Product News | October 11, 2021

Four lessons from digital that will inform DOOH’s programmatic transition

Digital advertising has come a long way since Wired Magazine offshoot HotWired and AT&T launched the first banner ad in 1994, in part thanks to its shift to programmatic. By 2019, more than 83 percent of US digital display ad transactions are expected to occur programmatically, but digital-out-of-home (DOOH) is just beginning to embrace programmatic. As it begins to take hold, DOOH stands to gain a lot by looking at the evolution of programmatic online and mobile advertising over the last decade. Here are four key takeaways:

1. Relevance matters

Programmatic is often conflated with the goals and practices of online direct marketers (conversion optimized bidding, tight audience targeting and retargeting) because they used these. However, the elements of a programmatic stack (DSPs, DMPs and SSPs) can be used to chase many contexts and it turns out that there are many contexts that matter to audiences (and thus to advertisers) just as much or more than what websites we visited yesterday. Local weather conditions, traffic on the freeway, the score of the football game, train schedules, movie times, our proximity to a store and other signals all influence our days enormously and can be targeted with programmatic tools. Many of these signals are place-based and DOOH inventory is a great way to deliver relevant messages based on these signals at scale.

2. Experience is everything

Time and again the audience experience has been shown to influence buying decisions and brand loyalty. The original programmatic model offered up new data that enabled online and mobile advertisers to create more memorable experiences. Pedigree’s Found campaign from a few years ago, which included a community-driven app for posting and finding lost animals, is a great example. DOOH publishers can take advantage of this programmatic model to similarly use real-time access to traffic, weather and other pertinent data to trigger on-the spot creative decisions. Media buyers can also transact on that information to bring consumers more meaningful experiences in the moment. Because programmatic DOOH is accessible via digital ad platforms it also opens the door for DOOH to become more tightly integrated into the campaign planning process early on, making omni-channel experiences with creative mobile and online tie-ins more feasible.

3. Physical context drives purchase decisions

Google and Instagram, among other major advertising platforms have shown that reaching people on the move leads to increased purchases. For instance, Google found that 76% of people who search for a product or service on their smartphones nearby visit a business within a day and 28% of those searches drive purchases. Online and mobile advertising took advantage of geo-location technology early-on in its programmatic transition to support ad buys based on location. By nature DOOH already allows advertisers to communicate with people in malls, on the way to the game or near a restaurant, but can take advantage of programmatic technology to not only make transactions based on physical context that much easier, but also deliver campaigns based on omnichannel strategies, which have been shown to drive increased store visits.

4. Reach is key

As Cheers patrons and disciples of Byron Sharp know very well, it’s good when everyone knows your name. Brands like Tide, Chevy, Coca Cola and Nike have succeeded in this respect; however, achieving this level of familiarity has historically been challenging for brands that needed to reach a large number of people in their target market to benefit in the long run. The onset of programmatic made it much easier for brands to reach target audiences across online and mobile channels and at scale. DOOH can follow suit as the programmatic transition will likely drive more digitization of traditional street furniture and OOH billboards, and in turn, create opportunity to reach new audiences. Couple that with the advertising effectiveness of DOOH, which outpaces other mediums, and the ability to easily buy and sell ads with greater relevancy and physical context, and programmatic DOOH will be a powerful tool for expanding audience reach.

Programmatic revolutionized online and mobile advertising and is expected to do the same for DOOH. As DOOH marches toward programmatic, it’s clear that some of the key fundamentals uncovered through online and mobile’s transition could inform DOOH’s approach – from the importance of relevancy to expanding audience reach.

Are you ready to get started with programmatic digital out-of-home? See what Broadsign Reach can do for you!

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.