Polygon, South Africa‘s largest programmatic digital out of home (DOOH) publisher network, has recently announced that it will be expanding its network across Africa. This brings it one step closer to realising its vision of offering marketers a single point of entry into the largest network of DOOH inventory across the continent.
At the start of June, Polygon will be able to offer advertisers inventory in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia, while in August, Mauritius, Ghana and Kenya will also come online. Towards the end of the year, the publisher network will add screens in Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola to its inventory arsenal.
Remi du Preez, Managing Director at Polygon, explains that June’s roll-out – as well as the roll-out planned for later this year – will be located at petrol station forecourts spearheaded under the Vivo brand. Forecourts are renowned among advertisers for their high dwell times and attention-capturing displays. This is made possible by Polygon’s partnership with media owner Oasis Digital Networks, which has the rights to build sites at these petrol stations.
“We are expanding our large format digital network across the most frequented petrol stations in each country; from Windhoek, Gaborone, and Lusaka to other key hubs that travellers are likely to visit when moving through the major cities of these regions.”
Says Reinhardt Hanel, CEO of Oasis Digital Networks “What excited us about partnering with Polygon is that it is strongly rooted in the DOOH market and it understands the value proposition that our network of inventory offers to advertisers.”
Du Preez explains that historically – and as with other emerging markets – when purchasing inventory in Africa, there was often a lack of consistency and transparency in reporting. Media buyers faced concerns about the number of ad serves that were promised, versus actually delivered.
Through its programmatic network, Du Preez says that Polygon can offer advertisers complete transparency. “Buyers have immediate access to the programmatic demand-side platform (DSP), which offers a clear view as to what is happening on the ground.”
He adds that up until now, programmatic buying throughout Africa has been limited. “Through these new network integrations, we’re on our way to creating an African ‘mega network’ that will allow digital strategists to buy programmatically anywhere on the continent and across a variety of venue types.
“We already have an array of digital strategists booking campaigns in Africa via Google, YouTube and Facebook; however, they now have the option to use these same tools to add DOOH to the mix, delivering high-impact, omnichannel campaigns.”
Adds Hanel: “Polygon, led by Remi, has positioned its business as an authority in the programmatic DOOH space, which is helpful to brands wanting to chart new ground in the outdoor arena.
“It has worked tirelessly to support media owners, like Oasis, in offering clients programmatic solutions. By marketing our inventory, they unlock new opportunities and revenue for us, fast-tracking our sales. We believe that they will play a key role in driving the move to greater programmatic availability in Africa.”
Concludes Du Preez: “This expanded network will not only allow media strategists and buyers to consolidate buying; it will also add value to the continent’s media owners, who can now bank on a new stream of revenue, ultimately boosting Africa’s economies.”
Eerie Mizzen
South Africa is placed 14th in a list of 21 countries ranked by international companies as top prospective investment destinations for 2012 to 2014, according to the 2012 World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).