Ledo Media Technology Co Ltd

While digital marketing may be a growing trend, traditional offline advertising has certainly not disappeared. And LeDo ADs, which mixes physical advertising with high-tech analysis, proves that it can still be a creative and innovative sector. Established in 2016, LeDo – which is pronounced like the Cantonese word for “here” – is an online-to-offline platform that encourages the use of idle spaces in locations such as restaurants, stores and newspaper stands as advertisement spots. Carl Ng, the 35-year old co-founder of the company, explained its win-win approach: LeDo helps advertisers find appropriate locations while the owners of these sites can gain extra income by leasing the space. “Idle space as potential offline advertisement spots can be anywhere – including but not limited to restaurant tabletops, shop windows, lift doors and large surface walls,” he said. Ng previously operated a business centre, which he advertised by placing stickers in public areas. He was caught and fined by the police on a few occasions, but the approach worked and he was quickly able to find clients for the space. It dawned on him that advertising in the physical world could be more successful – especially for small businesses – than using huge online marketing platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Google. “Most SMEs do business based on where they are located, reaching customers in that area. Therefore, offline advertising is best for them and still holds power within the industry,” he said. While Ng agrees that online marketing is a major trend, he said that lots of views online do not necessarily translate into higher sales. He is wary of being overly optimistic about the prospects of the digital advertising sector. “While the virtual world could rise, it could also decline,” he said. “With the constantly changing internet and all of its trends, what was a marketing powerhouse yesterday could be replaced by others tomorrow.”  For advertisers, investing in a tangible thing that is present in the real world is more memorable to potential customers, he said. Ng predicted that in the near future we will see “total marketing” where the advertising industry will not be so distinctly divided into digital and traditional sectors. And LeDo is in the vanguard of that trend.  “We hope to be the tunnel that links the online and offline world,” Ng said. Besides finding suitable locations for companies, LeDo ADs is also a one-stop shop providing services to its clients including advertising design, printing and delivery. “It is a platform for our users to manage their marketing campaign, from seeking advertisement locations to promotion materials being posted,” he said. Ng explained that he has come up with a three-step process to help clients create a successful advertising campaign.  “First of all, SMEs should set a goal for themselves – for example, increasing the company’s sales,” he said. “Secondly, they should combine their ideas with creativity to ‘wow’ their audience. Then, they need to choose the right location based on the precise selection of demographic and geographical market segments.” One of LeDo’s success stories was a fitness company that achieved its goal of increasing sales by placing table stickers in a dessert restaurant. Another successful client was a mobile games company. LeDo found them the perfect location for their advertisements – a cafe in the Yau Tsim Mong district of Kowloon popular with teenagers. They turned out to be an ideal audience to download the client’s mobile app via the QR code on the table stickers. “Setting up advertising campaigns on table surfaces is more advantageous than other advertising campaigns,” Ng explained, “since customers normally eat with the table sticker in view for at least 20 minutes.” To help its clients find the perfect location for their advertisements, LeDo uses artificial intelligence (AI). “Our AI system will help you identify the best spot after you answer three questions about your budget, your specific target group and the location you want,” Ng said, adding that the company plans to use more sophisticated technology as the business continues to grow. The now eight-strong company currently has over 1,000 advertisement spots in more than 500 locations covering 18 districts all over Hong Kong. Besides table stickers, LeDo also offers advertising spots on vending machine banners and billboards, to cater to the needs of different clients. Ng hopes to expand this side of the business, and described the current billboard advertising sector as a “black-box operation” that he would like to change. “We would like to be the company that creates an open, transparent platform with no hidden costs – you can go look for another spot if you think the price is not reasonable,” he said. LeDo’s innovative restructuring of the traditional advertisement industry has so far led the company to win a collection of awards, including the Best Business Solution Bronze Award at the 2017 Hong Kong ICT Awards, the Hong Kong Yong Entrepreneur Award in 2016, and was a top 10 finalist at the HKIEF Roadshow, part of the Hong Kong International Entrepreneur Festival in 2016. LeDo was also an award winner in the HKGCC-sponsored Innovation and Creativity category at the 2017 Hong Kong Awards for Industries. Despite this widespread recognition, Ng still does not see his company as successful, and has many plans to continue to develop LeDo. He noted that there is potential for growth in the business-to-business sector in particular, given Hong Kong’s strengths in service sectors like law and finance.  “There is no permanent advertising success,” he said. “There are going to be people along the way who will say ‘no’ to you. But as long as you know this is the right path, all you need is to have faith in yourself and put it into practice.”