Argo Digital Solutions recently released rev. 2 of its rVue platform which enables the buying and selling of digital-out-of-home media through rVue’s exchange.
Argo Digital Solutions’ Jason Kates discussed the rVue 2.0 and the digital-out-of-home market.
AdExchanger.com: Since you last spoke with AdExchanger.com, you’ve come out with a new rev of rVue, your digital-out-of-home exchange. Please explain why you describe rVue 2.0 as “social”.
JK: rVue has created a transparent marketplace that allows digital out of home networks, industry professionals and advertisers to communicate openly via the platform. When you look at the network profile page or the dashboard, you’ll see that many popular components of social media have been built into the 2.0 version of rVue to promote communication, such as status bars, the ability to “follow”, photo uploads, rss feeds, search engines, etc. rVue embraces transparency and promotes communication in an effort to accelerate the industry’s visibility as a valuable media.
How are the datasets gathered for the platforms targeting capabilities? How do you verify the data?
Each of the networks within the marketplace are empowered create a profile, upload and maintain their own data. The data is imported on a location by location basis to allow for addressability and targeting in many different ways; geo, demo, category, venue etc. The data is maintained and kept current by the networks. Networks within the system are encouraged to upload third-party verification, white papers, and more when available.
Who are your key clients? Are DOOH agencies from big holding companies, independent agencies or?
There are three basic categories of users within the rVue marketplace.
- First, we have over 50 networks that vary in size from just a few screens (there is no minimum requirement) to larger networks with tens of thousands of screens.
- Secondly, we are working with advertisers, agencies and media buying groups that range from the largest agency groups in the world at the highest level down to the local agency with only a few employees and a small media budget.
- Our third and newest user of the rVue ad exchange is what we call “everyone else.” As we have launched the 2.0 version of the exchange, we have opened it to those DOOH industry professionals – whether is is integrators, writers, investors or just those with an interest in the media – to become part of the platform. With just a glimpse of the dashboard within the platform, they can get a “real time” snapshot of what is going on in the industry in just a few seconds.
Is there a danger that agencies could go around you and buy directly from the DOOH networks that are plugged into rVue?
With this kind of transparency, there is always some risk. However, we have several key components in our favor. Media buyers are busy, their time is precious and buying digital out of home media is cumbersome with a traditional approach. If we want them to embrace digital out of home as a one of their ‘go to’ medias, we need to make it EASY for them and allow them to maintain the control they are used to. Within rVue, we’ve provided them with a tool that allows them to make a DOOH media plan within minutes (instead of days or hours), stay in control and not be charged outrageous fees for the media or the transaction.
What separates rVue is that it is an ad exchange rather than an ad network. This is a simple, but key differentiating factor. The rVue platform provides a marketplace for the DOOH industry by allowing the advertisers and networks to stay empowered. We don’t aggregate the network’s inventory, we offer a no to low cost to entry and we don’t commoditize the media. Agencies get instant gratification when they can draft a plan within a few minutes.
I enjoy showing the rVue ad exchange and media planner to folks who are previewing it for the first time because the results are always the same. When the light bulb goes on and they understand the key differences between rVue and ad networks or aggregators, they immediately light up and want to adopt it as part of their marketing efforts or media planning. They also gain further the confidence in knowng that we’ve been around for a while, are on our 2.0 version and have maintained an excellent reputation for our service and technology.
By John Ebbert
