Meet our co-founder and COO, Mark Bracey in an interview that covers his interests, his background in the DOOH/OOH industry and how he hopes to improve it.
Tell us about you
I’ve spent more than 30 years in the international out of home and real estate industries, pioneering classic and new digital formats, launching start-ups that have gone on to become major players and helping OOH owners identify and capitalize on the value of their assets.
I once used a coffee shop napkin to sign the deal after receiving an unexpected offer for my first OOH business. We were meeting at London Heathrow at the time and I had to think of a number out of the blue. Luckily I had a pen. I wished I’d kept the napkin.
Outside of OOH I enjoy skiing, cycling, travel, good food and wine. Most important of all is my family. In a second life I would own a small vineyard with a restaurant, probably in Italy.
How did you get started?
I learnt the ropes at Mills & Allen – now JCDecaux – before launching my first OOH business, Meteor Advertising, the original pioneer of giant posters and building wraps. After selling to Stroer in 2000, I became CEO of their subsidiary, BlowUp Media UK.
When I moved to work with Ocean Outdoor on global development and operations, I was responsible for helping landlords identify and capitalize on the value of their outdoor assets primarily by rolling out digital OOH. The creation of the Alliance, a unique consortium of operators to encourage the global marketing of world class OOH assets, led to the identification of future acquisitions and eventually the door of AdCity Media in Sweden.
What is your biggest OOH moment to date?
There have been so many, it’s hard to choose just one! At M&A I managed to persuade my boss to allow me to install two huge ad displays on the largest building on the Chiswick flyover in London. They were amazing but didn’t last long. We set a precedent though as they are now commonplace along that stretch.
Possibly the Capital’s first large format banner on London’s Astoria in 99 was an audacious game changer, or with Blow Up the launch of the Mini adventure campaign with replica Minis appearing overnight on iconic building across the UK’s major cities perhaps. Then there was the world’s largest Advent calendar in Birmingham for Coke. Every first screen going live in a new City was always a big moment for me, but I guess the most famous was working on the digital transformation of the iconic Piccadilly Lights in London and the roll out of unique premium DOOH formats across multiple cities which have set new industry standards.
What do you think has been your driver?
When I joined the industry OOH was seen as the poor relation to TV, Press & Radio and then later online. I’ve never liked that idea, so I guess by constantly challenging the world order and pushing boundaries and making the “impossible” – possible.
And your mantra?
Asking for forgiveness, not permission!
Why DoohClick?
When DoohClick demerged from AdCityMedia it was a no brainer for me to join Jonas and the leadership team on their journey. The company is lean, agile, offers a proven, established product with a long lifespan and the company is managed by great people. As a media business, DoohClick understands the many challenges of operating classic and digital OOH assets and that’s what makes us different. We like to think we can move mountains and on occasions we climb them too.
What else does it Dooh?
This is a fast moving; competitive environment and we want to be an incubator for like-minded companies.
Beyond the platform, we are looking to democratize and monetize the OOH industry, creating a new ecosystem where customers are welcomed as members, collaborating and sharing information and intelligence to advance the sector together.
DoohClick isn’t just a plug-in product, it’s an incubator. We can advise on any aspects of OOH; we can answer questions that are not only function related. We are a safe place to come, share problems and come up with common solutions.
By becoming a DoohClick user, you become part of a family of likeminded individuals whose destiny is to help you become as successful as your ambitions strive.
There is so much talent and some amazing ideas out there. By becoming a breeding ground, ambitions can be fulfilled, we can learn from each other and we can accentuate and foster areas of growth, development and consolidation.