Geopath Member Spotlight | Encompass Media Group
A conversation with Don Winter and Adam Pierce, Co-CEOs of Encompass Media Group

About Encompass Media Group

DW: I think we’d both say it’s quite fortuitous that we came together. I founded and ran a magazine publication in Manhattan back in 1988. Around 1999, I could see the writing on the wall. From the print perspective, I could tell online was coming on strong and staking its claim in publication spaces. The magazine had some terrific clients and great external relationships, so the idea began for a new entity that was not as vulnerable. We reached out to Adam, who was running a truck side advertising business at the time, and through this relationship, we began to migrate certain clients over to Adam’s truck side advertising organization.

AP: My background started with a restroom advertising business that I bootstrapped and eventually sold. I wanted to learn more about the OOH industry, so I made my way over to Clear Channel. Then, GE Capital recruited me to run their truck side advertising venture. Eventually, they pulled the plug on the endeavor due to some issues on their end. I knew Don as a client, so we already had an established relationship. We realized we could build something great together and hit the ground running in our first year after the truck side business ended. We were fortunate to make $1,000,000 in sales in our first year. And now, here we are 25 years later.

Current Initiatives and Goals

DW: Like most of the industry, we’re investing in digital out-of-home (DOOH). We’ve added 1000+ urban panels in New York and plan to continue that investment in other markets.

Our other focus is to capitalize on experiential marketing in convention areas.

AP: We’ve been in the experiential marketing space for several years now. We created some cool activations, but we’re trying to focus on the convention space. We see a need for buzzworthy, eye-catching, impactful campaigns that our customers need to help stand out from the hundreds of booths at a convention. There’s a world full of opportunities outside the convention centers to grab the attention of potential customers. It could be concierge-style services, car wraps, or similar concepts. We want to deliver impact and capture the consumers’ attention.

What trends do you see currently developing?

DW: The obvious trend we’re capitalizing on is the migration toward digital. The other notable trend is the desire for clients to see performance or attribution-related data. Brand lift studies, exposure validation, and reviewing behavioral patterns are all concepts that we’re spending a lot of time learning. We are speaking to our clients to see that we are approaching this the right way. It’s an ongoing developmental focus for us.

What trends do you predict over the next 10 years?

DW: We see a higher emphasis on advertising to specific audiences with the right messaging and placement. While this is already a current trend, I believe it will continue to develop as AI evolves. I think we’ll see the integration of AI on digital screens that can serve full customization to audiences based on who goes by that screen during that time of day. Cameras can be used with mobile phone data based on behavior patterns. This is not our area of expertise yet, but we’re excited to see where this takes the industry.

How does Geopath Membership help Encompass Media Group?

DW: Geopath membership adds significant credibility to our inventory. Geopath, as the independent auditor of audience metrics, enhances the industry at large. Companies can make claims about their inventory, but without validation, there isn’t a basis behind it. We’re a big fan of Geopath because of the credibility it adds to our sales.

AP: Our salespeople explain that EMG is a Geopath member in each of our calls, emails, and conversations. Potential clients want to know what to expect when they buy ad space. When they find out we’re Geopath members, they see the credibility and become far more confident with their ad buys with us.

Do you have any examples of when Geopath data helped with a client’s planned purchase?

AP: We get 75+ RFPs a week. In many instances, Geopath verification can help move the needle for us to get a client to move money from another media type to OOH.

DW: I can think of examples of when a client was not intending on moving forward because they did not think OOH could be measured. Often, we will show our one-pagers under the Geopath umbrella, show them the numbers, and in most cases, they will commit to the program.

Like Adam mentioned, we also used the numbers to help reallocate funds from one media format to OOH based solely on the impressions that we could provide them. They see the verified OOH as a way to more efficiently reach their audience than another format they were considering.

What motivates you to keep pushing forward in your career?

DW: We have a great team at Encompass. As Co-CEO with Adam, we collaborate often on projects. Throughout a standard workday, we’re on the phone with one another many times. We’re constantly testing ideas to find the best solution. We don’t try to win arguments against one another. We know that we don’t have all the answers, but together, we can improve ourselves through constant collaboration and constructive criticism. This industry pushes you to grow and learn, so it’s our job to improve ourselves daily. This is the motivation that keeps me coming back. I know Adam shares many of these same thoughts.

What advice would you give to young people in the industry?

AP: Some of this may overlap with Don’s thoughts, but this industry gives you an opportunity every day to go out and hit a home run. You can make connections, develop a new network, and create fresh new ideas. I’m older now and have kids in college or graduating from college, so I find myself speaking to younger adults often these days. We will talk about what we do for work and the OOH industry. A majority of the time, I just speak about how great the industry is for creatives or innovative problem-solvers. When I convey this to young people, I can see their eyes light up. In OOH, the world’s your oyster. There are no dumb questions. We joke around about how clients will ask you to put ads on the moon. OOH has so many opportunities for fun innovation that will keep someone building these magic moments that other industries cannot match.