By Bilal Maisoor
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising has always been about visibility. But how can advertisers truly know how many people are seeing their message on the streets? At Vegatise, we took on this challenge and developed a revolutionary impression count system that brings unprecedented accuracy and insight to vehicle-based advertising. Here's how we did it.
Our journey began by diving deep into data. Our team of researchers at Vegatise gathered and analyzed all available statistical data related to road use, population density, and area demographics within Colombo. This allowed us to create a detailed map of the city based on its traffic flow and population density. Each part of the city has its own unique rhythm – high-traffic roads, quieter residential streets, and bustling commercial zones. By understanding these dynamics, we built geofences around various zones in Colombo. A geofence is a virtual boundary around a real-world geographic area, and in our case, each of these zones had its own specific population density data attached to it. These geofences allow us to determine how many people are likely to be around vehicles carrying advertisements. With this data in hand, we developed an algorithm designed to estimate the number of people within a 20-meter radius of any given vehicle. This algorithm accounts for road types, time of day, and zone-specific density, giving us the first layer of accurate impression data.
But we didn’t stop there. After refining our geofencing model, we embarked on the second phase of our system's development. We fitted our fleet with 360-degree dashcams, allowing us to record and scan the environment in real time. These dashcams are equipped with cutting-edge vehicle and pedestrian detection software that scans the roads as vehicles move. This advanced system literally counts the number of vehicles and pedestrians around the car, cross-referencing our geofence and algorithm data. By overlaying real-world footage with our predictive models, we were able to refine our estimates significantly.
The combination of geofencing, population density analysis, and real-world data collection has allowed Vegatise to achieve a 70% accuracy rate in predicting impressions. For advertisers, this level of accuracy is groundbreaking, as it gives a real sense of how many people are seeing their message in the chaotic flow of city streets. Our system provides valuable insights to advertisers, allowing them to track not only how many people saw their ad, but also the types of roads and locations that generate the most impressions.
Vegatise continues to refine and improve our impression count system. We are constantly working to increase accuracy and develop new features that give advertisers even more insight into their campaigns. In a world where data-driven decisions are crucial, Vegatise is leading the way in bringing cutting-edge technology to OOH advertising.