IPG Invests in OOH Tech Firm, ADstruc

As a part of Interpublic’s investment in technology platform ADstruc, the holding company’s Rapport U.S. unit has agreed to work with the company which enables it to shift purchasing of out-of- home ad buys to a more automated system, in keeping with IPG Mediabrands’ commitment to automate half of its media buys by 2016.

IPG has just taken a minority interest—believed to be 10 percent—in ADstruc, which specializes in automating outdoor advertising planning and buying. The holding company’s IPG Media Lab initiated the relationship with ADstruc and helped set up the relationship with Rapport, IPG’s specialist OOH agency.

IPG’s Magna Global unit estimates that the OOH market in the U.S. will grow by 4.8 percent this year, totaling $7.3 billion.

Mike Cooper, president of Rapport U.S., said the ADstruc deal streamlines OOH buying and planning, allowing his account teams to think and plan more creatively. He said consumers spend 70 percent of their time outside their homes, so ADstruc’s targeting will help deliver more precise client results. Rapport said the ADstruc platform enables its planners to plan and buy OOH audiences in line with other media, making their campaigns more measurable.

“They’ve built a platform that makes for more accountability,” Cooper said. “It gives us the ability to interact with consumers throughout their lives while they interact with other media.”