【LIVE BOARD 6th Anniversary Webinar】

We asked NTT DOCOMO about its advertising strategy as an advertiser, particularly the effects of triple media utilization and its expectations for OOH. The following is a report of the interview.

▼Speaker
Senior Executive Vice President

Representative Member of the Board of Directors

NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Takeshi Saito

▼CONTENTS 

■NTT DOCOMO's goal of “customer-centric” business management

　What NTT DOCOMO values in its business operations is “customer-driven” business management. DOCOMO's marketing aims to create the best “FUN,” convey the best “FUN” at the best time, and as a result, increase DOCOMO's “FAN As a result, we aim to build a flow that increases the number of “fans” of DOCOMO and deepens their loyalty. To achieve this, it is important to improve the value of the experience by thoroughly refining the best CX, delivering the best offer at the best timing to the customer. 

■What is needed for advertising to deliver the best offer at the best time.

　To deliver the best offer at the best time, there are three things you need to do in your ad.

1.  Understand the value of advertising
   　It is important to know how much and what segment of the target audience will be reached and whether the price is commensurate with its value. 

2. free to buy the advertising space you need
   　The client must be able to flexibly purchase advertising space to meet the client's goals for placement. 

3. shows the effectiveness of the advertisement
   　It is necessary to be able to measure how many people the advertisement reached, penetrated, was favorably received, and led to a purchase. At present, TV and web ads have such indicators in place. On the other hand, while OOH ads have impact, it has been difficult to accurately measure their effectiveness using such indicators. This has been a problem that OOH advertising has faced for many years.
   
   

■OOH and Market Expansion from a Global Perspective

　In terms of defining OOH measures, foreign countries are more advanced than Japan. Non-profit organizations such as ROUTE in the U.K. and Geopath in the U.S. have introduced common industry metrics to promote OOH transactions.

　Within the global trend, the Japanese DOOH market is growing significantly: from 58.2 billion yen in 2021, the market is expected to almost double to 107.5 billion yen by 2025. In addition, programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) has made it possible to purchase OOH from the customer's point of view, specifying the time, place, and target. Compared to analog, the range of advertising expression has expanded, and of course, data-driven ad placement is now possible. The ability to measure effectiveness has enabled a high-speed PDCA cycle, and has made it possible to visualize value equivalent to that of regular digital advertising.

　LIVE BOARD is a pioneer in this field. In addition, competitors are entering the market one after another, and the market is expected to grow in the future. 

■Three Realizations from the Evolution of OOH

　Centered on the LIVE BOARD initiative, the following three things can now be achieved, which are necessary to deliver the best offer at the best time: calculation of the number of viewers (to understand the value of the ad), one-stop purchasing (to buy the necessary space), and log-based research (to confirm the effectiveness). 

■Examples of NTT DOCOMO Advertisement Placement

　NTT DOCOMO developed a triple-media (TV, Web, and OOH) advertising campaign to maximize the advertising value of the “docomo Poikatsu Plan” using a variety of media. As a result, it was found that attitude change, which is recognition, interest, and intention to use, was improved for targets who were also exposed to OOH, compared to targets who were exposed only to TV or Web. I myself have realized that there is quite a difference, as I often imagine that OOH is mainly responsible for increasing awareness through its quick appearance in the field of view. On the other hand, this submission confirmed that in addition to awareness, OOH has the potential to trigger actions that lead to purchases, contracts, and other actions beyond that. We recommend triple-media submissions because integrated planning that utilizes a variety of media can increase the value of a proposal. 

■Expectations for the OOH industry and LIVE BOARD

　Because measures were established early on for TV, digital, and other media, advertisers expanded their placements while measuring ad effectiveness, and the industry grew. In the same way, OOH is now in a phase where effectiveness can be visualized. We hope the industry creates an environment where more advertisers can confidently measure performance. If this can be achieved, advertisers and advertising agencies will be able to allocate more budget to OOH.

　I would also like to see the advertising industry take for granted the development of triple-media campaigns. Advertising companies have long advocated integrated marketing. We would like to create an environment in which everyone can use this approach. We would also like to see planning as a retail media that will serve as a catalyst to encourage purchases and contracts. Advertisers are looking for the final number of purchases and contracts that lead to a purchase or contract. If this is visualized, marketing will be optimized and advertising budgets will increase.

　NTT DOCOMO stands on the concept of “Single ID Full Funnel,” in which marketing is visualized and optimized with docomo IDs. In addition to customer attributes, docomo IDs are highly reliable IDs that incorporate interests and preferences, lifestyles, and behavioral patterns. OOH should be a medium that can contribute to this process.

　LIVE BOARD is a market leader in bringing the concept of measurement to OOH in Japan and expanding DOOH. I hope that Live Board will continue to lead the industry and the association in promoting the business.

The DOOH industry is one that has the potential to expand further. NTT DOCOMO is committed to this field and hopes to boost the industry.

▼Click here to view archived videos