Mobile relationship management firm Urban Airship has partnered with location and proximity engagement experts Gimbal aimed at accelerating 'in the moment' mobile engagement.

The two companies hope to combine their expertise and solutions to increase the amount of marketers using technology to bring physical and digital experiences together, allowing highly relevant, context-driven messages to be sent.

Together, the companies will provide both real-time and historical location data to inform rich mobile messaging experiences on both large and small scales, from continent-wide campaigns to systems based on in-store location. By integrating Gimbal's more precise, real-time location data, the companies can trigger message campaigns based on arrival, departure or dwell times within custom geofenced areas or near proximity beacons.

Marketers will be able to leverage the wealth of location data through Urban Airship's targeting engine, enabling automated, personalised messaging experiences with any combination of segmentation attributes.

"People have their devices on them and in-hand wherever they go, which makes bringing the physical and digital worlds together a new and exciting frontier," said Brent Hieggelke, CMO of Urban Airship. "With several joint large-scale engagements already under our belt, we're excited to formalise our relationship and bring together the two companies that dominate the core technologies necessary to streamline 'in the moment' mobile engagement and maximise its opportunity."