“We have determined that artificial intelligence (AI) technology will bring innovation to the outdoor advertising market. Following online advertising, outdoor advertising will now also transition to a customized service.”
Ahn Sang-hyun, the CEO of ADDD, researched data analysis technology incorporating AI during his graduate studies in physics at KAIST. He assessed that AI technology will be applied across various industries and that the market will continue to expand. Subsequently, he contemplated starting a business and found opportunities in the outdoor advertising market, which has not yet adopted AI technology, rather than in industries where AI technology is already applied, such as autonomous driving and air traffic control.
“We cannot ascertain precise data on how much people see outdoor advertisements. In contrast, in online advertising, we can know the purchase history of products and the time spent on a site, allowing for personalized advertising for customers. Outdoor advertising will also be capable of personalized advertising through AI technology.”
CEO Ahn founded ADDD in 2018 and is currently providing the AI-based outdoor advertising effectiveness measurement system ‘addd-i’. The solution measures and optimizes advertising effectiveness by applying data-based analysis, which was previously possible only in online advertising, to outdoor advertising.
CEO Ahn said, “addd-i analyzes data on the gender and age of people passing by or looking at outdoor advertisements, as well as how long they stay and actually view the advertisements, to support the planning of advertising effectiveness and strategy.” Before the launch of addd-i in 2021, outdoor advertising corporations only verified advertising effectiveness by detecting people’s mobile phone signals to check the number of people passing nearby.
ADDD has installed and is currently servicing addd-i in over 2,300 outdoor advertising locations nationwide. Last year, it recorded sales of 1 billion won, and this year it aims for explosive growth with a sales target of 8 billion won. ADDD has been recognized for its growth potential and has raised 6.7 billion won in investments to date.
ADDD also provides a service that analyzes situations that could be decisive moments in sports competitions, such as horseback riding, using AI to provide information to viewers. This involves calculating the speed of horses and jumping ability to predict whether they can clear the next obstacle. CEO Ahn noted, “Sports viewing is also becoming AI-enabled.”
ADDD is also knocking on the door of overseas markets. In 2023, it established a subsidiary in Vietnam. CEO Ahn said, “Vietnam is an emerging market with a very rapid pace of digital transformation,” adding, “This year, we have started full-scale service with addd-i and are currently providing solutions to local restaurants and hospitals in Vietnam.”
ADDD expanded into the Japanese market at the end of last year. The Japanese outdoor advertising market is approximately 2 to 3 times larger than that of Korea. ADDD plans to further expand its overseas service areas to the U.S. and other locations.
Preparation for service expansion is also underway. CEO Ahn stated, “Currently, we provide the addd-i solution, but we plan to grow into a service that operates the outdoor advertising platform itself tailored to location and time,” adding, “Just as advertisements that suit me are displayed when I watch YouTube on my smartphone, outdoor advertising will also evolve into a form of customer-specific advertising.”