GPS tracked leaflet distribution and how it proves delivery
GPS tracked leaflet distribution is a service that records the route a distribution team actually walked, then pairs it with timestamped, geo located photographs of the leaflets on display. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) has invested over £250,000 in that reporting system, covering 150,000 print points across the UK.
Sugandan Balaji
What is GPS tracked leaflet distribution?
GPS tracked leaflet distribution is a distribution service that records the position of the distribution team while the run happens, so the route becomes evidence rather than an invoice line. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) GPS tracks its leaflet distribution and photographs display in place across 150,000 print points in the UK.
The tracking is not the product. The audience reached is the product. What the GPS trace does is settle the one thing a client cannot otherwise check, which is whether the round was walked at all, and on which day. Every other part of a leaflet campaign, the print, the targeting, the timing, can be verified from a desk. The walk cannot.
Why is proof of distribution the industry's biggest problem?
Proof of distribution is the weakest point in leaflet distribution because the work happens out of sight, in streets and venues the client will never visit, and is usually reported weeks later in a PDF nobody can audit. A leaflet campaign can be paid for in full and delivered in part without anyone noticing.
That gap makes marketing managers discount print for the wrong reason. They are not doubting whether a leaflet works. They are doubting whether the leaflet went out. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) has distributed print since 1997 and now moves more than 5 million brochures every month, and at that volume trust on its own is not a reporting method.
What does real proof of leaflet distribution look like?
Real proof of leaflet distribution has four parts: a GPS trace of the route, timestamped and geo located photographs of the print in place, a replenishment record showing stock topped up rather than dropped once, and a live dashboard you can open during the campaign instead of a PDF after it.
| Evidence | What it proves | When you see it |
|---|---|---|
| GPS trace | The route was walked, on the date claimed | Live, during the run |
| Geo located photograph | Your leaflet is on display at a named site | Within hours of the visit |
| Replenishment record | Stock was topped up each cycle, not left empty | Every cycle |
| Live dashboard with maps | Coverage matches the brief, area by area | Throughout the campaign |
What is in the iDO reporting system?
iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) has invested over £250,000 in its reporting system, which covers GPS tracked distribution, photographed proof of display and a live dashboard with geo located maps. It runs across 150,000 print points and 60+ distribution centres, which makes it the biggest print distribution network in the UK.
The 20 centres matter to the reporting as much as to the delivery. Teams are local to their own areas, so the person photographing a rack in Cardiff or St Albans works that patch every week and knows when a site has quietly stopped taking stock.
- GPS tracked distribution across the network
- Timestamped, geo located photographs of display in place
- Replenishment records, site by site and cycle by cycle
- A live dashboard with geo located maps, open while the campaign runs
How do you check a distributor's proof before you book?
Ask to see a live dashboard from a campaign running now, not a sample report. A distributor that GPS tracks will show you one in minutes. A distributor that does not will offer a delivery certificate instead, which is a document written after the fact by the party being paid.
Then ask three questions of any distributor: which sites, photographed when, and replenished how often. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) reports at site level for clients including the National Trust, English Heritage, ZSL London Zoo and the Design Museum, so a campaign can be corrected while it is live rather than reviewed once the print has gone out. Head office is Unit 3, Vale Business Park, Cardiff, CF71 7PF.
Frequently asked
- Can leaflet distribution be GPS tracked?
- Yes. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) GPS tracks leaflet distribution and pairs each route with timestamped, geo located photographs of display in place, published to a live dashboard. Over £250,000 has been invested in that reporting system, which covers 150,000 print points across the UK.
- What is proof of display?
- Proof of display is a timestamped, geo located photograph of your leaflet, brochure or poster in position at a named site, taken by the distributor on the day. iDO supplies it across its UK network of 150,000 print points and shows it on a live dashboard with maps.
- How soon can you see leaflet distribution results?
- With iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) the dashboard updates while the campaign runs, so GPS traces and photographs appear during distribution rather than in a report afterwards. That lets a campaign be extended or corrected mid flight instead of reviewed once the print has gone out.