Archive for September, 2011

14th Annual Indoor Billboard Advertising Conference Oct. 13-16, Las Vegas

Article By: Article by John Koenig, President, IBAA

Indoor Billboard Advertising AssociationThe Indoor Billboard Advertising Association is a proud parent of a teenager! Next month at the 14th Annual Indoor Billboard Advertising Conference, indoor advertising companies, sponsors and vendors will gather at the retro chic Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on October 13th-16th, 2011.

Like most 14 year olds, our teenager has been into ‘€œsocial media’€ years before his parents had awkwardly friended him on Facebook to keep tabs on his exploits.

Indoor Advertising is Social Media.

Some core members of Indoor Billboard Advertising Association (IBAA) have been sending advertising messages during ‘€œsocial interaction’€ settings at bars, restaurants, nightclubs, health clubs, sports arenas and other venues for nearly three decades.

One type of indoor media, restroom advertising, captures the attention of the young and affluent 21-35 year old demographic*. Often referred to as non-traditional advertising, restroom advertising is widely recognized as an extremely targeted, well-received advertising medium.

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Triple-digit Growth – Can the Digital Signage Industry Handle it?

Article By Lyle Bunn

Recent analyst reports forecast ongoing double digital growth for the Dynamic Signage industry in terms of display shipments, advertising and overall industry revenues. DisplaySearch, iSupply, PQ Media, ABI Research, Northern Sky Research, Frost & Sullivan and others all point to growth in the 20% CAGR territory for most areas of the industry.

At the 6th annual Strategy Institute Digital Signage Investors Conference in New York on October 17-18, 2011 – with its annual focus on the investment status and outlook for the industry – there will surely be a more intense and thoughtful discussion than previous years. Most presenters (and delegates) are industry veterans with others bringing fresh perspectives at industry touch points.

Digital place-based media has achieved a critical mass of installed base of networks, established its infrastructure of associations, events, awards and education, developed supply chains and refined its technologies and business processes. It has also proven itself as an influential media that can simultaneously merchandise, brand and improve a location experience. The investment drivers for advertising-based, corporate and hybrid networks have been continuously refined during industry maturity, and these too will be a key part of the event information take-ways.

While serving as Chair of the Digital Screenmedia Association, Stuart Armstrong, President North America of ComQi would note that ‘€œevery part of the industry needed to have enough sail up to catch its share of coming winds’€. As all elements of the industry appear ready to enjoy triple digit growth (some companies already are), many will continue to be satisfied with 2-digit numbers, but this too will call on astute management.

During the 2-day event, new industry opportunities will be outlined and best practices in business acceleration will be profiled. Furthermore, a consensus to the answers to two of this industry’s primary questions may finally emerge: a) Is the current level of projected growth sustainable and suitable to supply and b) How should managed acceleration be achieved?

A survey by DigitalSignageToday that compares the views of 1200 respondents in 2011 to their 2009 views reflects that:

  • Expenditure increases are planned. In 2009, 79% said they planned to spend up to $100K compared with 84% in 2011. 16% of survey respondents in 2011 said they would spend more than $1 million, versus just 6% in 2009.
  • 73% expect budget increases over the next year versus the 53% who expected it in 2009.
  • 57% of displays are now networked versus just 35% in 2009.
  • In 2009, 60% of displays had no third party advertising. In 2011, only 37% have no third party advertising.
  • 24% of 2009 survey respondents expected to deploy new or additional screens in the 0-3 month period, whereas 49% of 2011 respondents expect to deploy or add displays.
  • Respondents expecting to use Digital Signage primarily for internal communications doubled in the period 2009 to 2011.

Improvements in the design, deployment and operations of networks are ongoing. As the applications grow, and supply of products and services expand – commoditizing and cannibalizing itself – the Return on Investment proposition becomes more important and put under greater scrutiny.

In my session titled ‘€œInvesting Wisely in DOOH’€, I will outline some opportunities, prospects, predictions, and red flags while noting several key industry activity indicators, how and where money is being made in this industry, what mistakes are being repeated and who will have highly successful outcomes.

I look forward to seeing you at the 6th annual Strategy Institute Digital Signage Investors Conference in New York, October 17-18, 2011.

Lyle Bunn is an independent consultant and educator in North America’s dynamic signage industry who regularly assists end users and investors in their planning and optimization. He has published over 200 articles and whitepapers and regularly presents at industry events. See www.LyleBunn.com or email Lyle at LyleBunn.com

About the Digital Signage Investor

The Digital Signage Investor Conference is the only event bringing together investors, networks, hardware and software companies and M&A specialists. Majority of attendees are Founders, Presidents, Chief Executive Officers, Partners, Principals or Managing Directors.  The summit sheds light on what it takes to grow investment in the DOOH industry. Case studies illustrate success & the speed-networking session facilitates lasting relationships, which have often proved to be the basis upon which deals ‘€“ both big and small ‘€“ have been struck in the industry.


MediaPost: Starcom MediaVest Taps DOmedia For OOH Buys

Originally posted by Erik Sass on MediaPost.com

Starcom MediaVest Group Exchange, which aims to make media buying more efficient with greater use of automated tools, announced that it is expanding its relationship with DOmedia to include out-of-home media buying services — making it the first major agency to partner with DOmedia for OOH transactions.

The announcement follows a year of consultation and cooperation between StarCom MediaVest and DOmedia, during which DOmedia built its automated media buying platform with extensive input from StarCom MediaVest and their clients.

The new DOmedia OOH buying platform is now integrated across all parts of SMG’s media buying divisions, including Starcom, MediaVest and Spark Communications.

Previously SMG had signed up for DOmedia’s “free to post, free to search” service — a forerunner to the OOH media buying exchange, which allows OOH vendors large and small to post available inventory in markets across the country, and OOH buyers to browse that inventory and research OOH assets.

Search results are filtered by various criteria, as part of their campaign planning.

To date DOmedia has signed up approximately 500 OOH vendors and a similar number of buyers for the “free to post, free to search” service, which is still active and growing. They include most of the national OOH companies, as well as local and regional competitors. However, SMG is the first agency to integrate DOmedia’s new platform for conducting actual transactions.

DOmedia CEO Rich Langdale expressed hope that the new media planning and buying platform might become a standard tool for the media industry, due to the efficiencies offered by aggregating OOH vendors, some of which might otherwise fly under the radar.

“We have hyper-local buying tools that allow them to reach audiences at a national — but localized — level,” he said. (DOmedia was originally founded with the mission of aggregating the numerous digital out-of-home media networks, but has since expanded to include static inventory.)

Indeed, both partners said that widespread adoption of a standardized, automated platform for buying and selling OOH inventory could boost investment in the medium, whose fragmentation and diversity have previously presented significant barriers to large-scale spending.

John Muszynski, chief investment officer for the StarCom MediaVest Group Exchange, said: “We are equipping our associates with the best analytical tools to make intelligent media buying decisions for our clients.”

Muszynski added that handing logistical and transactional responsibilities to DOmedia would leave SMG buyers and planners free to focus on the more strategic aspects of media buying, thereby delivering greater value to SMG clients: “Everyone’s busy and everyone’s trying to do more with less. This allows us to streamline the RFP process, the vendor gathering and data gathering parts of the process, and allows us to think more strategically.”

Langdale agreed: “The ‘secret sauce’ of buying media has nothing to do with aggregating all the media vendors. We simply corral all the data together in one place — then the media companies can put their secret sauce in.”

Learn more about the Starcom MediaVest Group and DOmedia partnership »


Company Spotlight: Poo Free Parks

Poo Free Parks
Finished making scatological jokes? Allow us to introduce you to Poo Free Parks’„¢, a Denver-based, privately-held company providing environmentally-responsible pet stations and services to local communities. Poo Free Parks’„¢ has created an advertising medium that allows brands to access high traffic public areas previously impervious to advertising: public parks and open spaces.

The ad format is a synergy of static signage, consumer take-away products, and mobile integration. The service, aimed at reducing harmful pet waste in parks and waterways with an environmentally- and socially-responsible approach, is delivered to local communities at no cost to municipalities or taxpayers. The eco-friendly program includes the installation, supply, and upkeep of pet waste bag dispensers made from 100 percent recyclable aluminum, filled with 100 percent biodegradable bags designed to naturally deteriorate within 18 months.

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Video: Engaging the Active Consumer with Digital Place-based Media

The Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA) recently posted a video explaining how digital place-based media can help advertisers solve the dilemma of reaching the active consumer.

The video calls for advertisers to radically evolve the way we plan our media and turn our attention to where and when we target consumers.

The active consumer is not your traditional customer segment, but rather a consumer mindset. This group makes 100% of their purchase decisions, and are receptive to media on the path to purchase to help them make their buying decision. This mindset spans across baby boomers, generation X/Y, affluent professionals, early adopters, alpha moms and the influential youth.

Digital place-based media creates a way to capture the attention of the active consumer at the moment of maximum influence – that is, the intersection of time, place and purchase intent.

Digital place-based media is the next wave of targeted advertising. Find over 100 digital place-based networks to help with your next campaign by searching the DOmedia marketplace. It’s free to search!