FEPE NEWS

Registrations closing soon for FEPE Dubai Congress

Registrations will soon be closing for International Out of Home organisation FEPE's 60th anniversary Congress, to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel Dubai Festival City from May 1-3.

Speakers include Christof Baron, Global Head of Media at healthcare giant Sanofi, JC Decaux Co-chairman Jean-Charles Decaux, Kinetic Global CEO Marc-Antoine De Roys, Posterscope Global CEO Stephen Whyte, Newly-appointed Talon Outdoor Global CEO Barry Cupples and Tim Delaney, Chairman and Creative Director of international creative agency network Leagas Delaney.

Joining them in Dubai will be:

• Heather Andrew, CEO and Peter Pynta, Sales and Marketing Director of Neuro-Insight which measures brain response to communications in different media, 
• Jean-Christophe Conti, CEO of automated Out of Home ad platform VIOOH, 
• Rick Robinson, Managing Partner Services of US-based Out of Home ad tech company Billups, 
• Gabriel Cedrone, CEO of leading South American Out of Home owner GPO Vallas 
• Jean-Emmanuel De Witt, CEO of Russia’s largest Out of Home operator Russ Outdoor.
• Mark Boidman, Head of Media and Tech at New York investment bank PJSOLOMON will present his latest analysis of the global Out of Home market and likely future developments in a rapidly changing industry; 
• Stephanie Gutnik, Vice-President of Business Development at leading tech company Broadsign and one of the recipients of last year’s inaugural FEPE Rising Stars award, will review the way technology is transforming the Out of Home industry while 
• Nancy Fletcher, outgoing President and CEO of America’s OAAA will give her unique perspective on the way Out of Home has changed over the past two decades. 
• Dino Burbidge, latterly head of tech and innovation at London creative agency WCRS, will present to Congress his personal perspective on the Creative highlights of this years FEPE Awards

FEPE Executive Director John Ellery says: “This is undoubtedly the strongest speaker line-up we have ever welcomed to FEPE, with experts on all aspects of the industry from advertisers, creative and media agencies, tech companies and experts in programmatic media buying.

“Delegate places in Dubai are going quickly so we urge our friends in the global Out of Home industry to register now. There are also day passes available for prospective Middle East delegates.” 

For further information and to register go to www.worldooh.org

UK: Global's acquisition of Exterion Media approved by CMA

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today approved the acquisition of Exterion Media by Global, the Media & Entertainment group. The decision enables Global to move forward with the full launch of its new Outdoor division, following the simultaneous purchases of Primesight and Outdoor Plus in September 2018 and Exterion Media in November 2018.

The addition of the Exterion portfolio also makes Global a market-leading outdoor company in Ireland, France, The Netherlands and Spain as well as one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the UK & Europe and the largest commercial radio company in the UK.

Global’s new combined outdoor division holds the most diverse and complementary outdoor assets in the UK. It includes the Transport for London (TFL) advertising contract for London Underground and over 1,500 rail stations, including all four metro systems – Newcastle, Liverpool, London and Glasgow – the largest supplier of bus advertising in the UK, with more than 36,000 buses, and major airport advertising partnerships including Glasgow, Manchester, Stansted and Gatwick airports. Finally, Global also has a substantial UK roadside presence of both digital and classic sites, including some of London’s most iconic premium digital sites.  All told, Global has over 250,000 outdoor advertising points across the UK.

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France: JCDecaux joins growing list of corporate donors to fund Notre Dame rebuild

JCDecaux is donating €20m (£17.35m) to the restoration of the Notre Dame, after a fire broke out on Monday night (15 April) and ravaged Paris' historic cathedral.

The French outdoor media owner announced that the family of founder Jean-Claude Decaux decided to make the contribution to support France's heritage.

The €20m is being given by JCDecaux Holding, the management and holding company that is 100% owned by the Decaux family. Meanwhile, JCDecaux SA, the advertising company of which JCDecaux is the majority shareholder, is supporting the cause via a number of non-monetary donations.

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UK: Clear Channel partners with Central Saint Martins to create the Future of the High Street

Clear Channel, one of the UK’s leading Out of Home media owners, has joined forces with students from the BA Product Design course at world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, to conceptualise the street furniture of tomorrow.
The brief, “Future of the High Street”, challenges 25 second-year students to design an item of street furniture to provide genuine value to local communities up and down the UK. The brief, set for the next generation of Product Designers, was given at Clear Channel’s London HQ this week.
The unique brief asks the students to consider how their design could address a genuine concern or pain point for the public, improve a citizen’s experience of the high street and tackle issues that communities face, as well as well as considering how their product can withstand heavy use from the public for years to come.

The best designs, which identify and help tackle issues society faces today, will be scrutinised by the Clear Channel team with the most viable, scalable and affordable, potentially being brought to life and being offered to local authorities as part of future contracts.
Rather than creating a product around a screen or advertising panel, the designers have free reign to create a product over the next seven weeks that best serves the public, whatever its form.

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UK: Cennydd Roberts, the CEO of 8 Outdoor to leave the business

Cennydd Roberts, the CEO of 8 Outdoor is leaving the Digital Out-of-Home busi-ness at the end of April.

Cennydd joined 8 Outdoor in October 2015 overseeing its growth from a new start-up to one of the strongest new digital outdoor brands in the UK. 8 Outdoor is the UK’s fastest growing out-of-home media owner, with a network today of over 100 digital screens in the UK, reaching more than 12 million adults across 30 cities na-tionwide.

Cennydd Roberts, Chief Executive, 8 Outdoor, says;

“I'm very proud of what I’ve achieved over the last three-and-a-half years at 8 Out-door. It’s now established as a dynamic and innovative force in the out-of-home sector with a strong and highly talented team of people in place to take it into its next phase. I’m confident 8 Outdoor will continue to succeed and grow and I wish everybody involved with the business every success".

Simon Grice, Group CEO & Founder says;

"Cennydd Roberts was appointed as the first CEO of 8 Outdoor in October 2015 and has been instrumental to the growth of the business from a start up to the suc-cessful business it is today. Cennydd's strategy and vision has placed 8 Outdoor on a fantastic path to further growth and success for many years to come. We wish Cennydd all the success for the future.

AMERICAS NEWS

USA: Powerful Testimonials Remind Us OOH is Part of the Solution

In the May issue of Police Chief Magazine, the chief from Sugarcreek Township (Ohio) will publish a compelling story of a missing boy. Billboards went up August 21, 2018, posted by Norton Outdoor Advertising and Lamar Advertising Company.

“On August 27, Detective Stayer received a solid tip from an individual who saw a digital billboard about the case,” wrote Chief of Police Michael A. Brown.

The teenager (Jacob Caldwell) – missing for a year – was located safely.

“The tip provided the necessary information to obtain a search warrant, served by Sugarcreek Township Police and FBI agents, which led to them locating Jacob,” said Chief Brown.

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USA: 5 forces transforming digital out-of-home advertising

Brands are always looking for ways to strengthen relationships with their customers. Reaching customers, especially with all of the noise in today's advertising atmosphere, can be difficult. While it nice to try and reach consumers in their home, when they are watching TV or surfing the internet, it can be difficult to hold people’s attention in these settings as well. This, among other reasons, is why brands incorporate out-of-home (OOH) advertising into their campaign strategy. Out-of-home media companies focus on reaching customers when they are on the move or in a holding pattern – situations that create highly receptive, captive audiences.

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AUSTRALIA NEWS

Australia: Register your interest for the unveiling of landmark OOH research in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane

QMS and Neuro-Insight will unveil a landmark neuroscience investigation next month that demonstrates how the attributes of digital large format billboards drive their own unique personalities and influence the brands that advertise on them.

Some of Australia’s most senior marketing and agency leaders from the likes of Suncorp, Domain, Renault, Flight Centre Travel Group and Ladbrokes will be on hand to discuss the research findings at exclusive breakfast events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on May 8, 9 and 14 (respectively).

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Australia: New research shows the power of targeting grocery shoppers in the last 40 metres

New research by Shopper Media Group has revealed the power of retail out-of-home (OOH) advertising, with one in three Australian shoppers admitting they have purchased a product after seeing it advertised on retail OOH panels.

Findings from The Evolution of the Modern Grocery Shopper 2019, a quantitative research study commissioned by Shopper Media Group, revealed that 75% of grocery buyers do not stick to a shopping list, and 77% of those who do use a list don’t specify brands. These two behaviours highlight the importance of promoting to consumers in the last 40 metres to purchase.

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MIDDLE EAST NEWS

UAE: Daktronics celebates 30 years on Middle East business

Daktronics has been doing business in Dubai and the Middle East for more than 30 years. The company opened its office in Dubai in 2006 to support the business happening in the area. Ben Aesoph, Daktronics international market manager, remembers extended travels to the region for a number of projects during the 2005 time frame.

“I was travelling to the area for more than 280 days out of the year before proposing we open the office to support the opportunities and projects that were taking place in the Gulf region,” said Aesoph. “After making some notable installations, including the Kuwait Stock Exchange, the demand continued to increase in the area and really helped push business to the point of a full-time office.”

Digital Out of Home in the region was essentially nonexistent before that time. Daktronics presence helped open the market to digital technology as well as meeting the requests of the marketplace that was eager to adopt such technology. Lebanon, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are a few countries that really took to the digital opportunities and embraced them to meet their messaging needs.

Aside from moving towards a digital presence from the static signage and billboards, digital street furniture in downtown city areas has become a real possibility that didn’t always exist before. As more downtown areas develop, more and more digital signage is possible to share messages and promote businesses.

The Middle East continues to provide these digital opportunities as they strive to be on the cutting edge with their technology to match or exceed other areas of the world. And Daktronics is there to support them every step of the way. Our presence has grown to 11 people in our Dubai office including project management teams and full-service teams to take care of our customers after the sale.

“The Middle East is a great market for Daktronics and we continue to see opportunities for improvement and expansion in this region,” added Aesoph. “Our attendance and involvement in FEPE is a strong indication of our support for this area and the event allows us to interact with both longtime customers and potential new customers. We can sit down with them, learn what they are most interested in and see how we can help them achieve it.”

“FEPE also provides a great opportunity to converse with and learn from the potential customers and partners in the industry,” said Ahmad Dahmash, Daktronics region manager. “Whether it is consulting on how to get their business started, conveying the important aspects of digital advertising or any other topic. This is a great all-around opportunity.”

UAE: BackLite Media is launching BackLite Cinema

The leading out-of-home company in the UAE, BackLite Media, is proud to announce the launch of its new division; BackLite Cinema. BackLite Cinema will pioneer and innovate cinema advertising to improve traditional cinema advertising by enhancing advertising through location, audience, research, data and mobile technology.  
Meraas and BackLite Media have a long-term partnership for advertising management at the key Meraas assets of City Walk, La Mer, The Beach and Marsa Al Seef. Both companies are pleased to announce an extension of their advertising partnership to now include Roxy Cinemas at Boxpark, La Mer, The Beach and City Walk.
The new agreement will provide advertisers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a targeted marketing opportunity in a unique environment, with multiple consumer touchpoints for entertaining pre-shows or lobby displays.
Bill Fordyce, CEO of BackLite Media, said: “We are delighted to partner with Roxy cinemas as it offers prestigious and highly targeted platform to reach discerning cinema audiences. Cinema has expanded from a traditional out-of-home buy into targeted premium video. Since there is no possibility to skip an ad or switch channels, cinema is as premium as it gets, the sheer impact of watching an ad on the big screen defines cinema to be the medium of choice to strengthen a brand, deliver key messages, increase awareness and attract new customers.”
BackLite Cinema has brought on Sufyan Siddiqui as their Cinema Manger. Sufyan is an experienced cinema advertising professional and a thought leader in the industry. He will be responsible for business development and initiating new partnerships with BackLite’s clients. Sufyan said, “In this day and age, video being the most integral part of advertising campaigns, we at BackLite will help our clients to make the most impactful use of cinema advertising and will create targeted buying routes that will provide an excellent platform for brands to engage with their target audience.”
Paul Fox, General Manager of Roxy, said: “We are pleased to be joining with BackLite Media for this partnership.  As Roxy Cinemas continues to develop the cinema experience in both our existing and new locations, we look forward to working closely with BackLite Media who are uniquely placed to bring unique and innovative activations that will further delight our guests”.  

Founded in 1996, BackLite Media is the leading out-of-home advertising company in Dubai and manages the most iconic and premium outdoor signage on Sheikh Zayed Road. Through the partnership with Meraas, BackLite Media also has become a leading digital signage operator providing impactful advertising solutions to many of the largest advertisers in the Middle East.

Oman: ELAN Media Launches digital out-of-home network in Mall of Muscat

ELAN Media, the leading company specialized in crafting innovative communication and advertising landscapes across a mix of media channels, recently announced the expansion of the region’s most advanced digital Out-of-Home network to Oman. Following the agreement with TAMANI Global Development & Investment, ELAN Media launched a new cutting- edge DOOH network in the largest mall in Oman, Mall of Muscat on April 15th, 2019.

Under the agreement, ELAN Media is the exclusive media representative of Mall of Muscat and will bring its wide experience in the media industry to ensure the successful promotion and sales of the mall’s DOOH advertising network in Oman.

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AFRICA NEWS

Zambia: Primedia Outdoor and Coca-Cola take creative execution to another level in Zambia

Primedia Outdoor continues to push boundaries in Sub-Saharan Africa after recently joining forces with soft drink giant, Coca-Cola, to install a 12 meter-high bottle in Lusaka, Zambia, as part of its strategy to drive innovation and create impact within the market.

“Our ultimate intention is to dominate and break through the advertising clutter in Lusaka’s inner city, achieving top-of-mind brand awareness in the biggest way possible. We always strive for innovation across all media platforms including OOH. This is one of the biggest innovative executions in Zambia, providing an opportunity to target one of the busiest nodes in the city”, Shem Oluchiri, Media Manager of Coca Cola ECAF said. He added that, “Collaborating with Primedia Outdoor goes to show our confidence in their capability to deliver exciting and impactful billboard campaigns”.

Located on the busy, four-lane Kafue Road, this massive structure is made up of steel – welded directly onto a structural upright of Primedia Outdoor’s billboard. Commuters traveling into and out of the city will be met by this larger-than-life structure, creating spectacular impact. Tamara van Eeckhoven, COO of Primedia Outdoor (Rest of Africa) said, “We take pride in delivering memorable campaigns that come with rich brand experience and appealing creative execution for our clients. The dominance offered by this structure entrenches brand presence and momentously provides greater visual stand-out, particularly in a competitive market like Lusaka”.

This campaign significantly raises the profile of Primedia Outdoor as a market leader in Africa’s Out-of-Home space, through its comprehensive portfolio of traditional and digital advertising solutions. With an impressive coverage across nine African markets, Primedia Outdoor has positioned itself as a strong media business, delivering high-impact locations and products to increase market reach and execute cost-effective campaigns for brands.

ASIA NEWS

Thailand: The first launch of the OOH Audience Measurement in Thailand

Kinetic Worldwide (Thailand) LTD recently introduced a tool that which is able to generate the Out-of-Home (OOH) audience measurement in Reach and Frequency to their clients on March 5th , 2019 at Park Hyatt Bangkok.

Using the technology and measurement methodology which are the basis components to generate the Out-of-Home ratings. And also with the combinations of the Satellite imagery, Big Data from city traffic flows done by CUENDE Infometrics, and census data altogether in generating the numbers of reach and impression.

This audience measurement will help media agency to plan the OOH media more effectively and will generate the audience R&F reports the same as other media audience measurements such as TV rating, GRPs and CPRP.

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India: Is wall painting relevant in current OOH scenario?

In the age of DOOH, how relevant is wall painting to the overall OOH industry? This is a question that emerges particular in light of this year’s election promotion happening on the walls of West Bengal. The oldest form of outdoor promotion seems to be catching up amidst new-age fast-moving high-tech formats - whether it was by Star Gold Select HD promoting Mughal-E-Azam, or the recently done Fox Star Studios’ Alita Battle Angel movie promotion. In both these cases, highways and rural parts of the country were dominated by this format with new and creative elements.

Wall PaintingIt is indeed interesting to see that with the evolving OOH industry, the conventional wall painting has also taken a fresh avatar with digital wall painting.

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