Airtel Africa has officially ventured into the advertising industry with the introduction of Airtel Ads. This new platform is aimed at providing advertisers and agencies with efficient management, purchase, and optimization of digital ad inventory across various ad exchanges in real-time.
Powered by Intent.ai, Airtel Ads is specifically designed for media agencies and businesses, streamlining the process of purchasing advertising space. The platform offers a comprehensive solution for digital advertising management, enabling advertisers to make informed decisions about ad placements by combining various tools and functionalities within a single platform.
Leveraging Airtel Africa’s extensive customer base of over 150 million customers, the platform utilizes data from both telecommunications services and mobile wallets. Airtel Ads aims not only to target digitally engaged individuals but also to include those traditionally excluded from the digital realm through its 2G and feature phone user base. The integrated Airtel Voice Reward Ads further enhance the platform’s reach to consumers across various devices.
Recognizing the existing limitations in ad performance for organizations, Airtel Ads seeks to seamlessly merge all ad networks with Airtel Africa’s first-party telecommunications data. The platform provides a unified advertising solution with precise audience segmentation, a dedicated marketing team, and data analytics, along with post-campaign support. Additionally, it offers native language support, access to 260+ bidding parameters, and accepts payments in local African currencies, enhancing its accessibility.
Airtel reports significant achievements since the platform’s inception, including a weekly audience reach of 27 billion impressions, 23.5 million in-app daily impressions, and over 200 million daily SMS notifications with end-of-SMS tag messaging potential.
Airtel Africa’s Chief Commercial Officer, Anthony Shiner, expressed excitement about the introduction of Airtel Ads in Africa. He highlighted the platform’s innovative nature, emphasizing its ability to support advertisers and businesses by leveraging Airtel Africa’s extensive customer base and cutting-edge technology. Shiner sees Airtel Ads as a testament to the company’s leadership in shaping the communications landscape in Africa, providing data-first tools to inform business decisions.