Digital advertising in the townships

The launch was held at one of the places that already has the system in place, the White House pub in Meadowlands, Soweto. The pub has a plasma screen that plays outlet adverts where the owner of the business communicates with his clients and can promote business while doing so. Outlet promotions are then followed by brand ads.

One Digital Media provides the advertising and narrowcasting, as well as the management of each screen, from control centres in Durban and Stellenbosh. The network downloads different content to each screen or to a defined group of screens. Compliancy and scheduling of ads and content are monitored by an automated backend of information from each screen that feeds to a brand and advertiser countrywide.

According to Mike Bosman, CEO of One Digital Media: “The concept was first started in SuperSpars and Top Liquor stores over the past three months and is currently used by brands and marketers such as Unilever, Coke, Rainbow Chicken.

“What we are finding, and this is in alignment with results from overseas, is that digital advertising networks tend to cause a sharp, sustainable increase in sales and brand awareness because it gives an opportunity for advertisers to display their content on anything that they might want to communicate, be it specials, promotions, holidays and many more.

“Digital marketing in retail reduces clutter in stores because it can be changed at the push of a button. The digital material can be used for training and communicating with staff outside of normal trading hours,” says Bosman.