For decades Downtown LA seemed to sit dormant with the only light displays coming from the offices of late night workers. Today, all of Downtown Los Angeles is on display and thanks to companies like Kevani Inc., Downtown is looking bigger and brighter than ever.
What is KEVANI?
KEVANI is an out-of-home (OOH) sales organization, and we promote national and local brands through innovative outdoor advertising destinations.
What do you mean by advertising âdestinationsâ?
We refer to them as âdestinationsâ because our inventory, which includes massive-scale displays, pushes the boundaries of traditional outdoor advertising through visual and artistic innovation. These displays turn heads and demand attentionâessentially, they create memorable landmarks, or âdestinations.â In fact, our team represents the media on the highest grossing billboards in Los Angelesâmost of which are located right here in DTLA.
Are you a billboard company?
We are Outdoor Advertising fanatics, but donât consider ourselves a âbillboardâ company. Simply put, we are an out-of-home media sales organization that represents large-scale, high-end media assets in the form of these state-of-the-art displays.
We have exclusive agreements with developers, owners, and media companies, essentially making us stewards for these landmarks. Our goal is to deliver value to both the community at large, and the brands we represent. This means weâre very deliberate about who we partner with.
When did you begin working in DTLA?
I started working here in early 2010. My office was on Central Ave. near the Coca-Cola bottling plant. It was before the construction boom, but you could feel big changes were on the horizon, and I embraced the culture right away. Our office was near a piñata factory, of all things.
As it turns out, they make for lovely novelty gifts. I remember regularly purchasing piñatas, and bringing them to client meetings. Great icebreaker.
How do you secure large media contracts with brands like Google, Burberry, LVMH or Nike and bring them to DTLA?
Although we have relationships with Media Specialists, CMOs & CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and our displays are iconic and best in class, thatâs not the whole story. We have a hard working team thatâs committed to excellence, and a level of service thatâs truly unheard of in the outdoor advertising world. Every employee is empowered to do whatever it takes to make our clients happy. Beyond that, advertisers want to be where their customers are. As urbanization grows, the out-of-home medium is becoming an effective and lucrative solution to reach mass audiences. That kind of impact, coupled with evolving technology that targets specific audiences with relevant messaging, is very attractive to these brands.
What makes a great company?
Great companies do many things well, but ultimately itâs about having the ability to find and retain customers. The customers you serve want three things: 1) They want a service (product) that has no defect, with a smooth buying process 2) They want you to anticipate their needs 3) They want to deal with people who genuinely care about the customer experience. Do these things better than your competitors, and youâll grow and retain your customer base.
What word or phrase would you use to describe DTLA?
Unexpected. For example, the character of the alleyways. DTLA has some of the best alleyways in Los Angeles. Some of my favorites are Mercury Ct., St. Vincent Ct., Harlem Place and Indian Alley.
While originally designed as capillaries of the cityâs circulation system, theyâve become so much more. Theyâve given birth to street art by providing a canvas. Some alleys are even re-purposed as gathering spaces, creating urban rooms.
Whatâs your favorite restaurant in DTLA?
Very tough to choose. My favorite ambiance is JOEY at The Blocâlove the mood. My favorite tacos are at Sonoratown on 8th Street. My favorite steakhouse is La Boucherie at the Wilshire Grand. For date nights, our preferred spot is Bestia, in the Arts District. KEVANI.COM
