VW motorway ads activate by scanning cars’ number plates

I-media, the motorway service out-of-home advertising specialist, has launched ad campaigns for four motor brands using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to trigger dynamic digital ads in real-time.

The campaigns for Peugeot-Citroen, Volkswagen, Toyota and Lexus use real-time data to target specific drivers of a competitive set of car brands. Audiences can also be defined by the age of the vehicle and other factors, with the addressable ads running on i-media’s D48 and D6 screens as drivers enter the motorway services.

Anna Manfredi, planning associate director at Volkswagen Group’s media agency PHD, said this ANPR technology represented an opportunity to be “really smart” with targeting, minimising wastage and ensuring that the agency is reaching a “hyper-relevant audience” for our client.

These four campaigns have run over the late-August period into September, which coincided with the new car registration period. It was also the busiest period of the year for motorway services due to the August Bank Holiday and end of school holidays, resulting in more than eight million weekly visitors.

The real-time data using ANPR isolates the “optimum” and “likely” times of visit to aid planning in advance, but all ads are served in real-time to reach pre-defined audiences.

Sam Tester, head of sales at i-media, commented: “ANPR now allows clients to use genuine real-time data to activate campaigns based on audience behaviours and key moments in the MSA environment. Data and AI are now playing a leading role for us in opening up more effective campaigns for a range of clients.”

I-media manages digital and traditional advertising at 130 motorway service areas, and is majority owned by MSA Advertising.