CEO Leonardo Chebly says that the company grew 110% in 2022, and says that the goal for next year is 70%
Neooh was launched in March 2020 and is one of the companies of the JChebly Group, which was founded in 1976. The company’s evolutionary process reflects the transformations that the outdoor media segment has undergone since the Clean City Law and continues to undergo, for example now with programmatic in scope.
As the name suggests, the company was created precisely to bring a new concept of OOH to the market. Since its launch, the company has been innovating in projects, assets and new technologies integrated into the out-of-home environment, says executive Leonardo Chebly, CEO of Neooh.
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How big is the inventory? Could you detail the media formats?
There are more than 12 thousand screens and around 80% of them are digital. Neooh works with three main focuses for its static and digital media, which are: first, high impact large formats; second, the sequential screens; and, third, special projects. With these three different formats, we create iconic and attractive projects for the audience, which generate real impact and results for our clients.
How do you see the OOH media scenario in the Brazilian market after the laws that restricted the activity and the benefits of this change?
These laws, initially introduced in the city of So Paulo, 15 years ago, were important to standardize and raise the quality of OOH in the country in general. The visual pollution of the past gave space and prominence to those companies that invest in good equipment and new technologies. A similar movement took place in the privatization of airports, as the new managers value the best projects and work proposals. It was precisely in this new context of management by the private sector that Neooh advanced a lot and reached consolidated leadership in the sector.
Is that why he was born phygital?
Our group has already been using the phygital concept for many years, with interactivity projects and concept spaces developed for banks, cell phone operators, construction companies and assemblers since 2006. We have always invested in new technologies and innovations for corporate clients. When we created Neooh, the idea was precisely to bring the phygital concept to OOH, increasing interactivity and the brand experience with the audience.
Does the touch system, as in smartphones, tend to grow? How does it work in the media environment proposed by Neooh?
Our Phygital Touch system turns the audience’s smartphone quickly and intuitively into a joystick that controls our LEDs. In this way, we create tailor-made games for the brands and allow the audience to interact with them using commands on the smartphone itself. Piloting a car or plane, taking a penalty, answering a quiz, all of this is very easy and intuitive with Phygital Touch.
How does technology help ensure the assertiveness of advertisers’ investments?
Enables better measurement of OOH campaigns. Today, we have several tools and metrics that allow the best investment in our environment. Programmatic DOOH media arrives to further increase this control by advertisers.
How does the geolocation system work with smartphones?
We started our Phygital OOH precisely by connecting all DOOH campaigns with geolocated mobile media. Many surveys have already proven that an advertising campaign that works together in digital and OOH has much more engagement and results. In this way, we created a digital house within Neooh to plan and execute the retargeting of our OOH audience. We mapped out the target audience and continued the dialogue on that audience’s smartphones, through banners and other interaction formats.
Has the integration with mobile changed the perspective of OOH media before merely contemplative?
Since the arrival of smartphones, DOOH media has gone from being used just for brand building to offering more products, services and promotions. The audience is impacted by the OOH message and will then look for more information about the product or service on their smartphone screen. Out of home and digital complement each other, and OOH often serves as a call to action for people to seek more information online.
Is the gamer universe also present in the new reality of OOH?
When we bring the concept of phygital and interactivity to our screens, together with the production of customized games for brands, one of the main audiences we reach is gamers.
And the metaverse? Is this part of Neooh’s strategy?
In early 2022, we acquired a stake in Aioros Studios, a company focused on game development, augmented reality and virtual reality. Since then, we have advanced a lot in new ways of connecting and interacting with brands. The metaverse is certainly part of our strategy and we have already started some models to explore these possibilities. The beginning was still in 2021, when Neooh became the first OOH company in the world to run campaigns in the real world and also in the virtual world of games. We deliver campaigns to our clients on panels and virtual screens inserted within the environment and scenarios of the games. For example, while a person is driving a car, the virtual circuit boards show a Neooh customer campaign.
What are the opportunities for brands when displaying advertising at airports?
Airports are the equipment that drive the economy of a city, a state and the country, with its large economically active public. We know this, as we are present in five of the seven largest terminals in the country, which generate an impact of more than 100 million passengers a year. This year, we also conquered the 16 assets managed by CCR Aeroportos, in addition to Viracopos (SP) and Porto Seguro (BA).
What about bus terminals?
Bus terminals have some of the positive characteristics of airports, such as a good length of stay and a large flow of people. They also have the characteristic of business trips, with many small and medium-sized companies using them as their main means of transport. At the same time, bus terminals complement many of the routes not reached by air transport, allowing people to move better within the national mobility network. Proof of this interconnection is the recent survey by Quaest, which shows that 61% of travelers have taken at least one trip by bus in the last six months. We recently conquered the media circuit of the Bus Terminal in Belo Horizonte and Novo Rio, in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. As a result, we have 62 terminals throughout the country, including the three main ones, with emphasis on the Tiet Terminal, in So Paulo, leader in structure and number of passengers. The impact of more than 135 million passengers per year, which demonstrates this strength well.
What experience can advertisers get in the playful environment of the parks?
With media in the parks, Neooh has created a new way to do OOH. Because we are in the middle of nature and in relaxing and relaxed environments, we had to plan the smallest details of the operation. We started with the concern to offer a rich content of information about the parks and also about their calendar of events. At the same time, we broadcast content to raise awareness among the public and, as a result, drastically reduced the number of banners and posters that were previously scattered throughout the parks without any standard. We also took care of the light and harmonious design of the totems and even their luminosity, which become softer at night. In addition, we offset 100% of the carbon footprint of all our averages, which was extended to all Neooh projects. As a result of this project, we achieved great public and critical success. Advertisers run their campaigns in an environment of calm, leisure and relaxation, where the public stays for hours having fun and being entertained. And all of this is already being valued: in a recent survey carried out by the City of São Paulo, the totems in Ibirapuera Park obtained 84% approval from the public.
Is DOOH’s augmented reality allied? How does Neooh apply this offer?
Augmented reality is one of the great allies of OOH, as it allows us to create campaigns that start on our screens and become useful tools for information, location or coupons and prizes. Augmented reality expands the frontier of OOH and creates an excellent phygital experience fusing the real with the virtual.
Is programmatic not radar?
Programmatics is already a reality at Neooh, which is connected and operating with several platforms. In 2022, our programmatic revenue started to increase in the second semester and we believe that, in 2023, it could represent between 3% and 5%, with a trend of significant growth in the coming years.
And how do you intend to materialize the business expansion?
Our organic growth is very fast. This year alone, we brought more than 180 new assets to our portfolio, including airports, bus terminals, shopping malls, parks and others. For 2023, we have room to continue organic expansion and to make new acquisitions, which are also part of our growth strategy. In 2022, Neooh grew 110% compared to 2021. For 2023, our goal is to grow at least 70% compared to this year, which will require us to continue at this pace of accelerated expansion and acquisition of companies and new technologies.
And agencies specializing in DOOH and OOH such as Rua Africa and
the Gallery?
We have some excellent agencies that serve large clients with exclusive contracts and with useful, renowned and strategic tools.
