Westfield’s DOOH Network In Malls Offers Guaranteed Real-Time Ad Impressions

July 22, 2020 by Dave Haynes

Almost 10 years ago, the digital OOH media tech company Ayuda floated the idea of using video analytics to base advertising costs on a pay-per-look basis – the notion being that brands would pay for verified eyeballs as opposed to gross audiences.

It never really went anywhere – as it was still relatively early days for the medium, and network operators very likely didn’t want to open up on how many people REALLY saw ads versus much bigger estimated audiences.

But the industry has matured, Digital OOH is a powerhouse medium, and the pandemic has pushed along re-thinks on media is presented and sold.

The Westfield Network – which is almost 500 DOOH screens of all sizes in 18 big shopping malls across the US – has announced that brands who advertise with it will be guaranteed real-time impressions and complete campaign transparency, using video analytics as the primary measurement tool.

Owners Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) say the “471 digital media screens in 18 digitally powered centers, the network’s enhanced capabilities will provide even more accuracy and clarity into campaign reporting.”

From the PR:

“So much has changed this year, and brands now need increased transparency and security when it comes to buying media and measuring advertising campaigns. Knowing this, we’ve reimagined what our digital out-of-home network can do to better meet those needs,” said Ghadi Hobeika, U.S. chief marketing officer and group director of digital and data. “The Westfield Network and its suite of technologies can now provide extraordinary R.O.I. to advertisers, amplifying creative possibilities.”

The enhanced out-of-home network encompasses:

–       Accurate impressions: Only consumers who are onsite and within 20 feet of a digital media screen are counted as an impression, which means a campaign will be comprised of 100% actual network exposures;

–       Trusted campaign delivery: Campaigns are guaranteed based on real-time, delivered impressions within a +/- 10% threshold;

–       Live Data Access: Brand partners will receive exclusive access to live data via a Media Intelligence Dashboard where they can view a campaign’s impressions, attention time by creative, and detailed demographic breakdown, all sortable by location, time, and piece of creative content; and

–       High Share of Voice (SOV) environment: Westfield owns and operates its network in premium retail destinations, creating a brand safe environment with no third-party vendors.

“The Westfield Network offers a brand-safe, offline environment with the essential media metrics and optimization capabilities of online media,” said Loren Miller, senior vice president, director of sales & business innovation. “We’ve made a significant investment in our network, including anonymized video analytics, to ensure transparency and the availability of authentic real-time data.”  

The Westfield Network, a pioneer in using digital out-of-home advertising technology, also enables advertisers to niche-target to better capture consumer attention and increase engagement. By using a suite of demographic triggers, brands can create unique, personalized campaigns tailored to the shoppers in front of the screens.

Launched in 2017, The Westfield Network is the largest digital out-of-home network in the U.S. that features real-time capture of consumer engagement and demographics. It provides meaningful analytics to optimize advertising content, making it more relevant and engaging for the customers in proximity to a screen at any given time.

More than 400 brands in leading consumer retail, luxury, entertainment, and telecom have advertised on the network to date.

The highest profile sites are, arguably, the World Trade Center in NYC and Century City in LA.

I assume this is good news for computer vision companies that chase DOOH business, as this shifts the use from campaigns or reference sites to rollouts that make real time video analytics a core part of the offer and service.

Quividi, I think, is the tech company doing the analytics for Westfield. The network uses Broadsign, as far as I know (based on a mid 2018 announcement to that effect).