FOA QUESTIONNAIRE 2023– Valentín Bueno, Worldcom OHH CEO
What trends would you say are marking the news in the advertising sector?
In the advertising sector, especially in the field of out-of-home advertising (OOH) in all its formats: digital (DOOH), conventional, there are several trends that are marking today. Above all things, the understanding of the audiences, the consumption situations and the effectiveness of the messages that allow greater effectiveness in automation, greater flexibility, interactivity and segmentation capacity..
Valentin BuenoThanks to the collection of data and the use of technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, it is possible to segment and adapt advertising messages according to the interests and individual preferences of the audiences; this improves the effectiveness of the campaigns and provides a better experience for the consumer.
Likewise, advertising is evolving towards more impactful and creative experiences: technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are used to create interactive advertising campaigns that transform cities into Distribution Channels. Thus, a subway station is a huge virtual store! That capture the attention of consumers, generate high levels of impact and transactions at the moment. That’s right, you buy on the subway and when you get home you already have your product with Rappi or Glovo.
Of course, data integration and analytics are part of this whole transformation. The availability of metrics and advanced analytics are playing a critical role in the advertising industry. Companies may use consumer demographic, location, and behavioral data to target and measure the impact of their campaigns. Data analysis allows you to make more informed decisions and optimize the performance of advertising strategies.
From our perspective, sustainability and social responsibility are key in the advertising sector. Brands and agencies are adopting more ethical and sustainable advertising practices, avoiding greenwashing and supporting social and environmental causes. Consumers increasingly value brands committed to authentic values and purpose.
These trends are driving the evolution and transformation of the advertising industry, and companies must adapt to them to stay relevant and competitive in today’s marketplace.
What clients have you recently added to your portfolio? Have you entered a new market?
Last year, Worldcom OOH has consolidated campaigns for new clients such as P&B, Madeira Tourism, Coty and Euroitalia, Promperú, Morocco Tourism, Canary Islands Tourism, which began between the end of last year and this year. So far in 2023, clients such as WOW, Chopard and Omega have joined a portfolio of more than 160 major brands with which the company had already been working.
Certainly, one of the key aspects in the company’s strategic plan is expansion, accompanying the major brands with which we work, being their sales drivers throughout the world. Currently, we are present with more than 25 commercial offices in LATAM, USA and Europe, with a global reach and a solid portfolio of international clients, in a context in which OOH advertising is booming.
This last year we doubled our presence in the USA, adding operations in Chicago and Los Angeles to New York and Miami. We strengthened the domestic operation with NY as the new business center to direct operations in the United States and Canada. Likewise, we added London as HQ for Europe, leading the commercial management of the offices in Madrid and Germany. Soon we will also start operations in Milan and Paris.
What has the incorporation of Samantha Lambe as your Chief Executive Officer contributed to your consolidation in the European market?
It brings us a lot. Especially the experience of more than 15 years managing pan-European businesses for a mega company like Clear Channel. She is going to help us and to feel “local” in London. It will accompany us and lead this international consolidation, incorporating professionals with extensive experience in the field and domain of the industry. Such is the case of Samantha Lambe as Chief Revenue Officer, to lead the commercial growth of the European market and continue our consolidation from the base in the UK.
The Spanish market has also become a key point in your positioning. What plans do you have in Spain for this year?
It is expected that by 2023 there will be a 4% growth of the foreign environment globally and in Spain increases of between 20% and 30%, in terms of investment. OOH and DOOH advertising in Spain is experiencing an excellent moment, with exceptional growth in recent years, with constantly increasing investments and an increasingly relevant market share.
The sector is in a very favorable moment, reflecting a high degree of technological development, in line with other European countries. The digitization of media and the rise of programmatic advertising are key aspects that have driven this growth.
Our main focus is on strengthening our presence in the markets where we managed to expand in 2022, both through the expansion of our service centers and through the opening of new commercial offices in Europe. It is essential that we continue to increase our network of strategic partners worldwide and consolidate our operational teams, with the aim of maintaining ourselves as the main and most prominent offer of OOH and DOOH advertising media at a global level.
Technological development largely shapes the progress of outdoor advertising. We have seen groundbreaking 3D campaigns that have caused quite a stir in the media. How are you from Worldcom OHH accompanying this technological development?
Part of Worldcom OOH’s differentials as a global media strategy, planning and trading company specialized in OOH, DOOH and Programmatic, are innovation and the incorporation of the latest trends and technological advances. We recognize the positive impact that technology can have on the industry and how it can boost the reach and effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Technology has made it possible to develop billboards and other interactive outdoor media. These can include touch screens, augmented reality, or QR codes that users can scan with their smartphones to access additional content. These interactions provide consumers with a more immersive and personalized experience with the brand, which can lead to increased interest and engagement.
To keep pace with the technological advancements in outdoor advertising, we have established strategic alliances with cutting-edge technology providers. One of the areas we have focused on is the addition of 3D ad technology. For example, we recently launched the new Dolce & Gabanna fragrance, “Q”, in Lima with 3D screens and branded shelters with lighting, which achieved high impact, coverage and frequency in supports located near the points of sale and the target journey in Peru. The use of three-dimensional ads has proven to be highly effective in capturing the public’s attention and generating greater impact.
In outdoor advertising and digital audio campaigns, more and more attention is being paid to the interaction with the public. This is because active consumer engagement can drive greater brand engagement and ultimately improve campaign results.
Dynamic ads, which are based on the integration of sources that take information from reality and adjust the messages, are a great technological advance. For the Qatar soccer world cup, we introduced “Real-time Qatar” so that brands accompany their audiences with dynamic ads during their team’s matches. The challenge for brands, such as Rappi, was to reach millions of fans with proactive and empathetic communication, which provided a service message for the audiences, which has to do with real-time information on the development of sporting events in the soccer team.
We are also closely monitoring the development of programmatic advertising abroad. Programmatic advertising allows us to leverage data and targeting to deliver more relevant and personalized ads to the right audience at the right time.
What are the main advantages offered by your WORLDMS tool?
Worldcom Media Services -WORLDMS-, is a powerful platform whose objective is the efficient management of Out Of Home, Digital, Programmatic and all traditional media campaigns, which today still represent more than 80% of the media offer; concentrating all campaign management and analysis processes in a single tool.
This marketplace has the ability to optimize all processes and provide efficient purchase management, along with the implementation, control, and reporting of advertising campaigns in any format. It Gathers nine trillion pieces of data to segment audiences by gender, age, devices, brands they consume, activities they do, place of residence, cities they visited, and build the real journeys they take in 100 million points of interest in the world and 2,500 cities -.
WORLDMS covers all supports -Outdoor, Indoor, Digital, Transport, Mobile and Cinemas- and is organized according to the four stages of any advertising campaign. In the same place, planning, implementation, control and reports are managed, guaranteeing agility in time and minimizing possible errors. In addition, the platform allows real-time supervision of the different campaign instances and delivers a proposal for selected media in a personalized way for each client.
Worldcom Media Services arises from the desire to provide the industry with a tool like never before, concentrating our experience of more than 15 years in a single place available to advertisers and agencies. During this time we have worked for the most important brands in the world, forming the largest media network globally.
WORLDMS IN NUMBERS
NINE BILLION DATA THAT ALLOWS THE GENERATION OF DIFFERENT AUDIENCES SEGMENTED BY:
Gender
Age
User devices
Brands that consume
Activities they carry out
Place of residence
Cities they visited
BUILD TRUE CUSTOMER JOURNEYS: the real journeys that the audience takes
100 million points of interest in the world
2,500 CITIES that include the main metropolises of the world
FLAT OF 260,000 GLOBAL OOH AND DOOH SUPPORTS
85% TOTAL PARK OF LARGE CITIES
75% OF THE REST OF THE CITIES
29,467,121,399 digital consumption data
You closed the year 2022 with 827 campaigns developed in 34 countries. What goals do you set for this 2023?
We continue on our path to continue leading and growing in global media trading and transforming the advertising communication industry together with large clients who trust in our solid team in this direction we have been following for more than 15 years.
Within our strategic goals outlined in the Worldcom OOH master plan, our main priority is to consolidate the markets in which we managed to expand during the past year. This implies strengthening our presence in service centers and opening commercial offices in both Europe and the United States. In addition, it is crucial to continue to expand our network of strategic partners around the world and strengthen our operational teams to remain the leading and most prominent offer in terms of OOH and DOOH advertising media globally.
In the commercial field, the City of London places us in the first division, with an absolute focus on Europe and also on Asia. London is the natural bridge to Asia and from there we manage our business in that region. Therefore, one of our goals for this year is to strengthen the European team under the leadership of our UK office.
In terms of sustainability, our goal for this year is to increase the amount of canvases recycled through our “Una Vuelta +” program. This program, which we carry out in collaboration with Fundación Gestionar Esperanzas, seeks to generate high-quality products from obsolete OOH campaign materials. Companies such as Unilever, Natura, Brubank, Paramount+ and Coca Cola have already joined this circular economy project. The recycled canvases are transformed into bags, wallets, pencil cases and backpacks, generating genuine employment opportunities for families in vulnerable situations in seven Latin American countries. In addition, these products are certified with the Social Bio seal, which guarantees that they have been made in a completely sustainable way, complying with the highest environmental standards.
Our objectives for this year include the consolidation of international markets, the expansion of our network of strategic partners, the strengthening of the team in Europe under the leadership of London, and the continuation of our sustainability program through the recycling of canvases to generate quality products. quality and employment opportunities in Latin America. We are committed to continue leading the OOH and DOOH media market worldwide, maintaining our focus on excellence and social responsibility.