Remi Du Preez says programmatic out-of-home lets clients control when ads run and pay for exposed audiences, unlike loop-based spot buying.
Remi Du Preez calls measurement the hottest topic, noting no scalable tool yet shows planners unique reach before ads are served and data minimums of around R100,000 shut out small advertisers.
Remi Du Preez says an electronics client whose product was not promoted in store saw exposed phones 15% more likely to enter, and committed to Polygon for the rest of the year.
Programmatic out-of-home will only scale once its audiences are proven
Programmatic digital out-of-home lets advertisers buy audiences rather than spots in a loop, but its growth in South Africa now hinges on proof. Remi Du Preez argues that until reach can be forecast at scale and impressions verified by someone without a commercial stake, buyers will hold back. Attribution linking billboard exposure to store visits shows what the channel can deliver once measurement matures.
Takeaways
Measurement is the industry's biggest unsolved problem. Remi Du Preez says no scalable tool yet tells planners how many unique people a campaign will reach before ads serve. Location data captures only about 10% of phones passing a site, and providers demand a couple of R100,000 minimum, pricing out small advertisers.
Impressions need an independent referee. OMC data informs impressions multipliers but covers only roadside sites for now. Media owners using the same data report different counts and carry a commercial bias. Livia Brown agrees a third-party verifier would put everyone on equal footing.
Programmatic means buying audiences, not loop spots. Loop-based buying counts spots in a rotation. Impressions-based buying lets clients control when ads run and pay for audiences who may be exposed. Remi notes real-world screens have no bots, unlike digital impressions served on phones.
South African adoption stalled after a fast start. COVID in 2020 pushed clients toward flexibility and data, and Remi ran one of the first impressions-based buys, reportedly with BMW. Growth stagnated from mid-2021 as few new media owners joined, held back by software and hardware integrations.
Agency silos slow programmatic out-of-home. Agencies still split digital and out-of-home teams. Polygon, connected to about 25 media partners and 1,500 screens, has never sold loop spots and hires only people with digital backgrounds. Remi expects loop buying to persist while more money moves programmatic.
Judge campaigns on results, not discounts or scale. Livia and Remi agree discounts should not be the main measure of value. Livia says strategists should blend static and digital buying in one omnichannel campaign, and that the best work is judged on measurable outcomes rather than the biggest site or most screens.
How an electronics campaign proved store visits
Polygon ran billboards for an electronics client whose product was not promoted in store.
It matched phones exposed to the billboards against phones later seen in the client's store.
Exposed phones were 15% more likely to enter the store than phones that passed organically.
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On this episode 3
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The client reported a massive increase in people coming in and buying the product, and committed to work with Polygon for the rest of the year.
What the industry needs next
Real-time analytics, without which Remi warns many retail and other valuable environments will be left out. Kirsty Carlson agrees retail would benefit most.
Industry-wide measurement standards and scalable methods like those used across internet publishers.
Connected screens that let clients follow consumers through their whole journey.
More creativity, which Remi says is still lacking even in programmatic campaigns.
Wider sharing of good work and case studies, which both hosts urge.