i-media targets drivers with real-time OOH audiences

Lloyds Bank is the first brand to use the solution, activating a campaign for its My Car feature across motorway service areas nationwide.

i-media has launched ANPR Audiences, a real-time targeting solution that uses vehicle data to deliver out-of-home (OOH) advertising to defined audiences across more than 1,000 motorway screens in the UK.

The system uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and vehicle-related data to identify audience segments and trigger advertising when matching vehicles arrive at a site. The launch marks a move towards audience delivery based on observed vehicle data rather than solely on survey panels or modelling.

i-media uses vehicle data for real-time OOH targeting

i-media's ANPR cameras read number plates of vehicles entering its motorway service station network. The company processes more than 200 million data points a week, reconciling over 50 attributes per vehicle, including make, model and fuel type.

The data is combined with partial postcode information, Starcount open banking and behavioural data, and mobile location signals. According to i-media, this creates an audience view covering demographic characteristics, purchasing habits and travel behaviour without collecting or processing personal data. When sufficient vehicles matching an audience segment are detected at a site, the system can trigger relevant advertising in real time.

Lloyds Bank activates personalised motorway campaign

Lloyds Bank is the first advertiser to plan and deliver a campaign using ANPR Audiences. Developed by Publicis Media, the My Car campaign identifies vehicles across four target models and matches them against open banking data to define an audience. The advertising creative is colour-matched to each vehicle model.

The campaign aims to attract new customers while promoting My Car, a feature within the Lloyds app that helps customers manage vehicle-related administration. By entering their vehicle registration, users can access information and reminders covering MOT tests, road tax, insurance and servicing.

Vedad Obradovic, Head of Homes and Transport Marketing at Lloyds Banking Group: “In a world where consumers are exposed to thousands of messages every day, relevance is what drives impact. As we introduce My Car, our new Lloyds app space that helps customers stay on top of everyday car ownership, we're using i-media's ANPR technology to deliver a more personalised ad experience for drivers. Just as My Car uses vehicle registration details to help customers stay on top of their car's MOT, tax, insurance, and servicing, i-media is able to recognise when a matching vehicle arrives at motorway service stations and serve personalised creative that reflects the vehicle they're driving. By connecting data and creativity in near real time, we're creating more relevant, engaging, and memorable experiences, and we're excited to be the first client to leverage this new capability from i-media to deliver personalisation at scale.”

More than 50 audience segments available at launch

ANPR Audiences offers more than 50 pre-built segments, covering groups such as Lloyds Bank customers, electric vehicle drivers, impulse snack buyers, tradespeople and HGV drivers. Advertisers can also create bespoke audiences using more than 3,000 behavioural and demographic attributes.

The platform also supports conquesting campaigns that target verified customers of competing or related brands. These audiences are identified through Starcount's open banking data rather than modelled proxies.

Network data highlights London's motorway travel

Data from i-media's motorway network indicates that an average of one million visitors from the Greater London catchment travel through its UK-wide network each week. The finding challenges the assumption in media planning that London residents rarely travel outside the capital during weekdays.

i-media says the data can help advertisers understand when these audiences travel and how consistently they appear across the network. The company reports that the solution has also attracted interest from advertisers in automotive, financial services, travel, entertainment and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), extending its potential reach beyond its traditional revenue base.

i-media positions audience delivery as an OOH priority

Jonathan Lewis, CEO of i-media: “I've never met a client who wanted to buy an advertising site - what they actually want is the audience it delivers. That's exactly what ANPR Audiences lets us sell for the first time: not a modelled estimate, but a real audience, identified and reached in real time, at scale.”

The launch builds on i-media's reported weekly reach of 6.8 million people across its motorway network. The company positions ANPR Audiences as a way to improve the relevance of advertising delivered to that broad audience by using observed vehicle data to determine when specific audience segments are present.

www.i-media.co.uk

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