• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, June 11, 2010

The marketplace for digital out-of-home directories and aggregation services just got a little bit more crowded with the launch of DOfind, a subscription Web-based tool created by DOmedia that allows agencies and advertisers to search over 200,000 out-of-home media properties. Subscribers can filter results by venue type and target audience, among other parameters, then access information for each property including planning rates, locations, specific audience data production requirements, and contact information.

DOfind is designed to facilitate planning and buying at any level, from local campaigns advertising a single retail operation to national campaigns for branding purposes. Subscribers can search by a number of geographic categories, including DMAs, MSAs, ZIP code and proximity to a particular location. In the search results, product profiles offer features like "network at a glance," number of impressions, precise coverage areas, art requirements, and other specifications. DOfind also allows subscribers to send electronic RFIs.

DOfind joins a growing pool of companies that provide directories and some buying services for digital out-of-home ad networks. For example BillboardPlanet, a software-based online media exchange for the out-of-home industry (including place-based video network), facilitates media buying with a single point of purchase for multiple networks, and maintains extensive data about the reach and audience characteristics of member companies.

Meanwhile various network aggregators provide actual media buying and planning services. San Francisco-based SeeSaw Networks has partnered with dozens of digital out-of-home video networks, allowing media buyers to reach consumers throughout the day via different venues. For example, its affiliate Ripple operates digital displays in Coffee Bean shops and Robeks juice bars (morning); PumpTopTV serves gas stations (mid-day); while the Wellness Health Education Network reaches health clubs (afternoon); and Buzztime and Ecast reaches restaurants and bars (evening).

Adcentricity, based in Toronto, emphasizes its capabilities as an adjunct to media planning and buying, helping buyers execute out-of-home video campaigns with detailed information about the size and characteristics of the audience reached by each of its affiliates. As part of its media planning services, Adcentricity has helped coordinate place-based video with other media including radio, TV, print, and online campaigns.