Telstra gets into the outdoor video advertising business, again

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 04:36

IT Industry - Strategy

The relationship with PDM, as described by Telstra when it was announced in October 2006, sounds remarkably similar to that in the latest announcement. In October 2006, Telstra said the Telstra Digital Retail Media Solution, would "allow companies to use their own content or have it developed by Telstra partner, Prime Digital Media (PDM)."

It added that "Together with PDM, Telstra is now deploying the solution to Retravision and Boost Juice."

PDM CEO Michael Harms said: "Evidence from all around the world clearly indicates that three separate partners are required in the successful deployment of a digital retail network.

"An expert retailer, a strong technology provider like Telstra and an experienced digital content and media sales specialist like PDM are the keys to success in this space...Our relationship with Telstra has allowed us to expand and scale our business very quickly across a number of market verticals."

When asked how the new 'partnership' differed from the 2006 'partnership' with PDM Telstra played down the earlier relationship. A spokesman told iTWire. "PDM was basically a customer for the Telstra Digital Media Retail Solution, and that lead to this new relationship which is a full partnership."

However, there was no mention of the earlier relationship in this week's announcement, although Telstra did mention other, more recent, involvements with PDM.

In June Telstra named PDM as one of the first organisations to use Telstra's implementation of QMCodes, bar codes that are recognisable by mobile phones.

And PDM's in-house creative studio designed high definition Telstra-branded video content to run across three TelstraTV channels - a giant indoor wall of plasmas, a series of portrait screens and one 22-metre tall outdoor screen - at Telstra's new T[life] shop which opened in Melbourne in June.