“Getting sexier by the second!” summed up Cathy Fernandes, CEO of Zoom Media Group Canada in speaking about the use of digital place-based media to the wide-range of delegates representing brands, agencies, network operators and providers who attended Day 1 of the Strategy Institute Brand Activation Summit held in Toronto April 25-26, 2012.
The conference focus was on “how digital place-based media is, and could support brand development goals.” Insights and experiences were shared Kinetics America, PQ Media, DDB Canada, NEC Display Solutions, NEC/Vukunet, Zoom Media, Nielsen OnLocation, LBMA and strong brands that are exploiting digital place-based media such as Rogers Communications, AOL Canada, TAXI (on behalf of McCain Foods, Tim Hortons and Volkswagen Canada, under the direction of conference chair Mark Zwicker, VP and General Manager, St. Joseph Content.
Digital media is all about brand activation – delivering business-building value through communications to patrons, consumers, shoppers and as well, through internal communications to staff and students. Strategy Institute, which has been on the leading edge of dynamic place-based media conference programming with over 50 events since its first in Toronto in April 2004, gathered primary brands, agencies and thought leaders for a “level check” and to share insights on dynamic media status and direction.
The word “data” and the imperative of performance measurement was spoken within the first four sentences of the conference kick-off, and became a touch point, with every presenter noting that critical role of data and the insights offered by it at the growing levels of statistics, information, knowledge and wisdom by every presenter.
“Defining the value proposition of any media is the key to its use, growth and success” recounted Paul Lindstrom, SVP Nielsen Media Research, Nielsen OnLocation.
“Dynamic place-based is part of the digital solution required to enhance customer connection and engagement,” said David Payne, CEO of Kinetics America in the opening keynote address. Kinetics (a WPP company) places a third of OOH digital ads. “Content, scale and data are the three imperatives and the drivers of digital out-of-home growth” he said, adding that “measurable outcomes are the essential. The evolution of metrics from audience, media, behavioral to cognitive offers the framework to deliver value beyond just the 'visibility' and 'proximity' as offered by place-based dynamic media.” Kinetics has announced the META Information Architects division “as a data consultancy to unlock data in pursuit of insights”.
David Payne advised digital place-based network operators to invest in more granular audience measurement and to provide access to their display inventory through APIs.
Agencies, he said must develop their capability to use data and create more productive planning and service models.
Advertisers, Payne reflected, must be more demanding of networks in order to achieve more value from paid, owned and earned media. He urged advertisers to push for strong cross-channel integration.
Growth about 17 times greater than the US economy at large (16.2% in 2012) is projected for advertising growth using digital place-based networks by PQ Media. The 1% of total ad budgets directed to an estimated 369 ad-based out-of-home dynamic media networks in North America offers extraordinary potential to brands.
Tony Johnstone, SVP Director of Strategic Planning, DDB Toronto declared the importance of “earned” media resulting from / as a consequence of, “paid” and “owned” media. “Word of mouth” he said, “has been replaced by “word of mouse. Communications that is “shared around” has greater commercial effect than media that is not.
“Our crusade as an industry,” declared Johnstone, “is to determine how we can give people “the gift” through paid and owned media so that it becomes earned media. Messaging must have appeal at the emotional level and not just at the rational level...presenting ideas that people want to share because it is entertaining, useful and innovative.” He reminded delegates that “relevance and likeability equals persuasion” and advised that “paid media be used to stimulate and to let owned media do the heavy lifting.”
Sound counsel. Dynamic place-based media is all about brand activation, engagement and generating earned media as part of a multi-channel strategy.
Follow and be a part of these ongoing developments by attending the:
- May 23: Webinar for ad-based digital place-based network operators - “The Media Planner Mindset” with Amy Vollet, VP, Director of Media, The Integer Group.
- Oct. 16: Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA) Summit.
- Oct. 17-18: (7th Annual) Digital Signage Investors Conference. Details coming.
Download the whitepaper on digital place-based analytics “Digital Place-based Media ROI Analysis - Defining Value. ROI or Die” (no fee or registration required)
