DOmedia announced it will open its real-time inventory data API to all out-of-home (OOH) media operators, beginning in June 2022. The API gives media sellers the ability to seamlessly integrate their inventory, including pricing and availability, into the DOmedia enterprise platform as well as BillboardsIn.com, the only e-commerce platform giving advertisers access to all OOH formats across the U.S. and Canada. DOmedia’s enterprise tools have facilitated OOH campaigns for agencies representing over 40% of Forbes’ 100 Most Valuable Brands. OOH media sales on BillboardsIn increased 500% in 2021 and are expected to exceed that pace in 2022.
In March 2021, BillboardsIn integrated real-time inventory data via API from a major U.S. billboard operator for the first time. Over the following year, data showed operators who provided real-time availability and pricing were twice as likely to be purchased through BillboardsIn when compared to similar competitors. The data provided via API, as well as inventory data that operators manage within DOmedia, is used to service nearly 150,000 local advertisers who have created BillboardsIn accounts.
“I had never bought a billboard ad online before, and I was unsure how it would go,” said Carol Heisler-Lawson of The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. “But the BillboardsIn team worked really closely with me to make sure I got what I wanted.”
In April, the Independent Billboard Operators (IBOUSA) organization, which represents privately-owned OOH media operators across the U.S., began integrating members’ inventory into BillboardsIn. The first IBOUSA media assets, a mix of static and digital billboards, were purchased within six business days. As with all purchases through BillboardsIn, payment was collected from the buyer upfront, and operators were given the chance to review and accept the contract.
“That buyer, VA Electric, is your customer now,” Jeff Lamb, CTO of DOmedia, told attendees in his presentation at the May 4, 2022 IBOUSA conference in Kansas City, MO. “BillboardsIn is focused on expanding access to OOH media for first-time buyers – 75% of BillboardsIn customers have never bought a billboard before.”
Operators who are unable to leverage DOmedia’s API can still use DOmedia’s complete suite of seller tools to respond to requests from buyers. This includes agencies using DOmedia’s enterprise platform, which contracted over $500 million in 2021. Automating responses to these agencies represents significant time savings for operators, but data suggests it will also improve sales performance. Previous analysis of buying trends within the DOmedia agency platform, presented at the 2019 OAAA/Geopath national convention, revealed agencies were more likely to purchase from operators who responded quickly with high-quality data.