Vistar interviewed Paul McBeth, the International Strategic Sales & Marketing Director at Executive Channel Network (ECN), a UK and European-based DOOH office media network, to learn more about their OOH business.

Could you describe your network in a few sentences?

ECN is the UK and Europe’s leading digital out-of-home office media network, with a reach spanning 11 cities, 550 locations and 800 screens.

What types of screens do you have and where can they be found?

ECN has digital 6-sheet format screens which are located in office buildings on the ground level, at reception, or nearby lift areas. These locations maximize both eyes on the screen (OTS) and dwell time.

What regions do you operate in?

ECN operates in the UK, France and Germany across the following cities: London, Paris, Lyon, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Cologne and Brussels.

What sets your network apart from other digital channels?

The ease of transaction – one booking can deliver DOOH ads to London and 10 other leading European cities. One creative format and our programmatic trading capabilities means your campaign can be activated within minutes in a highly targeted manner.

What is your network's main value proposition to a brand?

Reach an affluent audience in a unique environment of social influence. Work colleagues are the second most trusted group behind your family/friends, and this high level of trust translates into influence. You ask your work colleagues for advice across a broad range of consumer categories – where did you go for your last holiday? What do you think of the latest smartphone? What are you watching on Netflix? ECN puts your brand’s message in front of office workers who will most likely discuss your category/brand in this unique contextual environment.

How do you see digital out-of-home evolving over the next year?

DOOH’s share of total OOH advertising will continue to increase at different speeds in different markets; however, the way it is transacted will change dramatically in the next 12-18 months. More agencies and clients are transitioning their DOOH procurement to programmatic trading.

COVID-19 has undeniably impacted many businesses. How have you, or how has the location where your screens are located, adapted to ensure customers feel comfortable and protected during these times?

ECN responded rapidly once the pandemic appeared in the UK and Western Europe. We developed COVID-19 hygiene content and deployed it instantly across our entire network of 800 screens. Our office property partners were very appreciative of this.

How has your foot traffic and customer set changed since the onset of the pandemic?

Office occupancy has varied market to market throughout the pandemic. For example, there were more lockdowns in the UK, and, therefore, audiences were impacted more than in Paris and Germany. Now that the UK is easing restrictions, we are witnessing substantial increases in office occupancy. We expect there will be a strong return to offices in the second half of 2021.

Is there anything else you'd like to highlight about your network?

Office occupancy has been impacted throughout the pandemic, which is why we launched our global audience live dashboard. It has delivered complete transparency and accountability during a period of global uncertainty. The dashboard reflects audience levels and occupancy across our key markets on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Why did you choose Vistar as a partner? What benefits have you been able to leverage by working with Vistar during these challenging times?

As a leading DOOH programmatic platform, Vistar was an obvious choice for ECN. Vistar Media has collaborated closely with us throughout the pandemic, which has enabled ECN to update our live audience data on a weekly basis to reflect the constant shift in behaviour due to lockdown measures.

What has been Vistar's most valuable contribution to your business? What Vistar software capabilities do you find most useful?

It is still early days in our relationship with Vistar but connecting to it has opened up completely new sales markets for ECN. All of Vistar’s software capabilities suit our needs as a premium DOOH publisher.

Looking to start your next digital out-of-home campaign?