Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) has today launched ‘Connect,’ the first global out-of-home mobile interactive advertising platform, expected to drive deeper brand engagement with consumers when they are out and about.
The new platform means that advertising panels on CCO’s pedestrian-accessible sites across the globe will be turned into ‘mobile launch pads’, enabling consumers to access interactive content from advertisers via their smartphones.
CCO has said that by June 2014, the platform will create a mobile network reaching 175 million consumers monthly across 23 countries on five continents. They will also equip 75,000 outdoor sites with Connect tags enabled for Near Field Communication (NFC) and offer marketers the biggest out-of-home/mobile interactive platform from any media owner.
The Connect tags are permanently attached to digital or static panels on pedestrian-accessible sites with heavy footfall and long dwell-time, such as street furniture, shopping malls, airports and at other points-of-sale. Tapping or scanning a smartphone over Connect’s NFC tag or QR code will then “open a gateway to an online brand experience”.
Connect will also offer advertisers and planners a range of data – including date, time, location, conversion of click-thrus – as well as the kinds of devices used.
“We have made this investment because all our intelligence tells us this is what consumers want, to be able to engage with brands individually, immediately and effectively,” said William Eccleshare, CEO of CCO.
“We are bridging the online and offline worlds by combining our outstanding audience reach with personal engagement through mobile devices. The global rollout of Connect accelerates the metamorphosis of out-of-home advertising from being the oldest form of advertising to the most modern and creative.”
Suzanne Grimes, president and chief operating officer, CCO, North America, added: “With the rise of social media, consumers increasingly expect to be involved in advertising campaigns and to have relationships with brands, yet they often reject advertising interruptions in other mediums.
“Connect presents the opportunity to target consumers on-the-go, when they are receptive to messages and can be delighted by timely, relevant and tailored invitations to engage.”
Connect will be showcased at the Festival of Media Global event in Rome at the beginning of April.
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