RMNs have exploded in recent years ​​— Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Target, Best Buy, Walgreens, Ulta, Home Depot and more now have their own media offerings. These networks offer contextual relevance and deliver against KPIs, including sales and ROAS, plus the measurement capabilities to demonstrate the effectiveness of the investment. Additionally, McKinsey predicts RMNs could command $100 billion in ad spending by 2026, while BCG forecasts retail media will account for 25% of digital media spending.

Given this growth, finding new avenues for differentiation and capturing attention within the RMN ecosystem is critical. One such avenue is place-based digital out-of-home media, located steps from the entrances of retailers’ stores.

How DOOH fits into the retail media ecosystem

Before unpacking the value of DOOH within a retail media campaign, it’s essential to be familiar with RMNs as they exist today. Most RMNs start as ads (or promoted listings) on the retailer’s e-commerce site. This type of inventory is known as “on-platform” and is what most people associate with retail media because it represents the majority of impressions and spending within this ecosystem today.

The next leg of the retail media stool is “off-platform” inventory — primarily digital display units served on partners’ sites, such as the Google Display Network or Facebook’s Audience Network.

And finally, there’s “integrated” inventory, a hybrid of on- and off-platform inventory, including things like the retailer’s emails, SMS pushes, in-store screens and more.

Most media planners and buyers understand that DOOH falls into three inventory categories: billboards, transit and place-based. To stand out in the retail media ecosystem, this third bucket (place-based) demands attention.

Place-based inventory is located next to or near a point of interest. This could be a popular outdoor tourist attraction near a shopping center or inside a grocery store. In another example, DOOH screens can be embedded directly into electric vehicle (EV) chargers at the front doors of popular commercial properties and retailers. This place-based inventory reaches customers right before they enter the store to make a purchase — the moment when people are finalizing their shopping lists. A last-minute marketing message can be the difference between one brand’s product being added to the shopping cart or not.

Unpacking the value of place-based advertisements

With place-based DOOH media, marketers get significant bang for their buck. These DOOH advertisements offer viewability, contextual relevance, brand safety and close proximity to the point of purchase — all while being privacy-friendly.

In the context of RMNs, place-based DOOH advertising is often divided into two categories: in-store and at-store. In-store advertisements are screens on top of shelves, coolers and cashier stations. When considering the effectiveness of this placement, an important consideration is how noisy and cluttered the experience is within the walls of a store.

Once a shopper steps through a retailer’s doors, thousands of brands …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron