Insider caught wind that IBO had grown significantly recently and talked with both Chris Cowlbeck, CVO, IBO USA and Rich Zecchino, Chief Legal Officer and VP of Real Estate, Adams Outdoor.
Chris, how has IBO grown and aspects of the data world changed for IBO Speedway?
“We began aggregating our inventory in earnest about a decade ago, evolving from ride sheets, to excel sheets, to Google Sheets, now to the Google Cloud,” said Cowlbeck. “After attending the Google AI Developer NEXT conference a few weeks ago, I had my eyes opened to all the wonderfully powerful tools that are available to us at scale. We’ve been in a data modernization phase for a year or so now, have added PerView 28-day impressions to our Speedway inventory and are ready to embrace AI change head on. Our satellite mapping solution is exciting and will surface for use later this fall.” Cowlbeck continued, “I’m also pleased to announce that our footprint is now hovering around 100,000 displays in the USA, and that we are welcoming the nation’s largest independent as a member, Adams Outdoor. They have years of experience, good people, and understand local sales as well as the value of scale.”
Rich why did Adams decide to align with IBO USA?
Independent operators are members of the communities in which they operate and the voice of out-of-home for local and regional advertisers in those communities. That is who we are at Adams–we are a hyper-local company operating in Tier II and Tier III markets. An organization like the IBO–where we get to collaborate and share experiences with like minded companies–was a natural fit for us. We are excited to be a member of this vibrant organization.
What can Adams bring to the IBO table to help other independents?
Collaboration. We adhere to the aphorism that a rising tide lifts all boats. We are a large company, but not as large as the big folks; we are a small company, but not as small as many of the members of the IBO–in other words, we are perfectly sized to share our experiences and knowledge from both a large and small company standpoint. Honestly, there are so many creative and interesting ways to approach all aspects of this dynamic business. Sharing our experiences and strategies with others, and listening to how other independent operators conduct their business, can only provide a mutual benefit for all of us.
Chris, what branding changes can we see IBO embracing?
“I say this with the most respect for the friends in the larger companies I’ve made and who have helped me in the common vision of raising all OOH boats. The OOH industry has bantered around the term “the Big 3” for as long as I can remember,” said Cowlbeck. “With the collective hard work of our members, we have now consistently performed ad delivery for at least a thousand national campaigns. While we don’t command the dollar volume represented by the Big 3, our footprint, data tools, software, execution and professionalism puts our IBO Speedway squarely at the table of the national game. We’re now collectively one of the Big 4 and will continue to add value to increase revenues for all of OOH alongside our larger friends.”
About Adams Outdoor Advertising
Adams Outdoor Advertising (AOA) operates out of home markets in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin. AOA has in excess of 10,000 faces including over 350 digital faces and was founded by Steve Adams in 1983. The Company is privately held by Mr. Adams in partnership with Searchlight and BCI; Kevin Gleason is President and CEO. AOA’s core belief is that outdoor advertising is more relevant and powerful than anyone has yet to imagine!
About IBO USA
IBO USA is a networking group of companies that have a common interest in promoting all things of importance to the OOH Industry. We bring together some brilliant minds and cutting-edge technologies and services in our industry in some fun and engaging ways. Billboard operators, vendors, consultants, agencies and advertisers enjoy the fruits of our collective efforts and we have forged wonderful friendships over the years. These relationships have evolved to build the IBO COOP Speedway where the inventory of our operators is combined into a large national footprint that is easy to access.
Learn more by calling 580-226-2234, visit IBOUSA.org
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