Miz Rahman, EMEA Sales Director, Broadsign, sees strong business opportunities in India’s fledgling DOOH market.
Miz Rahman,
EMEA Sales Director, Broadsign
Digital OOH is still at a nascent stage in the Indian market. Do you see any market opportunities for your software technology offerings & applications in India?
Industry analysts project about a 10% annual growth rate in OOH for the next few years. Virtually all of that is concentrated in digital, and with only about 18% of signs having been converted to digital globally, there’s a lot of opportunity for DOOH to grow. India is, of course, home to an enormous supply of static inventory, so there is an opportunity there in encouraging larger investment in the future.
Given our strengths in ad-delivery and scalability, we see a lot of potential for our software to shape the way that Indian DOOH networks — whether they are running in malls, transit media, outdoor billboards, or other niches — operate, scale, and monetise over the coming years.
Please cite a few examples of how OOH players have benefited from adopting your software solutions.
We have a diverse group of customers globally, across dozens of industries and in over 55 countries. Here are a couple of examples:
One of our US customers, Intersection (https://www.intersection.com/), uses the Broadsign platform to run a nationwide network of digital screens, billboards, and smart city installations. The extensible nature of our programme allows them to use audience analytics, touchscreen and mobile interactivity, and other services that make for a smarter network and more interesting, exciting content.
To highlight a different industry, we also provide the platform for Executive Channel Network (https://www.executivechannelnetwork.com/) which runs a large and growing signage network in European office buildings. This customer relies on our platform to deliver locally relevant messaging and content like weather, traffic, and news. This is done in different regions and in different languages, meaning the company has to manage and deliver a huge amount of different content. All of this is easily handled by Broadsign.
For most of our customers, of course, what sets us apart as the solution of choice is our strength in handling advertising. Companies with a strong focus on building signage revenue require good targeting, strong security, reliable playback, and proof-of-play features to be able to fulfill their obligations to customers. Our abilities in this area have been internationally certified, which is something our customers greatly appreciate.
What would it take for advertisers and buyers to switch to programmatic buying? Are Asian OOH markets geared for programmatic buying platforms?
The spread of programmatic DOOH is going to depend on there being a good supply of both digital out-of-home inventory and media buyers who understand the value that programmatic DOOH campaigns offer. The quicker the transition away from static and the more that top brands pave the way with exciting programmatic campaigns, the quicker we’re likely to see programmatic DOOH become mainstream in Asian markets.
Do you have any custom solutions for transit media?
Our platform is well adapted to the transit media. We have many examples of Broadsign being used around the world within airports, subway stations, bus shelters and rail stations. Media operators in this area are often challenged with complex content scheduling requirements, ad reporting, running smart signage that offers personalised directions, and the need to provide optimised content to entertain waiting viewers. Broadsign has the experience and strength in ad-based DOOH to address all of these challenges.
In markets like India where media ownership is highly fragmented, do you think the operators will see value in investing in DOOH solutions for the long-term?
The value of DOOH is universal. Wherever you are, the heightened visual appeal and dynamic nature of the medium make it a clear choice over static OOH. Since this is the way the industry is headed, it only makes sense to invest in a good DOOH solution that provides the right features and can grow as a network adds more screens.
Efficiency of operation, reliability of performance, and security matter regardless of network size. Whether a DOOH owner is big or small, they should be investing in a solution that offers top-tier proof-of-play functionality and good live monitoring capabilities, and of course one that lets them do what they’re trying to do: make more money with less energy wasted on repetitive tasks.