Europe News

UK: Entries open for digital out-of-home creative competition

Entries open today (10 July) for the ninth digital out-of-home creative competition, run by Ocean in partnership with Campaign.

The contest awards as-yet-unmade concepts and helps bring them to life, with winners sharing £650,000 of screen space.

Previous winning entries have gone on to pick up Cannes Lions; most recently,

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UK: Cunard sets sail with digital campaign from PHD UK

Cunard has launched a nationwide digital, out of home campaign using social media influencer content by PHD UK as the shipping line aims to drive awareness to the brand.

The campaign will promote the maiden ‘photographic journey’ of the line’s news cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth, to the Arctic Circle. Social media posts from influencers will be created via the indaHash platform and integrated into digital out of home ads across Clear Channel’s UK malls network. PHD UK will work in collaboration with Talon Outdoor, with four specially selected influencers travel on the Queen Elizabeth along the Norwegian coastline and into the Arctic Circle.

Throughout the trip, the influencer marketing platform indaHash will be used to post and comment on life and activities onboard Cunard’s luxury cruise ship. Content will be shared directly across Clear Channel’s network of digital six-sheet screens in ten shopping malls nationwide.

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LAST CALL for EARLY BIRD registration for the 10th International OOH Congress 27-29 September, St. Petersburg, Russia

15 July – last call for Early Bird registration for the 10th International OOH Congress in Corinthia 5*, St-Petersburg, Russia between 27-29 September 2018.

The Congress (350+) is recognized as a top industry event, indicated by highly professional audience, as well as special program. Founded in Russia, the event has grown international.

Congress languages: English & Russian

15% FEPE discount for members & Sorrento delegates.

First headliners confirmed are: legendary Annie Rickard, Gideon Adey from Kinetic, Christian von den Brincken from Stroer & Igor Kirikchi the head of BBDO, Russia.

Format: 2 conference days, exhibition area, White Party & Gala Dinner. Creative entertainment program will traditionally complement business agenda.

The organizers have negotiated special rates for the Congress venue Corinthia 5* hotel.

LIGHT PASS option for accompanying persons are available.

OOH Congress is especially recommended for suppliers interested in finding new business within the huge OOH market of the 140-million people country of Russia.

For more information, please visit oohcongress.ru or contact Jane Baranova

All the details here

AMERICAS NEWS

Ad-Tech Company MediaMath Raises $225 Million

Ad-tech company MediaMath has raised $225 million from investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners, an unusually large funding round in a sector rife with turbulence and consolidation.

New York-based MediaMath has raised more than $500 million to date. The latest round values the company at north of $1 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.

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USA: Branded Cities Acquires Red Star Outdoor Billboards

Branded Cities today announced the acquisition of a substantial portion of the Chicago assets of Red Star Outdoor, further increasing its North American footprint.

The all-cash deal adds 21 iconic billboard faces to BC’s collection of high-impact signage. The billboard inventory is concentrated throughout the heart of the downtown core in Chicago.

“We are delighted to add these high-quality assets to our portfolio and further Branded Cities’ mission of bringing our partners the most spectacular advertising opportunities in the top markets of North America,” said Steven Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BC. “Chicago is a key media market and the visibility of these signs will allow brands to deliver meaningful and engaging content to audiences throughout downtown Chicago.”

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Canada: Branded Cities Announces Leadership Changes

Branded Cities today announce the departure of Canada President, Adam Butterworth.

The company has appointed Toby Sturek as the new President of Branded Cities Canada. Effective immediately, Toby will assume all day-to-day leadership responsibilities of the Canadian business.

Steve Ellman, Chairman and CEO of Branded Cities remarked, “Toby is an established leader who has strategic vision and an accomplished career of achieving results. He has tremendous and relevant experience as current member of the Executive Committee of Canada and having previously served as Chairman of the board of Canada. I am confident that Toby’s knowledge and broad understanding of the OOH media space will contribute to our long-term growth and success.”

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Peru: Samsung Builds the Biggest SMART LED Signage in South America

Plaza Norte, one of the iconic shopping malls in Lima, the capital of Peru, is now home to South America’s largest digital out-of-home (DOOH) LED signage created by Samsung Electronics. The two hundred thousand square meter shopping mall houses major shops and brands. Now the shoppers and visitors can also gather at the square in front of the mall to indulge in watching a major sports game or an exciting cultural event on the mega-sized screen.

The signage at Lima’s Plaza Norte is the latest example of Samsung’s recent LED signage endeavors, following the installation of South Korea’s largest curved SMART LED signage outside of COEX convention center in one of the most bustling areas of Seoul.

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AUSTRALIA NEWS

Collaborate Or Lose The Advantage: How To Secure Australias OOH Future

In this guest post, Bryan Magee, national managing director at Posterscope Australia, warns that the local out-of-home (OOH) industry could be about to make one of the biggest errors of all time unless it increases its collaborative efforts.

It’s been a busy time in the world of out of OOH. Australia’s industry has witnessed two of the biggest media transactions ever to take place – in the same week, no less. Totalling almost $2 billion, the proposed acquisitions by JCDecaux of APN Outdoor and oOh!media of Adshel demonstrate that the OOH industry locally is in fine health with plenty of reasons for optimism.

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Australia: Outdoor digital creeps up on print

Digital revenue now accounts for 49.8 per cent of revenue for the Out of Home (OOH) industry as shown in the results from the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) for the second quarter of 2018, up from 45.4 per cent for the same period the year before.

The industry as a whole has seen a double digit increase in revenue of 14.2 per cent on net media revenue year on year in Q2, to $225.7m this year, up from $197.5m in 2017. While the print slice of total outdoor advertising shrank, spend was still up, by $5m, from Q2 2016.

Digital revenue for the quarter was $112.4m, with print at $113.3m, compared to this time last year, where digital was $89.6m, and print at $107.8m.

The results come following two major shake ups in the OOH industry, with oOh!media winning the bidding war for Adshel for $570m and French giant JCDecaux securing APN Outdoor for $1.2bn. The ACCC is set to rule on both purchases on August 30.

Charmaine Moldrich, CEO, OMA says, “Out of Home is now firmly embedded in its role to be the always on place that people go to, to stay connected. Our digital network is providing the flexible, time-sensitive solution advertisers require, and traditional inventory will always deliver consistent place-based, broadcast messages.

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Australia: Outdoor advertising: the new tricks of the trade

Grant Guesdon talks us through some big outdoor developments in Australia and around the world that will see the medium offer unprecedented performance.

This article was sponsored by the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), Australia’s peak industry body representing companies in the out-of-home advertising sector. It is part of Marketing‘s special focus on the out-of-home industry.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is on the precipice of great change. This comes as a result of hundreds of millions of dollars invested in technology by the OOH industry, and now almost 50% of revenue now comes from digital signs. These signs offer the benefits of being flexible, timely and targeted. More than a one-trick pony, the big, bold, broadcast messages on OOH can now be selected for an exact location, time, and day – the ultimate in targeted advertising.

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Australia: JCDecaux Unveils Digital-Only OOH Network

Outdoor advertising player JCDecaux has announced the launch of digital-only network SMARTFRAME.

The network brings together premium small-format digital assets across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to create an exclusive national digital network of more than 300 locations and growing daily.

This includes JCDecaux’s digital street furniture network, plus the new Telstra digital kiosks; the newly-digitised Yarra Trams network; large-format assets The Collins, The Clock, and its newest large-format digital screen installation, The Spencer, at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station; digital Spectacular locations along Sydney’s York Street, Eddy Avenue and Elizabeth Street; and throughout Queensland rail locations.

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AFRICA NEWS

Nigeria: Succour as LASAA Reduces Billboard Rates

With the magnanimity of the Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA), to reduce billboard rates as well as agreeing to waivers and discounts on outstanding debts owed by practitioners, better days ahead for out-of-home practitioners.

Outdoor practitioners, under the auspices of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria, (OAAN) and other players in the out-of-home sub sector of the advertising industry, crossed a major hurdle recently when the Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA), approved reduction on vacant board policy percentage from 100 per cent to 20 per cent. This was said to be the highest of its kind since almost twelve years of the agency’s existence. The decision is in line with the determination of the Akinwumi Ambode led administration in Lagos State to create an enabling atmosphere for businesses in various sectors of the economy.

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MIDDLE EAST NEWS

Dubai: Elevision, Dubai's DIFC sign 10-year deal to grow digital ad screens

Elevision says to add more than 80 large format digital display screens across financial hub under new agreement.

Elevision has signed a 10-year contract with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) for digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising solutions across the entire district, including Gate Avenue.

Elevision said it will add more than 80 large format digital display screens across DIFC, growing and digitally transforming the existing DIFC network to over 140 screens.

Building on a six-year history with DIFC, Elevision formed its first major building partnership with the financial hub in 2012.

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ASIA NEWS

Suresh Balakrishna CEO Kinetic Worldwide Steps Down

Suresh Balakrishna, CEO South Asia and Middle East, Kinetic Worldwide has stepped down. He joined the WPP agency in January 2016.

Confirming the news with exchange4media Balakrishna said that he will be on leave for few months after serving his last day on July 13, 2018.

Under his leadership the agency won many accolades. The agency swept the the recently concluded NEONS Awards 2018 and bagged the Agency of the Year award. On the same awards night Balakrishna was honoured with the OOH Person of the Year title.

Prior to Kinetic, he was CEO Initiative, BPN/ Rapport. He spent four years with the IPG Mediabrands agency. 

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Pakistan: “The entire world is one big event for usâ€Â

Radjen van Wilsem, CEO, CS Digital Media, on programmatic’s potential in boosting digital OOH in Pakistan.

AYESHA SHAIKH: How did you start out in the Digital OOH business?

RADJEN VAN WILSEM: Ever since I was 17, I had been involved in developing systems for the telecom business. While doing this, I observed three game-changing developments happening concurrently – video, internet and digital signage hardware and software. In 2000, when I began to understand how digital signage could be used as an engaging advertising medium, I decided to leave my corporate job and enter DOOH. The idea to develop DOOH as a mass communication medium was there, but the technology to create a DOOH ecosystem only became available in 2012. In 2014, we executed our first online OOH campaign with Coca-Cola under the tagline #ShareACoke and it immediately caught the eye of audiences and advertisers. The personalised messages made people stop and look at the screens.

AS: What were the initial roadblocks in integrating digital with OOH and where does programmatic come in?

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India: ‘OOH is key to our #SmarterWithIoT campaign’

Vodafone has recently rebounded in the OOH space to promote its Internet of Things (IoT) services, after a hiatus spanning more than a year. This time, the telecom brand employs the outdoor medium for a strategic task i.e. to target specifically CXOs and Business IT decision makers in top three metro cities. While IoT is a deep ecosystem of technologies, the brand explains this world-changing tech tool quite proficiently on billboards. Monalisa Sahoo, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Vodafone Business Services shares how the brand employed OOH medium to deliver the task.

What was the principal goal of brand communication and what was the brief given to the media planning team?
The Internet of Things (IoT) has gone beyond being just a buzzword. It is impacting practically every sector we can think of – agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, automotives, utilities, Smart Cities and more. Vodafone is a global leader in IoT and provides innovative IoT solutions to enterprises across industry verticals, facilitating more efficient use of available resources, automating several mundane manual tasks, and accelerating decision-making processes for them. Vodafone has a wide deployment of IoT solutions in Indian market and offers an industry-first solution for end-to-end management of device, application, connectivity, service platform, support and security.

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