Big news: Vistar has just received its first patent! This milestone represents years of work by our team to solve a deceptively tricky problem: how to know exactly where a mobile device really is.

In today’s mobile-first world, marketers and media owners rely on privacy-safe location data to understand audiences and deliver meaningful, relevant experiences. But mobile location data isn’t always accurate. Depending on the device, user settings or whether GPS or WiFi is enabled, a phone might report its location within a few meters—or be off by hundreds of meters. Inaccurate data can lead to missed opportunities, irrelevant ads or misleading audience insights. For example, without accurate location verification, a business might advertise a store to users who are nowhere near it, wasting impressions and dollars, while missing potential customers nearby.

That’s where Vistar’s patented location correction system comes in. Using probability modeling across multiple location data points, our technology analyzes reported device locations alongside historical device density maps. It calculates a set of possible locations, assigns probabilities to each and selects the most likely true location. 

The result? Marketers get data they can trust, and audiences get experiences that actually make sense for where they are.

And we didn't stop there

Building on this foundation, Vistar earned a second patent for our audience matching system, which takes accurate location data and turns it into precise advertising. This system maintains “audience polygons” that define specific geographic regions, times and target audiences. When a digital display requests an ad, the system identifies which audience polygon the display falls into, determines the target audience and serves the most relevant advertisement.

In other words, the first patent ensures we know where devices are, and the second patent ensures that brands can deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. Together, these innovations form a powerful toolkit for marketers who want to make every impression count. By combining location verification with intelligent audience targeting, brands can reach the right consumers efficiently, reduce wasted ad spend and create more meaningful connections.

Why this matters

Accurate data and intelligent targeting aren’t just technical achievements—they have real-world impact. By verifying device locations and matching audiences effectively, Vistar enables marketers to understand audience behaviors, make smarter decisions and deliver content that’s actually relevant to consumers. It’s this combination of precision, insight and action that sets Vistar apart in the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape.

These patents are a testament to Vistar’s dedication to innovation and engineering excellence. Every new system we develop is designed to tackle complex challenges and help marketers use data in smarter, more actionable ways. We’re proud to have these achievements officially recognized, and we’re excited to explore new capabilities and continue pushing the boundaries of location-based advertising.

You can explore the first patent here and the second patent here.