Yelp’s new ad types aim to connect national advertisers to local users

Yelp is launching two new ad units that will appear on its iOS app homepage, the company announced Tuesday. Sponsored Collections can enable brands to promote local businesses that may be selling or serving their products and Seasonal Spotlight Ads are designed to drive in-store traffic for multi-location brands by highlighting seasonal deals, promotions and new products.

Why we care. Sponsored Collections offer brands that typically might not advertise on Yelp with a potentially relevant way to reach its users. Brands like Impossible Foods, for example, could use Sponsored Collections to promote restaurants that serve its plant-based products.

Seasonal Spotlight Ads may also provide advertisers with another opportunity to get their seasonal deals and promotions in front of potential customers, which can help encourage store visits.

Advertisers should be aware that they can’t yet reach users on Yelp’s Android apps as these ads are currently only showing on the iOS version.

Sponsored Collections. This feature enables brands, with or without a physical storefront, to highlight local businesses based on a common theme. For example, the Kraft Heinz Company has partnered with Yelp to showcase local restaurants that are likely to carry Heinz Ketchup products.

This ad unit will also be arriving on Android, although Yelp hasn’t released a specific timeline.

Seasonal Spotlight Ads. This ad type is designed to drive in-store traffic for multi-location brands while informing potential customers about the brand’s seasonal deals, promotions and products. Seasonal Spotlight Ads are carousels of posts from brands with details about the brand’s seasonal campaigns.

These ads are available to multi-location brands on the Yelp mobile app and must be accompanied by another Yelp advertising campaign (either on-platform with Yelp Ads or off-platform with Yelp Audiences).