Branded Cities and IRCODE Announce Strategic Partnership to Activate a New Era of Performance-Driven Out-of-Home
Partnership enables first-party engagement and real-time attribution across Branded Cities’ iconic static and digital inventory using IRCODE’s patented visual technology
Houston, TX— IRCODE, the patented visual intelligence platform transforming the world into a scannable, measurable media environment, today announced a strategic partnership with Branded Cities, North America’s premier Out-of-Home (OOH) media company. This collaboration brings IRCODE’s interactive, attribution-ready technology to Branded Cities’ network of high-impact static and digital assets across the United States, introducing a new layer of real-time performance to one of advertising’s most powerful creative mediums.
Branded Cities offers advertisers unmatched visibility in the most valuable OOH environments, Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, West Hollywood, and other iconic locations, where scale, relevance, and cultural influence intersect. With the integration of IRCODE, these placements now gain a first-of-its-kind interactive capability: the ability to engage audiences directly from the creative and capture verified, privacy-safe data tied to each impression.
IRCODE turns the creative itself into the interface. Using advanced computer vision and AI, its patented Exact Match technology recognizes the visual, no QR codes, overlays, or redesigns required. Any printed or digital asset can now be scanned in real time, enabling brands to drive commerce, content, or utility experiences directly from the ad, while capturing performance-level insights.
“This partnership represents a shared belief in the power of great creative,” said Matty Beckerman, CEO of IRCODE. “Together, we’re proving that OOH doesn’t need to be redesigned to become digital-first, it just needs the right layer of technology. IRCODE is that layer.”
“Partnering with IRCODE allows Branded Cities to transform our iconic spectaculars into true interactive experiences,” said Vaibhav “VG” Gupta, President & Chief Operating Officer of Branded Cities. “With inventory in highly-demanded and dense pedestrian environments, IRCODE-enable spectaculars will provide advertisers and brands with additional opportunities to target mobile-friendly audiences.
Key benefits for advertisers include:
- Interactive functionality at scale, across static and digital placements
- Seamless creative integration, no QR codes or production changes
- Verified first-party engagement data, tied to asset, scan, time, and location
- Real-time attribution, closing the loop between exposure and outcome
- Flexible activations, from shoppable creative to content access and app downloads
The integration of IRCODE will unlock scalable interactivity across Branded Cities’ formats, from billboards and digital panels to transit media and street-level displays. Audiences will be able to scan visuals directly, initiating experiences such as product discovery, app downloads, content unlocks, and more, while brands gain clear insight into what was seen, when, and what action followed.
Both companies remain committed to advancing the future of Out-of-Home as the most powerful and effective advertising medium, one that inspires, performs, and protects the integrity of great creative.
About IRCODE
IRCODE is a technology company redefining how people interact with the visual world, transforming static images, live broadcasts, and digital media into programmable, interactive experiences. Powered by patented computer vision and AI neural networks, IRCODE’s EXACT Match™ system enables instant engagement without QR codes, bridging the gap between content, commerce, and consumer behavior. From live sports to television, packaging, and public space, IRCODE powers a new infrastructure for attribution, interaction, and storytelling. Learn more at www.ircode.com.
About Branded Cities
Branded Cities, which EL Media and Shamrock Capital own, is a leading Out-of-Home media company with an integrated network of premier digital and static signage across North America. The digital and static media assets span across some of the largest markets in the United States and Canada (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, and many more). They are situated in the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments, such as Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, West Hollywood, Union Station, and Yonge-Dundas Square. Branded Cities empowers brands to deliver impactful and engaging messages to North America’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences. EL Media is an affiliate of The Ellman Companies (“Ellman”). Ellman is a privately owned media, real estate, and investments group founded in 1972 with diverse interests in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. For more information, visit brandedcities.com or brandedcities.ca.