The world is filled with digital screens – in our hands and all around us. Now, more and more, thanks to high-speed internet connections, these screens are able to receive real-time communication and triggers; the options are endless, and imagination is now the only barrier for marketing strategy.
For outdoor media owners equipped with market-leading technologies, buying outdoor digital screens is now as near real-time as possible when it comes to booking inventory, and is practically instantaneous when it comes to creative changes. So, what impact does all this have on crafting marketing campaigns?
- Audience-data-led traditional outdoor buys: Granular audience-mapping through insight and data is helping optimise the time and location for individual out-of-home (OOH) screen buying decisions. There’s no longer an excuse for wastage, and like all programmatic buys, media efficiency is arguably the biggest benefit.
- Real-time, data-led dynamic creative: Creative can be changed in seconds; data can fuel which creative to serve based on a range of feeds like the weather, flight times or England scoring in the semi-final (we can hope!); copy and images can be changed manually; Instagram and Twitter can also be brought through via feeds.
- Near real-time inventory booking: Inventory is rarely all sold, and what is unsold is by no means ‘remnant inventory’. If you want to go live on a Thursday evening at the last minute, now you can see what’s available in the right places and times, and book tactical smart activations.
- Audience journey mapping across digital channels: If you know your audience, you can be really smart, tracing their likely journeys throughout the day and week to optimise frequency and messaging. OOH can now be planned as part of the larger digital user delivery.
- Advanced reporting and insight: Real-time impact by placement reporting is also available. Tie this into site/app visits or brand Google search by geolocation, for example, and you can start to truly see a fuller view of a person’s full interaction with your brand.
So, who’s doing it? the7stars has seen success with Addison Lee for its Autumn 2017 campaign, picking up an award in last months Drum Trading Awards. The industry is moving quickly, with lots of talk about VIOOH (JCDecaux’s programmatic OOH off-shoot), and a burst of discussions about how intermediary tech will start to connect, like the traditional display DSPs and OOH platforms such as Bitposter.
What are we waiting for? Good outdoor campaigns always require strong audience insight, planning, activation and measurement, and now advanced creative development considerations. But there is nothing that should stop the imagination, with the option to access al
