What does Google’s entry into DOOH mean for marketers? | Deep | Campaign Japan

In September 2022, Google announced that it would offer DOOH (digital out-of-home advertising) buying functionality to all users of its advertising marketplace DV360. Marketers will now be able to purchase ad space on digital screens installed in public spaces such as stadiums, airports, bus stops, shopping centers, elevators and taxis on DV360, Google’s one-stop advertising marketplace.

Is this move by Google a welcome one, or is it crossing the line? Despite Google’s dominant share of the online advertising market, some fear Google’s control over the entire advertising market is on another level. How will Google’s new move be received by other players in the OOH industry?

Ben Milne, head of OOH at Dentsu International, said, “We are positive about Google’s entry into OOH at last.” “Making sure we deliver great results for brands will be the focus of our collaboration with Google.”

JCDecaux (JCDecaux) Singapore also welcomed the announcement and hoped Google’s inclusion of DOOH in its programmatic ad trading platform would spur investment in DOOH. The idea is that more investment in things like LED and screen technology and data powering programmatic will help unlock the potential of DOOH.

“DOOH is the future of advertising. Things have changed since Google announced it was deprecating third-party cookies, and we are getting closer and closer to a cookieless future that will upend the world of digital advertising.” A spokesperson for JC Doucaux Singapore said.

“Google’s DV360 has already been linked with our own supply-side platform VIOOH, and JC Doucaw Singapore will soon launch large-scale complexes such as Changi International Airport, ION Orchard, Jewel Changi Airport, and Raffles City. We expect to deliver 120 million monthly impressions to advertisers through our 270 screens at bus stops across the country.”

Sally Lawrence, group director of media at digital marketing agency Enigma, believes the decision was inevitable for Google. “People who have already invested in the Google stack will naturally benefit greatly from being one step closer to an integrated platform,” Lawrence said. “Although there are benefits to being able to activate multi-channel campaigns on a single platform, Google is a bit behind when it comes to features specific to outdoor advertising. If you’re really going to take control of the

Best of both worlds OOH and digital?

In a blog post announcing its foray into digital OOH, Shreya Mather, product manager for Google’s DV360, said he believes the decision will bring together the best of OOH and digital. there is

“The addition of DOOH ads to DV360 will enable brands to reach people on screens of all shapes and sizes,” he said, adding, “Additionally, it will be possible to do so quickly and efficiently. Marketers can start, stop and optimize DOOH campaigns in near real-time, from strategy and activation to reporting and optimization, all in one place.” .

Google’s DV360 is already partnering with multiple ad exchanges, including Hivestack, Magnite, PlaceExchange, Ströer SSP, VIOOH, and Vista Media. is tied. These ad exchanges give Google access to the inventories of major OOH media owners, including ClearChannel, JC Doucaux, Intersection, Lamar and Stora.

(Left to right, clockwise) Sally Lawrence, Greg Paul, Melanie Lindquist, Andrew Murray

Additionally, Google’s integrated marketplace, DV360, is designed to programmatically bid on such inventory, giving marketers more control over their ad campaigns, Macer said. . For example, a fast-food restaurant could focus its advertisements on a downtown billboard at lunchtime, while a nearby concert venue could use the same billboard to advertise its upcoming performance that same afternoon. .

“Programmatic DOOH brings flexibility,” said Greg Paul, co-founder and principal of R3. It should be like that,” he said.

Enigma’s Lawrence is positive about the news and excited about the future. “Eventually, once we have a programmatic hub across all channels, we will be able to run audience-based, multi-screen campaigns through a single platform,” he said. “This is revolutionary. The issue of measurement needs to be discussed again, but if everything is available on one platform, it will be easier to solve the problem.”

personalizedDOOHis in reality?

Google now knows almost everything about everyone. Does the company’s decision to enter DOOH mean it’s only a matter of time before outdoor advertising gets personalized? For example, if you google “good lunch place” and then walk outside, will outdoor ads show recommended restaurants?

R3’s Paul said, “It’s a fun story to tell, but it’s not profitable,” adding, “The thing to remember is that DOOH relies on screens, and there’s a finite number of them. There’s also the display time factor, and advertisers get a higher ROI when they speak to a specific group of people than when they speak to just one audience.”

In fact, Google has made it clear that DOOH deployed through DV360 will not be personalized, nor will it make use of any personal identifiers or location data. Advertisers will reach people based on the context of their screen location. This is the same as traditional OOH, but programmatic offers more flexibility and convenience.

“Google has made it clear that they don’t want to bring data to the party,” Dentsu’s Milne said. “With a few exceptions like the screens in the back seat of a taxi, OOH is inherently a one-to-many medium. , suitable for this medium.”

Some argue that personalized DOOH is not only unrealistic, but inconsistent with the nature of OOH.

Simon Reed, Country Head of Partnerships at Initiative Australia, said: “OOH has always been a vehicle for mass audience appeal, bringing scale and impact to brands. 1 media,” he said, adding, “I don’t like the idea of ​​localized ads tailored to the search history of passers-by, but using one-to-many channels for individuals. It is also important to consider the losses that will result from doing so.”

JC Ducoe Singapore also believes that the original strength of OOH is still its one-to-many reach.A spokesperson for the company said, “Ad tech will undoubtedly lead to more contextually optimized OOH, with ad tech making screens more ad hoc. “It’s about establishing one-to-many reach in the public space, which is why OOH is so useful as a top-of-funnel tool for brand building and awareness.”

According to Milne, personalized OOH is unlikely to become a reality, but it cannot be completely ruled out just yet. “With context, advertising offers the modern consumer an experience that feels relevant, even if it’s not fully personalized. could happen, but I don’t think it will happen in the near future,” he said.

On top of all this, there’s also the question of how “personal” people want DOOH. This kind of ad could easily cross the line of what feels like an invasion of privacy.

“Excessive personalization can only be seen in the movie Minority Report,” said Andrew Murray, head of trade at UM Australia. “That would be overkill and negatively impact clients and campaigns.”

R3’s Paul said ads like those seen in “Minority Report” don’t exist yet. “There’s no reason to panic about using personal information in ads just yet, but if you can use contextual information to make your ads more relatable, it’s definitely going to attract advertisers’ attention.” This is already common knowledge online.Why not do the same with outdoor advertising?Better information that is more relevant to your interests and more timely. If it’s a change that benefits them, consumers will welcome it.”

DigitalOOHis the best option for everyone?

Online fashion retailer ASOS conducted a cross-regional comparison experiment with JC Decaux’s measurement partners to quantify the impact of DOOH on brand metrics. According to Google, in regions where DOOH was deployed, ASOS saw a 14% increase in brand awareness and a 22% increase in purchase intent compared to control regions.

“By offering our OOH inventory on DSPs such as DV360, marketers can plan and optimize all their digital channels in one place. This gives brands like ASOS greater control over their campaigns. , it can improve brand metrics and performance metrics,” said Dom Kozak, former head of programmatic at JC Doucaux UK, who participated in ASOS’s DOOH campaign with DV360.

Others warn that DOOH isn’t the best choice for everyone and could even lead to poor performance if not carefully considered.

“From a marketing perspective, targeting is just one tactic in campaign strategy, and (if you stick with it) you miss 80% of your available OOH inventory, including traditional OOH. It could be,” said Melanie Lindquist, managing director of APAC region for Talon Outdoor. “In some parts of the APAC market, only 10-12% of inventory is DOOH, and not all of it is programmatically tradeable inventory.”

“Buyers can neglect the essentials of proper reach and frequency in marketing and spend their advertising dollars solely on fine-grained targeting,” Lindquist added. There is also the risk of underperforming,” he said.