DOOH development accelerates in Singapore and Hong Kong with key partnerships

Digital expansion and technology improvements in the Singapore and Hong Kong out-of-home media markets are taking more steps forward with a pair of newly signed partnerships. 

In Singapore, user- and location-data company Near is partnering with newly rebranded SMRT transit company media arm Stellar Ace to enable retargeting of audiences around a brand's OOH advertisements through mobile, to drive footfall to nearby retail stores. 

By geo-fencing the location where an ad is displayed around SMRT properties and building an audience cohort exposed to the display, Near would be able to retarget them with specific messaging at a specific time, such a lunch deal for a restaurant that could take those who click on the ad to the nearest branded restaurant. This would provide an attribution map for the retailer, connecting their lunch customers to the Stellar Ace OOH ad. 

For Stellar Ace, this offline-to-online offering is made possible by a new  product called 'Ace Biota' that is powered by Near. Recently employed for a fast-food brand in Singapore, the companies say their campaign increased the in-store visit rate for the brand by 271%

“In a daily consumer journey, the outdoor space is still relevant as audiences travel, eat, shop as part of their lifestyle," said Stellar Ace vice president Jeslyn Tan. "We are confident that this newfound capability will offer our clients the 'stickiness' that every brand desires in assuring brand recall and association."

"We are sure that the partnership would allow brands to advertise to a specific audience, at a specific location, and at a specific time," said Near’s co-founder and chief revenue officer Shobhit Shukla of the partnership. "It would be a complete marketing strategy for the brand."

The deal comes as Singapore-based Near is expanding its global footprint, including through Southeast Asia with its recent acquisition of the location-data company formerly known as Uber Media. 

DOOH expansion to Hong Kong streets

Meanwhile, more OOH inventory in Hong Kong is being made available programmatically for trading following a new deal by digital out of home (DOOH) marketplace VIOOH and JCDecaux Cityscape that extends to street furniture and bus-shelter advertising. 

The tie-up opens up the urban market to VIOOH, with a quarter of Hong Kong's street furniture inventory now available across guaranteed and non-guaranteed deals. The partnership follows JCDecaux's deal with VIOOH last November to open up Hong Kong International Airport ad inventory to programmatic trading. 

Data partners in this deal include JCDecaux's own Audience Management System for Street Furniture and OOH planning and measurement from AdSquare. Integrated DSP partners include Hivestack, The Trade Desk and Verizon Media.

“With this launch, our clients can enjoy unmatched flexibility, data-driven media planning, optimization and retargeting capabilities and data-triggered digital content across multiple prime districts in Hong Kong Island, namely Admiralty, Causeway Bay, Central and Wan Chai," said Yoann El Jaouhari, managing director of JCDecaux Cityscape.  

VIOOH says more digital OOH inventory is due to be announced later this year.

“Our ambition is to change the conversation about out of home, and to help accelerate transformation in outdoor advertising and we hope advertisers and media owners alike will maximise this new opportunity to thrive," said Ben Lin, CEO at VIOOH China.