the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 2

Out-of-home media is marching steadily toward

digital. PwC predicts a compound annual growth
rate of 10.1% for digital out-of-home (DOOH) media
around the globe over the next five years, and leading
media owners are at the forefront. But how do they
keep pace with a rapidly changing environment while
maintaining strong business fundamentals?

Here at Broadsign, we work with many DOOH media

owners, and over the years, we’ve learned a thing
or two. Since 2004, we’ve assessed, analyzed,
implemented and supported the technological needs
of a wide variety of DOOH media owners around the
globe. And after countless meetings and discussions,
we’ve compiled our take on the seven habits of the
world’s most successful DOOH companies.

Compare your operations to these seven habits

to see how you can improve your company’s growth
and profitability.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners
habit #1
they automate as much as possible
If we had to list just one strategy, this would be it. Auto-
mation is, hands-down, the most important thing leading
DOOH media owners have deployed throughout their busi-
nesses.
Automation can make any company more profitable, but it
is particularly important in DOOH. By taking out long and
repetitive tasks, automation frees up your team so they
can focus on managing business growth and maximizing
profitability.
Magna Global predicts global DOOH ad sales will grow
15% in 2018, with places like the UK seeing 50% of all
OOH spending going toward digital. To keep pace with the
growth, companies often put process improvements on
the back burner as they scramble just to meet customer
requirements. But DOOH media companies that ignore
internal operations too long do so at their own peril.
Workarounds and manual processes grow exponentially as
you add more screens, which increase errors, add hidden
and staffing costs, and freeze sales and growth.
The world's leading DOOH media companies are continually
optimizing and automating. For example:
3
• Rules-based content programming (sometimes called
“loops”), instead of playlists. When content is scheduled
and played according to rules, schedulers make neces-
sary adjustments for thousands of players with a few
clicks. They’re not updating every single playlist. Rather
than 20 schedulers to manage 100 screens, some top
DOOH media companies have only one or two schedul-
ers for thousands of screens.
• Integrated sales and operations. Sales teams that have
real-time access to inventory availability are able to
quickly respond to customer inquiries and generate
quotes for eager buyers. And once a booking is con-
firmed, information automatically flows to schedulers,
so they know how and what to schedule, without prolifer-
ating email chains and spreadsheets.
• Automatic content rebalancing. In the event of down-
time or scheduling bumps, ad revenue is protected with
automated schedule adjustments across the network to
ensure that campaigns hit their targets and that make-
goods are avoided whenever possible.
• Programmatic sales. Both direct and programmatically
sold inventory can be automatically scheduled.
Operations doesn’t need to keep making adjustments for
every sale, which makes even last-minute sales possible.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 4

screens

time

habit #2
they plan for growth

Along with more automated processes, leading companies also think about scaling for growth.
For example, how many more schedulers and operations staff will they need as their screen
count grows? If they’re running their own servers, what additional hardware, maintenance and
cooling will they require? And, if they’re not already using a hosted service, they are seriously
investigating it. As leaders, they plan ahead for the additional processing and labor requirements
they’ll need to grow.

In addition to being able to accommodate new digital screen growth, leading media companies
think about how to integrate their various business systems, for a complete sales, content deliv-
ery and ERP solution. They make sure data and systems don’t get stuck in silos throughout their
organization as they expand.

Essentially this means ensuring that their DOOH content management system comes with a
comprehensive API, which permits easy integration with other business systems. They get the
best solution for each job, and integrate them together for a more complete workflow and a
360-degree view of their business.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 5

habit #3
they make security a priority

Data hacks on digital screens are high-profile events — not only

do they gain a lot of views from passers-by, but news media
love to profile those stories. Ensuring maximum security should
go without saying, but it is surprising how often it is over-
looked. Some digital billboards are still running their content on
networks that the wireless provider left completely open and
unencrypted to the public.

Leading DOOH media companies ensure strong security both

in their own operations and from their vendors and subcontrac-
tors. They require all providers to demonstrate a clear under-
standing of network security, and a serious commitment to it.
This includes:

• Conducting regular security audits of both their own sys-

tems and their vendors

• Verifying that third-party providers maintain the highest

security standards

• Securing physical access to their signs and systems

• Conducting regular O/S and application maintenance

• Only using proven platforms with a history of strong security

the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners
habit #4
they know how to engage viewers
Today’s leading DOOH companies are just as concerned
about the engagement of their viewers as they are about
the number of viewers. The very reason for the success of
digital displays is their ability to respond quickly and to be
immediately relevant to their location. Treating them like
static displays misses an opportunity to engage viewers in
new ways. One academic study found that, similar to the
effect of banner blindness on the web, if audiences expect
uninteresting content the displays are often ignored.
To keep audience attention, the world’s top media compa-
nies make the most of the responsive nature of their digital
displays. They do this by:
• Using dynamic and interactive content. DOOH media
owners can work with advertisers and their agencies to
provide content that is on a new level of creativity, espe-
cially with the arrival of so many inexpensive sensors. A
nice example is the Swedish billboard campaign from a
pharmacy that “coughed” at smokers nearby.
6
• Keeping content fresh. They update content regularly
and ensure that viewers are not exposed to too much
repetition during the expected dwell time.
• Showing up-to-date, high-value information specific to
the screen location. This could be branded or unbranded
weather and traffic updates, sports and cultural high-
lights, transit schedules or any other relevant content
that can be triggered by a data feed.
• Making content location-specific. Many even provide
local offices or storefronts with capabilities for adding
their own information (like opening hours, staff updates)
while maintaining brand guidelines.
Greater engagement from viewers means greater advertise-
ment efficacy for brands. Consider the recent Nielsen study
that found 71 percent of viewers felt digital billboards stood
out more than online ads. DOOH media owners can provide
better ROI on their displays with more engaged viewers.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 7

habit #5
they build advertiser trust

Building trust is all about providing visibility and transpar-

ency. Unfortunately, quality data in advertising (and outdoor
advertising especially) has historically been difficult to
obtain and validate.

Modern technology is changing all this. Media owners are

investing in more accurate measurement of audience data
to better inform buyers on their investments. Customers
and service providers can document and easily access
information from the first sales discussion right through to
campaign invoice. Top DOOH owners today work to gain
customer trust by providing transparency throughout the
media planning, buying and delivery process. They provide
consistent metrics and accountability, such as:

• Straightforward sales quotes with details that clearly

explain their commitments.

• Adherence to advertiser brand safety conditions. Brand

safety-conscious clients can easily see where their con-
tent was displayed, to mitigate the risk of association
with nearby problematic content.

• Proof-of-play reports that detail when an advertisement

ran and that it met the agreed-upon impression goals.
They may also show when/if make-goods took place
and even the details of which creative ran if conditions
were set.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 8

habit #6
they enable their sales teams with the
right tools

DOOH media sales are complex. DOOH sales teams need

inventory availability information, and quickly, to ensure
they hit their sales targets. Top DOOH media owners
provide their sales teams with real-time data on inventory
availability and specifics, and they make it easy for them to
respond to client inquiries and RFPs.

A recent study of sales representatives found that sales

teams were spending 23 percent of their time on adminis-
trative tasks. That’s one day a week spent only on clerical
work rather than selling!

A salesperson who can produce a detailed and accurate

quote in minutes has a huge advantage over someone who
takes days. They can also spend more time selling and less
time fiddling with spreadsheets and emails. What’s more,
they can quickly see what inventory they have left, and
target suitable clients more effectively.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners
habit #7
they keep an eye on new technology
developments
Innovation pretty much defines DOOH. Outdoor signs
have been around since the early Egyptians, but not since
the printing press was invented has out-of-home signage
undergone such a transformation. Digital displays and new
data gathering methods have opened up a huge range of
possibilities and savvy media owners are preparing for the
fast-coming future.
Programmatic sales are moving in. Currently, programmatic
sales make up 80 percent of digital online/mobile adver-
tising transactions, and the practice is gaining traction
in DOOH. Media owners can achieve several goals with
programmatic sales, including:
• Gaining access to digital media budgets. Magna pre-
dicts digital media sales will reach 44% of total ad sales
in 2018 and 50% by 2020, compared to 6% for out-of-
home.
• Reaching buyers who only buy through programmatic ad
platforms.
• Increasing efficiency as buyers become more self-suf-
ficient over time (ie., creating repeatable campaigns or
the ability to increase/decrease campaign reach based
on budget or market conditions).
9
IoT devices are proliferating, and DOOH will transform as a
result. Electronic location data, advanced facial detection,
time-of-day, motion detection, air quality sensors, and traffic
counting are just a few examples of data points that can be
combined to enable responsive advertising and messages.
A whole new level of exciting interactions is now available
to brands.
For media owners, all this data allows for more accurate
audience measurement and thus more potential for maxi-
mizing yield from real estate. It also raises concerns about
privacy. Top media owners are working with companies
that know how to maintain anonymity while collecting
meaningful information. They deploy privacy standards
such as aggregation of data, using visual cues, facial detec-
tion (and not facial recognition) technology, and real-time
video processing (which precludes the need to record or
transmit).
With more sophisticated data, DOOH media owners can
deliver more precision on targets. This means media
owners can now increase the yield from their screens by
selling more targeted time slots while reaching the same
brand goals, be they for demographic targets, time-of-day,
traffic speed, a combination thereof, or in combination with
yet-undiscovered data points.
the 7 habits of highly effective dooh media owners 10

conclusion
DOOH has seen dramatic changes in the last two decades.
In that time, DOOH media owners have grown both organi-
cally and through mergers and acquisitions. Efficient com-
panies operating on industry best practices outpace those
that lag behind and make for attractive potential partners or
acquisitions. Our customers know it because they’ve lived it.

For a free assessment of your current DOOH content man-

agement and sales processes, contact us at broadsign.com.

about broadsign
Broadsign is the leading digital out-of-home (DOOH) market-
ing platform that enables brands, agencies and DOOH media
publishers to buy, sell, and deliver DOOH campaigns effi-
ciently, reliably and securely. Lighting up airports, shopping
malls, health clinics, street corners and more, the Broadsign
platform powers screens at the heart of people’s lives and
delivers more than 11 billion ads and 30 billion impressions
per month.

The Broadsign marketing platform includes

Broadsign Control for content distribution, playback and
proof of performance, Broadsign Direct for sales inventory
availability and proposal generation, and Broadsign Reach, a
customized SSP for programmatic DOOH transactions.

Start a free trial: broadsign.com