EUROPE NEWS

FEPE 56th International Congress: Inaugural FEPE International Leadership Award goes to Francois de Gaspe Beaubien

As also reported last week, FEPE held its inaugural awards ceremony at the 56th Annual FEPE Congress in Budapest on 11th June 2015, the first in its 56 year history.

FEPE International’s president Antonio Vincenti said: ‘Since it’s FEPE’s mission to advocate and promote the OOH industry it is time we had a system to recognise the outstanding individuals and leaders which drive our industry and which ensure its brilliant future.”

The FEPE International Leadership award was presented to Francois de Gaspe Beaubien, owner of Zoom Media and Executive Chairman of Ayuda, one of the leading global ad tech companies for digital and static OOH. de Gaspe Beaubien was awarded for his “pioneering approach to OOH - someone who is an inspiration to others.”

Francois added "I am honored and very touched. We are entering a new era in OOH, one which is going to be far more data driven. OOH is going to be one of the most innovative mediums in the years ahead. I could not be more thrilled to be a part of this industry."

FEPE would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who made the Budapest event so successful and memorable.

We had 2 days of thought-provoking content from our speakers, including UK Advertising legend Dave Trott along with a fantastic Gala Dinner at the Buda Castle and our inaugeral FEPE Awards, as mentioned previously and a very fun night out on Friday including special musical perfomances from FEPE Board members, staff and selected delegates!

All of the video content and presentation material will be available to members and attendees very soon and all photographs are currently being uploaded to the public area of our website.

Please bear with us while we get all the content arranged and uploaded. When it is ready for viewing we'll send out an email with login and password details.

Europe: 'It’s about the here and now' – Jean-Charles Decaux on transforming our cities with digital out-of-home

Smart outdoor advertising, combined with mobile connectivity and programmatic media, is reinventing the spaces we live in. Stephen Lepitak speaks to Jean-Charles Decaux to find out how his company is leading the charge.

Society as a whole has benefited from the evolution of mobile communications and the ability to link the world through online platforms. Mobile usage rises increasingly year-on-year, especially within urban environments, and with the emergence of 4G connectivity – and, going forward, 5G – this is only going to intensify. Increasingly sophisticated digital out-of-home (OOH) technology is changing the role of the billboard, be it from digital billboards which can be altered in seconds to generate news trending messages, programmatic adverts that will only display certain messages depending on the temperature or location, or push messages sent directly to the phones and watches of people passing by.

We now live in an age in which OOH advertising can both exploit and aid consumers. The possibilities of engaging directly with the public and informing them in real-time of news, brand messaging and nearby discount opportunities can benefit both mass society as well as brands.

“A brand offering its audience to watch its latest exclusive video, prompted by an OOH campaign, needs to make sure that its targets can actually access the brand’s content,” explains Jean-Charles Decaux, co-chief executive of multinational outdoor advertising business JCDecaux.

“It’s about the here and now – enabling the public to interact with brands wherever they are, whether on the move in a city, a transport hub, an airport.”

According to Decaux, his company is working on better connecting cities and offering telcos the ability to improve local mobile connectivity in order to build better city connectivity. “The dizzying speed at which mobile data consumption is increasing, especially in public spaces, demands that local connectivity be improved,” he says.

Full article here

UK: Benefits of ownership see Bullring Shopping Centre invest in second ADI screen

The Bullring shopping centre have enhanced their digital media portfolio with investment in a second LED screen from the UK’s leading name in LED technology, ADI. The financial and experiential value derived from their initial LED display – installed in December 2012 – encouraged the Bullring to procure an additional large format screen for the Upper Mall East which will also be utilised purely for advertising purposes.

Identical to ADI’s first 23m² installation at the Bullring’s Upper Mall West, the 6mm SMD screen displays full-motion advertising increasing exposure for brand advertisers who can now target shoppers as they pass through both main thoroughfares of the Bullring’s Upper Level and engages with them when they are in the ideal mind-set to purchase.

Benefits of Media Screen Ownership

The value placed on digital media allows Landlords to calculate return on investment of screens relatively easily. By choosing to own the technology and contracted airtime to a third party agency it allows shopping centres to set projected time frames to achieve target revenues. This has encouraged a number of malls across the country to adopt the same business model.

Nita Chambers, Head of Commercialisation at the Bullring Shopping Centre commented, “When we investigated the original screen installation in 2012 we were faced with two choices: A) A screen that’s solely agency-owned or B) Making the investment ourselves in an ADI screen, which allowed us to choose our media partner and ultimately choose what would be broadcast. We chose the latter option which has been successful for Bullring and has led us to add a further screen.”

She added, “ADI have been hugely impressive. The quality of the screen speaks for itself, but their ongoing support and service & maintenance has made ownership a pleasure and also meant that ADI were the natural choice of supplier when we looked to add a further screen to our centre’s digital portfolio.”

Drew Burrow, ADI’s Business Development Manager, added, “The model of screen ownership has proven to be both viable and lucrative for shopping centres, particularly those in the top-tier, where brands are keen to target their desirable audiences of receptive consumers. ADI have worked with more than 10 centres who have chosen to make this investment, and all of our clients have recovered their costs within a 12-18 month period; with a lifespan of 8-10 years they can look forward to a very profitable asset in the coming years.

We are now finding that many smaller centres are keen to explore large screen ownership and we hope to replicate a similar model at additional centres across the country.”

Poland: Eco-posters grow in Poland

On the streets of Warsaw and Krakow, there appeared eco-friendly outdoor creations by Kropla Beskidu. 30% of the billboard are living plants. They are to promote the PlantBottle, the bottle one third of which is made from plant-based material, launched by the brand at the end of March this year.

The campaign also promoted eco-friendly behaviors, protecting the environment and careful use of natural resources. Under the motto ‘30% matters’, the green wall constitutes 30% of the total surface. On one square meter, they planted about one hundred seedlings.

To build the green wall, they used different plant species, including oregano and thyme. The wall needs about 200 liters of water a day.

The system used to water the plants consists of solar-powered pumps with a closed water circulation system. To boost plant growth, they also used natural fertilizers.

After the exposition, all plants will be replanted and then continue to clean polluted air. This eco-friendly outdoor exposition was displayed in Warsaw and Krakow.

Also, the campaign of Kropla Beskidu was expanded by using standard carriers. The brand is planning to re-use the material used to make the billboards under the so-called advertcycling activity. The stores will offer POS materials made from such recycled material.

The campaign was carried out by ad i media Group upon request of MediaCom Warszawa media house.

Switzerland: APG|SGA expands and optimizes its digital offering (eBoard) at Switzerland's biggest railway stations

Following a successful test phase at Neuchâtel station, SBB is gradually replacing its conventional departure boards with modern LED boards at a total of 17 stations. The new digital departure boards will also have a large-format Rail eBoard providing advertising space. APG|SGA is thus greatly expanding and strengthening its offering at railway stations.

In cooperation with APG|SGA, SBB is replacing the blue mechanical split-flap displays at 17 stations with modern LED display boards by the end of 2015. SBB is the first public transport company to use LED technology on this scale to provide clear, visual customer information.

Following the successful test phase in Neuchâtel, more stations will be equipped with the digital «SBB main information board» together with a separate APG|SGA advertising board (Rail eBoard) over the course of the year.

This will create attractive new advertising platforms in central locations at the following stations: Aarau, Basel SBB, Berne, Biel, Brig, Chur, Fribourg, Geneva Airport, Geneva Cornavin, Lausanne, Lucerne, Neuchâtel (in place since 2014), Olten, St. Gallen (from 2017), Winterthur and Zurich HB.

The key benefits

SBB's new LED display boards will be located at the centre of the main station concourse and provide dynamic, flexible and faster customer information. They are one of the most popular sources of information for passengers. The premium placement of these integrated digital Rail eBoards means that they attract even more attention.

They are largely replacing the existing sites and optimizing the successful eBoard offering through the addition of further stations. Cost-effective weekly bookings are available for the target group-specific time periods «Daytime network, "Primetime" in the morning or evening, "Shopping" and "Nightlife".

The product range will become even more attractive and flexible in 2016 with the option of daily bookings.

APG|SGA Rail was responsible for integrating these boards into the existing range. Sales and digital product advice services are managed by APG|SGA, Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft AG.

Europe: In Europe, creating a post-gender world one small rule at a time

BERLIN — Caitlyn Jenner may have given Americans a crash course in transgender acceptance. But progressive pockets of Europe are moving toward an even higher plane — embracing what advocates describe as a post-gender world that critics say is leaving no room for women to be women and men to be men.

In Berlin, for instance, fresh rules for billboard ads in a district of the liberal German capital read like a new constitution for a land without gender identity. Girls in pink “with dolls” are basically out, as are boys in blue playing “with technical toys.” In ads showing both adult women and men, females cannot be depicted as “hysterical,” “stupid” or “naive” alongside men presented as “technically skilled,” “strong” or “business savvy.”

Adult women — featured alone or otherwise — must not be shown “occupied in the household with pleasure.” And in one stipulation pounced upon by critics, the equal-opportunity board of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg — home to Checkpoint Charlie and remnants of the Berlin Wall — no longer wants to see images of women “smiling for no reason.”

“Women are always portrayed in a nice, easygoing way, and that is what we do not want,” complained Petra Koch-Knöbel, head of the committee that drafted the new rules that went into effect in April for 28 billboards leased out by the district.

The board is now pushing to expand the policy to privately owned sites. Detractors call it further evidence of an assault in Europe on gender roles that, some claim, is especially targeting heterosexual men.

Facetiously celebrating the benefit of the new ad rules for men, Die Zeit newspaper columnist Harald Martenstein wrote, “We are allowed to smile where and whenever we want, even while doing the dishes.”

Full article here

UK: Lucozade campaign syncs outdoor and radio advertising

In a UK media first, Primesight, GTN and MediaCom are launching a national real-time campaign for Lucozade Energy, which will see digital outdoor ads synchronised with radio spots.

Between 17 and 26 June, out-of-home advertising will appear across Primesight's new digital 48-sheet network in tandem with GTN radio spots, meaning that drivers will see and hear Lucozade Energy's 'Find Your Flow' messaging while travelling.

Radio ads will also broadcast solus and adjacent to GTN's traffic and travel bulletins on all major radio groups and stations including Global, Bauer, Absolute Radio and talkSPORT.

"This campaign shows what out-of-home is capable of when it comes to real time marketing opportunities and partnerships with other media channels," said Nigel Fung, group business director at Primesight. "OOH is one of the most flexible and adaptable media channels the industry has to offer."

Gill Reid, head of out-of-home at MediaCom, added: "We are always trying to push the boundaries in DOOH, whilst ensuring that it drives engagement and relevance.

"This is a great example of how this can be landed in the real world and across platforms."

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AMERICAS NEWS

USA: Out of home warms up with spring

With more time spent outdoors comes greater spending on OOH

When the temperatures finally began to rise in May following a brutal winter, people headed outside. Advertisers were right there with them.

In May out of home advertising shot up by 8 percent compared to the same time last year, according to data from Standard Media Index, which tracks ad spending on the part of 80 percent of U.S. agencies.

That was much faster than the 2 percent growth pace for overall advertising last month. OOH was the second-fastest-growing medium, behind only digital, which once again led the month with a 24 percent growth rate. SMI found the OOH growth was led by four major categories: pharmaceuticals, financial services and insurance, consumer electronics and media.

The latter two were up 16 percent over last year, while financial grew 25 percent. Pharmaceuticals saw the biggest gain, soaring 76 percent. Two factors were behind the May surge, and certainly one was pent up demand on the part of advertisers, who held back spending in the first quarter because of the bad weather.

Second was the healthy pace of OOH advertising, which has been running in the range of 5 percent growth over recent years. As noted, the only medium to outperform OOH in May was digital. SMI noted a 56 percent surge in social media spending. Nearly half of all digital spending was bought programmatically.

Digital’s share of total advertising has increased to 30 percent this year, growing by 5 percentage points over the same time last year.

Clearly some of that is flowing directly from traditional media.

Full article and figures here

USA: JetBlue lands engagement with digital signage 'Wingman'

If a digital out-of-home campaign can get people to do the "The Robot" — or even take off their shirt — on a New York City sidewalk, that campaign just might be onto something in terms of interactive consumer engagement.

In a recent spate of promotions aimed at highlighting JetBlue Airways' robust route and product offerings on the east coast, Pearl Media partnered with Mullen Lowe U.S. to deliver a trio of differentiated and unexpected brand experiences, according to a recent announcement from Pearl Media.

Each brand experience was designed to be infused with JetBlue's brand mission to inspire humanity at every touchpoint, the company said. JetBlue Airways, known as "New York's Hometown Airline," also is a leading carrier in the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood area of Florida, and the engagements captured viewers in both the Empire and Sunshine states, according to the announcement.

One of the featured experiences, Wingman, created a virtual storefront display through which customers were surprised by a real-time interaction with a JetBlue crewmember. "We are always looking for unique ways to entertain and educate our customers," said Phillip Ma, JetBlue's manager of advertising, in the announcement.

"To maximize our creative work with Mullen, we partnered with an innovative media production company like Pearl to create rich experiences in New York and Florida that enabled us to reach our customers on the ground. These delivered on the fun factor and illustrated our core brand story and mission."

"From the edgy approach of using a live crewmember to engage with busy New Yorkers to a fun and interactive game for Florida mall shoppers, these activations were all designed to break demanding travelers out of their familiar patterns and deliver imaginative experiences in line with the JetBlue brand," Pearl Media CEO Josh Cohen said in the announcement.

Watch the video here

Full story here

Canada: Astral Out of Home Awarded Advertising Contract for Vancouver International Airport

Astral Out of Home last week that it has been awarded the advertising contract for Vancouver International Airport (YVR), which sees 19 million in passenger traffic annually.

This new deal adds to previous contracts awarded for Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Québec City Jean Lesage international airports, as well as recent agreements under which Astral Out of Home will serve the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. "This agreement marks an important milestone in our national development strategy," said Luc Quétel, President, Astral Out of Home.

"Vancouver represents a highly strategic market with great potential for business opportunities. YVR is the main gateway to Asia from North America, and therefore a choice venue for advertisers looking to reach a privileged clientele."

The eight-year contract will take effect on July 1, 2015, and brings Astral Out of Home's reach in key international airports across Canada to nearly 40 million passengers annually. Astral Out of Home's primary YVR mandate is to enhance and modernize the advertising offering, by developing new and unique products in relation to the visual signature of the airport, with a blend of impact, flexibility, and elegance. These innovative products combine static and digital displays, demonstrating Astral Out of Home's know-how and expertise.

Advertising sales and customer service will be managed through Astral Out of Home's Vancouver office, which already manages out-of-home sales in the region. "Vancouver Airport Authority has selected our proposal in part due to the quality of our digital offering and our expertise in design and integration," said Benjamin Mathieu, Astral Out of Home's Director, Business Development, Transportation, and Technologies.

"Thanks to the quality of the experience offered to its customers, Vancouver International Airport has been ranked the #1 airport in North America for the past six years, according to the Skytrax ranking.

It was therefore essential to preserve the specific architectural harmony of the airport by developing customized display structures, so that they are perfectly integrated with the airport's layout while creating added value to the customer experience."

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AFRICA NEWS

South Africa: JCDecaux has completed the acquisition of Continental Outdoor Media

JCDecaux has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Continental Outdoor Media, the leader in outdoor advertising in Africa, in partnership with a community owned investment company, Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), with a shareholding split of 70/30.

RBH’s long-term investment approach, coupled with their commitment to the African markets resonated with JCDecaux, leading to the formation of this strategic partnership which leverages the strengths of both partners.

With more than 36,000 advertising panels and a presence in 16 countries (Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), JCDecaux becomes the number one outdoor advertising company in Africa.

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ASIA NEWS

Singapore: MediaCorp’s OOH Media expands to additional 20 locations

MediaCorp’s OOH Media has rolled out additional 20 Opti-Prime locations in city fringe and suburban areas, owning a total of 40 Opti-Prime locations including the Orchard and city areas. According to Nielsen SOARi, OOH Media’s networks are able to reach out to more than 90% of PMEBs, youths, women, men and parents.

These would be further reinforced with the additional Opti-Primes at populous locations, with high traffic of people. Advertisers will now have more choices in extending their brand presence and engagement with different groups of people.

Opti-Prime is made up of four different formats namely, 12-sheets at the back of the shelter, and 4 Prime, Digiboard and Digi6. The 4 Prime static measuring 1.65 x 1.55m, provides a medium for advertisers to engage audiences within the shelter. The Digiboard, measuring 1.08 x 1.01m is suitable for zonal activation with short and attention-grabbing tagline for audiences to take action, ideally used with the TVC on the digital screen to support the advertisement to provide audiences with more information on the product or brand. Measuring 0.72 x 1.28m, the Digi6 can be used to augment the 6 Sheet poster network with its ability to include elements of movement to breathe “life” into an otherwise static poster.

Located at strategic path-to-purchase locations, these new formats help to seal the last mile marketing frontier from home to store.

The digital offering enables consistent engagement from home to out-of-home with the ability to push ads simultaneously with print and time belt scheduling. Henry Goh, head of MediaCorp OOH Media said, “Our networks of Opti-Primes will help give advertisers more opportunities to reach out to a wider range of commuters at locations with high dwell time.”

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