Data and OOH Media - What's Next

Data is nothing new to out-of-home (OOH) advertising.

For years we have used data to determine:

 • Where to place billboards

• What messages to show on them

• How effective the placement and messaging is to draw consumers to our brand

But, like everything else, how data is used in OOH advertising is changing. Both for professionals in the OOH industry and our clients (possibly the best use of user data in OOH advertising is this late 2016 campaign by music streaming service Spotify).

Mobile is Helping

The rise of mobile devices has made it difficult for traditional media to reach consumers. Except for OOH.

In OOH advertising, mobile is actually making it easier to measure this notoriously difficult to measure space.

People are away from their homes most of the day. This means no television or desktop computers. A switch from car radios to satellite radios or music streaming services changes the commercials being heard. But people carry their mobile phones. And they are out where the billboards, bulletins, vehicle wraps, and urban furniture signs are.

OOH advertisers have already tapped into this trend.WiFi has made it easy to create connections between mobile devices and OOH displays. 

So displays invite passersby to download apps, games, and special offers. People can get directions or product information. Or a phone number to customer service or sales is pushed to their phones upon request.

But some companies are taking it further.

Billboards as Data Collection Centers

Mobile devices are already equipped with software and hardware that make tracking simple: Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi.

Beacon Technology

For example, this article discusses how beacon technology (which utilizes Bluetooth) enables retailers to connect OOH displays to mobile devices when consumers are near. This technology invites consumers to games, apps, or microsites to expand on the shopping experience. And then the advertiser gets information back, such as which display and how the user interacted with the experience.

However, that is on a one-on-one scale. Others are taking this a step further.

Using Cameras to Determine Demographics

General Motors wanted OOH advertising that fit their "Find New Roads" campaign. Posterscope delivered.

Using cameras built into digital billboards, the technology:

• Recognizes when vehicles built by competitors (in this case, Toyota Camrys, Nissan Altimas, Hyundai Sonatas, and Ford Fusions) pass

• A picture of the vehicle's grill is taken

• The software recognizes the make and model of the car by the grill, then

• Tells a digital billboard further down the road which ad to show that vehicle as it passes

In this case, the messages received by drivers is how the Chevy Malibu is better. So a Toyota Camry driver sees a different message than someone in a Ford Fusion.

Quividia and TruMedia are also using cameras in billboards. Their cameras, though, are specifically being used to determine who is paying attention to the billboards.

Clear Channel and Yahoo!, however? Their billboards are going far beyond simple cameras.

Monitoring Behaviors

The billboard technology put forth by both of these companies is designed to give advertisers insights into consumer behavior.

Clear Channel's RADAR works with mobile devices to see where and how people are traveling throughout their days. They are partnering with AT&T Data Patterns, PlaceIQ, and Placed, all organizations that currently track consumers through mobile.

Yahoo!'s billboard idea is even more encompassing. It consists of plans to include:

• Microphones to record nearby conversations

• Biometric sensors to register data on how viewers react to the message on the billboard

• Cameras to recognize faces on pedestrian displays and makes and models of cars on roadside ones

Crossing Lines...Or Not?

Of course, there are those who question the ethics of using billboards for data collection. Generally, the concern is privacy. New York Senator Charles Schumer has been particularly vocal about Clear Channel's RADAR technology.

Another problem is law enforcement involvement. If Clear Channel, Yahoo!, and others are collecting this data, should they (and how should they) pass the data over to law enforcement if it's requested? VP of Strategy at Posterscope, Jeff Tan, says that if billboards are storing data, then, yes, "[the companies]would need to be open to any law enforcement request to access that information."1

Data's Role in OOH

Data has always been an important part of the industry. Whether you believe OOH should go as far as Clear Channel and Yahoo! have in billboard technology or not is the question of the future.