Plan Google's Entry Into Digital Out-of-Home Billboard Advertising

You are a product manager at Google. Leadership has asked you to define the product strategy for launching e-billboards: digital screens in public places that display rotating advertising, such as roadside boards and screens in transit stations or shopping centers. Walk through how you would approach the strategy and what you would recommend Google launch. ```hint Decide what Google is launching A digital billboard business has several layers: the physical screens and sites, the software that plays content on them, the place where ad time is bought and priced, and the measurement that shows whether an ad worked. Work out which layers fit Google's existing strengths before you design features. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does "launching e-billboards" mean Google installs and operates its own screens, or that it builds the products that other companies' screens run on and are sold through? - Is the main aim new advertising revenue, a showcase for Google's own products, or public-information uses such as transit updates and emergency alerts? - Which advertisers matter most: large brands that already buy outdoor media through agencies, or small local businesses that advertise with Google online today? - Which market should launch first, given that billboard permits and content rules differ by city and country? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear definition of the product and of where Google plays in the billboard value chain, justified by its assets and by what it should not take on - Both sides of the market, advertisers and screen owners, with a prioritized segment and its pain points - A phased launch that addresses the cold start of a two-sided marketplace - Success metrics that test whether screen spend is new to Google rather than moved from its other ad products, plus guardrails - Risks particular to public screens: content seen by everyone, privacy in audience measurement, local regulation and competition scrutiny ### Follow-up Questions - A large outdoor media company refuses to list its screens because it expects Google to push its prices down. How would you win it over, or would you launch without it? - How would you show a local coffee chain that its screen campaign brought in visitors, without tracking any individual? - If the pilot shows most screen spend is moved from the same advertisers' search budgets, does the strategy still make sense for Google?