This is the third in a series of Billboard Insider profiles of the companies who are automating the out of home sales process.  We’ve previously written about Adsemble and Adquick.  Insider counts 9 US companies that are trying to develop websites to facilitate buying and selling out of home advertising: ADstruc, AdSemble, Adquick, DoMedia, Fliphound, Kinetic, rVue, Vistar and Xaxis Places.  Today Insider talks with Pete Anderson of ADstruc. 

Company:  ADstruc, Inc.

Headquarters: New York City

Phone: (646) 590-0944 

Email: pete@adstruc.com

Product: ADstruc Drive is an online platform that automates how Out-of-Home media is planned, bought and sold.

Pete, how did ADstruc get involved in out of home advertising?

Our founder, John Laramie, discovered that the process of putting together an outdoor campaign was frustrating and inefficient, so he undertook a years-long mission (that continues to this day) to engage with OOH buyers and sellers to learn about their day-to-day challenges and how their processes could be improved. The biggest finding was that the current paperwork-laden process of OOH selling often prevents sales reps from being able to do what they do best: sell media. This insight, along with others gained from hundreds of conversations within the industry, produced a technology platform (ADstruc Drive) that addresses the unique challenges of buying and selling OOH.

Describe how your website works?

• OOH companies upload their inventory data into our system in whatever way is convenient for them (e.g. spreadsheet, fileshare or API) — this includes detailed location descriptions, multiple photos, lat/long coordinates, facing directions, illumination, etc. The platform then displays their inventory within a map-based planning environment where buyers can visualize and explore the OOH landscape across the entire U.S. 

• Armed with this visibility, buyers use the platform to send concise, accurate RFPs to their desired media owners, who then log into the platform to build customized proposals with the platform’s automated proposal generation tools, which dramatically cut down on the administrative work typically required to respond to RFPs.

• Proposal data — including inventory details, maps, Geopath ratings, pricing and more — is compiled and sent to the buyer with a few simple clicks, thanks to the fact that the data is stored within the system. Sellers are notified when their proposals are viewed, and the platform’s negotiation tools then enable buyers and sellers to finalize deals and export contracts.

What markets and how many structures are involved?

Our platform is nationwide, encompassing hundreds of media sellers and hundreds of thousands of units of inventory across every OOH format.

What benefits does ADstruc provide to an out of home advertising company?

• OOH companies benefit in two key ways by uploading their inventory into ADstruc Drive. First, doing so enables their inventory to be viewed and RFPed by buyers who spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually on OOH. Secondly, having their inventory data stored in the system makes it extremely easy to leverage ADstruc Drive’s proposal automation tools. Instead of filling out agency templates and compiling maps and photosheets, sellers can simply point and click to share pertinent inventory data (including descriptions, photos and maps) with clients. And our integration with the Geopath database means OOH ratings are shared automatically, eliminating the need for member companies to look up audience data themselves.

• ADstruc has also begun developing sales tools to allow OOH companies to leverage our automation functionality to sell to clients who are not on the platform (i.e. local, regional or other buyers). Contact me to see a prototype and learn how we can help your sales team.

What are the fees or commissions for using ADstruc?

ADstruc Drive is 100% free for media sellers to use.

What have been some of your successful campaigns?

ADstruc Drive has powered campaigns across the country for blue chip brands like McDonald’s, Emirates Airlines, Kroger and Lane Bryant, as well as many emerging and local advertisers.

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