Digital Network

‘pDOOH is definitely a growth segment’

“Automation, measurement and connectivity to omni DSPs build advertiser confidence and that should be the focus of all our efforts,” says Srikanth Ramachandran, Group CEO of Moving Walls in an interview with Rajiv Raghunath.

Published

April 12, 2023

Rajiv Raghunath

As DOOH networks grow in the India markets, are you seeing a growing market opportunity for pDOOH here?

pDOOH is definitely a growth segment for DOOH globally and that is also the case in the Indian market. It is growing from a small single digit % of the total DOOH market and hence will post a very healthy growth rate.

There is a prevailing belief that pDOOH solutions being offered to the industry in India are not truly programmatic. What is your view on this?

First of all, we need to agree on the definition that pDOOH is automated buying and selling of digital advertising space on screens in public places, using real-time bidding (RTB) technology and data-driven targeting to reach specific audiences. From our own platform usage experience, there are a few campaigns that tick all boxes in the above definition. There are many that use data driven targeting and there are many that use automation only. In our view, automation, measurement and connectivity to Omni Demand Side Platforms build advertiser confidence and that should be the focus of all our efforts.

What factors are facilitating or inhibiting Indian DOOH media owners from participating on SSP platforms?

The biggest factor facilitating participation is the ability to tap into digital budgets which are 5-8x times higher than OOH budgets. The biggest inhibition is knowledge of how SSP-DSP works and the ability to build products for this new channel. I believe that the mistake DOOH media owners make is to see SSP platforms as a sales channel instead of taking control of the technology platform and engaging with digital buyers.

How would you assess your engagement with specialist agencies in India on the pDOOH front?

The specialists have already invested in a platform to plan and measure campaigns in an automated manner. However, the success of pDOOH depends on bringing the best of digital agency programmatic and the specialists OOH knowledge. Some agencies have already seen this potential and are in the process of bringing ooh specialists and digital agency competencies together.