Product News | October 11, 2021

Digital Signage in a New York Minute: An interview with Susie Zimber

Women In Tech
Susie Zimber

I asked Susie Zimber, National Account Executive at Zoom Media, to pick a lunch spot close to her office. Nestled in Murray Hill, she opted for a diner that would be quiet enough for me to record our conversation about all things digital. As we sipped our matzo ball soups, a perfect dish for the chilly day, the svelte blonde dressed in a black ensemble candidly explained why she is so passionate about the digital out-of-home space. Her polite yet nimble nature makes such an excitement infectious.

“At the start of my career, the out-of-home industry was all about static media, like billboards, bus shelters and coffee sleeves,” stated Susie, as she recalled wondering what would be next to keep clients interested and wanting to spend money in OOH versus other media formats. “I remember playing a game of lacrosse when suddenly the football field’s Jumbotron was activated, allowing everyone to see my player stats on the big screen. From then on, I thought digital would be the way of the future.”

Upon graduating with a major in Communications from Boston College, Susie moved to New York City to become an Ad Sales Assistant for Men’s Health Magazine. The daughter of a professional tennis player and talented athlete herself (Susie had a full college scholarship thanks to lacrosse) Susie was naturally drawn to the magazine’s content. While working at the publication, her interest in outdoor media was piqued by her boyfriend-turned-husband’s internship at Clear Channel Airports, leading her to accept a position at Zenith Media as an out-of-home buyer for brands such as Verizon.

Embracing a “young and fun industry” along with a work hard, play hard attitude, Susie took on an opportunity at Kinetic where she spent several years working with clients like DKNY, Chanel and American Express. Jumping from the agency to network side of the business, Susie stayed true to the fitness root of her career path by joining Outcast Fitness Network before taking her current role at Zoom Media. “I love working for Zoom because I’m selling something I believe in,” gushed Susie. “I am a target consumer myself, visiting health clubs in the morning or on my way home after work.”

Like many young professionals, Susie goes to the gym and supermarket after her day at the office, gets home late, eats dinner and goes to sleep. “What I watch on TV is DVR and while I still read magazines, I consume the rest of media online through my computer and mobile. Content is up-to-the minute, relevant and serves the urgency created by people who want something right when they need it. Everything is merging into digital – it can only go up from here.”

Susie’s inclination toward the combination of digital, health and fitness became even more apparent as she spoke about Zoom Cardio, a network of touchscreens that track gym-goers’ workouts. “Zoom Cardio engages people by allowing them to plan their playlists at home, watch on-demand programming and live TV at the gym. It even provides a virtual interactive option to, for example, run through the Grand Canyon as the treadmill mimics its terrain,” said Susie. “At the end of the day, we want to help consumers get through their workouts, achieve their goals and leave the health club feeling good.”

People working within the digital signage industry should feel good as well. Susie believes it is an exciting time to be in digital and advises everyone to stay in the game to see what occurs from constant technology advances. “Hold on,” she grinned, “it’s going to be a crazy ride”.

About Susie

Susie Zimber took a position at Zoom Media & Marketing in October of 2012.  She brought to Zoom a blended background of OOH sales and agency experience previously from Outcast Fitness, Kinetic WW and Zenith Media.  At the end of the day she understands the shared struggles of her agency partners and clients and knows how important it is to be a resource to those in need of her help and enjoys working alongside them to deliver the objectives of the campaign from start to completion.  2014 has already proven to be a big year for Zimber as she is already pacing beyond her sales goal as of March 15th!

Zimber is a graduate of Boston College with a BA degree in Communications.  She currently lives with her husband on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and enjoys going to the gym (of course!), running in Central Park, watching movies and hanging out with friends and family.

Product News | October 11, 2021

How the Broadsign Platform enables ad delivery rates of up to 99% for Orb

At a time when consumer attention is in short supply, out-of-home (OOH) remains an effective medium to attract and retain consumer attention. This is demonstrated in Kantar’s 2023 Media Reactions study, which found that in-person media channels were preferred by consumers, with OOH and digital OOH (DOOH) ranking among the top five favoured channels. 

Looking at Group M’s This Year Next Year: 2023 Ireland End-of-Year Forecast, the preference for OOH is particularly noticeable in Irelan, with the medium seeing an average growth rate of 16.65% over the last four years. This growth can be primarily attributed to the introduction of new technology in DOOH, which has provided advertisers with new creative possibilities and added flexibility on how OOH is bought by advertisers and delivered to audiences. 

In fact, when looking at the share of static and digital OOH spending in the region, static consistently outpaced digital up until 2023, when shares for both mediums were split evenly. As of 2024, DOOH spend in Ireland exceeded traditional and will continue to do so in the next four years. As DOOH’s presence continues to grow in the region, Irish media owners have an opportunity to enhance their DOOH presence and capabilities. 

One Irish media owner who’s already benefiting from the added value of DOOH is Orb. Running a fully digital network of 100 screens, Orb has become a preferred network for both global and local brands due to its flexible buying options and accurate ad delivery rates – made possible by the Broadsign Platform

Why Orb’s network speaks to advertisers

There is no shortage of demand for Orb’s screens. Its premium locations, creative campaign capabilities and comprehensive campaign reports are why advertisers choose Orb’s network. Orb’s carefully curated selection of screens can be found in bars, restaurants, premium shops and shopping malls found in busy city centres and suburban spots. 

Orb’s network attracts both large and local brands from a wide range of verticals. In the entertainment vertical, you’ll often see ads from Disney, Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers. Well-known car brands, like Toyota and Kia, as well as alcohol brands under the parent companies of Diageo and IDL Irish Distillers, are also frequent advertisers. 

Moreover, in a market where static OOH still has a large presence, Orb is providing advertisers with new dynamic creative optimization (DCO) opportunities made possible by DOOH. For instance, displaying a countdown clock on sports ads for upcoming football or rugby matches or dynamically triggering content based on the location and audience demographics to deliver ads at the right time to the right audience.

Last but not least, advertisers appreciate Orb’s comprehensive reporting. By pulling data from a third-party technology provider for footfall and audience data and Broadsign’s Proof-of-Performance (PoP) report, advertisers are given a comprehensive overview of campaign performance and effectiveness. 

How the Broadsign Platform powers Orb’s flexibility

Prior to Broadsign, Orb had tested other platforms to run their network on, but none of them provided Orb with the flexibility they wanted when it came to how inventory was sold and how campaigns were delivered. After careful evaluation, Orb adopted the Broadsign Platform as it not only provided them with new ways of selling, but also dynamic creative capabilities, and comprehensive network monitoring and management. 

Flexible buying options that meet diverse needs and maximize ad delivery

While DOOH continues to gain popularity in the region, perspectives in the Irish market vary on the preferred level of flexibility from the medium. Some media owners want to maintain controlled delivery through fixed, frequency campaigns, while others are open to experimenting with flexible, goal-based campaigns. It was essential for Orb to have a solution that allowed them to address the needs of both. 

“Our market is divided into two schools of thought; clients who want to keep frequency-based campaigns and another group who have fully embraced flexible campaigns”, says Agnieszka Mendrychowska, Chief Operating Officer at Orb. “The way that the Broadsign Platform is designed allows us to cater to the entire market, as we can select the amount of flexibility we want for each campaign.”

With the Broadsign Platform, Orb has access to frequency-based, goal-based, and data-triggered campaigns. One way Orb is introducing flexible selling to more traditional clients is through play goal campaigns. This allows the client to define how many times they want the ad to play within a given time frame, and Broadsign ensures that the goal is not only met but optimally distributed across all selected screens throughout the campaign’s duration. 

Moreover, flexible campaigns benefit from dynamic rebalancing, which leverages Broadsign’s optimization engine to modify the pace at which a campaign is delivered to ensure that campaign objectives are always met. Through Broadsign’s PoP reports, Orb has shown ad delivery rates of up to 99% on flexible campaigns and 95% on frequency campaigns. Having access to this data has not only allowed Orb to reassure its traditional buyers of the effectiveness of flexible campaigns but also helped them attract new customers. 

“We’ve been told by clients that what makes our network stand out from others is its reliability when it comes to ad delivery, and that’s thanks to Broadsign.”

Agnieszka Mendrychowska, Chief Operating Officer at Orb

Network and campaign management; the way they want it

Additional benefits Orb has seen with the Broadsign Platform include full visibility into network health and inventory availability. With live digital screen management, Orb can check the status of their network every day, allowing them to resolve issues as quickly as they arise. Moreover, when a more complex issue comes up, they appreciate the support provided by Broadsign’s service team as well as the extensive training guides made available to them online. 

Full transparency into their inventory availability has simplified their campaign proposal and booking process. When building proposals, Orb leverages the filter and criteria search function to easily find screens that best meet advertisers’ campaign objectives. When booking flexible campaigns, like play goal ones, Orb can see the estimated number of plays they can reach depending on the screens they’ve selected, allowing them to adjust as needed and provide an accurate proposal. 

Finally, the ability to manage and separate content as they need is another advantage 

of the Broadsign Platform. For instance, being able to define a percentage split of how content should be rotated within a single campaign. More importantly, leveraging Broadsign’s competitive separation feature allows them to run ads from competing brands on their network, as well as ensure that certain ads don’t play in specific locations. For example, not allowing alcohol ads to be shown on screens that are closer than 200m from a school playground. 

Orb’s adoption of the Broadsign Platform has empowered them to meet the diverse needs of their market with flexibility and precision. By offering advertisers dynamic creative options, flexible buying options, and reliable ad delivery, Orb has solidified its reputation as a dependable media owner for the Irish market. Orb’s ability to quickly adapt and deliver tailored solutions through Broadsign ensures they remain well-positioned as DOOH continues to grow in popularity.

What’s next for Orb

Looking into the future, Orb plans to expand its network within Ireland – in cities like Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway – and Northern Ireland. The media owner is also looking to strengthen its programmatic DOOH offering, as the targeting and measurement capabilities made through that medium will unlock a new level of flexibility in how Orb sells its inventory.