Case study: JCDecaux

Field staff transmit date-stamped images of clients' adverts to a web portal

When it comes to grabbing attention for a billboard advertisement, location is critical. Understandably, advertisers that have shelled out for prime locations are keen to know their posters are in the right place, at the right time.

Until recently, JCDecaux, a provider of billboard space, relied on its field staff photographing sites and then emailing customers the shots. With up to 10,000 postings a week across the UK, and 200 workers in the field, this was a laborious task.

“Paper-driven processes were inefficient and transparency of operational data was an issue,” says Mark Cooper, group operations director at JCDecaux.

Cooper says that for most clients, merely looking at a photograph of a billboard is not sufficient proof that the job has been done correctly.

“If a client books a television campaign, for example, they get a transmission report showing it went out at the right time and for what duration so audience data can be linked to performance data. Clients were pushing for the same level of transparency and accountability for billboard campaigns,” he says.

The recent deployment of new wireless devices equipped with location-sensing functions has made it much easier for the firm to show clients that their posters have gone up correctly at the right time and location.

The devices provide staff with access to work schedules, and can be used to report faults. They also allow staff to take high-quality, time-stamped photos of billboards, which are sent over the Vodafone mobile network to a web portal. Each device is GPS-enabled, helping staff verify the location of the poster sites of which they are sending images.

Thanks to the bespoke system developed by Vodafone, one employee in the office can check quality at 500 sites in one day via the web portal, which can also be accessed by clients.

“We have streamlined communication with field workers and we can monitor and proactively rectify problems. We offer a better service to clients who want real-time access to check quality,” says Cooper.

The devices can even check the position of every panel ­ – after all, clients need to know their poster has not been displayed upside down.

“We can prove to the client that the right poster is on the panel they paid for. There is no opportunity for abuse or fraud, and clients can check the quality of the panel, site and posting via the web portal immediately,” says Cooper.

“The technology will be expanded to provide proof of completion for any activity we perform, such as cleaning,” he adds.