Loop Media-Microsoft Advertising Forge New CTV OOH Inventory Category
Microsoft Advertising and Loop Media, a provider of free ad-supported TV content, have teamed together to develop a new advertising inventory for SSP collaboration. Loop Media is a provider of digital video content with over 2 billion video views every month via eateries, shops, workplaces, medical facilities, airports, clubs, and colleges. In a pioneering arrangement in the SSP format, Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising will give marketers and demand-side platforms (DSPs) fresh distribution segments from which they may access and obtain Loop Media’s promotional engagements. Digital Out of Home (DOOH) and CTV (Connected TV) are the company’s key offerings on DSPs and SSPs (supply-side platforms). All prospective buyers of DOOH marketing will have access to Loop Media through the new category CTV Out of Home that was created as a result of this agreement. Buyers wanting to investigate ads on CTV OOH service networks will be among them.
Advertisers Rejoice
Through this strategic partnership with Loop Media, Microsoft Advertising seeks to grow its advertising business. It aims to give its advertisers access to the exposure and reach of Loop Media. This cooperation will also open up fresh options for marketers to efficiently and effectively interact with their target audiences.
Advertisers will have access to cutting-edge tools with the development of this brand-new sort of advertising inventory, the CTV OOH. They will be able to effectively connect with and interact with the demographics they want. The collaboration benefits both businesses and will increase Loop Media’s visibility in the constantly changing market.
Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising have paved a revolutionary ad landscape. The launch of CTV OOH under the aegis of the SSP partnership helps advertisers to precisely accomplish their marketing objectives. It has paved the way for a promising future by increasing market potential and improving client outreach with this agreement. Loop Media and Microsoft Advertising have created a game-changing advertising landscape by working together. The roll-out of CTV OOH under the SSP partnership framework gives marketers more freedom to precisely accomplish their marketing goals.
Read More: Connected TV Explained: The Essential Glossary Of CTV
And what they said
Bob Gruters, Chief Revenue Officer for Loop Media stated,
With this new category, Loop Media may be seen and purchased by an expanded group of advertisers in the marketplace. My team and I have been working diligently to get Loop Media positioned well across all revenue advertising categories including Microsoft Advertising’s CTV Out of Home category.
Erik Zamkoff, Microsoft Advertising associate director of Marketplace Development said,
We are pleased to launch our new CTV-OOH library on the Microsoft Advertising platform which provides a path for clients to buy CTV-OOH supply in the proper context with clear labeling in our new venue category packages. We are thrilled to feature Loop CTV-OOH supply in our new venue category packages.
About Loop Media
Loop Media, INC. is a market leader in digital out-of-home (DOOH), television, and digital signage. Through its Loop TV Service, it assists businesses in optimizing campaigns on various platforms by offering free music videos, news, sports, and entertainment channels. Loop Media has a license to stream music videos to companies in the United States using its patented Loop Player. Millions of users access its digital content at DOOH locations every day across the U.S. They include office buildings, retail enterprises, bars/restaurants, university campuses, TV platforms, airports, and local gas stations. It is the most comprehensive and important inventory of short-form entertainment.
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Dentsu partners with Moving Walls to bring accountable DOOH advertising to Africa
Moving Walls has teamed up with Dentsu Africa, a global digital marketing and communications company, to create an advanced Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising technology platform for various markets in Africa. This new partnership will provide a full-stack solution for OOH advertising, using innovative technology to help brands reach their target audiences in an effective and accountable way.
Through this partnership, Dentsu Africa is launching a DOOH tech solution that is powered by Moving Walls. The solution includes a supply-side platform that consolidates OOH inventory information and provides advanced inventory and campaign management tools to media owners. Advertisers, on the other hand, will have access to advanced DOOH activation and measurement capabilities through a single platform. The solution is launching in three of the biggest African markets, with pilot campaigns already in place for some of the top brands.
Interesting Read: All You Need To Know About The Rise Of DOOH Advertising
Statista estimates ad spending in the OOH advertising segment in Africa to reach US$198.00m in 2023. The OOH advertising industry in Africa is growing and attracting a relatively higher percentage share of advertising compared to other regions, with studies suggesting it accounts for 13% of advertising revenue in most key African markets. The continent’s large and growing population, fast-growing middle class, and young population make it an attractive market for businesses and brands. OOH spending has continued to grow, with the rise of digital screens in shopping malls, airports, and residential areas.
Alex Tutu, Regional Director at Dentsu Location Services said,
With their global scale and platforms that address the entire ecosystem, Moving Walls is the ideal partner to launch these new DOOH capabilities for our region. It is especially important that this is a tech solution that allows for flexible customizations for the different markets we are launching in.
Srikanth Ramachandran, Founder and Group CEO of Moving Walls added that such a partnership is ideal to quickly scale solutions to a region where OOH remains fragmented.
Our platforms have been battle-tested in regions where even neighboring countries have vastly different OOH ecosystems. By launching this solution with Dentsu, some of the largest advertisers across Africa will be able to transform how they run OOH advertising.
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MediaMix And Starzmedia Launched OOH Advertising Across UAE
OOH company Media Mix Advertising and Starz Media join forces to launch OOH advertising across the UAE. Paul Abouchacra, who is in charge of Media Mix Advertising, is an experienced man in the UAE when it comes to out-of-home advertising.
Media Mix’s vision is to become one of the world’s leading outdoor media companies while steadily expanding its market presence. In Dubai, UAE, it seeks to offer brands professional, visible, and targeted exposure in the city’s landscape by strategically placing outdoor advertising mediums.
As a result of the strategic alliance between StarzMedia and Media Mix, both companies gained mutually beneficial results. StarzMedia, Danube’s sister company, provides 528 bus shelters and mupis for the entire city of Dubai.
Interesting Read: Lemma Partners With Continuum, Expand DOOH Presence In The Middle East
Working together
Image Credit: Campaign Middle East
As a result of the acquisition, Media Mix and Starz Media now own 25 unipoles in Dubai. Four of them were acquired on 1st May. They can be found opposite Dubai Festival City, with two unipoles on Al Rebat Street and two on Nadd Al Hamar Street. A recent acquisition involved 21 unipoles installed along 30 kilometers of Sheikh Zayed Road between Jebel Ali and Dubai Parks. Moreover, a full takeover of Abu Dhabi theme parks was achieved through the booking of 21 unipoles along the total stretch of 60 kilometers on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Interesting Read: Dubai To Host Global Metaverse Event, Unveils Its Ambitious Strategy
Power Of Out-Of-Home Advertising In The Middle East And Road Ahead
OOH- Out-Of-Home Advertising is a media format that walks with you from the time you step out of the house.
Don’t you believe me?
Let’s take a quick walk from your apartment. There is a screen in your elevator or outside your apartment. In a few yards, you’ll see a lamppost or a mupi greeting you. Speeding along at 90km/hr, you will come across attractive signage. And they are everywhere on your visit to supermarkets or malls. OOH is by your side, anywhere and everywhere in UAE all through the day in formats to engage and impress you.
In the UAE, the world’s oldest form of promotion ‘ out-of-home ’ advertising has been evolving over the years. OOH advertising Middle-East still commands a lion’s share of the attention of the media mix. It stands on the tipping point between traditional and technological advancements. The proliferation of new technologies and changing consumer patterns have resulted in a paradigm shift. Before understanding the OOH advertising Middle-East market, let us comprehend the basic concept of Out-Of-Home advertising.
What is Out-Of-Home (OOH) Advertising?
In simple words it OOH Advertising means any visual advertising media that reaches consumers when they are outside of their homes. Outdoor advertising spaces would be lampposts, bridge banners, billboards, wrapping, and more. There is a rise of out-of-home in middle-east. It is not unusual to see huge hoardings in Dubai, bridge banners in Abu Dhabi along with the circuits of Mupis in Sharjah & the Northern Emirates. For those unfamiliar with market prices, there are many options at various price points – even among similar sites from different providers.
Picture Credit: Talon
Interesting Read: JGroup and Blis To Partner For Exclusive Location-Based Advertising In MENA
Out Of Home (OOH) Advertising Middle East And Africa
Outdoor Advertising is the only traditional medium that has steadily grown for the past 10 years. According to PQ Media’s forecast,2020 was the most difficult year for the entire OOH media industry. The onset of a strong recovery, however, is evident this year, with global OOH revenues projected to increase 6.6% to $55.03 billion, followed by accelerating growth in 2022.
Why is this medium so appealing and sustainable? It tackles everything that’s considered a challenge in digital media.
An independent study by Nielson suggests OOH drives online activation. The same study further reveals that nearly five in 10 US adults are engaged on search engines alone when they encounter an outdoor ad. The engagement numbers are even higher on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Out of Home Advertising Association of America
Statista reveals in 2020, spending on OOH advertising in the Middle-East and Africa (MENA) region amounted to 233 million U.S. dollars. Outdoor advertising is relevant and important considering we live in a mobile economy today. It has the potential and power to create a great impact on the consumers. Consumers are more likely to click on a mobile ad after seeing the ad on OOH. Some more data to help you understand the role of OOH in a brand’s growth, market presence, and loyal customers.
- an average 71% share who said digital billboards stand out better than online ads
- an average 85% share of consumers who think out of home advertising is helpful
- an average 40% boost in effectiveness for digital search when paired with OOH
- an average of $3.79 sales ROI for retail companies per $1 spent on OOH advertising
Interesting Read: Trade Desk Partners With Choueiri Group For Better Programmatic Access In MENA
Industry Experts Speaks On the Biggest Challenges Faced By OOH Advertising Middle East
OOH’s reach and frequency make it a good medium for creating brand awareness and providing a call to action (CTA) with consumers. The hyper-local nature of OOH ads provides people with those “aha” moments. Consumers can recall the first time they saw a ‘special build’ on Sheikh Zayed Road? Or a unique hoarding at Al Kahil? Or a brand new automobile with headlights mounted on the unipole? Or Wrapping a bus on Abu Dhabi’s first transit media?
Unlike any other medium, OOH offers round-the-clock exposure and complete control of the advertising space. However, the OOH advertising Middle East industry faces multiple challenges which dampen future growth.
- There is no regulatory body for the OOH industry to resolve issues faced by the vendors which leads to unhealthy competition at times.
- Spiraling high rents by landlords in spite of softer demand and tight advertising budgets. Also, there is a mismatch in the demand-supply of locations.
- OOH is incapable of providing campaign-specific and every-moment ROI. It lacks advanced measurement tools compelling advertisers to shift to digital due to limited budget.
- Advertisers lose out on brand recall and awareness due to the transfer to digital as they look for value for money and not only impressions.
- Digitization is slow to catch in the OOH industry. MENA is trailing behind in technology and programmatic advancement compared to the international market.
“The main challenge the industry is facing is that it is still full of analogue options, which means any small mistake in or changes to the creative requires additional costs borne by the advertiser. A lack of digitalisation also means there aren’t a lot of things that advertisers can measure natively. At best, they receive a guesstimation of impressions. The other challenge is the fact that today’s consumer wants to see ads tailored to their interests.” -SAEED ALSHAMSI , Managing Partner, Lifeonscreen (OOH Guide 2019-20)
“There is a wrong perception that outdoor is competing with digital, and clients and agencies are focusing on programmatic planning via social media and online, and using OOH as a secondary medium to complement online.” – REHAN MERCHANT, Group CEO, Emirates Neon Group (OOH Guide 2019-20)
The Road Ahead
Amidst a fragmented media landscape, OOH is a relevant medium that has a wider reach and makes people stop-notice-think-buy. But what’s next for the OOH industry? Digital, Digital, and Digital.
OOH complements other media channels but DOOH is the ultimate. The OOH advertising Middle East industry is moving at a slow pace towards digitization but it will experience a revolution. In recent times, DOOH has taken off and cannot be easily avoided, skipped, or blocked, unlike online TV adverts. A large 3D illusion LED billboard to smart screens across the city with interactive elements like sensors, touch-sensitive links that play audio or video when touched, or facial recognition to customize content. It is necessary to develop standardized processes, measurement tools, and retargeting strategies to programmatically handle DOOH. Due to these robust technologies, OOH suppliers will better invest in resources and integrate these solutions as a part of their portfolios.
People are well on their way to embracing technology in media, and artificial intelligence with digital formats of real-time trading will have a positive impact on gaining traction. And what’s more, the transition from static to digital sites will continue
Interesting Read: All You Need To Know About The Rise Of DOOH Advertising!
Pikasso And Broadsign Launch Maiden Programmatic DOOH Campaign In Ivory Coast!
Broadsign, and Pikasso, a programmatic Out-of-Home firm based in the Levant, North Africa, and West Africa, have launched a programmatic DOOH campaign in Ivory Coast; making them pioneers of the same. This maiden campaign was displayed by a French DSP, the Displayce.
Francesca Vincenti, Head of Programmatic at Pikasso commented –
We are thrilled to have displayed the very first programmatic pDOOH campaign in West Africa, in the Main Malls of Abidjan, the economical Capital of Ivory Coast, and are pleased with our collaboration with major programmatic players such as Broadsign and Displayce.
Relevant Read: Qatar-Based Elan Media Launches Programmatic Buying For DOOH Assets
Vinceti also talked about how the collaborators’ confidence in Pikasso to execute this campaign, as well as their interest in the Ivory Coast market, shows that the area is receptive to all innovations; including the capacity to trade programmatically, as a clear step toward the future of advertising buying.
Furthermore, Vinceti expressed how enthralled Pikasso is for introducing programmatic buying to the market, and hopes that the advertisers avail this advantage to its optimum level.
Stuart McMahon, Director Business Development EMEA at Broadsign went on to record to say –
Programmatic DOOH adoption is growing worldwide, paving the way for more impactful campaigns that can reach consumers at multiple touchpoints throughout the day and speak to their experiences in the moment. This campaign is a testament to the power of programmatic DOOH in an omnichannel strategy and marks an exciting milestone for the Ivory Coast market
Kawarizmi, a French digital agency specializing in programmatic buying, bought the campaign as part of an omnichannel strategy. This strategy includes a strong retargeting presence on mobile and social media to maximize the connection between DOOH and mobile.
Also Read: Loreal And Trade Desk Launch First Programmatic Campaign In Gulf!
