Release Notes – 12/4: Anonymized Vendors

james bond barrel gifToday, the DOmedia team is proud to announce the latest round of improvements to our industry leading software. We’re calling it the For Buyer Eyes Only release to highlight a long-requested change to our map-sharing features; buyers can now choose to anonymize vendors when sharing maps.

Of course, the R&D department has packed a lot more into this little release than that. Proof-of-performance is now available on the maps, users can adjust the number of fixed columns in tables and map tables now display the most recent user to edit each map. Did we also equip this release with a laser-firing watch and a bagpipe flamethrower? We are not at liberty to disclose that.

Read on to see the full list of changes and upgrades, for queen and country!

anonymous vendor screenshot

 

Buyers

  • It is no longer necessary to add a brand when creating campaigns and campaign-based RFPs.
  • Buyers can now choose to anonymize vendors when sharing maps
  • Default fields on the map are now more streamlined and relevant to each location
  • Buyers can now add a custom logo to their DOmedia account. It will replace the DOmedia logo in the top left corner of the app.
  • Start dates in RFPs can now be prior to the current date, no flux capacitor required.
  • Structured fields in RFP template management can now be either required or optional.

Buyers & Sellers

  • Company profile pages now load faster than ever. Has science gone too far?
  • Map tables now include a header showing who last edited each map.
  • Radii around locations are now circled (not shaded) and annotated with the distance of the radius.
  • Photosheets are now viewable on maps.
  • Measuring point-to-point distance on the map no longer creates extra dots. Dots great news!
  • Proof-of-performance photos can now be added to maps.
  • Tables have been upgraded. They now feature smoother scrolling, the ability to select the number of fixed columns and a sunny new outlook on life.
  • Email addresses in vendor contact information are now hyperlinked.

Featured Vendor: FunTV

In-park media networks like FunTV tap into the niche market of theme park visitors as they wait in line for roller coasters. These riders have an average wait time of 30-90 minutes provides a unique opportunity to reach park visitors at a time when there are fewer distractions competing for their attention.

Wide Impressions and Reach

In-park media networks provide reach to a niche market. This innovative advertising offers wide impression. FunTV recorded 13.1 million gross impressions per 28-day schedule. Paired with the hundreds of thousands to millions of people visiting theme parks all across the country, advertisers are able to reach a mass audience.  

Captivating Content

As visitors wait in line, their entertainment is limited. In-park media networks utilize this time to engage their audiences in unique ways. FunTV offers 20% advertising and 80% programming. This programming includes music videos, trivia, games, real-time news and weather. The continuous feed of fun and advertisement captivates the audience, resulting in 79% of guest noticing at least one FunTV display during their park visit.

Visitors’ Disposable Income

Park visitors are engaged in a leisure activity and have available income to spend as they wish. The companies that choose to advertise on in-park media networks reach an audience with a wide-range of incomes. This allows a wide-range of advertising, without fear of being beyond visitors’ purchasing ability.

If you’re interested in learning more about Cedar Fair, click here.

 


DO It Right: List Your Assets

Screen Shot 2015-12-03 at 10.59.30 AMIt’s been 8 years since DOmedia began to solve out-of-home’s most difficult problems. However, we still get questions from vendors about how to get the most out of DOmedia. With that in mind, we are proud to announce DO It Right – a blog series highlighting our vendor’s most popular questions.

Today we will be tackling the task of inventory uploads. Many vendors have a large number of assets in their inventory. Listing them all within DOmedia may seem time consuming but it can pay big dividends. Our research has shown full and up-to-date asset listings are a great indicator of a vendor’s potential to generate RFPs through their DOmedia profile. Why are our best vendors listing their entire inventory on DOmedia?

Inventory listed in bulk will only appear in searches done on a basic metro level. If your billboards are grouped together in a single asset listing for a metro area, your inventory will only be shown in a fraction of search results. However, a large percentage of searches are done at a higher level of granularity. This means that companies are searching based on a specific zip code or proximity within a certain location. If inventory is not separately listed or showing exact locations, vendors are missing opportunities to win business.

Buyers want to be effective with their searches. They know what geographical areas to buy in, and they use DOmedia to find the best vendors in those areas. One global retailer utilizes our proximity tool to search for media space within a set radius of specific addresses. If they’re searching for a billboard within a 3-mile radius of a new store, inventory that has been listed with exact location will be shown in search results. In order to maximize inventory visibility to buyers, vendors need to list each asset with locations. Inventory separately listed is the only way to show locations.

Visibility is maximized once inventory is listed entirely and exactly. This creates more opportunity to win business.

The DOmedia team has helped hundreds of vendors maximize their inventory’s effectiveness. If you would like a consultation, contact our client services team today.


Introducing DOplan – A Media Planning Education Initiative

In the course of administering the world’s largest marketplace for out-of-home media, the DOmedia team gets to work with many of the industries top media professionals. We consider ourselves privileged to have the opportunity to learn from them, and we want to extend that opportunity to all of our users. Today, we are announcing a new program, which we are calling DOplan, to make the vast expertise within the DOmedia community available to everyone.

DOplan will begin as a content series featuring media planning tips from top industry professionals. Here is a small sampling of the topics you can expect us to cover in the coming months.

  • Best practices for unique and emerging alternative media
  • The application of real-time data to digital out-of-home advertising
  • How to use data to improve campaign planning
  • Best practices for billboard creative

But that is just the beginning. DOplan is a natural extension of our mission to “change the way media is bought and sold.” Media professionals everywhere should have access to the best information available, and we are proud to use the scale of our network to make that vision a reality. We have big plans for this program. Watch this space.


$1 Billion of Advertising Bought Through DOmedia

Recently, Digital Signage Today reported that over $1 billion dollars of advertising have been bought and sold through DOmedia’s marketplace. Eight years ago, we recognized the advancements that Demand Side Platforms (DSP) and Supply Side Platforms (SSP) brought to Internet advertising and set out to introduce a similar tools for the out-of-home market. Reaching $1 billion in transactions represents a major milestone in our journey to change the way OOH media is bought and sold.

One key to our continued success has been close partnerships with OOH vendors and agencies. Check out what Monica Robinson of Lamar Advertising Company had to say:

“In our experience the DOmedia contract is one of the most ‘friendly’ in the business,” says Lamar Advertising Company Director of National Sales, Monica Robinson. “They are laid out in a logical manner and include all the important information needed by our contracting staff.”

You can read the full article here.

The entire DOmedia team works tirelessly to provide valuable solutions to our users. And, though we plan to go much further, reaching $1 billion is sales a great opportunity to look back at how far we have come. Thank you to our industry partners, investors and advisors who have helped us reach this milestone.