AT&T (T) Ready to Battle with Mobile Location Ads

AT&T (NYSE:T) is entering into the battle over location-based ads which empower businesses to send location-specific offers directly to phones of potential customers.

AT&T (T) and location-based app Loopt both unveiled similar, rival technologies this week that will allow businesses to send location-specific offers directly to consumers' phones.

It's an idea that has long been discussed, but, until now, hasn't gotten much traction. Location-targeted ads could be a goldmine for businesses - and a hit with consumers who don't want to deal with expiration dates or planning their coupon strategy in advance.

"Context is everything in mobile advertising, and getting the right offer at the right time and place increases consumers' likelihood of taking action," says eMarketer principal analyst Noah Elkin.

Here's how it works: Loopt's Reward Alerts application will send participating Android and iPhone users notifications that a deal is immediately available in their area. Loopt customers would then need to present their phone message to a retailer to redeem the offer.

AT&T was trading at $28.15, falling $0.23, or 0.81 percent, as of 2:33 PM EST.



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