HOW TO CREATE A SMART DIGITAL CITY WITH A PAYBACK PERIOD OF 14 MONTHS

What values are the government and advertisers willing to pay for: the Billboard Video case in Kazakhstan

SpinetiX

Swiss manufacturer of media players, software, and content

BBV

Kazakhstani company Billboard Video

We explore, using the example of Kazakhstan, how to improve the infrastructure and appearance of a city, find common ground with residents and tourists, and increase the speed of information dissemination, all within a year with the help of digital technology integration

THE CASE WILL BE USEFUL FOR

Urban administrations seeking to create a modern information and navigation environment in their city; advertisers aiming to get closer to their target audience; integrators and equipment manufacturers that integrate with third-party systems.

The project was developed and launched by the company BBV in partnership with Spinetix.

Billboard Video (BBV) is a group of companies that, under the concept of "Smart City," develops an informational navigation system in Kazakhstan through a network of digital billboards. Digital billboards display useful information for city residents and tourists in real-time, including navigation, weather conditions, road congestion, information from city services, and so on.
The new concept of Smart City is called Cognitive City.

USE GLOBAL TRENDS
FOR BUSINESS PROMOTION

DIGITAL BILLBOARDS —

A POPULAR ADVERTISING FORMAT:

they allow broadcasting any type of content — static, animation, video, live streams

they provide high coverage — dynamic messaging attracts more attention

Global brands are actively investing in digital billboards. Advertising campaigns are becoming more targeted towards the audience

they save budget on logistics, installation, and dismantling

IDEA

But what if we utilize digital capabilities to create an information ecosystem for modern megacities?

SOLUTION

The concept of an intelligent navigation system called "Smart City." The project is implemented in Kazakhstan and has no analogs in the world.

2015 – 2018

Implementation and scaling of the project in Almaty and Astana

Follow global trends. Digitalization, smart cities, personalized advertising — these trends formed the basis of the concept development in 2015

ADVISE

7 TASKS SOLVED BY THE "SMART CITY" CONCEPT:

No matter how popular digital technologies become, it's important to understand that they are just tools. Therefore, the first thing to consider is what tasks of the client we are going to solve.
Mediaboard is a modern VMS.

Efficient traffic management and increasing people’s safety in megacity conditions

City communication with residents and tourists in an accessible digital format

Using the right language to communicate with Generation Z, which is accustomed to communicating and receiving information through digital formats

Timely provision of relevant information in the right place at the right time

Modernization and personalization of the advertising business

Formation of the city’s digital design code

Increasing the loyalty of residents and tourists to the city administration and advertiser brands.

SELL CONCEPTUAL SOLUTIONS, NOT JUST BILLBOARDS AND MEDIAPLAYERS

A smart city is impossible without the integration and analysis of big data. The concept should consider and describe the interrelationships. Such an approach helps the client understand the project’s values, and for you, to sell

TIP

HOW IT WORKS

The digital platform based on Spinetix equipment monitors traffic flow using onboard analytical equipment complexes: collects and analyzes data, forecasts, and models road situations in real-time, then promptly displays information on screens. Such an approach significantly improves the urban traffic management system

EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION INTO THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT ALLOWED TO:

A key component of a digital city is creating an intelligent transportation system. We have installed a network of 57 mediaboards (now 150) at the intersection of central avenues and streets

Optimize the movement of traffic and pedestrian flows in urban spaces. For example, billboards alert drivers and pedestrians to areas with heavy congestion, offering alternative routes. This applies not only to surface but also to underground transportation: if a metro line is overloaded, the system will notify and suggest alternative routes

INTEGRATE SOLUTIONS WITH URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Increase road traffic safety by notifying drivers of the current situation: billboards in real-time show road conditions, recommend speeds to follow on specific sections to avoid traffic jams and save time

Help city residents in emergencies: emergency buttons are embedded in billboards to quickly obtain emergency assistance

ZHANAT MALBEKOV

The author and lead developer of the project, Billboard Video

We have managed to create a multifunctional digital platform and integrate it into the physical, digital, and communication infrastructure of the city. And this is not just optimizing traffic management. The digital platform forms a unified information ecosystem of the city in various areas: transportation infrastructure, tourist zones, cultural and sports facilities, public places.

This is the "Smart City" that advanced countries around the world are striving for.

Important details: font, color, size, focus of attention, iconography, and orientation. Information is read on the go and must be fast and accurate. We tell you in 2 minutes how we chose and experimented.

The placement of video billboards should meet the objectives of the audience you are addressing. If your goal is to relieve traffic infrastructure and you are addressing drivers, then place them along the central streets and roads. If you want to improve the shopping experience of your customers, then in parking lots and gas stations. If you are targeting youth, then near schools and universities. If targeting tourists, then in historical sites of the city.

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HOW IT WORKS

Video with an alpha channel is an additional paid option for advertisers. Advertising content seamlessly integrates with social and informational content.
For communication with residents, interactive content is actively used, as well as live broadcasts of sports and entertainment city events

Another key task of the "Smart City" is to find a new language of communication with city residents and tourists. Especially with the youth, who are becoming increasingly digital.

ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION
WITH CITY RESIDENTS

The digital format, dynamic entertaining content, relevant useful personalized information help to attract residents and guests of the city. The use of the alpha channel in content attracted additional attention to the installation.

It’s not just advertising. The brand becomes part of the event, building trust with the audience on an emotional level. City authorities and political figures also use this opportunity.

The 2018 Marathon in Almaty took place in a new digital format

Digital billboards guided runners on the course and supported participants

Sponsor brands could actively promote themselves through integration into advertising blocks

Think about how you can be useful to your audience and how to communicate this in the format of digital billboards. To do this, answer the following questions: who is your audience? What questions concern them? How can your product solve them? What communication language is relevant to them? When creating content, be sure to consider the context: the place and time where the target audience will see it.

TIP

Personalization in digital communication is the future of the advertising industry. And while we are already accustomed to personalization in internet advertising, in outdoor advertising, it creates a wow effect and takes the brand to a new level.

USE PERSONALIZATION

By addressing a person by name and recommending them certain products and services based on data analysis, you are saying: "I understand you and know how I can be useful to you right now."

A vivid example of personalization during the "Marathon-2018":

A runner is next to a billboard — they are addressed by name and guided on the course

Example of the Coca-Cola advertising campaign

PAY ATTENTION

The billboard reports a temperature of 26 °C, and Coca-Cola offers refreshment. Successful integration of situational advertising into the urban environment

When people hear their name, areas responsible for long-term memory are activated in the brain: we perceive information as highly significant. This happens when we receive personalized content. Think about this when developing content and choosing the communication format with your audience.

TIP

ADVANTAGES OF INTERACTIVITY

One-way communication is becoming a thing of the past: it is replaced by interactivity. Interactivity is communication in which the audience takes direct part.

Does not press on the audience
but establishes friendly relations

Does not affect but interacts

Increases loyalty

WORK WITH INTERACTIVITY

HOW IT WORKS IN THE "SMART CITY" CONDITIONS:

Step 1. Marathon participants post photos on social networks with the hashtag #AlmatyMarathon.

Step 2. The digital system selects materials, analyzes data, and displays them on the screen.

Through interaction, the organizers of the "Marathon-2018" increased the involvement of youth.

By using interactive communications, the city cares for its residents and guests, providing a high level of service on the street

Another example of interactivity — a pedestrian kiosk with a live consultant and an emergency button: tourists can ask questions and navigate the city, residents — report emergencies and get help.

Interactive = involvement. People interacting with interactivity remember information 1.5 times better. Interactivity helps to create bilateral interaction with the audience, give them a unique user experience, and attract them to products and services subtly. The main thing is to choose an interesting format for the audience

TIP

Data-driven content is used in all installations: smart city objects, gas stations, outdoor advertising, corporate TV, educational TV, etc.
Automation saves company resources and frees up employees' time for more important tasks.

AUTOMATE CONTENT

Content should always be new. This is important for retaining audience interest. SpinetiX fills displays with current content automatically, without daily effort.

Save time and money for the company. Use ready-made solutions for automatic scrolling, news, weather, etc. Automate the compact presentation of large volumes of data — graphs, tables, schedules using professional solutions.

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GATHER AND MANAGE DATA

Data exchange is the future of automated systems.

Project example: data comes from video analytics blocks, Wi-Fi trackers from multiple aggregators, operational services, media, statistical aggregators, exchanges, public transport data processing services, etc. Based on the data, a discrete description of event information is formed, statistics are created, and models for the development of the road situation are forecasted

BBV mediaboards — fully automated content based on data. The built-in intelligent system turned the advertising billboard into a necessary tool for the city and its residents.
Data driven Cognitive City

Real-time data exchange allows providing drivers and residents with the necessary information for comfortable movement around the city. Advertisers get increased contacts by placing ads on billboards with a high level of trust

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FAULTLESS OPERATION IN 24/7 MODE

The concept of the "Smart City" implies that the equipment will be installed in public places and must transmit and broadcast content in a timely manner. Therefore, it is important for the equipment to work without failures

STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS

This means that based on the equipment, you can create your own CMS. The product integrates with any infrastructure and allows automation of everything: from data collection to content broadcasting

WHY SPINETIX WAS USED

A 100% PROGRAMMABLE PRODUCT MEETS THE TASKS OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

SOFTWARE WITH AN INTUITIVE INTERFACE

This saves time on training employees and is convenient when content creation is done by people without knowledge of programming languages

USE YOUR OWN CMS AND EQUIPMENT MONITORING

Billboard Video’s own CMS provides the ability to edit content without programming knowledge before displaying it on the screen.

CMS — content management system. It automatically distributes content based on data generated by the analytics block to the most suitable screens and independently sets the parameters for the material outputs for maximum efficiency.

POSSIBILITY FOR DYNAMIC AD INSERTION + READINESS FOR PROGRAMMATIC ADVERTISING

Spinetix equipment supports dynamic insertion and replacement of elements on the screen, works with programmatic advertising

SECURITY

The choice of equipment for content generation was also due to the high requirements for the security of the displayed information. Spinetix is a fully secure product with high resistance to hacking

Spinetix

WHAT WAS USED

57 Spinetix HMP350 players for content generation, pulling information from various sources

Samsung video walls

LEDMAN, ROCKETSIGN, LIANTRONICS LED screens

WHAT ELSE

Libraries are used to create new widgets

Data is uploaded via WebDAV

Own CMS and monitoring

Integration with LED equipment for monitoring

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVENESS

Cross-platform technology, which combines digital constructions, the internet, television, offline and online advertising, provides a high return on marketing investment (ROMI)

TARGETING THE RIGHT AUDIENCE

The implementation of new digital tools allows outdoor advertising to be tailored to a specific target audience, ensuring proven transparency and evaluation of result effectiveness

WHY ADVERTISERS ARE WILLING TO PAY DOUBLE FOR DIGITAL OUTDOOR

ACCESS TO BIG DATA

The collected data opens up new opportunities for advertisers. At the end of the campaign, they gain access to the collected information and can upload it to retargeting services

HIGH REACH

> 12 million contacts per month, 71% higher attention level, and 30% lower contact cost compared to other advertising surfaces in the city

All these indicators allow increasing the market volume and profitability of outdoor advertising, as well as increasing customer loyalty

HOW TO ACHIEVE MONETIZATION IN A SHORT TIME

The pilot project "Smart City" in Almaty monetized within 14 months thanks to advertisers paying for advertising blocks on digital billboards.

14 month

Project payback period

Example of AVIATA. KZ advertising campaign

Example of MEIZU advertising campaign

Cross-platform technologies = new opportunities for advertisers, closer contact with the audience, high return on investment, and profit

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PROJECT RESULTS

FROM THE CITY TO THE "SMART CITY"

The city received a modern tool for prompt notification and communication with the population, which proved itself during the pandemic

Efficient transportation management and increased safety for people in the conditions of megapolis growth

Modern city design code

Digital-Out-Of-Home Advertising

PROJECT SCALING:
OPENING NEW "SMART CITIES"

Overall Solution. Multi Venue Rollout

Billboardvideo Engineering is the concept creator and owner of worldwide patents for all developments, from design to construction. In 2019, the network of media billboards in Almaty and Astana was commercialized by Citix. Unfortunately, since then, Citix has not made any technological improvements or innovations. The project remains as it was handed over in 2019, as Citix is only focusing on advertising sales and attracting investments for deployment of the project in other countries without legal rights for such actions.

The modern version from the concept authors and project creators, with enhanced design, functionality, artificial intelligence, audience analytics tools, is being implemented in territories other than Kazakhstan. For more information, visit:
https://billboardvideo.com/inmotion

The "Smart City" project took first place at the international Digital Signage Awards competition in Amsterdam in the following categories:

KEEP AN EYE ON TRENDS

Digitization, smart cities, personalized advertising — trends that formed the basis of the concept development in 2015

ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND WHAT TASKS YOU ARE GOING TO SOLVE

A smart city is impossible without the integration and analysis of big data. The concept should take into account and describe the relationships. This approach helps the customer realize the project’s values, and for you — to sell

REMEMBER THAT THE PLACEMENT OF VIDEO BILLBOARDS SHOULD MEET THE TASKS OF THE AUDIENCE YOU ARE ADDRESSING

THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN BE USEFUL TO YOUR AUDIENCE AND HOW TO TELL ABOUT IT IN THE FORMAT OF DIGITAL BILLBOARDS

To do this, answer the following questions: who is your audience? What questions concern them? How can your product solve them? What communication language is relevant to them? When creating content, always consider the context: the place and time where the target audience will see it

CHECKLIST

PERSONALIZE MESSAGES

When people hear their name, areas responsible for long-term memory are activated in the brain: we perceive information as highly significant. This happens even when we receive personalized content. Think about this when developing content and choosing the format of communication with your audience.

USE INTERACTIVITY

Interactivity helps create two-way interaction with the audience, give them a unique user experience, and subtly attract them to products and services. The main thing is to choose an interesting format for the audience

CHOOSE RELIABLE MANUFACTURERS

SpinetiX specialists will promptly advise on technical issues and select equipment for solving any client’s tasks

FIND AN INTEGRATOR TEAM CAPABLE OF QUICKLY SOLVING DIFFICULTIES

It is important to choose a partner who solves turnkey tasks. Before signing a contract with the manufacturer, make sure that the equipment is compatible with each other. This will help save money and time searching for new contractors