Tesco launches UK’s biggest digital advertising network

The SmartScreen network, claimed by the three companies as the biggest in the UK, will be available through the Tesco Media & Insight Platform and will allow advertising scheduling based in audience behaviours and sales.

The network will include more than 400 digital screens installed outside Tesco stores since 2015 and a further 100 displays.

Tesco said that the addition of the 100 new screens mean advertisers would have access to 63% of its large format stores and be able to reach more than six million shoppers every fortnight.

The digital out-of-home network is a key element in Tesco’s ‘Connected Store’ approach to customer engagement, which includes the use of digital technologies, integration of online and offline journeys, and data-driven personalisation to augment customer experiences.

Tesco said SmartScreens is one of three core parts of its ‘Prime, Prompt, Purchase’ model to help drive effectiveness of in-store campaigns, alongside in-store radio, point-of-sale and soon-to-launch tools such as scan as you shop media and in-store digital signage.

The company has also simplified media buying for agencies and brands through three new purchasing options – Broadcast, Optimisation and Programmatic – to allow media space to be purchased according to buyers’ needs.

Media buying will be supported by Dunnhumby’s data dashboard, with Dunnhumby a subsidiary of Tesco. SmartScreen will use JCDecaux’s digital display technology.

Nick Ashley, head of media and campaign planning at Tesco, said: “We’ve heard a lot about the rise of online shopping over the past few years, but we know that the majority of spend still takes place in stores.

“Media installations like the SmartScreen network help us deliver a more engaging shopping experience for our customers, while providing brand advertisers with a valuable communications channel.”

Stacy Gratz, regional managing director for media, UK at Dunnhumby, said: “The SmartScreen format allows brands to focus their advertising spend on the stores where they know it will have the greatest impact.

“It also means we’re able to help brands understand who their ‘best’ customers are, and which stores they frequent, eliminating ad spend wastage in the process.”

Mark Bucknell, chief commercial officer at JCDecaux UK, said: “The Tesco out-of-home digital network has always represented a hugely powerful advertising opportunity for our clients.

“These new developments strengthen that even further, blending unrivalled reach with a customer-centric approach to planning and buying, making campaigns even more efficient and targeted.”