3 Most Common eCommerce Advertising Mistakes (and how to stay away from them)

Advertising is a great way for eCommerce brands to attract a relevant audience to their websites. This improves their chances of amplifying sales since they will be targeting people who are most likely to be interested in their products. However, you may still end up with mediocre results in spite of effective targeting and an attractive ad creative.

Spotlight

VSA Partners

VSA Partners is a design-driven branding and marketing firm. What do we mean by design-driven? VSA was founded as a design firm more than 30 years ago with the belief that design is not only a craft, but a tool for achieving business objectives. As design thinkers, we approach business challenges holistically and aim to break down silos between branding, digital, marketing and advertising.

OTHER ARTICLES
Advertiser Campaign Management

Streaming is the mainstream: what that means for UK advertisers

Article | August 12, 2022

In the last year, streaming adoption has grown throughout the UK. We spent more time at home, and many of us turned to new, digital forms of entertainment. But even now with the UK open, many consumers continue to appreciate some of the habits they adopted over the last 16 months, including streaming. Through a recent Kantar study, we learned that 84% of Amazon customers surveyed in the UK are either cord-stackers (viewers who watch both streaming and broadcast or satellite content), or cord-cutters (viewers who only stream content). This sends a clear message. It’s not just early adopters streaming content. It’s the majority. Furthermore, video gaming and e-sports are also on the rise—consumers in 600,000 households started playing console games on their TV in 2020 in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, according to Kantar’s Worldpanel ComTech data. In the UK, e-sports is increasingly popular with nearly 1 in 4 TV viewers streaming e-sports. And where are many gamers watching other gamers? On Twitch. There are now 30 million average daily users on Twitch from 230 countries. Consumers in the UK are also streaming more podcasts, music, and other audio content, year over year.

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Retargeting

Power up Your Mobile Ad Campaigns with These Four Tricks

Article | July 20, 2022

Did you know that there are over three billion smartphone users globally? While browsing through varied content, they see ads relevant to things they explore in their downloaded apps and games. In addition, they receive offers through SMS and see banner ads on websites they visit. These ads are a part of mobile ad campaigns specifically targeting a certain demographic. Some examples of mobile ads include carousel ads, image and text ads on Facebook, Snapchat filters and ads, video ads on YouTube, notifications from downloaded apps, ads that play between videos or games, and Instagram Story ads. Why are advertisers so keen on utilizing mobile ad campaigns? Mobile Ad Campaigns Speak the Revenue Language Marketers understand the power and impact of mobile phones on users’ lives. As a result, U.S. marketers spent a record 120 billion U.S. dollars on mobile promotion in 2020. (Statista). Mobile ad campaigns can achieve tremendous results and bring in revenue for you by creating a connection with the user through personalization and by catering to all kinds of online audience on-the-go. “The mobile device has become our communications hub, our diary, our entertainment portal, our primary source of media consumption, our wallet and our gateway to real-time information tailored to our needs. The revolution is now!” - Nihal Mehta, Founding General Partner at Eniac Ventures Mobile Advertising Covers All the Bases Companies engage in mobile advertising for objectives like lead generation, customer retention through new offers, brand engagement activities like contests, and creating awareness about a product or a service. Mobile ads are the preferred channel for advertising because: They are cost-effective Allow geo-targeting Get a quick response Can be easily tracked Let us look at all the tricks that can help you optimize your mobile ad campaigns. Grab the Users’ Attention Imagine mobile users aggressively scrolling on their phones. Your ad should make them stop and grab their attention enough to make them read it. The goals of your ad campaigns should be clear. If you are looking to redirect the user to your website or want them to click on the ad, your campaign execution should align with these goals. Adding Value Through Your Messaging Pushing your message effectively to the user can ensure the success of your campaign. Your text should be crisp and sharp, interesting yet simple to comprehend. Use popular phrases or buzz words to create a connection with the users. Don’t Underestimate Visual Appeal Visual appeal plays a vital role in the way users react to ads. The image size of your ad, the moving flow, and the options for interacting with the ads can impact your ad’s performance. Ensure that you never interrupt your user’s reading flow when they are browsing and that the visuals of your ad are pleasant and appealing to the eye. Remember, Brevity is the Soul of Wit The content of your ad should be impressive enough to make the users engage with it. Users will respond to clear copy, visuals and your message’s simplicity. Furthermore, make sure that your landing pages are bug-free, load quickly and relate to your display ad so that the users can form a tangible connection between them. Wrapping It Up Mobile advertising helps brands remain connected to their customers around the clock while on the move. It is a personalized and flexible type of advertising that can help advertisers understand the lifestyle of targeted customers to offer them just what they need.

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Social Media Advertising

AI-Powered Creative: Get Higher ROI for Clients

Article | July 13, 2022

Creating ad campaigns is a gamble. As advertisers, you are never sure if it was optimized enough, have no idea which micro-targets it resonates with the most, and it could take up to a year to determine the campaign’s sales impact. Market trends change by then. However, AI-powered ad creative can turn things around for you. You will know exactly what aspects of the ad resonate with your target demographic. “It’s a welcome change for creatives, who find it empowering because they can think more broadly, experiment more, and learn faster,” says David Olesnevich, Head of Product at IBM Watson Advertising “It’s a welcome change for creatives, who find it empowering because they can think more broadly, experiment more, and learn faster,” says David Olesnevich, Head of Product at IBM Watson Advertising Let us take a look at what an AI-powered creative can do for your ad campaign: Instant Optimization AI-powered creative can be optimized instantly, not just for display ads but also for OTT video ads. You don’t need to spend extra time or resources to scale your optimization efforts. Multiple Variations Elements in AI creative can be varied and combined with music tracks, sound effects, voice-overs, scripts, video clips and sequences, hero shots, text overlays, end cards, and calls-to-action. Easy Scaling AI-powered creative ad campaigns are easy to scale across sectors for micro-targets defined by demographics, psychographics, life stage, customer journey stage, purchase behavior, and other KPIs like video completion, app installs, site visits, form-filling, purchases/conversions. Enhanced Targeting This technology can target your desired demographic based on message resonance. Consumer characteristics that respond to different message element combinations can help create persona profiles. Brand advertisers like you need to prepare themselves for a cookie-less future with Google phasing out third-party cookies by 2023. Additionally, you need to also take into account Apple ending the IDFA (ID for Advertising). Figuring out micro-targets will get tougher because of these factors. You will have to harness solutions that respect consumer privacy without depending on the traditional advertising identifiers that will no longer remain. Creative Professionals Can Better Maximize Client ROI AI-powered creative is a modular and smarter way to develop ads. It takes the guesswork out of advertising with more actionable information to enhance brand campaigns and how they deliver a higher ROI.

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Social Media Advertising

Creating Great Ads: CX Should Surpass Technology in Priority

Article | July 6, 2022

Everyone can be a creator, critic, performer and an audience member— all at the same time — thanks to the internet. However, when it comes to advertising and the internet, the biggest opportunity that you have is customer experience (CX). And yet, new technologies and the desire to decrease ad spend put customer experience on the back-burner. Why CX Should be a Priority While Making Ads? Customer experience takes a nosedive when you automate marketing decisions, drive down advertising costs, extract data, and increase intrusiveness to reach more customers. These factors negatively impact your brand’s reputation and cause customers to leave your side. As a result, your revenue might take a hit by implementing modern technology. Customer experience should always be at the top of your priority list if you want to retain your customers and give them exactly what they want. Here are some things you should remember while creating ads: Context is Key Your messaging and creatives should align with the context of your ad placement. Native ads and contextual targeting can help you safely place your ads without disrupting your UX. Value Addition Works Your consumers want to see something that is unique and adds value to their lives. Use creative, relatable, and authentic messaging to appeal to your audience. Use Technology Wisely If you don’t leverage ad tech as a part of a sound strategy and intelligent design, you might lose out on effectively representing your brand in front of your target audience. Rules to Remember While Making Ad Creatives Do not treat your audience as a set of data points Platforms are dynamic so you need to adapt to the changes in time Use technology to meet the expectations of your audience but don’t abuse it

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Spotlight

VSA Partners

VSA Partners is a design-driven branding and marketing firm. What do we mean by design-driven? VSA was founded as a design firm more than 30 years ago with the belief that design is not only a craft, but a tool for achieving business objectives. As design thinkers, we approach business challenges holistically and aim to break down silos between branding, digital, marketing and advertising.

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Advertiser Platforms

AlgoriX & LiveRamp Partner to Accelerate Addressability for the Mobile Advertising Ecosystem

ExchangeWire | October 25, 2023

AlgoriX and LiveRamp have announced a multifaceted partnership to accelerate the cookieless transition for the digital advertising ecosystem. AlgoriX will enable global customers of its demand-side platform (DSP) and supply-side platform (SSP) to transact on LiveRamp’s RampID, as well as incorporate LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution SDK into the AlgoriX SDK to accelerate the mobile app ecosystem’s deployment of Authenticated Traffic Solution. More than 450 of the world’s leading advertisers activate campaigns on RampID through LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform. AlgoriX joins more than 165 DSPs and SSPs that have integrated with LiveRamp’s solutions globally, enabling reaching high-value audiences at scale and delivering personalized experiences across browsers, mobile devices, and CTV. As advertisers look to address signal loss on mobile, authenticated inventory offers a powerful solution that can deliver results for publishers and marketers that often surpass what they were generating with cookies and mobile device IDs, said Frederic Liow, AlgoriX SVP for revenue growth & strategy. LiveRamp has helped lead the market in advancing authenticated identity as a viable alternative to help the ecosystem prepare for a post-signal loss future, and integrating our solutions will provide a powerful boost to our customers and developers. Additionally, AlgoriX will incorporate LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution SDK into the AlgoriX SDK, enhancing the offering for developers looking to accelerate their success in the mobile and in-app advertising space. Leveraging AlgoriX’s SDK, these developers can now quickly leverage and deploy LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution, increasing the addressability of their opted-in app users, and improving monetization of their inventory. “Consumers in APAC are mobile-first, which made it a natural fit to partner with AlgoriX given their history as a leader in the region and in the mobile app space,” said Travis Clinger, SVP, activations and addressability, LiveRamp. “LiveRamp has proven it can drive results for mobile developers, and as the market experiences more signal loss, with these new partnerships there’s no excuse for stakeholders to delay benefitting from the superior results authenticated identity can drive.” About AlgoriX AlgoriX is an independent global media and technology company. Backed by investments from top international venture capitalists, its core team is equipped with years of experience from global leading internet and ad tech companies. Through our team’s expertise, AlgoriX is able to bring to our partner's best-in-class technology solutions and know-how to effectively scale their revenue and deliver results.

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Ad Tech and Martech

IAS Launches New Made for Advertising (MFA) AI-Driven Site Detection and Avoidance Technology

Integral Ad Science | October 19, 2023

Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a new Made for Advertising (MFA) AI-driven site detection and avoidance product. The company's MFA site technology aims to improve transparency into advertiser campaign quality, identify where spend is being allocated, and inform optimizations to minimize waste on MFA sites. MFA sites are web pages featuring low quality content (e.g. spam sites, or ad farms) created solely to serve ads, and are optimized to perform well against traditional verification metrics, such as viewability. However, advertising spend on these sites does not drive meaningful outcomes, such as conversions or brand lift. IAS's new product leverages AI to uncover MFA sites at scale, allowing advertisers to take back control of their media quality and cut down on wasted spend. During Alpha testing, IAS delivered comprehensive campaign analysis demonstrating superior MFA site identification for some of the world's largest advertisers and agencies. IAS's product supports the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) recent definition of MFA sites and incorporates characteristics such as ad-to-content ratio, ad refresh rate, and the source of the traffic coming to the site to classify a site as MFA. According to the ANA's Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study, 21% of all advertisement impressions measured were served on MFA sites. Our MFA product was built to deliver unprecedented transparency to advertisers and provide them with the ability to both detect and avoid MFA sites in order to redirect their ad spend to publishers that drive a return, said Yannis Dosios, Chief Commercial Officer, Integral Ad Science. The industry faces a significant challenge in combating MFA sites. By leveraging AI, we have developed a scalable way to identify these low quality sources of inventory and improve overall campaign performance. Advertisers and their agencies need confidence that the industry is converging on agreement about the specific websites that compose the MFA category. By training its model against Jounce Media's widely adopted list of MFA domains and incorporating signals from Sincera, IAS has developed the industry's first pressure tested solution for detecting and blocking MFA at scale. "Advertisers should recognize that MFA websites can account for a significant portion of their overall campaign and should determine, independently, if MFA sites fit with their brand suitability standards for content and user experience. We applaud IAS for taking action after we released the findings from our programmatic transparency report and for supporting our definition of MFA," said Bill Duggan, ANA group executive vice president. "We have found that awareness of MFA sites among the ANA community of media professionals to be limited – which is surprising. We look forward to further developments from IAS around MFA site identification and ad spend optimization to help better educate and inform buyers." The IAS MFA product completed alpha testing in early October 2023, and is available now as a beta measurement offering for select customers. General availability is expected to expand to all customers in early 2024. About Integral Ad Science Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a leading global media measurement and optimization platform that delivers the industry's most actionable data to drive superior results for the world's largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS's software provides comprehensive and enriched data that ensures ads are seen by real people in safe and suitable environments, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and yield for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality. For more information, visit integralads.com.

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Ad Tech and Martech

VIOOH & Yahoo Partner to Explore the Value prDOOH Delivers Within Multichannel Campaigns

ExchangeWire | October 17, 2023

Today, VIOOH, the leading premium global digital out-of-home (DOOH) supply-side platform in partnership with Yahoo Advertising has released a whitepaper examining the potential outcomes of including programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH) within multi-channel campaigns. As outlined in VIOOH’s annual State of the Nation report, a key request from advertisers is to understand how prDOOH fits within multi-channel campaigns, and how to best measure its impact. Analysing a series of case studies, the report outlines the best way for advertisers to maximise multi-channel campaign impact through the inclusion of prDOOH. Findings indicate that prDOOH’s inclusion in multi-channel media plans can drive more attention, boost engagement, and improve overall campaign effectiveness. Two key outcomes are clear: 1: Including prDOOH in a multi-channel media plan adds incremental value to the return on investment (ROI) of the digital media mix due to the priming effect - DOOH plays an important role in preparing consumers for conversions during re-engagements on other channels. 2: prDOOH as a channel can boost offline outcomes in terms of sales and footfall as a result of its ‘attention-grabbing’ characteristics and flexibility as a programmatic medium. The report also outlines how advertisers can optimise targeting, increase brand awareness, and drive consumer behaviour offline and online by leveraging the strengths of both broadcast and digital channels to deliver ROI. Helen Miall, CMO at VIOOH said, This whitepaper has been prompted by a significant increase in demand for prDOOH from advertisers, and a desire to understand how it can best be used alongside and within multi-channel campaigns. This report highlights its potential for delivering effective campaigns across upper and lower funnel tactics, and how prDOOH can be successfully combined with individual media to drive campaign effectiveness. Alice Beecroft, senior director, global strategy & partnerships at Yahoo said, “In today’s digital media landscape, programmatic digital out-of-home provides advertisers with the crucial ability to adapt in real-time. This adaptability is essential for effectively engaging their audience within a comprehensive omnichannel campaign. The results in the whitepaper show how prDOOH as part of the digital marketing mix drives incremental value where a connected bridge is formed with other channels to reach consumers wherever and whenever it matters most.” About VIOOH VIOOH is a leading premium global digital out of home supply side platform. Launched in 2018 and with headquarters in London, VIOOH’s platform connects buyers and sellers in a premium marketplace, making OOH easily accessible. Led by a team of digital OOH and programmatic tech experts, VIOOH is pioneering the transformation of the OOH sector, championing its role in enhancing omni-channel digital campaigns through the use of programmatic capabilities and data. VIOOH currently trades programmatically in 19 markets, with more to follow.

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Advertiser Platforms

AlgoriX & LiveRamp Partner to Accelerate Addressability for the Mobile Advertising Ecosystem

ExchangeWire | October 25, 2023

AlgoriX and LiveRamp have announced a multifaceted partnership to accelerate the cookieless transition for the digital advertising ecosystem. AlgoriX will enable global customers of its demand-side platform (DSP) and supply-side platform (SSP) to transact on LiveRamp’s RampID, as well as incorporate LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution SDK into the AlgoriX SDK to accelerate the mobile app ecosystem’s deployment of Authenticated Traffic Solution. More than 450 of the world’s leading advertisers activate campaigns on RampID through LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform. AlgoriX joins more than 165 DSPs and SSPs that have integrated with LiveRamp’s solutions globally, enabling reaching high-value audiences at scale and delivering personalized experiences across browsers, mobile devices, and CTV. As advertisers look to address signal loss on mobile, authenticated inventory offers a powerful solution that can deliver results for publishers and marketers that often surpass what they were generating with cookies and mobile device IDs, said Frederic Liow, AlgoriX SVP for revenue growth & strategy. LiveRamp has helped lead the market in advancing authenticated identity as a viable alternative to help the ecosystem prepare for a post-signal loss future, and integrating our solutions will provide a powerful boost to our customers and developers. Additionally, AlgoriX will incorporate LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution SDK into the AlgoriX SDK, enhancing the offering for developers looking to accelerate their success in the mobile and in-app advertising space. Leveraging AlgoriX’s SDK, these developers can now quickly leverage and deploy LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution, increasing the addressability of their opted-in app users, and improving monetization of their inventory. “Consumers in APAC are mobile-first, which made it a natural fit to partner with AlgoriX given their history as a leader in the region and in the mobile app space,” said Travis Clinger, SVP, activations and addressability, LiveRamp. “LiveRamp has proven it can drive results for mobile developers, and as the market experiences more signal loss, with these new partnerships there’s no excuse for stakeholders to delay benefitting from the superior results authenticated identity can drive.” About AlgoriX AlgoriX is an independent global media and technology company. Backed by investments from top international venture capitalists, its core team is equipped with years of experience from global leading internet and ad tech companies. Through our team’s expertise, AlgoriX is able to bring to our partner's best-in-class technology solutions and know-how to effectively scale their revenue and deliver results.

Read More

Ad Tech and Martech

IAS Launches New Made for Advertising (MFA) AI-Driven Site Detection and Avoidance Technology

Integral Ad Science | October 19, 2023

Integral Ad Science (Nasdaq: IAS), a leading global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a new Made for Advertising (MFA) AI-driven site detection and avoidance product. The company's MFA site technology aims to improve transparency into advertiser campaign quality, identify where spend is being allocated, and inform optimizations to minimize waste on MFA sites. MFA sites are web pages featuring low quality content (e.g. spam sites, or ad farms) created solely to serve ads, and are optimized to perform well against traditional verification metrics, such as viewability. However, advertising spend on these sites does not drive meaningful outcomes, such as conversions or brand lift. IAS's new product leverages AI to uncover MFA sites at scale, allowing advertisers to take back control of their media quality and cut down on wasted spend. During Alpha testing, IAS delivered comprehensive campaign analysis demonstrating superior MFA site identification for some of the world's largest advertisers and agencies. IAS's product supports the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) recent definition of MFA sites and incorporates characteristics such as ad-to-content ratio, ad refresh rate, and the source of the traffic coming to the site to classify a site as MFA. According to the ANA's Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study, 21% of all advertisement impressions measured were served on MFA sites. Our MFA product was built to deliver unprecedented transparency to advertisers and provide them with the ability to both detect and avoid MFA sites in order to redirect their ad spend to publishers that drive a return, said Yannis Dosios, Chief Commercial Officer, Integral Ad Science. The industry faces a significant challenge in combating MFA sites. By leveraging AI, we have developed a scalable way to identify these low quality sources of inventory and improve overall campaign performance. Advertisers and their agencies need confidence that the industry is converging on agreement about the specific websites that compose the MFA category. By training its model against Jounce Media's widely adopted list of MFA domains and incorporating signals from Sincera, IAS has developed the industry's first pressure tested solution for detecting and blocking MFA at scale. "Advertisers should recognize that MFA websites can account for a significant portion of their overall campaign and should determine, independently, if MFA sites fit with their brand suitability standards for content and user experience. We applaud IAS for taking action after we released the findings from our programmatic transparency report and for supporting our definition of MFA," said Bill Duggan, ANA group executive vice president. "We have found that awareness of MFA sites among the ANA community of media professionals to be limited – which is surprising. We look forward to further developments from IAS around MFA site identification and ad spend optimization to help better educate and inform buyers." The IAS MFA product completed alpha testing in early October 2023, and is available now as a beta measurement offering for select customers. General availability is expected to expand to all customers in early 2024. About Integral Ad Science Integral Ad Science (IAS) is a leading global media measurement and optimization platform that delivers the industry's most actionable data to drive superior results for the world's largest advertisers, publishers, and media platforms. IAS's software provides comprehensive and enriched data that ensures ads are seen by real people in safe and suitable environments, while improving return on ad spend for advertisers and yield for publishers. Our mission is to be the global benchmark for trust and transparency in digital media quality. For more information, visit integralads.com.

Read More

Ad Tech and Martech

VIOOH & Yahoo Partner to Explore the Value prDOOH Delivers Within Multichannel Campaigns

ExchangeWire | October 17, 2023

Today, VIOOH, the leading premium global digital out-of-home (DOOH) supply-side platform in partnership with Yahoo Advertising has released a whitepaper examining the potential outcomes of including programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH) within multi-channel campaigns. As outlined in VIOOH’s annual State of the Nation report, a key request from advertisers is to understand how prDOOH fits within multi-channel campaigns, and how to best measure its impact. Analysing a series of case studies, the report outlines the best way for advertisers to maximise multi-channel campaign impact through the inclusion of prDOOH. Findings indicate that prDOOH’s inclusion in multi-channel media plans can drive more attention, boost engagement, and improve overall campaign effectiveness. Two key outcomes are clear: 1: Including prDOOH in a multi-channel media plan adds incremental value to the return on investment (ROI) of the digital media mix due to the priming effect - DOOH plays an important role in preparing consumers for conversions during re-engagements on other channels. 2: prDOOH as a channel can boost offline outcomes in terms of sales and footfall as a result of its ‘attention-grabbing’ characteristics and flexibility as a programmatic medium. The report also outlines how advertisers can optimise targeting, increase brand awareness, and drive consumer behaviour offline and online by leveraging the strengths of both broadcast and digital channels to deliver ROI. Helen Miall, CMO at VIOOH said, This whitepaper has been prompted by a significant increase in demand for prDOOH from advertisers, and a desire to understand how it can best be used alongside and within multi-channel campaigns. This report highlights its potential for delivering effective campaigns across upper and lower funnel tactics, and how prDOOH can be successfully combined with individual media to drive campaign effectiveness. Alice Beecroft, senior director, global strategy & partnerships at Yahoo said, “In today’s digital media landscape, programmatic digital out-of-home provides advertisers with the crucial ability to adapt in real-time. This adaptability is essential for effectively engaging their audience within a comprehensive omnichannel campaign. The results in the whitepaper show how prDOOH as part of the digital marketing mix drives incremental value where a connected bridge is formed with other channels to reach consumers wherever and whenever it matters most.” About VIOOH VIOOH is a leading premium global digital out of home supply side platform. Launched in 2018 and with headquarters in London, VIOOH’s platform connects buyers and sellers in a premium marketplace, making OOH easily accessible. Led by a team of digital OOH and programmatic tech experts, VIOOH is pioneering the transformation of the OOH sector, championing its role in enhancing omni-channel digital campaigns through the use of programmatic capabilities and data. VIOOH currently trades programmatically in 19 markets, with more to follow.

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