Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Earlier this year, Dentsu and NTT Docomo formed a joint venture called LIVE BOARD Inc.. This was created in order to build out a programmatic-based DOOH network and operate an Ad Exchange which would aggregate as many of the Japanese DOOH media owners as possible.
During AdTECH: OOH – Amsterdam last week, it was announced that LIVE BOARD had partnered with Hivestack to power the Programmatic OOH Marketplace in Japan and that Hivestack’s ad tech platform would serve as the technology back-bone for LIVE BOARD’s full-stack, programmatic OOH offering for the whole of the Japanese market
The newly announced ‘LIVE BOARD MARKETPLACE’ will enable brands and agency to activate OOH media against audiences in motion, to trade inventories programmatically and deliver OOH advertisements on an impression basis.
Ichiro Jinnai, Chief Executive Officer and President of LIVE BOARD told us “After a demanding evaluation of multiple ad tech platforms, we have decided that Hivestack was the ideal technology partner that enables our ambitions for programmatic OOH. Hivestack has essentially created a Japanese-tailored version of its entire platform enabling the LIVE BOARD MARKETPLACE for DOOH buyers and sellers. While we will use the Hivestack platform for our owned LIVE BOARD inventory, the plan is to also roll up the extremely fragmented publisher side of Japanese DOOH into one consolidated ad exchange, thus making DOOH easier to buy at scale.”
We understand that the components of the Sell-Side from the LIVE BOARD MARKETPLACE are as follows: –
- The LIVE BOARD Supply-Side Platform (SSP) which allows Japanese DOOH media owners to sell negotiated packages of inventory via private MARKETPLACE deals
- The LIVE BOARD Ad Exchange which allows Japanese DOOH media owners to monetize unsold ad spots in a loop via documented LIVE BOARD APIs. Software engineering is required from the media owner to integrate their bespoke content management system (CMS) to the LIVE BOARD Exchange via the LIVE BOARD APIs.
- The LIVE BOARD HTML Container which is an alternative method for media owners to connect to the LIVE BOARD Exchange instead of passing through the LIVE BOARD APIs. The LIVE BOARD HTML Container is designed for small media owners who might not have the software engineering resources to develop an API integration with to the LIVE BOARD Exchange. With this approach, media owners simply use their HTML-capable CMS/Player system to schedule the LIVE BOARD HTML Container as a spot in the loop of a DOOH screen. When played, the HTML Container has baked in JavaScript that makes ad requests over the Web to the LIVE BOARD SSP, which then replies with media owner pre-approved creative. This approach does not require any software development from the media owner.
- The LIVE BOARD Ad Server which allows Japanese DOOH media owners to programmatically deliver impressions on their screens based on audience pacing, geographical skewing and frequency capping algorithms. The LIVE BOARD Ad Server geo-temporally optimizes ad delivery by targeting audiences that are ingested from NTT DOCOMO’s mobile geospatial platform Mobile Kuukan Toukei™ (Mobile Space Statistics)(*1). Mobile Kuukan Tokei data is derived by anonymized signals from NTT DOCOMO, and aggregates audience movement patterns using privacy compliant methodologies.
- An optional, licence-free the LIVE BOARD Player that is driven by completely by the impression-based LIVE BOARD Ad Server. The LIVE BOARD Player was independently developed and owned by LIVE BOARD.
The buy-side of the LIVE BOARD MARKETPLACE will offer a DOOH-channel DSP called the LIVE BOARD DSP. This self-serve DSP can be used by Japanese OOH agencies and trading desks to programmatically bid on impressions on the LIVE BOARD Ad Exchange. The LIVE BOARD DSP uses bidding technology that bids on high-value audience impressions as perceived by Mobile Kuukan Toukei™ geospatial technology.
Andreas Soupliotis, Chief Executive Officer of Hivestack Inc. told us “In order to guarantee a high level of service to LIVE BOARD, Hivestack has formally launched Hivestack Japan based in Tokyo. We are thrilled to be expanding into Japan, which is the third largest OOH market in the world. Our partnership with LIVE BOARD will usher a new era of programmatic OOH buying in Japan. While the Hivestack Platform will serve as the tech back-bone of the LIVE BOARD MARKETPLACE, LIVE BOARD will be developing buyer relationships with trading desks, as well as seller relationships with Japanese media owners. It’s a perfect partnership and I am excited to see LIVE BOARD’s incredible story unfold in the next years.”
LIVE BOARD’s mission is to redefine the value of the real world and to rapidly revitalise Japan’s underdeveloped DOOH market. We are told that they will build a DOOH ad network together with stakeholders and aim become Japan’s first impression-based DOOH ad platform.
Japan is the third largest OOH marketing (by ad spend) in the world, behind US and China.
*1 “Mobile Kuukan Toukei” is a registered trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.
* The LIVE BOARD SSP / Exchange are based on openRTB standards which pave the foundation to receive buys from omni-channel demand side platforms (DSPs) in the very near future.
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