DOCOMO, DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH to Form JV, "Vie BOARD," for Digital Out-Of-Home Business Supported with Location-based Data in Vietnam

TOKYO, July 29, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has signed an agreement on July 19 with DATVIETVAC GROUP HOLDINGS (DatVietVAC), a Vietnamese media conglomerate and DAT VIET OOH CORPORATION (DatVietOOH) to establish a joint venture company, VIE BOARD CORPORATION (Vie BOARD), and to jointly consolidate a digital out-of-home (DOOH) business in Vietnam. Vie BOARD is scheduled to be established in August this year, contingent upon obtaining antitrust approvals and other necessary authorizations. In conjunction with the agreement, a ceremonial event to commemorate the signing was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The new company will create an impression-based DOOH*1 advertising business, including media management, planning, sales, and distribution, combining DOCOMO's unique data-science technology with DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH's pioneering DOOH media in city centers, railway stations, and train cars in Vietnam.

The technology and practices for measuring impressions related to ad effectiveness and visibility in DOOH advertising have not been widely adopted in Vietnam. Using DOCOMO's unique, highly advanced data-science technology will allow the JV to estimate impression data including viewer counts and characteristics in the local market. Vie BOARD will use the resulting metrics to streamline DOOH media planning, advertisement placement, impact measurement, and analysis. This will enhance ad effectiveness visibility, enable efficient ad delivery, and contribute to the expansion of the DOOH market.

In addition, Vie BOARD will further pioneer new DOOH opportunities and promote digitalization of impression-based DOOH advertisement placement in Vietnam, utilizing DatVietVAC's expertise in sales and strong relationships with local clients, advertising agencies and location owners.

In terms of specific roles, DOCOMO will propose methods to apply measurement techniques of DOOH business developed in Japan and provide impression data within Vietnam. DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH will provide expertise in managing DOOH operations locally, sales functions expertise, and facilitate relationship-building with clients and advertising agencies in support of business expansion and development.

DOCOMO has developed and implemented technology to measure advertising effectiveness based on non-specific location data*2, helping to digitally transform Japan's DOOH business. DOCOMO has also developed a unique technology for highly precise measurement of viewer counts and characteristics using international GPS data. In addition, the company has been actively pursuing opportunities for DOOH business expansion in overseas markets poised for significant growth.

Among the fast-growing Southeast Asia, Vietnam's DOOH market is poised for significant expansion due to accelerating smart-city initiatives and infrastructure development, including mass-transit railways. This growth is expected to significantly expand the DOOH market in Vietnam. Recognized for its data-science technology by DatVietVAC, DOCOMO has partnered to combine both assets, aiming to further expand Vietnam's DOOH market. This partnership has culminated in the agreement of the creation of the Vie BOARD, which will initiate DOOH business using data-science technology.

Going forward, DOCOMO, DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH, working through their new joint venture, Vie BOARD, will develop DOOH advertising products and services for local advertisers and contribute to DOOH adoption and advertising effectiveness in Vietnam.

Technique used to track data on viewers of advertisements in DOOH.Location data is aggregated for statistical analysis and does not identify individual users.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with over 89 million subscriptions, is one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G and 5G mobile network technologies. Beyond core communications services, DOCOMO is challenging new frontiers in collaboration with a growing number of entities, creating exciting and convenient value-added services that change the way people live and work. DOCOMO is pioneering a leading-edge 5G network to facilitate innovative services that will amaze and inspire customers beyond their expectations. www.docomo.ne.jp/english/