All posts tagged RFP

DOmedia Integrates TAB Out-of-Home Ratings into Platform

by DOmedia on April 30, 2014 in Press with No comments

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30th, 2014 – DOmedia, the preeminent media buying and selling platform in the advertising industry, has received approval from the Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB), the leading source of out-of-home (OOH) media measurement systems in America, to use and display TAB Out-of-Home Ratings for over 350,000 media assets in the United States.

With the integration of the TAB data into DOmedia’s platform, agency users can now plan and buy OOH media more strategically and efficiently. The integration facilitates the standard use of ratings and provides agencies, which are full members of TAB, access to audience, reach and frequency measurements. DOmedia has continually enhanced its planning and buying applications to meet the call of the industry to innovate and improve business processes benefitting agencies as well as media selling companies.

Norm Chait, Senior Vice President at MediaVest USA adds “The adoption of technology and systems like this allow us to harness the power of the new TAB ratings by putting it on the desktop of our buyers, helping us to buy smarter, be more accountable and speak the same language as other media.”

“Since DOmedia’s launch in 2008, the team’s vision has been to make planning, buying and selling OOH media faster, smarter and better,” according to DOmedia’s President, Ken Sahlin. He adds, “The integration of TAB Out-of-Home Ratings in our applications help planners and buyers more easily assess the strategic capabilities of OOH to other measured media.”

According to Jack Sullivan, Senior Vice President, Director at Starcom USA, “With TAB granting a third-party data license to DOmedia, Starcom can more effectively and efficiently leverage out-of-home reach and frequency measures into our cross-media planning and buying processes that create positive impact for clients’ bottom lines.”

About DOmedia

DOmedia is the largest out-of-home advertising marketplace with integrated planning and buying applications whose purpose is to make the media buying process faster, smarter, better for both buyers and sellers. Through the online marketplace, media providers create company and media profiles for their properties. In turn, advertisers and agencies can search our comprehensive database to find new ideas, plan & build effective out-of-home campaigns. For more information, visit www.domedia.com.

About the TAB

Established in 1933, TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement, Inc.) is an advertising trade organization whose mission is to lead the development and delivery of out-of-home media measurement systems in America. Run by a tripartite board of advertisers, agencies and media companies, TAB initially released its TAB Out-of-Home Ratings in January 2010, becoming the first system to measure audiences who actually see advertising. For more information, visit www.tabonline.com.


6 Ways that Sellers Can Improve Proposals

by DOmedia on April 16, 2014 in Media Selling, Out-of-home advertising with No comments

6 Ways to Improve Your Proposals

1. Include Individual Locations When Possible

  • Including individual locations gives the buyer confidence you have the capability to fulfill the campaign requirements. You will stand out from other proposals by including location level information and show your company can deliver real inventory.

  • Including location level information in your proposal response allows the buyer to make informed decisions about your media through analytical tools such as mapping, market comparisons, and media spend breakdown.

  • Including location level information in your proposal response gives you the ability to provide the buyer with the necessary information he/she needs to make an informed decision.

2. When Proposing Several Options, Choose One as Your Recommendation

  • Your expertise matters to the buyer. By choosing one of your options as your recommendation, it removes much of the guesswork and time the buyer will have to take to analyze your proposal. Additionally, the display and reporting tools the buyer uses will default to your recommendation. You can explain your additional options in the Additional Information field or in the RFP Message Thread.

3. Include Rate Card and Net Price

  • Agencies love to show their clients that they’ve delivered value, and you want to show your top clients that you are giving them the best price possible. Include both a Rate Card and Net Price to show your customer you are giving them a deal and make it easier for them to sell your media to the advertiser. Everyone loves a deal.

4. Do Not Manipulate Templates Sent to You

  • If a buyer sends you a template to fill out, try your best not to add or manipulate columns. This allows the buyers to manipulate the key information they need and a format that easy for them to digest.

5. Send Monthly Exports of Your Location List to DOmedia

  • Getting in the habit of constantly uploading recent locations lists ensure you’ll be represented accurately in search results and proposal submission will be faster.

6. Get Your Proposal Format Right the First Time – eliminate headaches

  • If a buyer attaches a grid to fill out, use that instead of your own or DOmedia’s generated template

  • If a buyer uses the DOmedia generated template fill that out. You can also submit the proposal format that you are used to.

Opportunities for More Efficient Media Buying and Selling Using the RFP Tool

by DOmedia on September 4, 2013 in DOmedia, Out-of-home advertising with No comments

The OAAA’s ‘Take Another Look’ initiative outlined the need to rethink process and expand technology applications. Many agree the lack of standards is holding the industry back, and both buyers and sellers have said they see the value in a common way of distributing RFPs and collecting proposal information. The industry has spoken, and once again we have listened and acted.

To build upon the release of DOmedia’s new RFP 2.0 features, I would like to share some the most common opportunities we observe in the RFP process:

Opportunities for Sellers to Help Buyers

  1. Use the Buyer’s Template
    Many sellers have a proposal tool, which generates an Excel spreadsheet, or PDF that presents information in the way sellers want to sell. The tricky part is when the buyers send out a template, they are trying to guide the way they want to review your proposal. If sellers submit proposals in their own format, it creates more work for the buyers to convert them into a consistent format they can use. Some buyers don’t mind taking the time to convert your proposal information into their template, but for others it’s a hurdle, which can have a negative result for the seller. The buyers do want to understand what sets you apart so they don’t ignore additional information you provide; they just prefer it in their format.
  2. Understanding “Unit #” Versus “# of Units”
    This is a simple issue to look out for and getting it right lets the buyer know if the seller is paying attention to their request. “Unit #” is the inventory number or panel id, whereas “# of Units” lets the buyer know if the proposal has multiple faces or is part of a package.
  3. Provide Impression Measures
    There are many times when sellers leave impressions blank or put “N/A” in the column. This puts the buyers in a difficult position. We know there is no apples-to-apples comparison of different media formats because each opportunity is unique, but it is important to try to quantify who is being exposed to the ad. Another issue with impressions is when the seller gives with wrong time unit (weekly versus monthly). This affects the buyer’s calculations. Finally, another hiccup that buyers encounter is when the impressions number is not formatted correctly (i.e. 50MM or 000’s) – be sure to pay attention to the format requested by the buyer.
  4. If You Can’t Offer a Proposal, Be Sure to Decline an RFP Properly
    A buyer includes sellers in the RFP that they think can best cover the client’s needs for that campaign. Sometimes an included seller is unable to submit a proposal. The great thing about the DOmedia RFP tool is that both sides can learn over time what is the cause of seller declining. The seller should clearly define why they are unable to submit (i.e., don’t offer that format, no coverage in that area, no more inventory). This allows the buyers to continue to include the right sellers in the future and also provides insight to  profile update requirements.

Opportunities for Buyers to Help Sellers

  1. Use an RFP Template Consistently
    The majority of RFPs have a set of “questions” that need to be answered. However, if the buyer is rushed or sending a simple request, they sometimes elect not to include a template, thereby possibly resulting in incomplete information being given to the seller.  This may result in additional communication (and time) between the buyer and seller to fully understand the client needs. DOmedia solved this issue by having a standard brief and “set of questions” (RFP template in 2.0) that are always asked for every RFP. This template can be added to by the buyer; thus allowing flexibility for the buyers while giving the sellers a consistent experience. 
  2. Request Rate Card Rates
    Capturing rate card pricing seems like a simple thing that is often overlooked. However, when the client wants any kind of reporting on actual vs. rate card costs, it is crucial to have captured this information. It is very time consuming for the seller to backtrack and get rate card pricing after a campaign ended.
  3. Be Clear in the RFP Brief
    We know that buyers do not intentionally withhold information about a potential campaign from vendors. A common issue we have observed is missing information from briefs – often as a result of a hurried process.  DOmedia’s Project Brief form helps the buyer think through the campaign information in a structured way. Both sides benefit from always having campaign details listed in the same location.

Using these “tips” along with DOmedia’s RFP 2.0 application allows buyers and sellers to work faster, smarter and better on behalf of advertising clients.  Information can be shared more efficiently thereby freeing up time for both the buyers and sellers to focus on more value added and strategic conversations. All of this helps the industry move forward and reach the objectives set with OAAA’s “Take Another Look” initiative.