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An issue that has been needling me and many others for some time is the need for a comprehensive DOOH supplier directory. There is an abundance of reasons why a directory of this nature would be useful.

Start with the media agencies that I work with on a daily basis. These guys are frustrated at times when they do not know which suppliers run which products. Yes, we are all aware of the Kinetic Global DOOH handbook, but not only is it lacking a comprehensive UK supplier list, it is also out of date as many new suppliers have entered the market. This handbook only relates to blue-chip suppliers, which in fact make up a small percentage of the products and services available to brands.

The directory that I am suggesting would make it a simple matter for agencies from the private and public sectors to purchase from suppliers based on merit, not because they have been informed that a certain company’s product is the right choice based on ignorance and lack of education.

It is our duty as media owners to build on skills and increase expert opinion and knowledge. Please do not perceive this as an issue with the agencies; on the contrary, it is an issue with the DOOH industry. Let me give you an example of this recently.

Digiadvans.com is the market leader in mobile DOOH. It uses optical lenticular interactive HD screens capable of touchscreen, augmented reality and gesture-based interfaces. Yet when a client requests a Digiadvan from a media buying specialist they automatically assume this must be an LED Digiadvan because this is what they are used to seeing and hearing about from the industry. True, Digiadvans.com does also have LED vehicles in its global fleet, but obviously there is a world of difference between these two DOOH products.

This is not the agencies’ fault; this is what they have had drummed into them for the past few years. People are requesting products which they are led to believe are the right products for their project, when in fact they are not, and could not be further away from the right solution.

Theses errors are commonplace in DOOH and a directory of this nature would serve to accurately provide the agencies and the public sector with the right level of support and education, and above all, the right product with technical backup from the supplier.

I am now geared up to educate potential iDOOH Media customers with links such as this, which clearly outlines the differences between LED and HD optical lenticular Digiadvans. LED is a Jurassic technology that belongs in events and music festivals. It has no place on the street involving close proximity interaction.

An accurate DOOH online directory would be a significant heavyweight tool for many agencies and public sector departments throughout the UK, allowing them to search through suppliers via keywords such as “HD screens”, “outdoor screens”, “touchscreens”, “direct sunlight screens” and so on. The directory could also cover creative agencies and experiential marketing companies.

The question is, who would provide a directory of this nature? My money would have been on the Outdoor Media Centre, but they are not prepared to do so as they operate a paid subscription service and providing a directory like this would undermine their service offering. They seem to think that their online Website directory is sufficient.

So who else is there out there who could provide an accurate and relevant DOOH directory? Maybe it will fall to iDOOH Media, but we are a media owner not a directory service. I just feel that some organisations are better placed to provide this directory, and if they stopped for a second and put the monetary element to one side they could identify how successful it would be, with revenues becoming a byproduct in a short time.