Having worked in the media industry for more than 24 years, going through the good times and the bad, I always wanted to make a positive change, I always wanted to disrupt the norm.
Despite the industry’s many dynamics, challenges and politics, I have managed to grow the business from a small OOH company consisting of just two employees to a professional enterprise with more than a hundred passionate and focused people with one goal only: To serve our clients and partners better.
Three years ago, I decided to overcome my biggest challenge: How to measure D/OOH? With one main question dominating my thoughts, “How to transfer the knowledge of online advertising to the D/OOH universe?” That is when my journey building “The Neuron” started.
The convenience nowadays of booking an online campaign using ad networks or social media platforms was the main drive for me. Observing meticulously the ease and configuration of these campaigns was the catalyst. The end result was crystal clear, however I needed a lot of parameters to make it viable. I still needed the two most crucial elements:
- The audience measurement
- The automated process of online platforms
Automating the trading process was a milestone, but still, it was a partial solution to the seller. The real revolution was to successfully achieve audience measurement and define attributes that will guarantee highly targeted campaigns with new revenue streams even to small advertising budgets; the buyers.
The ever-changing media scene, the access of the millennial generation to the advertising industry, the proliferation of home grown retail concept, the advancement in digital display technology and so many other factors will always create pressure on OOH media owners to reach potential buyers at the right place, the right time and most importantly at the right price. Traditional selling methods are no longer a sufficient option.
The advertising industry was not the first to go down this line of evolution. The travel industry, for example with platforms such as Booking.com or Expedia are pioneers to look at and learn from. What do such platforms own? They own information and insight. Their success is based on their ability to illustrate their understanding of the individual needs and preferences of their target audience. It’s not about the technology, it’s about being customer-centric.
Engaging with your target audience and understanding their needs and inclinations are key factors to success in any industry. Luckily enough, the availability of face detection, traffic count, location based mobile data and display technology is facilitating the whole process to a lot of aspiring customer-focused brands.
Venturing into the complex digital/ online world was no easy task, I must confess. For “The Neuron” to see the light, I had to step out of my comfort zone and explore the vast horizon of online; worldwide. This entailed a lot of research, reading, attending conferences and exhibitions in our region and as far as North America, subscribing to online courses and meeting experts in the industry to share knowledge and experiences. This process of self-learning took three years and I can safely say is still ongoing.
“The Neuron” is your Automated Guaranteed Online Trading Platform that will help you measure the performance of your OOH campaigns and achieve optimal ROI.
“The Neuron” alone cannot make it. We will need the support and help of all ambitious industry players, our partners; the Sellers and the Buyers and Data providers. Together as we share knowledge, we will create the change that we have all been waiting for.
Automation is here, the way business is done has changed.
Yours truly,
Hussein Khader
Founder
The Neuron