Posterscope collaborates with Signkick to fast-track media owners’ OpenDirect connections with ECOS NOW

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POOOH location-based marketing specialist Posterscope and Signkick, the technology partner for media owners, have announced a collaboration that will enable Signkick’s media owner customers to fast-track their connection with Posterscope’s proprietary automated trading platforms.

The two companies have prebuilt a direct, live and OpenDirect compliant connection between Signkick’s Trading Bridge software and Posterscope’s automated buying platforms ECOS and ECOS NOW.

This prebuilt connection enables Posterscope to book near real-time, programmatic campaigns with any media owner who is using Signkick Trading Bridge to manage their automated transactions; a list which already includes Clear Channel UK, Wold Outdoor, Admedia, City Outdoor, ACMS and Limited Space.

“What we’re finding is that even with the OpenDirect specification, there is still a huge amount of work to be done to connect a buyer and seller’s unique systems. For media owners using Signkick Trading Bridge, we know that connection is ready to go and will be consistently maintained, giving us the confidence to push new bookings through it right away.” says Gavin Lee, Chief Technology Officer, Posterscope.

“Using the OpenDirect methodology, media owners create a direct connection to buyers through Signkick Trading Bridge. They choose which buyer connection to deploy and the software handles the many translations and changes required to run availability checks and complete bookings from multiple different systems.” explains Signkick’s chief commercial officer, Andy Hamblin.

But it’s not just about automating existing transactions (though that brings great efficiencies). For Posterscope, it’s about complementing over 30 years’ experience creating effective campaigns for brands, infusing it with the latest technology and data then building campaigns that really benefit the brands they work with. An approach that is already enticing new advertisers and revenue to the medium.

With the release of ECOS NOW, that’s exactly what Posterscope is championing. With a live connection to the availability of media owners using Signkick Trading Bridge, Posterscope is able to plan and purchase the optimal campaign solution for advertisers based on specific data, exactly when it will perform best and deliver it in near real-time. An exciting proposition for advertisers.

Late last year, Signkick announced a prebuilt connection with iDooh, the automated trading platform used by GroupM. With the addition of Posterscope, media owners using Signkick Trading Bridge will have friction-free access to three of the UK’s powerhouse automated buyers, with more announcements coming very soon.

Signkick’s Andy Hamblin continues, “For Signkick, it’s about enabling a more open and connected era of OOH trading. As an industry, we know what we need to do. But technically making that happen is proving more difficult than most imagined. By deploying Signkick Trading Bridge to handle their connection with automated buyers, media owners can fast-track their way to friction-free programmatic trading and unlock the true potential of their digital Out of Home investment.”

For other media owners excited by the idea of connecting their inventory with automated buyers, opportunities exist. With a connection now pre-built with both GroupM’s iDooh and now Posterscope’s ECOS NOW, any media owner – large or small – can use Signkick’s Trading Bridge software to fast-track their way to new automated revenue.

If you’re a media owner looking to connect your inventory with Posterscope’s ECOS NOW, get in touch with the Signkick team here.

How we transition to remote OOH

Can we help you navigate the move to remote work?

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While working remotely has become increasingly common in recent years, the past few weeks have seen D/OOH companies adjust to the realities of a distributed workforce at a whole new scale.

Here at Signkick, it’s not lost on us how lucky we are. As a technology company very used to this way of working, our team continues business as usual. We’re building connections and helping media owners automate and streamline their operations. Projects that, we understand, for our customers will be more important than ever in the coming months.

How we transition to remote OOH

Our philosophy for remote work is a balance between trust in our employees, constant communication and using the right tools to ensure a frictionless technology experience.

But we know it’s easier said than done, especially when you’ve had no warning and very little time to prepare. So if you need a helping hand in making the transition to remote work, get in touch. Whether that’s assistance moving to a cloud-based way of working, a lesson on how to use Zoom, or just someone other than your cat to chat to, we’re only a phone call/email/Slack away.

In the meantime, here are a few things from around the internet to keep your team moving forward (and sane).

Zoom have a bunch of great resources for using their system to adapt your way of working. 

And, importantly, here’s the app you need to transform into a potato for Virtual Friday Drinks.

Hubspot’s tips for working from home are better than most. 

David Walliams is reading a new story each day at 11am, ideal for keeping kids occupied while you work.

Atlassian have four research-backed (and easy!) ways for improving work productivity

Want something to look forward to this weekend? The Guardian have pulled together a list of gigs, theatre, comedy and exercise classes you can watch free from your living room.

And if it’s all getting too much Headspace has released new meditations that are free for everyone.

If there’s anything we can do to help, you know where to find us.

How to turn yourself into a potato on Zoom

Stay safe and stay home.
Team Signkick.

Signkick Blog

News from the 2017 DOOH Upfronts

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This year’s Internet Advertising Bureaux Upfronts saw the annual digital media showcase bring together a wide range of brands and participants discussing the possibilities open to advertisers and agencies in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Speakers addressed a range of topics such as the rise of Digital out of home advertising, the need for industry-wide advertising standards, and changing audience engagement.

news from DOOH 2017 upfronts

JCDecaux and OOH: Outdoor is “the best of both worlds”

Marketing expert Mark Ritson said that Outdoor’s intersection with Digital offered exciting possibilities. and underscored Mark Zuckerberg’s belief that contemporary advertising is about “having a conversation’ with audiences, rather than pushing information towards them. He believes that Digital out-of-home (DOOH) can avoid some of the pitfalls of Digital such as brand safety and that the medium could be “the best of both worlds”.

Other speakers discussed the need to focus on brand building without sacrificing sales activation and the possibilities now that video has been introduced to DOOH. But the big news was JCDecaux’s launch of a new brand charter called “BranDO”. The charter is aimed at shoring up trust in brands and represents a new benchmark in DOOH quality standards. This represents an acknowledgment that the industry is moving towards greater automation and that there is a growing need for consistent values across increasingly integrated advertising networks.

JCDecaux’s Les Binet made the point that the Digital revolution is not replacing other media, it is in fact enhancing it; with “digital support” making OOH 60% more effective.

Binet also argued that “broad reach” is still more effective than targeted campaigns. This is a useful reminder of the impact of out-of-home advertising which is characterised by its wide reach. This is backed up by the spectacular rise of DOOH which has grown by 30% in the past year.

Metrics that matter

A comScore panel talked about the complexities of advertising metrics and how to find “metrics that matter”. This means measuring advertising reach across a range of platforms. This is particularly important because the UK is now a “multi-platform market”. For more on getting to grips with metrics in out-of-home advertising, check out our recent blog post on the topic.

Another big topic was the rise of Mobile. Mobile access to the internet is now at 48% in the UK, but only 38% of digital ad spend is dedicated to it. Not only that, but Mobile use encourages “ephemeral content sharing” via platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. This is part of an ad environment in which audiences are wary of the hard-sell, favouring instead “ambient discovery” where they happen across brand messages in a saturated media environment that’s no longer centred around The News at Ten and Saturday shopping.

Amazon want your ads

Amazon held a closed session in a bid to draw in more of UK ad budgets. They are a “sleeping giant in online media” who are currently in the process of playing catch-up to Google and Facebook. Small businesses may well want to investigate advertising on the platform which is less saturated with ads than the Google/Facebook “duopoly”.