DOOH Start-up Pairs Big Ad Screen With Reverse Vending Machine For Recycling

April 4, 2023 by Dave Haynes

Outdoor media companies have, for many years, been putting printed ad posters on the fronts of sidewalk recycling and trash bins, so it was only a matter of time that a company would start up an advertising network that paired high-tech versions of the bins with big outdoor-rated screens.

A Santa Clara company called Olyns is marketing what it calls Cubes – big reverse vending machines that have a 55-inch display dominating the units. The company outs them in front of high traffic retail sites like grocery and chain drug for free, and gives the venue a portion of time on the system and a share of the DOOH ad revenues.

The screens run a solution from a couple of companies that operate in that region – Wovenmedia for the CMS software and BrightSign for the media playback units.

Says PR on the network:

Each Olyns recycling Cube serves a prominent role in the support of a circular economy, capable of redirecting more than two metric tons of plastic per year, 91% of which would otherwise end up in landfills. With Olyns, brands have an opportunity to message consumers at or near their point of purchase, while also being associated with a platform built for the public good.

“Advertising on Olyns screens provides brands with the unique combination of driving measurable sales and environmental impact – the halo effect of association with the tangibly positive action of recycling,” says Philip Stanger, Olyns’ CEO. “Wovenmedia empowers easy and dynamic access for brands and advertisers to each screen within the Olyns network.”

Olyns’ retail media network is powered by a combination of Wovenmedia’s content management system, WovenManager and BrightSign’s reliable commercial-grade media players. “We are pleased to be part of Olyns’ network rollout and are delighted that they’ve chosen to use our classic HD224 players, which are ideal to support screens that need to run 24/7 throughout the year,” says Jeff Hastings, BrightSign’s CEO.

“We are excited to partner with Olyns in supporting their initial network expansion of recycling Cubes throughout the State of California, and beyond as they roll out their sustainable media network,” says Susie Opare-Abetia, Founder and CEO of Wovenmedia.

If the online map is accurate, Olyns is still very much in “initial network expansion.” I counted eight or nine locations, all in the San Francisco-Silicon Valley area. These units would NOT be cheap.

Years ago, Nanonation did the interactive digital for a recycling vending machine that had a touchscreen. Instead of advertising, consumers were encouraged to deposit things like plastic bottles and get a cash voucher – for pennies, not dollars – printed out on the spot.