June 22, 2023 | Spotlights
Partner Spotlight: OUTFRONT
Hivestack sat down with the team at OUTFRONT to discuss how programmatic DOOH has driven growth across the US, what their strategy looks like as a business and what the future holds. Here’s what they had to say:
Who is OUTFRONT? Introduce the services or solutions you offer.
OUTFRONT is one of the leading OOH media owners in the US, with inventory across roadside digital billboards in various markets, transit shelters, urban panels and spectaculars. We provide an integrated and targeted platform to connect brands to their desired audiences, as they go through their daily journeys. We are famous for the impact and creativity of our medium – we champion the power of the biggest canvases across North America to drive engagement, fame, and trust. We are front and center in the places where people live, work, and travel. From urban centers to busy highways, to transit hubs, to local neighborhoods, we leverage new technology to make OOH more relevant, responsive, and rewarding and make your existing digital investments work harder.
Can you discuss some of the top priorities for your business this year?
Adding new inventory, including transit, to our programmatic offering, strengthening our foundational systems and technology with partners like Hivestack, and growing the pool of programmatic advertisers leveraging our inventory.
We believe in the power of leveraging Art & Science for our partners. For us, Science = Audiences. We utilize our proprietary DMP, smartSCOUT (TM) and the Hivestack Digital Direct Ad Server to connect businesses to the audiences that matter to them. At OUTFRONT, Creative is the most important part of the campaign as it accounts for 75% of an ad’s effectiveness (Ipsos, 2020). OUTFRONT offers all clients access to our award-winning, 50+ OUTFRONT STUDIOS team for full campaign development, as well as our XLabs team, responsible for integrating emerging technologies into out of home. OUTFRONT is invested in the digital future of OOH and is elevating our Sales team with the resources they need, like our partnership with Hivestack.
How have you seen new opportunities come about with programmatic platforms such as Hivestack?
Hivestack’s platform enables OUTFRONT to bring a campaign to the street in record time with our white glove service approach. We’ve seen last-minute buys to target audiences over holiday weekends, smart campaigns based on triggers like weather, and short-term buys that aren’t traditional for OOH. Buyers love the campaign delivery data that they can get with a digital direct advertising (DDA) program. Additionally, we’ve seen the platform help bring new advertisers into the out of home ecosystem, letting them buy OOH using the same platforms they use to buy their other digital media. The flexibility, audience targeting and speed to market of programmatic coupled with the brand safe, viewable, ad blocking free inventory of out of home is a great combination for our advertisers.
Why was it important to integrate programmatic DOOH into your overall business strategy?
We want to make sure advertisers can access our inventory in the manner of their choosing, including DDA via the Hivestack ad server or programmatic campaigns through the Hivestack DSP. Additionally, digital platforms and social media marketing are facing several challenges this year, including a loss of customer data and cookies and eroding trust in major platforms. Programmatic DOOH and DDA make it easier for advertisers to buy DOOH, which is brand safe.
How has programmatic DOOH driven growth across your business?
Programmatic has introduced our business to potential brands that have not traditionally bought OOH advertising. Now that OOH is available in the platforms they use for their other media campaigns, it makes it easier to apply similar audience targeting and measurement used for digital, mobile, CTV, etc., to OOH, ultimately bringing new advertisers into our space. Programmatic DOOH and DDA have shifted the conversation from just location to location and audience. We’re able to reach new digital buyers and offer our existing customers all of the advanced capabilities of a DOOH buy.
What types of screens (formats and environments) in your network are available programmatically?
The programmatic network consists of over 1,400+ units available across 46 different markets, the majority being large format Digital roadside Billboards and Digital Posters, as well as Digital Transit Shelters in Miami, Atlanta and Las Vegas, the MTA’s urban panels in New York City, and spectaculars in Times Square and LA.
Are there unique nuances or learnings that you can share around the US market?
It’s a big country with lots of different players and it’s important to know that not all screens are created equal. Pay attention to the combination of scale and quality offered by media owners. If you stick with the leaders in outdoor and place-based, you will be in good shape.
What are you most excited about for the future?
The continued growth of programmatic buys, new advertisers coming into the space, and adding transit to our programmatic offering. Out of home makes the most impact when there’s amazing contextually relevant creative reaching the right audiences. We’re excited to work with our advertiser and agency partners to leverage best practices and showcase the advanced capabilities of DOOH in innovative ways.
