Waze is all about giving you a snapshot of the road at any given moment. We want you to be able to see all the activities going on around you or along your route — from traffic, hazards, and closures, to finding the best gas deals. Today, we’re introducing a new way for you to discover local businesses and special offers on your route as well.

Starting today, we’re giving businesses the ability to add themselves to the Waze map with the launch of our location-guided advertising platform. By giving businesses the chance to feature their locations and nearby offers, we’re hoping you’ll be able to spot some hidden gems on your daily route that you didn’t even know existed.

Merchants that advertise with Waze will appear alongside the existing businesses you see in your search results ordinarily, except that businesses can now pay to promote themselves in our results.

We don’t want to bombard you, so you’ll never see too many businesses crowded on the map at once. Instead, the algorithm that powers Waze Ads aims to bring you helpful selection of the various retailers around you on your daily drive. We’ve designed the system to fit into your daily driving experience seamlessly, so that the businesses you see can be useful while you take care of your errands or shopping needs.

We’re launching this today with nationwide brands and local businesses, including: Dunkin’ Donuts, Circle K MACS, Kum & Go, Wyndham Hotels, Jamba Juice, and P&G.

If you’re a business owner who would like to reach our community of 30 million drivers, then please come on in! Our self-serve platform allows small businesses to set, change, and measure their campaigns through http://biz.waze.com.

Last, but not least, to celebrate the launch, Waze is offering advertisers, brands, and vendors a $50 free trial on our new platform during the month of November.

We’re looking forward to hearing what you think!