Product News | October 11, 2021

How Pearl Media is lighting up Nashville’s Fifth + Broadway

One of DOOH’s best qualities is how compelling it can be. The right messaging and creative can stop a person in their tracks, using this medium to produce these kinds of results is exactly the philosophy that drives Pearl Media….and it’s why buyers looking to make a splash in Nashville turn to this marketing and advertising company for the help they need.

In the heart of the action

Founded in 2006, the Montclair, New Jersey-based Pearl Media began in OOH by transforming massive buildings into outstanding wallscapes and empty storefronts into immersive digital experiences. Still a leader in that business, Pearl has grown its capabilities by partnering with best-in-class real estate assets within major cities in the U.S to create effective, experiential digital signage networks. The team has developed a reputation for being visionaries in the digital space, creating unique networks that are curated specifically for each unique real estate asset. Their latest venture is a digital & static signage network at Nashville’s esteemed Fifth + Broadway development, which opened to the public in early 2021.

Displays one of the outdoor installations for the Fifth + Broadway project
Pearl Media operates OOH installations at Fifth and Broadway in Nashville

Located in downtown Nashville, Fifth + Broadway is an urban revitalization project with plenty to offer. The location includes a food hall, live entertainment venue, shops upon shops, luxury apartments, and a walkable indoor and outdoor mixed-use destination. Delivering all at once on shopping and dining elements downtown Nashville was missing, Fifth + Broadway has become a hugely popular destination for crowds of locals and tourists alike, right in the heart of Downtown. That means it’s a prime location for a digital network to thrive.

Currently, Pearl Media’s Fifth + Broadway digital network includes 15 displays: a large-format “Welcome to Nashville” LED display that overlooks the Lower Broadway strip, the L Street Live LED sign that sits above a wide corridor where people can gather, two large format LED screens at the district’s National Museum of African American Music, and 11 street-level kiosks, each of which is a 55-inch display. Partnering with Pearl Media in such an exciting destination hub allows advertisers the opportunity to reach an estimated 255,000 visitors weekly, who have an average dwell time of about 70 minutes in the district.

An image of the street at Fifth + Broadway underneath a giant ad for hard seltzer
Fifth and Broadway enables brands to connect with a large audience with a lengthy dwell time

An experience like no other

In helping to bring Fifth + Broadway to life, Pearl Media served as a consultant to Brookfield Properties, advising their team on all the necessary hardware, placement, back-end systems, manufacturers, and other items needed to develop a premier digital network. “One of our main objectives in the development of this network was to utilize the LED displays not just for advertising but to serve as a complement to and extension of the Fifth + Broadway experience, engaging and entertaining visitors while they enjoyed the many other benefits of this exciting new property, “ said Jen Almeida, COO of Pearl Media.

The large-format L Street Live screen and supporting street-level screens can complement whatever activities are happening in the area. Some notable live events screened here recently include National Hockey League playoff games and the Fourth of July celebration.

An example of a DOOH ad on location at Fifth and Broadway
The Fifth and Broadway installation is used to hype up local events

While events are being streamed on the “Live” screen the supporting screens keep ads running to ensure advertisers are continuing to get plays. Beyond that, the kiosk level screens also offer touchscreen capabilities which can be used for custom interactive experiences.

Pearl Media & Broadsign

To run this installation and other forthcoming ventures, Pearl Media needed the support of a software partner nimble enough to sync content and offer advertisers heightened interactivity. Given that this network contains several screens, all located a stone’s throw from one another, the team and its clients sought continuity with the ad rotation and displays, making room for cohesiveness.

For its ease-of-use and ability to make operating a large-scale digital network a cinch, Pearl Media entrusted Broadsign to handle this project. Beyond the software’s ability to meet all of their creative and technical needs, the team at Pearl Media appreciates Broadsign’s availability where customer service is concerned.

A large digital OOH ad displayed at roadside at Fifth + Broadway
Broadsign’s solutions and support greatly simplified building out the Fifth + Broadway installations

“We have ambitious plans for our Fifth + Broadway installations, and Broadsign offered us the flexibility to build out our network as we needed it, and the flexibility to adjust and grow as our needs change in the future. We have several screens all synchronized, and regularly livestream huge events to a custom resolution for public watch parties on our displays. I was able to build everything out by myself using Broadsign, and I’m excited to continue adding new technology to our network to bring more creative ideas to life in the future,” said Larry Curran, Digital Content Manager at Pearl Media.

Driven by the early successes of their Fifth + Broadway property, Pearl Media hopes to see similar results with their forthcoming 5 Manhattan West project, another Brookfield Property set to run entirely on Broadsign in New York City. This development features five interior LED displays, and one exterior media mesh over 100 ft. long and 15 ft. high. This plot is sitting over a large, heavily-activated, public plaza, a relatively new destination for outdoor space in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of Manhattan. This project aims to showcase a combination of third party ads and unique artistic content, and, together, Broadsign and Pearl Media have partnered up and plan to deliver some exciting work!

See how Broadsign can help your DOOH projects shine

Contact us to get started

Product News | October 11, 2021

PATTISON Modernizes its Out-of-Home Technology Stack with Broadsign

Partnership streamlines daily operations and unlocks new revenue potential; enables PATTISON clients to maximize OOH campaigns

Montreal, Canada, April 25, 2024 – Out-of-home (OOH) ad tech leader Broadsign today announced that PATTISON Outdoor Advertising, a leading Canadian OOH media owner, has adopted the full Broadsign OOH technology stack. With Broadsign already providing a centralized hub for its programmatic digital OOH (DOOH) workflows, the expanded partnership now enables PATTISON to dynamically manage and optimize its OOH inventory to unlock previously untapped revenue opportunities. The partnership also opens up new ways for brands to book campaigns on PATTISON inventory with a more targeted, impression-based approach and accelerates the rate at which PATTISON can display client ads across its OOH inventory, spanning urban pathways, residential and office buildings, transit hubs, airports, and other venues across Canada.

Providing a near real-time ad scheduling workflow comprising advanced optimization and prioritization tools, the Broadsign platform is helping PATTISON reallocate time previously spent on manual campaign pacing and adding daily plays to bump up the delivery of low-pacing campaigns. Broadsign’s optimization engine works on a play-by-play or impression level based on each campaign’s goals, and enables PATTISON’s sales team to easily find more available inventory, even in high sellout periods. With the updated OOH platform, PATTISON can now easily customize campaigns to align with client needs. Since beginning its rollout of the new platform in early March, it has powered OOH campaigns for some of PATTISON’s largest clients, including Holt Renfrew, Lotto Quebec, McDonald’s, and Tim Hortons. 

“In evaluating our options, the Broadsign tech stack quickly emerged as the best fit, especially for our ad-serving needs. It lets us maximize yield and revenue potential while ensuring pDOOH campaigns can be seamlessly executed based on client goals, with little to no manual intervention,” shared PATTISON Director of Digital Innovation Jessica Littlejohn. “Our digital product offering has never been more robust than with Broadsign at its core, and our team has more time to do what we do best – understand and help our clients achieve their objectives.”

Echoing Littlejohn’s sentiments, PATTISON President Steve McGregor, added, “The support the Broadsign team has provided along the journey has been instrumental in helping us to achieve our business goals and prepare for our next phase of growth.”

“PATTISON is an industry trailblazer with a reputation for always being one step ahead of the curve. It was one of the first media owners to offer full-scale programmatic DOOH and advanced audience-based targeting options,” shared Maarten Dollevoet, Chief Revenue Officer, Broadsign. “PATTISON’s commitment to evolving its digital toolset to prepare for the next wave of OOH is inspiring, and we’re excited to partner with them to help them reach their goals.”

About Broadsign

Broadsign empowers media owners, agencies, and brands to harness the power and reach of out-of-home to connect with audiences in ways unlike any other advertising channel. More than 1.5 million static and digital signs along roadways and in airports, shopping malls, retailers, health clinics, transit systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and more run on Broadsign, reaching audiences at multiple touchpoints throughout the consumer journey. The Broadsign Platform helps media owners such as Outfront, Pattison Outdoor, Global, and Intersection streamline business operations and maximize revenue opportunities while enabling marketers and agencies to more easily plan and execute dynamic OOH campaigns that resonate with audiences. Brands spanning AB InBev, Disney, FanDuel, H&M, Honda, HP, Johnson & Johnson, KLM, Uber Eats, Sea-Doo, Samsonite, and many more have run successful programmatic DOOH campaigns enabled by Broadsign technology. https://broadsign.com

About PATTISON 

PATTISON Outdoor Advertising, a division of The Jim Pattison Group is Canada’s largest Out-of-Home advertising company. PATTISON Outdoor helps brands and businesses harness the power of Out-of-Home advertising by providing the most comprehensive range of products, markets, insights and customer support services. With its roots reaching back to 1908, PATTISON has been providing innovative solutions for Out-of-Home advertising opportunities with products ranging from traditional billboards to transit, digital, airport, residential, office, and street level formats. PATTISON is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario with over 25 sales offices across the country, providing advertisers unmatched reach and coverage with products available in over 200 markets coast to coast.

Product News | October 11, 2021

What’s new in the Broadsign Platform: Sophisticated targeting, creative management and UI improvements

Spring has finally sprung, which means fresh air, greenery, and, most importantly, fresh updates to the Broadsign Platform. This season we are bringing you sophisticated targeting tools, streamlined creative management, and major UI improvements to make the campaign planning and management process for directly-sold campaigns as seamless as possible for campaign planners. 

Why does this matter? While the activation process for digital out-of-home (DOOH) may only require a couple of minutes, the campaign planning and management process often requires much more time. Discovering available and relevant inventory, collecting data to prove the medium’s effectiveness in meeting campaign goals, and managing campaign creatives are all time-consuming tasks.

The new spring updates introduce a new level of automation that not only reduces the time and complexities of getting DOOH campaigns out the door but also helps make out-of-home (OOH) a competitive and attractive medium for buyers. Let’s dive in!

Sophisticated targeting tools that find the best inventory 

We don’t believe granular targeting should be just for programmatic buys. That’s why media owner campaign planners who plan, execute, and monitor directly-sold campaigns through the Broadsign Platform now have access to the same flexibility and comprehensive targeting capabilities as online and programmatic media buyers. 

With our new targeting tools*, you can now filter your inventory by location and key points of interest (POIs), enabling campaign planners to find the most relevant inventory for each campaign at the click of a button. You now also have access to an intuitive map visualization that displays your inventory with quick filtering by area, support for bulk location uploads, and setting radius parameters. 

These additions to the Broadsign Platform not only cut down on the manual work required for inventory discovery but also provide your team the opportunity to be more of a strategic partner to buyers. 

For your sales team – who juggle multiple responsibilities, like business development, client relations, creating proposals, negotiating deals, and overseeing campaign execution and performance –  they can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time advising buyers on the effectiveness of OOH and its complimentary effect with other mediums. For your campaign planners – who often juggle multiple campaigns at once – they can plan and set up campaigns a lot quicker, freeing themselves to focus on more critical tasks. 

*Disclaimer: For sophisticated targeting capabilities, you must be fully migrated to the Broadsign Platform and be located in the following supported countries – Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America. 

Simplified creative management and centralized campaign planning

Media owners juggle multiple campaigns and creatives at the same time, and without the right tools, the creative management process can become complex and stressful for your teams. Our new creative management tools now allow you to create, edit, manage, and assign campaign creatives with ease. On top of that, you’ll also be able to push your campaigns live – all within a single unified workflow through the Broadsign Platform.

In this update to the Broadsign Platform, you can now manage creative bundles for each of your campaigns directly through a new web-based workflow, eliminating the need to go through the Broadsign desktop tools. This enhancement provides your team with greater flexibility by allowing them to access and manage their campaigns from any location at any time. 

We think you’ll also love how intuitive and easy-to-use the campaign planning tools are to adopt. Users of all technical proficiency levels can quickly learn and use this streamlined approach to create and manage campaigns with ease. 

Additional management tools for an improved user experience

Along with comprehensive creative management and targeting tools for directly-sold campaigns, additional tools and UI enhancements have been added to improve the usability and user experience of the Broadsign Platform:

The Guaranteed Campaigns module is now fully integrated into the Broadsign Platform

We’ve fully integrated the Guaranteed Campaigns module, formerly called Broadsign Direct, into the platform interface. This consolidation allows you to more conveniently manage campaigns, packages, and settings directly from the Broadsign Platform, eliminating the need to visit the original stand-alone application. 

Inventory package accessibility

Access inventory packages effortlessly through the platform’s updated navigation bar, enhancing efficiency and ease of use.

Centralized settings management

Administrators can now adjust and manage all necessary settings for digital and static inventory, user management, and more directly within the platform’s web-based UI through a centralized hub for control and configuration.

Campaign monitoring enhancements

With the newly implemented progress indicator, real-time monitoring of campaign pacing is now possible, giving immediate insight into campaign performance. This allows for quick adjustments to be made, as needed, to meet campaign goals effectively.

Search functionality and filters

An improved search mechanism, complemented by additional filters like campaign, client or contract names, enables quicker and more accurate campaign retrieval, saving time and improving workflow.

Dashboard customization

Tailor the platform’s dashboard to meet individual needs, ensuring that the most relevant and important information is always front and center.

Want to know more? 

Here’s a short FAQ to provide you with some answers to some questions you might have regarding our latest updates:

What do I need to do to prepare for the update?
There’s no need to do anything to prepare for the update. It will be applied automatically to your Broadsign Platform account.

Will all my users have access to creative management?
Admins automatically have access, and we’ve also created two new creative user roles which would also have access, if granted. Take a look at our documentation for more information on roles.

Will this affect any of my API integrations?
No, there will be no impact on the use of APIs or any integrations.

Will the update affect my existing campaigns?
No, the update will not affect your existing campaigns.

Will I still be able to access the original Guaranteed Campaigns (Broadsign Direct) interface?
Yes, however only by using this URL. The Broadsign Platform will now no longer redirect you to the old interface. 

Will https://direct.broadsign.com still work?
Yes, however we highly encourage you to use the new Broadsign Platform moving forward as new features and improvements may only be accessible there.

Interested in testing out these new features? Book a demo today

Product News | October 11, 2021

Maximize your travel and tourism campaign with billboard and out-of-home advertising

Spring is here – which means summer travel is on the horizon for many of us in the Northern Hemisphere. For advertisers, it’s time to gear up campaigns aimed at targeting crowds set to depart on fun-filled travel adventures.

According to the first UNWTO World Tourism Barometer of the year, by the end of 2023, the number of people travelling internationally rose to 88% compared to pre-pandemic rates, with an estimated 1.3 billion international arrivals. The travel industry expects a full recovery by the end of 2024.

Despite the pressure of inflation, a recent study by Hilton reveals that consumers plan to spend more on travel in 2024. Kevin Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer and President of Global Development at Hilton, says, “Even with ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, travel demand has remained strong as consumers continue to prioritize the value of experiences and connections over things.”

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) and billboard advertising enable travel and tourism brands to elevate their advertising campaigns, targeting key demographics and initiating contextually relevant dynamic campaigns that adapt to audiences on the move. Here are some effective ways advertisers can leverage the medium in their upcoming summer campaigns. 

Think outside the airport

Airports present many opportunities to engage audiences in a high-dwell time environment that ranks high for perceived brand value compared to other media channels. While they’re a great way to reach travellers in a purchasing mindset, they shouldn’t be the only location you consider when planning your campaign. 

With OOH, advertisers have the unique opportunity to capture the attention of audiences dreaming of being elsewhere. This can mean activating OOH ads in subway and train stations, roadside billboards and bus shelters during commuting hours. These ad placements are sure to catch the attention of workers on their way to the office who are already considering where to spend their time off. 

Billboards and OOH advertising around university and college campuses are a great way to market to summer break-bound students where they live, study, work, and play. The advertising opportunities on campus are endless, from DOOH screens in high-traffic areas to campus transit and street furniture, allowing brands to create impactful campaigns that promote summer travel, enticing students with exciting destinations, special offers, and memorable experiences.

A new survey from Nationwide Travel Insurance reveals that 91% of Americans plan to travel domestically this year, with 60% saying they will likely make the trip by car. With this in mind, there’s never been a better time to consider roadside advertising, like billboards, to boost brand awareness and inspire travellers. For example, local attractions like amusement parks, restaurants, or entertainment venues can use billboards strategically placed near highways to capture the attention of passing motorists and promote unique experiences available in their vicinity.

Visit Gainesville places roadside displays along I-75 to encourage drivers to Stay, Dine, and Explore Gainesville, Florida

Drive audiences online

The insights from Hilton’s global traveller survey underscore the importance of online booking convenience, with 80% of respondents emphasizing the need for seamless digital booking experiences. Real-world OOH ads can capture consumers’ attention and guide them toward taking action online, like visiting a company’s website or social media pages, reaching out to a travel advisor, or making reservations through a third-party platform.

For example, a hotel chain looking to promote its loyalty program could activate OOH ads strategically placed in key tourist locations or near business districts, featuring benefits like discounted room rates, complimentary amenities, and personalized offers. By prompting consumers with compelling visuals and clear calls to action, these OOH ads can drive traffic to the hotel’s website or mobile app, encouraging travellers to explore and book accommodations online.

Through mobile retargeting strategies, advertisers can target individuals exposed to out-of-home ads by geofencing relevant locations, effectively reconnecting with these audiences through mobile devices or other online platforms later. 

Expedia promotes its travel booking platform during commuter rush hours

Leverage programmatic DOOH for greater, more contextual impact

Programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) allows advertisers to connect with audiences in real-time with contextually relevant content, helping drive brand awareness and purchasing decisions through engaging displays.

Through pDOOH capabilities like data triggers, advertisers can engage with audiences based on location, weather, time of day, current events, financial data, and more. Using weather-based triggers, for example, a tourism board can promote indoor attractions like museums, art galleries, or shopping centers to tourists during a rainy day. Alternatively, they can highlight outdoor activities like beach outings or boat tours on sunny days. 

An airline advertising international flights can customize promotions using financial triggers based on currency exchange rates. Suppose the exchange rate of the destination’s currency is particularly favourable against major currencies like the US Dollar (USD) or Euro (EUR). In that case, the airline can run promotional campaigns targeting travellers from countries where their currency has a stronger purchasing power, highlighting discounted fares or special offers on flights to these destinations.

Aruba Tourism Authority leverages real-time weather triggers to promote its sunny destination across Chicago, Philadelphia and NYC

By leveraging platforms like digital billboards and transit advertising, advertisers can engage with audiences in high-traffic areas, capitalize on seasonal travel trends, and create memorable brand experiences that resonate with travellers. The ability to deliver contextually relevant messages, adapt campaigns based on real-time data triggers, and target key demographics makes OOH a valuable tool for advertisers looking to maximize their reach and influence during the summer travel season.

Interested in getting started with programmatic DOOH this travel season?

Explore curated audiences in our Travel & Tourism package here!

Product News | October 11, 2021

How Sea-Doo’s first digital OOH campaign increased purchase consideration by +144%

Sea-Doo, a Canadian brand of personal watercraft vehicles and boats under the Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) company, recently sought to strengthen brand recognition, purchase consideration, and share of voice in its primary market of Florida. 

The brand turned to programmatic DOOH, its first experience with the medium, to reach its core audience of personal watercraft, pontoon, and fishing enthusiasts.

The DOOH campaign was launched in collaboration with Touché! agency and Broadsign Ads DSP, running alongside other channels like search and social media.  

WATCH: See the behind-the-scenes of Sea-Doo’s campaign with Touché! agency

Strategy

  • Target audiences included personal watercraft and pontoon enthusiasts along with fishing enthusiasts.
  • Creative and messaging were adapted for specific, high-dwell time environments.
  • The ads ran across outdoor and indoor place-based venues in key cities like Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa.

Read the full case study to see the results and discover the benefits of implementing digital OOH into your media strategy.