other platform that can create as many opportunities to combine customised audiences as Gumtree can. You can speak to audiences based on actual search criteria: for example, a search for a Land Rover Discovery, location [Germiston], price range [R350 000 to R450 000] and behaviour [sending a query to a dealership advertising Land Rovers], or all of the above. The more detailed the data, the better."
"There is a reason why so many advertisers are taking an interest in classifieds. Users aren’t visiting the site to passively read content or to be entertained; they are actively browsing for products, replying to ads and doing price comparisons," he says.
"These users are ready to buy and looking at very specific categories. This allows us to identify specific audience segments, package these and sell to advertisers," he adds.
Mark Botha, Head of Digital at Mediamark, says, "Clients are looking for creative solutions to their marketing challenges, and with an audience this large, and targeting capabilities of this extent, Mediamark and Gumtree are well positioned to offer this to them. We will be working hard to help clients make sense of this massive audience and the best way to engage with them."
Ravinsky concludes, "The partnership is a game changer. Not only for Gumtree and Mediamark but for the South African advertising industry."
For more information, visit www.mediamark.co.za. You can also follow Mediamark on Facebook or on Twitter.