Polygon, Africa’s leading and largest programmatic aggregated digital out-of-home (DOOH) publisher network has launched its first programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) campaign in Kenya for luxury automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
The campaign, executed in partnership with Polygon’s technology provider Place Exchange and media agency Omnicom Media Group (OMG), celebrates JLR’s 55-year anniversary and showcases the latest Defender model. However, it also represents another important milestone for the Kenyan advertising landscape, as the first locally-activated pDOOH campaign to run through Google-based trading tools.
“This is a watershed moment for both the Kenyan and broader African DOOH markets, says Remi du Preez, Managing Director at Polygon.
“It demonstrates how international brands can now transact programmatically across our network using the same digital platforms they rely on globally, bringing true omnichannel capability to Africa.”
The JLR campaign currently focuses on Nairobi, targeting affluent suburbs, upmarket malls and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Initially launched across a limited number of sites, the rollout will soon expand to around 50 premium screens.
While Kenya’s OOH market is smaller than South Africa’s, it remains one of Africa’s top five regions for outdoor media, with a fast-growing digital footprint and increasing advertiser appetite, says Du Preez. “The local market’s sentiment toward DOOH has shifted dramatically over the past few years. As advertisers see its value and measurability, media owners are incentivised to build and convert more digital inventory which, in turn, enables programmatic trading to thrive.”
For JLR, the campaign forms part of a broader omnichannel strategy, where optimisation and attribution play key roles. Through Polygon’s programmatic model which enables day-part targeting, the client can reduce wastage by serving in specific pockets of time and maximising their budget. “The ability to dynamically serve ads, monitor engagement and adjust in real-time delivers to avoid wastage brings a level of agility that traditional loop-based buying can’t match,” says Du Preez.
Polygon leverages Place Exchange (PX) as its core inventory exchange for all programmatic transactions across Africa. PX’s integration with Google’s ecosystem bridges the gap between global buyers and local media owners, allowing advertisers to simply activate, pause or manage campaigns across multiple African markets.
“Through Place Exchange, we’ve created an infrastructure where brands like Jaguar Land Rover can extend their global programmatic strategy into Africa, with the same efficiency, measurability and transparency they expect elsewhere,” explains Du Preez.
With nine African countries already connected to its network – and more being added –Polygon’s vision is to entrench its position as Africa’s largest DOOH network, offering advertisers a single entry point into a fragmented market while unlocking new revenue streams for local media owners.
“This campaign is a testament to how far we’ve come. We’re proud to be driving innovation that not only connects global brands to African audiences, but also strengthens local ecosystems while speeding up digital transformation across the continent,” Du Preez says.
Africa Fact: By 2025, 50% of the population in Sub-saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services.
Slint Fubar
Phuti Mahanyele – Former CEO of Shanduka Group, current Sigma Capital Executive Chair: At 17, she left South Africa to pursue her studies, and obtained a bachelor\’s degree in Economics and earned an MBA from De Montfort University. She would also later go on to complete Harvard University\’s Kennedy School of Government executive education programme. Determined to be a success, Mahanyele joined an international investment banking company specialising in infrastructural development in New York City called Fieldstone Private Capital Group. She later became Vice-President of the firm, then transferred to the company\’s office in South Africa. After returning to South Africa, she became the head of Project Finance South Africa at the Development Back of Southern Africa. She was headhunted, and advanced to the position of managing director of Shanduka Energy, later becoming the CEO of Shanduka Group. She would go on to hold this position for 10 years, securing major deals including those with Coca-Cola and McDonalds. In 2007, she was selected as a Global Young Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2009, she won the Rutgers Visions of Excellence award and The Most Influential Woman in Government and Business award from Rutgers University. In 2011, she was named one of the 20 youngest power women in Africa by Forbes. In 2013, she won the Distinguished Achievement award by the Douglass Society.