Advertiser/Agency Survey Results: How are OOH/DPB Media Companies Doing?

In our recent survey, MyersBizNet studied perceptions of 250 advertiser and agency executives toward 13 leading out-of-home and digital place-based media companies on six performance attributes. A list of the 13 companies evaluated is at the end of this report. MyersBizNet has been conducting similar studies of television, digital and print media since 1984. OOH/DPB companies were measured on:

• Quality of Sales Team and Customer Service,
• Value for the Investment,
• Reach a Valuable Audience,
• Provide Innovative and Creative Opportunities,
• Offer Video and Digital Integration
• Provide Relevant Research Support and Intelligence.

On average for the 13 companies, among total respondents, the highest rated category was "Reaches a Valuable Audience" where OOH/DPB does an excellent job of reinforcing audience attributes. The lowest rated category by far was "Provides Relevant Research Support and Intelligence".

Areas where OOH/DPB can improve (in addition to research) are "Offers Video and Digital Integration" and "Provides Innovative Creative Opportunities" where the percentage of those who rated the category as 4 (achiever) was significantly higher than the percentage who rated the category as a 5 (leader) and 1 and 2 scores were also high. All companies were evaluated only by those who had a relationship with the company and who defined themselves as qualified to evaluate the company's performance. Each company was rated on a five-point scale for each performance attribute.

Among all respondents, high satisfaction was fairly flat across respondents representing different industry categories, based on average percent of respondents rating the 13 companies "5" on the 1 to 5 scale.

Topline Takeaways

1. Agency Buyer/Planners were the most avid supporters of OOH/DPB across all measured attributes compared to Clients/Advertisers.

2. Female respondents were generally more positive than Male respondents across all attributes.

3. Those with less than eight years job experience and those with more than 15 years were the most positive of OOH/DPB, as were those located in the Northeast.

4. Among Total Respondents, Fashion/Beauty and Travel categories tended to garner a slightly higher percentage of top scores (4 or 5) than other product /service categories. Among the most passionate respondents (those who gave "5" scores) Fashion and Entertainment were standout categories while Auto lagged.

5. "Research Support and Intelligence" was the worst performing category with the lowest satisfaction scores across all categories measured. More needs to be done in this area to improve attitudes.

PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTE DETAILS

Quality Sales Team and Customer Service

★ The industry executives polled in the study had an overall favorable impression of OOH/DPB companies with 61% ranking them Market Leaders or Market Achievers (4/5 score). Only 15% ranked them low (1/2 score) in "Quality Sales Team and Customer Service".

★ The OOH/DPB industry as a whole is doing a great job of selling and serving customers. Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies:

• Most (61%) gave top scores (4 or 5) for quality sales teams and customer service.
• High satisfaction (4/5) spanned all types of executives – Client/Advertisers (57%), Buyers/Planners (64%) and Other (50%).
• Younger executives were more enthusiastic (69% ranked it 4/5) vs 8-14 years in business (54%) and 15+ years (60%). But still high advocacy scores for all.
• 65% of all Female respondents gave a 4/5 score compared to 57% of all Men.
• The appeal is nationwide – the Northeast (61%) and National (60%).
• Performance is high across consumer demographic target categories – W25-56 (62% top two scores), M25-56 (64%), A55+ (66%), Affluent (65%) and Ethnic(63%).
• The appeal is high across all products and services – B2B (56%), Auto (56%), computers/tech (56%), Entertainment (60%) Finance (57%), Health (56%), Fashion/Beauty (65%) and Travel (64%).

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5" - Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of 5 (71%). They are most happy with the level of service.
• Favorability spanned all years in the business – Newbies (36%) and Veterans (34%).
• Women. 57% of the top scorers were women compared to 42% of the men.
• 65% of top scorers are from the Northeast.
• Those who target Women 25-56 (48%), Affluent consumers (46%) and Ethnics (42%) comprised high percentages of top scorers compared to Men (32%) and Adults 55+ (29%).
• Those in Fashion/Beauty (50%), Entertainment (43%) and Computers/Technology (40%) gave higher scores than those in B2B (25%), Auto (24%), Finance (36%), Health (31%) and Travel (32%).

Delivers Value for the Investment

★ Though there were overall lower "top two box" scores for "Delivers Value" compared to "Sales and Service", the industry executives polled in the study had an overall favorable impression with 57% ranking them Market Leaders or Market Achievers (4/5 score). Only 13% ranked them low (1/2 score).

★ The OOH/DPB industry as a whole is doing a good job of demonstrating value. Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies (based on 13-company average):

• Most (57%) gave top scores (4 or 5) for delivers value for the investment.
• General satisfaction (4/5) spanned all executives – Client/Advertisers (52%), Buyer/Planners (58%) and Other (52%).
• Younger executives saw great value in OOH/DPB (63% ranked it 4/5) vs 8-14 years in business (50%) and 15+ years (57%).
• Female executives (61%) were more enthusiastic compared to Men (51%).
• The appeal is slightly more Northeast (58%) than National (54%).
• There is appeal across consumer target categories – W25-56 (56% top two scores), M25-56 (57%), A55+ (54%), Affluent (57%) and Ethnic (57%).
• Fashion/Beauty (60%) and Entertainment (56%) categories had the highest percentage of value enthusiasts compared to B2B (49%), Auto (53%), Computers/Tech (51%), Finance (48%), Health (48%) and Travel (53%).

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5" - Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of "5" (68%) and therefore the largest percentage of strong believers in OOH/DPB value. Client/Advertisers (21%) and Other (10%) do not come close.
• Newbies with 1-7 years in the industry (37% of "5s") and Veterans with 15+ years (33%). OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with mid-level executives (29%).
• Women (58% of the top scorers) compared to 41% for Men.
• 66% of top scorers are from the Northeast vs. the rest of the country (33%).
• Those who target Women 25-56 (49%) and Affluent consumers (40%) and Ethnics (44%) comprised high percentages of top scorers. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with those who target Men (33%) and A55+ (29%).
• Those in Fashion/Beauty (45%) and Entertainment (43%) were the greatest advocates. All other categories were below 39% - B2B (24%), Auto (22%), Computers/Tech (39%), Finance (33%), Health (31%) and Travel (27%).

Reaches a Valuable Audience

★ Reaching a valuable audience is one of the core strengths of OOH/DPB according to the MyersBizNet study. 67% of respondents believe that OOH/DPB reaches a valuable audience (top two box of a 4 or 5 score). Only 9% ranked OOH/DPB as a "Laggard" (2) or "Loser" (1) score.

★ The OOH/DPB industry as a whole is doing a good job of demonstrating value. Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies:

• A strong (average 67%) gave top scores (4 or 5) for reaches a valuable audience.
• Buyer/Planners (70%) in particular agreed that OOH/DPB reaches a valuable audience. Client/Advertisers (53%) and Other (63%) also responded well although 4s constituted a larger percentage than 5s with these two groups (32% vs 38% and 26% vs 37%, respectively).
• Recognition of the valuable audience resonated across all ranges of executives - younger executives (69% ranked it 4/5), 8-14 years in business (61%) and 15+ years (69%).
• Female executives (72%) were highly enthusiastic compared to Men (61%) who skewed more 4s (36%) than 5s (25%).
• Both Northeast (66%) and National (68%) gave this attribute a 4/5 top score.
• Notably, there is high appeal across all measured consumer demographic target categories – W25-56 (64% top two scores), M25-56 (61%), A55+ (61%), Affluent (68%) and Ethnic (64%).
• All categories had high scores with the standouts of Fashion/Beauty (70%) and Entertainment (65%) ranking first and second respectively. However, B2B (56%), Auto (58%), Computers/Tech (60%), Finance (58%), Health (59%) and Travel (63%) also scored well.

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5"- Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of 5 (73%) vs Client/Advertiser (19%) and Other (7%). They are the largest percentage of strong believers in reaching the valuable audience OOH/DPB provides.
• Newbies (36% of "5s") and Veterans (35%). OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with mid-level executives (28%).
• 60% of the top scorers were Women compared to Men (39%).
• From the Northeast. 57% of top scorers are from the Northeast vs 42% nationally. Concentrate some effort on building up the rest of the country.
• Those who target Women 25-56 (44%) and Affluent (44%) comprised high percentages of top scorers. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with those who target Men (27%) and A55+ (24%) and Ethnics (39%) as well.
• Those in Fashion/Beauty (44%) and Entertainment (44%). All other categories are below 39% - B2B (21%), Auto (23%), Computers/Tech (39%), Finance (32%), Health (30%) and Travel (33%).

Offers Video and Digital Integration

★ The ability of OOH/DPB to offer video and digital integration resonated with 58% of the respondents (top two box of a 4 or 5 score) while 17% ranked OOH/DPB as a Laggard or Loser (1/2 score). While 17% is not a large percentage, this among the lower performing attributes for OOH/DPB. Several of the companies »evaluated, such as Captivate, focus on digital offerings.

★ Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies:

• Overall, 58% gave OOH/DPB top scores (4 or 5).
• Buyer/Planners (60%) in particular agreed that OOH/DPB reaches a valuable audience. Compared to Client/Advertisers (53%) and Other (49%).
• Younger executives (63% ranked it 4/5) and those 15+ years in the business (62%) felt more strongly than those with 8-14 years in business (48%).
• Female executives (62%) were highly enthusiastic compared to men (54%).
• Both Northeast (58%) and National (56%) gave this attribute top scores.
• There is high appeal across all measured consumer demographic target categories – W25-56 (57% top two scores), M25-56 (61%), A55+ (57%), Affluent (61%) and Ethnic (58%).
• Entertainment (65%), Fashion/Beauty (59%) and Travel (57%) ranked higher in this attribute followed by Computers/Tech (56%), Finance (53%), B2B (50%), Health (50%) and Auto (49%).

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5"- Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of 5 (75%). They are the largest percentage of strong believers that OOH/DPB offers Video and Digital Integration. Client/Advertisers (18%) and Other (5%) did not come close.
• Newbies (37%) and to a certain extent Veterans (33% of "5s") believe that OOH/DPB integrates media very well. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with mid-level executives (28%).
• Women (57%) more than Men (41%) felt strongly about OOH/DPB's leadership in this area.
• 62% of top scorers are from the Northeast compared to 36% nationally. This means that you should concentrate some effort on building up the rest of the country.
• Those who target Women 25-56 (49%), the Affluent (46%) and Ethnic (41%) comprised higher percentages of top scorers. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with those who target Men (33%) and A55+ (25%).
• Those in Fashion/Beauty (45%) and Entertainment (45%). All other categories are below 38% - Computers/tech (38%), Financial (35%), Travel (32%), Health (29%), B2B (25%) and Auto (21%).

Provides Innovation and Creative Opportunities

★ Does OOH/DPB offer innovation and creative opportunities? 59% of the respondents (top two box of a 4 or 5 score) agreed while 15% ranked OOH/DPB as a Laggard or Loser (1/2 score).

★ Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies:

• Overall, 59% gave OOH/DPB top scores (4 or 5).
• More Buyer/Planners (62%) agreed that OOH/DPB reaches a valuable audience compared to Client/Advertisers (48%) and Other (52%).
• Younger executives (63% ranked it 4/5) and those 15+ years in the business (64%) felt more strongly than those with 8-14 years in business (47%).
• There was no gender skew in this attribute: Female executives (59%) were highly enthusiastic as were Men (57%).
• Both Northeast (57%) and National (61%) gave this attribute top scores but this is one of the few attributes where national percentage exceeded the Northeast.
• There is high appeal across all measured consumer demographic target categories – W25-56 (59% top two scores), M25-56 (63%), A55+ (60%), Affluent (58%) and Ethnic (60%).
• Most products/services categories garnered over 50% - Entertainment (57%), Fashion/Beauty (56%) and Travel (58%) ranked higher in this attribute followed by Computers/Tech (55%), Finance (56%), B2B (57%), Health (54%). The exception was Auto (49%) which lagged, comparatively.

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5"- Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of 5 (70%) vs 17% for Client/Advertisers and 8% for Other.
• Newbies (42%) and to a certain extent Veterans (30% of "5s") believe that OOH/DPB integrates media very well.
• Women (56%) more than Men (39%) felt strongly about OOH/DPB's leadership in this area.
• 60% of top scorers are from the Northeast compared to 35% nationally.
• Those who target Women 25-56 (42%), the Affluent (38%) and Ethnic (41%) comprised higher percentages of top scorers. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce value with those who target Men (30%) and A55+ (24%).
• Those in Fashion/Beauty (43%). All other categories are below 38% - Computers/tech (38%), Entertainment (37%), Financial (36%), Travel (31%), Health (30%), B2B (26%) and Auto (19%).

Provides Relevant Research Support and Intelligence

★ There is much more that OOH/DPB can do in the research realm. Only 48% of all respondents gave research support and intelligence top scores (top two box of a 4 or 5 score) which broke down to 17% for "5" ratings and 31% for "4" ratings. The research category performed the worst among all attributes with a notably high 21% Laggard or Loser (1/2) score.

★ Among all respondents for the 13 OOH/DPB companies (based on average of 13 companies):

• Overall, 48% gave OOH/DPB top scores (4 or 5).
• There was little difference in research attitudes between Buyer/Planners (47%) Client/Advertisers (45%) and Other (49%).
• Younger executives (56% ranked it 4/5) and those 15+ years in the business (48%) felt more strongly than those with 8-14 years in business (36%).
• There was no gender skew in this attribute: Female executives (49%) were as enthusiastic as Men (45%).
• Both Northeast (46%) and national (50%) gave this attribute top scores but this is one of the few attributes where national exceeded the Northeast.
• All target groups seem to need more research support. Percentages for the top two boxes (4 or 5 score) were generally lower across the board: W25-56 (46%), M25-56 (49%), A55+ (48%), Affluent (47%) and Ethnic (50%).
• With the exception of B2B (51%), no products/services categories garnered over 50% - Entertainment (46%), Fashion/Beauty (47%), Travel (49%), Computers/Tech (42%), Finance (46%), Health (46%) and Auto (44%).

★ Who are the greatest enthusiasts? Among those who gave a top score ("5" - Market Leader), the greatest advocates are…

• Buyer/Planners. They comprised the largest percentage of those who gave a top score of 5 (72%) compared to Client/Advertiser (16%) and Other (10%).
• Newbies (39%) and Veterans (32% of "5s") value the research with mid-level executives (27%) to a lesser extent.
• Women (52%) more than Men (45%) felt strongly about OOH/DPB's leadership in this area.
• 62% of top scorers are from the Northeast compared to 36% nationally.
• Those who target Women 25-56 (40%), the Affluent (36%) and Ethnic (48%) comprised higher percentages of top scorers. OOH/DPB needs to reinforce the research value with those who target Men (27%) and A55+ (24%).
• Interestingly, Finance and Entertainment (both 42%), Computers/Technology (41%) performed better than all other categories which were below 39%. Quantitative attributes of research may resonate in more quantitative-oriented consumer categories.

The thirteen companies evaluated for this report were: Adspace Digital Mall Network, Captivate Network, CBS Outdoor, Cemusa, Clear Channel Outdoor, Eye Corp. Media, JCDecaux North America, Lamar Advertising, Titan, Van Wagner Outdoor, Vector, Verifone/Taxi TV, Zoom Media and Marketing. A total of 39 OOH/DPB companies were included in the survey but 26 failed to receive a sufficient percentage of respondents identifying themselves as having a relationship with the company and being qualified to evaluate their performance. Detailed comparative performance results and rankings for each attribute among 23 respondent groups on the 13 included companies have been made available to MyersBizNet Premium and Custom member companies, including eligible DP-AA members, Clear Channel Outdoor, Captivate, and JCDecaux. The detailed results are available to all Premium and Custom (Platinum) MyersBizNet members by request. For membership information contact Jack Myers at jm@jackmyers.com

Contents copyright © MyersBizNet, Inc. 2014. May not be reproduced or redistributed without written permission from MyersBizNet.

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