The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has announced the appointment of Red Ant Design to build the out-oh-home (OOH) industry’s first automated proposal platform (APP).

After an extensive global search and industry consultation, the decision to build the system in-house with a local Australian company was made.

The APP will be built in an agile process, with the first stage to be released in 2018. Initially, the platform will enable media agencies to request proposals from OMA member companies and combine these proposals into a campaign.

Agencies will then able to confirm bookings and receive billing files within the software, as well as having access to MOVE audience reports.

OMA chief executive Charmaine Moldrich said: “The APP will allow the transaction of briefing, proposal evaluation, booking and billing OOH as seamless as possible, creating real-time savings for planners and buyers of our channel by having fast access to a platform that allows them to visualise information about their campaign and audiences.

“We hope this will help agencies and clients better utilise the benefits of OOH.”

Red Ant CEO Ben Still said the company was delighted to be selected as OMA’s partner to design and build the APP.

“The platform will revolutionise how agencies design and execute OOH media campaigns,” he said.

“It will be a highly innovative experience for advertising agencies in terms of ease of use, campaign integration and insights.

“The platform has been designed and built in Red Ant’s Sydney office using Ruby on Rails technology, which allows the platform to be purpose built and scalable for huge volumes of data.

“This approach used by organisations like Twitter and Airbnb allows for high-demand surges and advanced interactive functionality.

“It also allows the OMA to continue the journey of innovation in OOH, creating a unique platform that delivers remarkable experiences to audiences everywhere. We’re really proud to be involved.”

Victor Corones, managing director of Magna and chair of the MFA Systems Committee, said: “Having the OMA and its members take an industry approach is seen as a critical future facing step for this sector.

“This initiative forms part of a vital foundation that ultimately leads to further streamlining and automation of the OOH workflow.

“It will ensure increased standardisation across the OOH ecosystem can be delivered, which in turn will allow for the unlocking data in the mid to longer term.

“We look forward to working with the OMA and its member as they share their plans and allow for continued input ensuring it meets the needs of agency stakeholders and their clients.”