There’s a new technology that is winning over the OOH industry…
I recently was asked if I had heard of Symterra… after a sharp sarcastic laugh, I realized it was a serious question. Symterra is a company that has recently combined newly discovered science and their proprietary technology, to safely and humanely stop the birds from landing in any area protected by their technology. See below for highlights of my interview with their CEO, John Smalley.
William: First things first, how did you decide on the name Symterra?
John: Honestly, we knew we had an opportunity in front of us to really change the way that birds were being handled by combining science and technology. The level of frustration that we were seeing from multiple industries on the existing solutions was crazy high. The name came about while I was at a baby shower with a bunch of friends I went to college with as I was telling them what it did and how many problems birds were causing. For the sake of keeping it classy, I will leave it there…. I can tell you that I had multiple marketing people tell me that it was too risky but when you are trying to challenge the way things have been done for 75 years, I think you can afford to have that as part of your strategy.
William: How important is the humane part?
John: To us it is very important. The University of Arizona recently performed an Efficacy Study on the Technology. Not only did they show that it is extremely effective, they showed that it does no harm to humans or birds. Our mission is to Lead the World in Innovative Pest Control. Birds are a major issue for business, population health, and the employees who work around them. The days of trapping, using poison, spikes, nets, or other methods are outdated via our advancements with science and technology. A recent poll showed that 75% of consumers would hold a brand accountable if they had access to more environmentally friendly options but didn’t use it. Our goal is to work with all of the companies who care about these things and help them solve their problems for good and for less!
William: How did you decide to focus on Billboards?
John: A little bit of luck honestly. The technology was originally created for sporting venues, hospitals, and traditional pest control clients. We ran into a scenario where one of the major players in the Billboard Industry simply told us, the existing solutions were not working and asked if we could do that for Billboards, We put our engineers on it and about 90 days later we had created a solution for traditional and digital billboards. After that we have picked up quite a few of the other major players and as we talk today, the billboard industry is becoming our largest client. We love it because we are solving costly and ongoing problems for them while helping them create a better brand for themselves.
William: How do OOH Today readers find out more about Symterra?
John: They can visit the website at www.flockoff.com. They can reach out to our Chief Sales Officer Mike Bernal @ [email protected] or call us at 855.376.6375. They can also contact us and see videos on LinkedIn and YouTube.
