We explore the importance of Location Intelligence when launching a beverage brand and aperitivo favorite across Istanbul, the metropolis torn between two continents and a melting pot of cultures.
Challenge & Goals: To strategically launch and position the product and engage potential customers
For an international consumer goods brand more accustomed to Western rhythms and habits, it’s not easy to penetrate the dense, eclectic and complex urban city of Istanbul to increase brand awareness and develop local marketing activation.
To define an effective growth strategy for a product launch in Istanbul, site selection and evaluation are necessary (a meticulous selection of places and businesses in a selected territory).
- Where do I start expanding my brand presence and how do I best position products and services?
- Which areas are most frequented by my target audience? What time of day is foot traffic the highest and lowest?
- Where should I place outdoor media and advertising and for my products?
- Which venues and territories should I focus on for site selection?
Site Selection for CPG Brands: Where to start?
Location Intelligence is the most advanced tool for strategic site selection, which in essence, is pinpointing the most popular businesses and neighbourhoods across any city, region or country.
Explore some screenshots from an interactive Location Intelligence map designed by Data Appeal, and our partner Carto, to help an international CPG brand (consumer packaged goods) find local activation sites in Istanbul, Turkey.
The map contains:
- Over 60,000 points of interest with quantitative and qualitative information (name, address, contact information, Sentiment Score, Popularity Score, etc.)
- Filters to select POIs by industry, subcategory, Sentiment Score, etc.
- Filters to identify target audience (origin, gender, age, etc.)
- Filters to assess the popularity of neighborhoods and businesses (foot traffic and popularity heatmap)
- Peak Periods – which time of day is the busiest/slowest for each business
- Time Machine – a tool to select the time period of analysis, this tool is critical to measure and record changes based on seasonality or the Covid-19 crisis.
The most popular bars and restaurants for aperitivo in Istanbul according to young adults
Based on a Location Intelligence approach, let’s explore the site selection possibilities by leveraging the map below.
We identify the restaurants that were most frequented by people between the ages of 25 and 35 for happy hour, with the highest Foot Traffic Index and Sentiment Score from September to December 2021.
At a glance, some of the most relevant establishments are located in the Karaköi district and around the İstiklal Caddesi, a major and popular street where contemporary art galleries, cafes and trendy shops are concentrated. For each restaurant, the global apéritif brand can visualize the foot traffic levels and sentiment scores (i.e. the level of satisfaction expressed by customers).
The most popular cafes in the historical center of Istanbul
Let’s now identify the cafes most frequented at dinner time by customers of any age during the summer of 2021 (June – August). We focus on the historical center of Istanbul and the Sultan Ahmet and Sirkeci districts, known as the most touristy areas.
Based on the criteria above, the global apéritif brand can target a handful of exclusive establishments indicated on the map, such as Harab’be Cafe and Babi Ali Khavesi, known for their incredible rooftop bar.
Crossing the Strait of Istanbul: The most popular hotels on the Asian side
Turning East at the Bosporus Strait to enter the Asian continent, we discover the most popular hotels with the highest Sentiment Score over 2021.
On the Asian side of Istanbul, the Kadıköy district emerges first, bustling with its open-air market and streets made for shopping. Among the hotels most relevant for our client’s brand of aperitifs are the trendiest accommodations in the area, such as My Dora Hotel, Istanbul Life Hotel and Doubletree by Hilton.
Alternative Data & Actionable Insights: The Secret to Site Selection
One of the most important aspects to effectively leverage Location Intelligence and Alternative Data for site selection is the ability to combine and filter data strategically, combining Points of Interest data sets with target market insights such as origin, gender and age.
This Data Enrichment technique allows users to accurately select which establishments, neighborhoods or territories to launch marketing campaigns, approach for partnership opportunities and invest in.
How to turn the collected data into concrete actions?
Once the customer’s desired analysis is conducted, the data is used to:
- Analyze the places with the highest investment potential for effective site selection
- Seamlessly qualify leads by accessing the POI address and contact information
- Evaluate current product coverage compared against competitors
- Identify the best areas for outdoor advertising or out-of-home marketing campaigns and events
- Identify strategic partners to organize events and engage your target audience
Unlike a standard data analysis, which offers static data and one-time results, Location Intelligence and real-time data provide dynamic and continuously updated analyses and forecasts.
Moreover, the data provides users with actionable insights, thanks to interactive maps, like the one above. With these insights, new ideas can emerge, new investment opportunities are discovered and new competitors are considered.
