Data moves the levers of DOOH business

Promotional materials are dynamically and digitally displayed in public spaces as part of the DOOH marketing channel. A digital billboard, outdoor signage, or a network of screens positioned at different touchpoints are some examples of DOOH. For the course of a campaign, traditional OOH media shows static images, but with digital one may show a variety of materials on the display area. This screen variant captures the viewer's attention, making them more responsive. As a result, advertisers can select an appropriate time period and frequency for their ads and tailor their marketing strategies to the TG movement.

To understand the placement of data in enhancing OOH and DOOH, Media4Growth spoke to founders of Adarth.  Adarth is a new age data-driven start-up platform that automates OOH advertisements. Priya Shaa co-founder of Adarth, while emphasising upon the importance of data for DOOH, said, “There is literally so much that can be done with data. There are like a gazillion things that can be built or are built right now with data and technology but these will only be successful in this industry when media owners are ready to make that small change.” She added, “Data is crucial to make a well-informed decision as it helps in validating the course of action for an organisation before committing to it. Well, I think that the Indian outdoor advertising industry is still not there yet. Although the industry is still stepping towards digitisation but there is still a long way to go.”

Talking about Adarth’s unique offerings, Priya said, “Adarth is strengthening the supply side of OOH industry with the help of technology. We help media owners manage their inventories and book digitally and at the same time help them reach captive audiences. So, we don’t just help them with operations, we also give them business opportunities.” She added, “There aren’t many cloud-based SaaS platforms in this industry in my knowledge. We all know that SaaS is the future, and by 2030 it will be nearly a trillion dollar industry. We offer instant decision making, cost effectiveness, low risk, greater flexibility combined with enhanced security. All of this put together gives us a unique standing in the OOH market.”

Speaking about the company’s future plans to remain relevant with the constantly evolving OOH industry, Priya said, “Going forward, rising adoption of DOOH display advertisements, increasing infrastructural developments and rising urbanisation will drive growth for our venture too.” However, she said, “But it is too early to see massive increase in terms of business numbers as in spite of having been in the market for a while now, it is only in the last couple of years that DOOH advertising has gathered momentum. DOOH spend is expected to cross $4 billion in 2020 for the USA. Whereas in India, DOOH merely accounts for 3-5% of the OOH industry’s overall revenue.”

Adarth strongly advocates innovation. On this, Priya said, “The most important indicator of how well a company is doing is by tracking their innovation goal. This is something that has been lagging in our industry for decades. People and companies are resistant to change and innovation, perhaps this is the reason that there is so low-tech adaptability in this space.”