NEWS

During Viant’s inaugural event, Viant Innovation ’23 last week, the company offered a look at its new AI suite. Viant unveiled innovations including AI recommendations; Viant Chat, to accelerate campaign setup; Chat with Data, to help clients manage and activate on insights from first-party data; AI Bid Optimizer; advancements in sustainability; and the expansion of its recently launched supply path optimization program, Direct Access, to the largest CTV buyers in the industry. “As advancements in AI and sustainability initiatives bring our industry to a turning point, Viant is integrating generative AI technologies into our platform, and we are excited to deliver on our product vision that we call ‘Autonomous Advertising,” said Tim Vanderhook, Co-Founder and CEO, Viant.

Place Exchange announced a new phase in its partnership with Clear Channel, enabling direct programmatic buying of the Place Exchange’s inventory that spans the UK, Belgium, France, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Poland, via integration with Clear Channel LaunchPAD. “This partnership is just one example of our continued efforts to provide tremendous growth opportunities for programmatic DOOH across Europe as we seek to help advertisers connect with audiences in the heart of Europe’s largest markets,” said Dom Dunne, Programmatic Commercial Lead at Clear Channel Europe. “We look forward to building on our previous experience of working closely with Place Exchange in the US and Latin America.”

Captivate scored new video content-focused partnerships with Tennis Channel and Stadium, a multi-platform sports network. Captivate’s Editorial Team will curate news and updates from both Tennis Channel and Tennis.com, and Tennis Channel will offer video recaps of pickleball from the PPA Tour, starting with the National Champions in Dallas on November 8. The partnership with Stadium kicks off with a new video series featuring original sports betting odds from Stadium’s sports analysts. Both partnerships will see the brands displayed across Captivate’s network of over 20,000 screens. “As we continuously enhance our technology and deliver top-tier content, we’re excited to expand our video offerings, providing even more engaging experiences for our Captivate audience,” said Michael Kingston, Head of Global Content at Captivate. “We aim to deliver timely and relevant information that meets their needs and expectations.”

She’s everywhere! An ad for Taylor Swift’s movie was shown in Times Square on an OUTFRONT run screen at the same time the Chiefs were playing the Jets during week four – and NBC showed the image on-air.

OUTFRONT and Bell Media have entered into an agreement to sell the Canadian business of OUTFRONT Media to Bell Media. The transaction is expected to close in 2024, subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. As of December 31, 2022, OUTFRONT Media’s Canadian business operated 9,325 total displays in the country.

TikTok is going “beyond the mobile screen” with the launch of its Out of Phone offering. “With Out of Phone, we’re taking TikTok beyond the palm of our hands and into everyday life,” said Dan Page, Global Head of Distribution, New Screens, TikTok. “From billboards to restaurants, gas stations to airports, we are on a mission to create endless ways for our community to experience the joy and creativity of TikTok.” Partners who have activated the solution include Adomni, DIVE Billboards, GSTV, Loop TV, Raydiant, ReachTV, Redbox, Screenvision, and VEVO, among others. “When you bring together real-world screens with TikTok’s authentic, highly engaging video content, we see a win-win outcome for advertisers, digital out-of-home media owners, and especially, on-the-go consumers,” said Jonathan Gudai, CEO of Adomni.

Digital experience company Acquia has selected Brightcove to power its video marketing strategy. “Companies need a full-feature partner that can help them manage, stream and distribute their video to deliver for their users at scale,” said Marc DeBevoise, CEO of Brightcove. “We’re excited to have Acquia leverage Brightcove’s innovative platform and expertise.”

Cadent has announced Aperture MX, a new marketplace that delivers curated audiences and content across premium CTV, OLV, DOOH, mobile app and desktop advertising. “There is a clear market need to streamline and automate the buying and selling of TV, video, and digital media,” said Nick Troiano, Chief Executive Officer at Cadent. “Aperture MX responds to these challenges by bridging the gap between advertisers and publishers with purpose-built, data-driven solutions.”

Top Honors at the OUTFRONT-sponsored Ad Art Show, celebrating the work of industry creatives, went to Parme Marin, who received the Special AD ART SHOW Clio. The top three winners were featured in Times Square and the top ten honorees on billboards across the country.

All Sports Television Network signed an agreement with technology development company Stadium Engineering Network. The deal calls for All Sports to provide sports-related entertainment content that will be integrated into the company’s stationary, portable, and mobile devices. The initial projects under development by the two companies involve placing All Sports content on screens at mobile phone charging stations and at EV charging stations.

To share DOOH news, insights or strategies with Cynopsis, please contact [email protected].

CAMPAIGNS

UPS and The UPS Store are getting ready for the holiday season with the largest and first-ever virtual package delivery at Times Square. The OOH ad campaign launched the week of October 23 on Clear Channel’s 3D, 20M+ pixel billboard in Times Square through the synchronization and anamorphic capabilities of a fully-animated digital spectacular display, plus a ground level full motion digital display. Chris Byrne, VP of global marketing for UPS, answered a few Qs:

What inspired the campaign?
This campaign aimed to highlight and celebrate the dedication we have to small businesses by highlighting UPS’s unmatched integrated customer experience.

Why Times Square?
Our commitment to supporting small businesses extends beyond just packing, shipping, and delivering packages; we celebrate their determination and unique stories. By spotlighting just a few of our diverse-owned small business customers, and by giving their products exposure on one of the largest DOOH platforms in the world, we aim to amplify their voices in a way they may have never dreamed they could be.

What will the takeaway be for shoppers?
Our message to consumers and small business owners is clear: UPS is more than a shipping or logistics partner — we’re dedicated allies to every small business. In a word, we’re here to help make your business unstoppable.

Visitors to Dubai will find a familiar face on digital screens across the city – Johnny Depp is featured in Dior’s new DOOH campaign for its Sauvage fragrance. The visuals come from a video ad filmed in the desert, launched earlier by Dior. It’s hardly the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star’s first dance with Dior – Depp has been in business with the French company since 2015.

Jellyfish rolled out a 3D digital DOOH campaign for the UGG brand’s new winter lifestyle collection, on the Nasdaq and Midtown Financial LED billboards in NYC’s Times Square. Three 15-second video assets are displayed across the billboards; the screens play simultaneously, showing off The Shasta Boot Tall, while also forming part of a wider omni-channel campaign. “We’re confident this work will generate awareness and reach for UGGextreme, which is our pinnacle collection of cold-weather boots and outerwear,” said Michelle Hernandez, Director, Omni Digital Marketing for the Fashion Lifestyle Group Brands at Deckers. “The prominent location and high-impact format of the digital out-of-home units is matched by its interactivity – conveying the message of UGG’s freedom of movement, which enables you to maximize your winter (play)time with freedom and expression, no matter the weather.” UGGS is the first footwear brand to advertise on the new Midtown Financial board.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Albert Thompson, Managing Director of Digital Innovation at Walton Isaacson, is a digital strategist ahead of the curve when it comes understanding how technology is transforming the marketing world. Here, he offers his insights on digital-out-of-home.

What are the most important benefits DOOH offers to brands versus other types of advertising?

DOOH captures the “lost consumer view” once they’ve left their office or home. Thus, they’ve stopped consuming TV/CTV, Digital Audio, traditional Radio, Social, etc. in an “uninterrupted” manner; or they’ve stopped altogether. That lost view also equates to lost attention as well. DOOH is part of the consumer’s physical journey in the world.
DOOH is also under-priced attention that is hyper-relevant and hyperlocal. It exists in a channel that can’t be skipped or blocked

How far does the industry have to go to achieve accurate measurement of DOOH ads?

Given that DOOH is mapped on top of real estate as a discipline, location data is the mechanism that must power the viability of DOOH. From foot traffic studies, location attribution (where they went after the DOOH exposure), that’s important. Attention via Engagement (like scanning a QR code) or Dwell time are other facets of measurement that need to be accounted for. This matters because Attention is the Ultimate Real Estate!

You’ve said the industry sometimes disregards the human factor in behavior, and that studying psychology can be more important than the ad tech. Can you expand on that?

People exhibit very natural behaviors when it comes to moving about the “hard scape” or the city scape. DOOH needs to be more in tune with what people do at retail whether grocery, big box, drug store, gas station, shopping malls, town centers, etc. Literally, what are their foot traffic patterns and how that can be tied into spending patterns at physical retail.

Google coined the term micro-moments, but their definition lacks perspective relative to the street view and all the micro-moments that happen outside of the home or office. DOOH can redefine the very idea of micro-moments by offering a “value exchange” through ad exposure.

GOING LOCAL

Redbox has teamed with Illinois-based grocery retailer Jewel-Osco to offer consumers “Pizza and a Movie Night.” Buyers of a Signature Select pizza will receive a code at checkout that can be redeemed for a free movie rental at Redbox kiosks or digitally through the Redbox app. The Pizza and a Movie Night promotion will have prominent signage in all 188 Jewel-Osco locations, on Redbox kiosk headers, and on rental screens. The promotion runs through Thanksgiving, with free rental codes expiring in early December. “The pairing of Signature Select pizza and Redbox movies is a perfect combination as it provides consumers a fun experience – something they are seeking more and more,” said Maura Gray, SVP of Marketing for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. “The promotion is launching as the hit movie Barbie will be available in our kiosks on Blu-Ray Disc and DVD. Don’t be a Ken – enjoy some delicious pizza and watch some of the best movies on us.”

Skies Above Media has acquired DOOH assets from Axis Digital Media. “It was great working with Axis on this transaction,” said Skies Above Media CEO and Owner, Glyn Williams. “Through our prior successful representation of these assets, we knew how important they are for advertisers connecting with consumers across San Gabriel Valley and the Greater Los Angeles area, representing the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States.”

“Out of home offers impact and reaches your target everywhere,” said Traci Speigelman, VP Global Media, Mastercard, speaking at the DPAA Global Summit. Our B2B story is complex, so when we planned our B2B Perceptions campaign, we looked first for digital and surround sound, then [for the ability] to rotate different case studies to consistently tell the story of how Mastercard does many different things. I really think digital out of home is one of the only places that makes it simple for us to do something like that.”

ACROSS THE GLOBE

Media Blends is rolling out a new DOOH network across YAS Island and Al Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, aimed at the millions of travelers to the island. The new YAS Island DOOH network includes 35 multiple-size digital screens that have been pinned by Media Blends to cover the main attractions on the island. In the second phase of the project, Media Blends, which operating across Egypt, UAE and KSA, will be rolling out over 60 advanced screens across Al Saadiyat Island, another major landmark in Abu Dhabi.

Hivestack has partnered with Grupo Expansión integrate the Latin American media owner’s network of DOOH screens into the Hivestack SSP. Grupo Expansión will leverage Hivestack’s ad server to manage both direct and programmatic sold inventory across their screen networks and will be able to mediate programmatic bids in a fair and unified auction model from multiple SSPs exclusively through the Hivestack header bidder.

India’s Tata Tea Gold celebrated the Durga Pujo holiday last month with a 3D anamorphic DOOH campaign. Developed in partnership with Laqshya Media, the campaign included tributes to Bengali culture

WE GOTTA ASK…

Why is DOOH so important to advertisers right now?

“Digital Out of Home has always been a powerful medium for brands to reach and engage with audiences throughout their daily journeys. Today, there are a variety of data sources in OOH that provide marketers with enhanced planning capabilities, precise transactional metrics and the insights that are standard across other channels. With this deeper view into audience behaviors and population movements – and the measurement tools available – brands can determine not just if an audience was exposed to a DOOH campaign, but what happened after the exposure occurred. As a result, brands and agencies can have a clearer and more consistent view of DOOH’s impact on audience behaviors.

“And with the continually expanding network of digital screens and locations, brands have multiple opportunities to connect with their target consumers from when they leave their home all the way up to the point of purchase. This, coupled with the ability to adjust DOOH creative in real-time to account for triggers (such as weather, time of day, or updated offers) means advertisers can share relevant content that is more likely to be seen and remembered by audiences.

“As more marketers become laser focused on performance, especially in current uncertain economic times when every marketing dollar counts, DOOH’s agility allows advertisers to reach their specific audience effectively and efficiently with targeted, and contextual content.” – Scott Fiaschetti, EVP Marketing & Member Partnerships at Geopath

“Advertising at its core is about connection, it’s about consumers. But today’s digital and traditional advertising struggles to truly connect with consumers. In an overly complicated advertising ecosystem, the industry is juggling issues with fraud, viewability, and ad blockers, as well as feeling intrusive to consumers.

“DOOH advertising doesn’t have those problems. Instead, it benefits from being a high reach and high impact medium with big, bright and beautiful screens. It’s a timeless, futureproof way for brands to advertise.” – Craig Benner, Co-Founder and CEO at Accretive Media

“As digital signage becomes increasingly connected, advertisers have more opportunities to reach customers in diverse settings by transacting DOOH ad buys programmatically. The ability to consolidate campaign buying and reporting across multiple mediums, whether it be on DOOH, CTV, desktop or mobile, through a single tool or dashboard is of huge benefit to buyers who are looking to streamline their operations and reduce the complexity their team manages.” – Chris Coupland, Platform Operations Director at Basis Technologies

“DOOH is a crucial part of a modern marketer’s media plan, from building trust and awareness to driving lower level metrics like sales and traffic (IRL & online).
* New Technology: The space continues to iterate and integrate new technologies, which provide new creative opportunities for brands and businesses to leverage.
* IRL Presence & Trust: In a world of digital overload and mistrust, DOOH remains the most preferred media form for the younger generations, Millennials & Gen Z.
* Digital Amplification: OOH is digital’s best partner, being the best primer for all things digital including search, social, and mobile. According to Comscore, OOH drives 7X more social activations, per ad dollar spent, than any other media format. Simply put—adding in DOOH makes your other media investments work harder.” – Liz Rave, VP, Marketing, OutFront

“Outside of the traditional brick-and-mortar aisles, we’re now seeing ads on golf carts, new screens in hotels, and ride-sharing apps investing in new connection points to reach audiences wherever they are. The ongoing shifts in identity and measurement also present marketers with a prime opportunity to leverage DOOH in the current landscape. Ultimately, what is old will be new again — whether it be contextual targeting or media mix modeling, these strategies lend themselves to testing in DOOH. Similar to what we saw in the early days of programmatic, DOOH is now a more accessible channel that provides marketers with an opportunity to engage with customers in new environments, and break through the noise.” – Mike Wolk, Senior Director of Business Development, Goodway Group

“Advertisers are being presented with a unique, contextual opportunity with DOOH. Looking at our TMB partnership with Atmosphere, the DOOH space has allowed us to expand our audience and find new points of discovery with consumers while they dine, exercise, socialize and more. For example, what better place to advertise dog treats than when a dog owner is watching TMB’s FAST program, The Pet Collective, at a veterinarian’s office? While the partnership is still in its early stages, we are very bullish about the growth we are seeing and expect DOOH to be a massive opportunity going forward.” – Cameron Saless, Chief Business Officer, Trusted Media Brands

“OOH continues to provide the ability in reaching a light TV viewer or media consumer. What could be important for advertisers to start considering is a programmatic approach where aggregated data, optimization and measurement can open lanes for future DOOH growth and innovation. Forecasts have already predicted DOOH may grow as fast as other channels such as streaming. If advertisers can leverage the medium, they will see benefits of accurate data insights, premium inventory, and a higher composition of their target audience for better and more measurable outcomes to reach consumers at all touch points.” – Stephen Magli, Founder and CEO, AI Digital

Fast Fact: 55% of Gen Z say billboards showing dynamic content capture their attention.