Adtech start-up targets the UK's 5.5m small businesses

Britain’s 5.5 million-strong army of small businesses – widely viewed as the engine of the economy – are being targeted with the launch of a new self-service digital advertising solution, designed to unlock growth through its AI-powered ad platform.

OSSA is the brainchild of Guy Murphy, former BBH deputy chair and Wunderman Thompson chief strategy officer and Netizency founder Fadi Khater.

The platform is targeting small businesses that need to attract new customers but currently do not have the time, skills, or resources to do digital advertising.

And, it is claimed, OSSA allows users to automatically generate and place targeted ads, helping small businesses grow without saddling operators with complex, confusing ad management tools like those provided by other self-serve platforms.

The product is a one-stop-shop that enables these business owners to create and publish digital campaigns “with ease”, the founders insist, as it integrates OpenAI, Shutterstock and Figma to automate the process of creating campaigns.

It uses the social media platform APIs to enable media buying and reporting, while OSSA’s AI model can also “think strategically” to guide advertising content and media choices.

Co-founder Khater said: “Millions of small businesses currently lack access to advertising agencies because these agencies operate manually, catering primarily to large clients with significant budgets. However, with the advent of new technologies capable of managing immense scale, it is now feasible for us to extend agency services to millions of smaller businesses.

“OSSA is engineered to democratise advertising through the integration of smart generative AI technology, automation, and advertising science.

“Our goal is to bolster the growth of small businesses amid a highly competitive and challenging economic environment. Small enterprises, including restaurants, hairdressers, lawyers, florists, and accountants, are the cornerstone of our economy and everyday life. They deserve equitable access to digital advertising opportunities, on par with the fat cats of big business.”

The product is designed to be fast, affordable, and effective. OSSA creates ads instantly, making it 100 times faster than agencies. It costs between £25 and £2,000, making it far cheaper than freelancers, and its campaign performance is claimed to be between 50% and 60% more effective per pound spend versus platform benchmarks.

OSSA is already supporting a base of customers across a variety of sectors since its beta launch a few weeks ago.

Small business owner Johnnie Moore, who founded his own consultancy, explained: “OSSA made it really simple to create ads that work for me, without the confusion of trying to use the ad managers at social media platforms.”

Murphy added: “Ignored by advertising agencies and often overwhelmed by the complex ad manager tools offered by social networks, small businesses have struggled to keep pace with digital advertising trends. However, the emergence of GenAI technology now offers them unparalleled access to advertising creation without requiring extensive technical expertise.

“OSSA has leveraged the potential of GenAI to develop a platform that boasts the most straightforward, jargon-free user interface. It is designed to autonomously generate effective advertisements that are strategically published across the appropriate channels.

“The cornerstone of OSSA’s success lies in its unique approach, which combines the academic understanding of advertising’s efficacy with the principles of behavioural psychology, all powered by the advanced capabilities of GenAI technology. We are thrilled to collaborate with UK small businesses on their journey towards growth.”