Dive Brief:

• Foursquare is launching a new tool, called Attribution Powered by Foursquare, that can measure digital advertising with visits to physical locations.
• The tool is built on voluntary, and non-incentivized, participation by a panel of 1.3 million Foursquare users who leave location-sharing on at all times allowing Foursquare to keep track of their whereabouts even when the Foursquare app isn’t active.
• The attribution feature has been tested by a number of companies, including TGI Friday and more than one programmatic ad firm, according to Adweek.

Dive Insight:

Publishing app Flipboard was one of the test companies to run a campaign for a retailer. It found via the tool that digital ads increased visits to stores by 12% within a week.

"Measurement needs to evolve as mobile evolves," Steven Rosenblatt, Foursquare president, told Adweek. "We get a lot of information from consumers in aggregate and in an anonymous way that helps really understand so many different things about the world. And we apply that."

Foursquare’s entry into the offline attribution space comes at a time when marketers and advertising firms are looking to connect digital and out-of-home marketing. Both approaches illustrate the blurring line between the digital and offline experience for consumers as well as the importance of location marketing. If brand marketers are able to connect the dots between their digital efforts and in-store visits that would help them pinpoint what does and doesn't work.