How Executive Channel Network connects brands with workplace audiences in real time

In an era of smart cities and connected buildings, modern day workplaces are hubs of economic & social activity. This means that for brands hoping to make inroads with upscale consumers, this type of environment is an ideal place to establish a connection.

With hundreds of workplaces connected to its network, Executive Channel Network is establishing itself as Europe’s leading workplace media specialist. Their mission is to use signage to deliver relevant content to the mutual benefit of professionals and global brands.

Bringing the workplace to life with relevant digital content

Launched in Australia in 2005, ECN has built a reputation as a leader in workplace media. Today, its focus is on delivering digital out-of-home content to workers and visitors in office buildings in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The ECN loop is made up of a mix of building content, advertising, local news, weather, sports, financial and transport updates.

Providing relevant content for each market has resulted in a highly engaged audience. Research shows 97 per cent of the audience notice ECN screens every day and 85 per cent agree that the ECN network improves the workplace environment and enlivens the foyer area.

Unique placement delivers unique benefits

As ECN’s research shows that more than 90 per cent of workplace professionals research and purchase products during their working day, brands recognise ECN often represents the last window of opportunity before action is taken.

To enable the kinds of dynamic campaigns that appeal to its audience, ECN invests in a number of useful technologies. For instance, their system can integrate social feeds like Twitter and Instagram, which is a great way to promote audience engagement. Additionally, all content on the system is based on HTML5. This makes it easy for ECN to distribute responsive content to different screen formats. Thanks to these advanced network capabilities, ECN’s system allows for all manner of creative ideas that brands might want to pursue.

ECN, programmatic pioneer

To sell more targeted, efficient campaigns, ECN integrated with Broadsign Reach, a platform that allows for programmatic DOOH inventory sales. A recent campaign run by the foodora food delivery company is already proving the value of this addition.

The campaign began with a few main goals:

• Encourage more customers to choose the app’s “pick up” option
• Deliver relevant messaging about restaurants close to where the ads were playing
• Offer extra context according to time and weather

Choosing programmatic delivery was an essential element in achieving these goals. Different creative was delivered according to time of day and weather, prompting audiences with the most appealing message for their circumstances. This granted the campaign a heightened level of relevance throughout its runtime.

With programmatic sales and delivery expected to account for a large percentage of DOOH industry sales over the coming years, ECN’s early experience working with this model will likely be an important competitive advantage.

Executive Channel Network and Broadsign

ECN’s European operations comprise a network of over 600 screens in 11 major cities in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. This comes with some important challenges.

For one thing, the content should typically be in the majority language of the city or country. From a management perspective, this means ECN must be able to manage a significant quantity of content in several languages. For another, the signage platform must also be able to import information from numerous local data streams to provide local updates.

Working with Broadsign Control, the CMS at the heart of the platform, ECN is able to manage all their screens and content with ease. Additionally, the system’s flexibility allows for easy integration of data streams and other useful solutions. This includes the Linkett audience analytics platform, which helps gauge campaign effectiveness. And, of course, the Broadsign Reach programmatic advertising tool enables ECN to sell inventory programmatically, allowing for more efficient and targeted campaigns to be delivered on the network.

Perhaps best of all, Broadsign’s platform makes it easy for ECN to scale its digital signage network. With two office buildings connecting to ECN every week, ECN has the technological edge required for its continued growth.