Q&A with Noelia Amoedo- Chief Executive Officer – mediasmart and Nikhil Kumar- Vice President, India and SEA – mediasmart
1.Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising was one of the fastest-growing traditional media channels before the pandemic. Since then, what are the challenges marketers have faced in implementing it post-pandemic?
Noelia: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant challenges for marketers in implementing DOOH campaigns. As more people moved to work from home and shop from home setups, there was a considerable shift in consumer behavior. This also resulted in people avoiding public spaces, which decreased the frequency of outdoor advertising exposure for many areas, making it challenging for marketers to reach their target audience. They had to adjust their strategies to reach consumers in new locations, such as residential areas, and via online channels.
Post-pandemic, in the wake of economic uncertainty and tightening of budgets, marketers have been forced to be creative in finding cost-effective ways to implement DOOH campaigns that can still deliver a strong ROI.
With programmatic DOOH inventory having evolved considerably during this time, advertisers can now implement more targeted and data-driven strategies to maximize impact while minimizing costs. The real-time data also allows advertisers to synchronize campaigns across multiple channels.
The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of programmatic & omnichannel marketing and it has compelled marketers to be more creative in finding cost-effective ways to implement strategies that offer more for their investments. DOOH campaigns have, thus, picked up as a missing piece of the puzzle to close the gap between online and offline worlds. By leveraging data-driven strategies and digital technologies, marketers can optimize their campaigns to deliver maximum impact seamlessly across different channels and reach their target audience in new and innovative ways.
2. How does programmatic DOOH work?
Noelia: Programmatic DOOH enables advertisers to target consumers with relevant ads in real-time on out-of-home digital screens. This is achieved through the use of real-time bidding (RTB) technology, which allows advertisers to amplify their audience reach and bid on available ad space based on specific targeting criteria, such as location, time of day, weather conditions or screen type.
Programmatic DOOH offers the ability not only to deliver more relevant ads but also to measure the impact of an ad campaign with greater transparency. Through data analytics, advertisers can monitor their campaigns in real time based on consumer behavior and engagement, in order to optimize cost-effectiveness.
3. Advertisers are looking for high-precision targeting, transparent reporting, and creative campaign styles. How does Programmatic DOOH help with the above?
Nikhil: Programmatic DOOH is a powerful tool for advertisers to deliver targeted messaging to the modern connected user. While out-of-home advertising has existed forever, how much of that is personalized or measurable? Programmatic DOOH potentially disrupts the industry by allowing advertisers to implement various targeting and creative options based on geography, weather, venue/screen types, or even time of display. This personalized approach helps to customize campaigns for the user and deliver right messaging which has a higher accuracy, and thus higher conversion. By taking advantage of the impact of out-of-home screens and using dynamic content, programmatic DOOH is empowering advertisers to create engaging campaigns and connect deeper with their audiences.
In addition to that, the ability to analyze multiple data points also gives advertisers a deeper understanding of their campaign performance. This level of insight is essential to make quick decisions to improve campaign performance and optimize for better results. The transparency also gives advertisers greater visibility and control over their ad spending, ensuring budgets are allocated efficiently and effectively.
4. In 2022, DOOH spending in the US was set to reach $7.18 billion. What is the market size in India? How do you see the business shaping up in the Indian market going ahead?
Nikhil: Out-of-home-advertising has always been an important part of the media mix for Indian advertisers across the years and DOOH has added newer technological prowess to this traditional advertising medium. The pandemic did have a significant impact on the growth of DOOH, but with the strengthening of infrastructure around digital signage, interactive kiosks, and 5G internet speed, the outlook is that DOOH will command significant double-digit shares for advertisers. According to industry projections by IMARC group released earlier this year, the DOOH market in India is expected to be about $3.2 billion by 2027 and that presents valuable opportunities to advertisers.
The increased adoption of programmatic advertising and advancements in technological innovations in this space have also contributed to advertiser confidence to invest in DOOH. Take for instance our DOOH solution that combines the benefits of DOOH with our proprietary Household Sync technology, which allows advertisers to leverage the CTV screens in people’s homes to drive engagement and enable seamless messaging across the user journey. By syncing the two, we are closing the gap between out-of-home, CTV, and mobile advertising for advertisers to reach their users in new, engaging ways.
5. What draws brands to programmatic DOOH? Will your newest extension of DOOH with Audience Sync capabilities be a game changer in this category?
Noelia: One of the key benefits of programmatic DOOH for brands is its ability to deliver ads in a more efficient and cost-effective way than traditional advertising methods. By leveraging data and automation, advertisers can optimize their campaigns to reach the right people, at the right time, and on the right devices. This ensures that their ad spend is being used effectively and that they are getting the most value for their investment.
With the integration of Mobile, CTV and DOOH campaigns, we can provide a seamless and synchronized experience for consumers, enhancing brand engagement and delivering a unified consumer journey. The platform’s ability to connect all touchpoints in the consumer journey ensures that advertisers can optimize their campaigns accordingly, maximizing their impact and achieving the desired results.
6. How is your service offering different from your competitors? Are there similar products in the Indian market?
Noelia: Our service offering stands out from our competitors in several ways that provide unique benefits to our clients. Our key differentiation is the ability to sync DOOH with mobile and CTV advertising, creating a cohesive omnichannel campaign that maximizes brand recall and drives action across multiple devices. Our automated audience creation around DOOH placements also allows for highly targeted and personalized campaigns that reach the intended audience effectively.
In addition to this, we provide our clients with integrated dashboards, granular reports, and an open API, giving them complete visibility into their campaigns and the flexibility to customize and integrate data as needed. Our dynamic creatives based on real-time weather conditions provide an innovative way to personalize ads, ensuring that campaigns remain relevant and timely, which can drive engagement and conversions.
Furthermore, our footfall attribution from DOOH allows advertisers to track the impact of their campaigns on in-store traffic, enabling them to optimize their campaigns for maximum effectiveness. Finally, our premium supply – not only in India but also globally – across multiple types of screens and locations provides our clients with access to a wide range of advertising opportunities, ensuring that they can reach their target audience in the most effective way possible.
Overall, our innovative features, capabilities, and premium global supply set us apart from our competitors, providing exceptional value and results to our clients.
Nikhil: At mediasmart, our focus is on seamlessly integrating consumer journeys across screens, enabling us to reach hyper-connected consumers across multiple devices and channels effortlessly. We’ve invested in product innovation such that our solutions can
cater to provide comprehensive advertising solutions for brands. Using our technological capabilities to truly integrate consumer journeys across connected devices sets us apart.
We also focus on enhancing the user experience of advertising and have developed a patent-pending ad fatigue targeting technology that helps to boost user engagement and drive greater conversions. We are always striving to push the boundaries of what’s possible with digital advertising, and our commitment to innovation and effectiveness is at the heart of everything we do.
