Digital out-of-home technology firm rVue is
launching a new direct marketing platform, rVue Direct, with smartphone interactivity that allows marketers to offer consumers real-time, location-based Groupon-style deals and special offers.
The company's new online "Content Hub" is simultaneously offering rVue's DOOH network customers ready-made direct-response and social commerce deals. Consumers can respond to the ads via toll-free 800
numbers and embedded QR codes.
The rVue Direct online platform for DOOH networks and advertisers explains: "Daily local deals are streamed live, straight to your network... Networks that
opt-in to promote daily deals receive a unique flash file to embed in to their playlist. The QR enabled file then populates your content loop with the most location relevant daily deals based on the
network's IP address."
Networks choose when to run the deals and how often, rVue said, and deals are constantly updated via daily streaming.
The DOOH tech company is introducing
several other new features with the expanded Direct platform, including mobile music downloads and PSAs. rVue Direct already offers short-form infomercial content courtesy of Global Infomercial
Services. The company also sells premium and remnant DOOH advertising through its online demand-side platform.
Mobile interactivity and the growing popularity of social commerce deals
could make the DOOH channel more valuable to direct marketers, which have traditionally limited their spending to remnant ad inventory.
Many direct-response offers, like music downloads at
concerts, benefit from contextual placement, possibly justifying higher rates. rVue Direct can help DOOH network operators monetize ad inventory that would otherwise have gone unsold -- still a common
problem in the DOOH industry, despite the rapid growth of spending on the emerging medium.
Industry analysts from PQ Media estimated in February that total DOOH operating revenues would
increase 16.7% from $2.07 billion in 2010 to $2.42 billion in 2011, due largely to increases in ad spending.