EUROPE NEWS

Hungary: FEPE 56th Annual Congress in Budapest is now open for bookings!

The 56th FEPE Congress, titled "Your Audience is Waiting", will be held between Wednesday June 10th and Friday June 12th at the Intercontinental Hotel, Budapest.

As always there will be 2 full days of presentations and high calibre speakers from across the world, all of whom will be bringing their unique viewpoints on the Out of Home industry.

Last year's congress in Vienna was FEPE's best yet, with over 300 delegates attending from 31 countries, both new records for us.

There will be an exclusive exhibition area attached to the main congress hall, and spaces are now available to reserve. If you are a supplier who wishes to get your product in front of an audience of global OOH decision makers please email us soon so we can hold a space for you.

We have also decided to lower the price for exhibition spaces this year, to offer best value to our industry suppliers.

The Thursday night Gala Dinner, in keeping with the FEPE tradition of finding special locations, will be at the Buda Castle, (which is also the National Gallery) one of Budapest's foremost buildings, and the Friday night social evening will be at a dinner cruise down the river Danube, taking in all the sights of Budapest for 3 hours.

As usual we have negotiated a special delegate rate for the hotel rooms and delegates are able to pay by credit card or bank transfer, which we hope will make bookings easier for some overseas delegates.

Early bird registrations are now open until the end of February, which will allow delegates an extra €100 reduction regardless of FEPE membership status. Delegate fees are unchanged from last year (and several years before) at €1100 for members and €1600 for non members, plus the additional early bird reduction.

You can register by following the link on the FEPE homepage, here

FEPE members all receive an additional €500 discount so if you are considering attending with colleagues and are not a member, please get in touch so we can organise the most cost effective package for you.

Speakers and other details will be announced in future newsletters.

UK: JCDecaux pulls out of OMC

JCDecaux has pulled out of the Outdoor Media Centre, the industry trade body for outdoor media owners.

Although JCDecaux will not be part of the OMC it will continue to partner with the wider industry on initiatives such as Route, the audience measurement platform.

As one of the four council members JCDecaux has played a leading role in the body, which was called the Outdoor Advertising Association until a rebrand in 2011.

JCDecaux’s former chief executive of the UK, Northern Europe and Australia Jeremy Male was the OMC’s chair until he moved to the US to become the chief executive of CBS Outdoor.

Naren Patel, who replaced Male as chairman of the OMC and is the chief executive of Primesight said: "JCDecaux has been pivotal in building the momentum of out of home in the UK and we are sad and surprised that they have decided to leave the OMC as the industry is poised for significant growth as result of the investment in digital screens.

"The door will always remain open for them to return".

"The out of home industry is emerging as one of the most innovative, engaging and influential forms of advertising.

"On the back of huge investment, new technology and audience quality, out of home has enjoyed spectacular growth over the last ten years, and is now passing the billion pound mark in ad revenue.

In October the industry hired Mark Craze to conducted a review of the OMC's remit, ahead of the departure of the chief executive, Mike Baker.

The Lighthouse Company is in the process of recruiting a new chief executive and chairman.

Source

UK: JCDecaux launches South Bank SE1

A new digital Outdoor tower at the gateway to London’s West End

After the iconic Old Street EC1 launched with YouTube in October, JCDecaux, the UK’s leading Outdoor advertising company, has kick-started 2015 with the launch of a new digital Outdoor tower set in the cultural heart of London, South Bank SE1.

The gateway to the West End, South Bank SE1 is located on Waterloo Bridge and reaches desirable London audiences; from affluent commuters and South Londoners, to national and international visitors interested in arts and entertainment.

Audi, Sky Atlantic and Virgin Media are the launch brands on South Bank SE1, a state-of-the-art double-sided superstructure and the first location to launch as part of JCDecaux’s 2015 digital roadside investment.

Spencer Berwin, Managing Director – Sales, said: “I’m delighted we are launching this new tower in one of the key cultural hubs of London. South Bank SE1 will be one of the most sought-after DOOH locations in the capital as it provides advertisers with the opportunity to captivate a truly unique audience in South London.”

As part of its partnership with JCDecaux, Coin Street Community Builders, the social enterprise and development trust, will run content on South Bank SE1 to promote their redevelopments and events in the South Bank area.

Alison Pinner, Commercial Director of Coin Street, said: “We are proud to be embarking on an exciting new partnership with JCDecaux to further highlight South Bank as a vibrant and thriving destination as well as promote our key news and events in the local area using this new digital communications channel, South Bank SE1.”

UK: Clear Channel UK awarded the Glasgow Street Furniture

Clear Channel UK has been awarded the Glasgow Street Furniture contract by Glasgow City Council. The contract, which came into effect on 3rd January, is for a period of five years, with the option to extend for up to 60 months.

The out-of-home media owner, which currently operates street furniture contracts under its Adshel brand in over 300 local authorities, has been given the use of the advertising space located within 600 Glasgow City Council-owned bus shelters and is also responsible for their cleaning and maintenance.

As part of the contract, Clear Channel will upgrade 50 bus shelters with its Adshel Live digital screens. All city shelters will be fitted with Clear Channel’s ‘Connect’ Mobile Platform, allowing people to engage with advertisers by accessing interactive content via their smartphones, including games, vouchers and videos.

Dave Huckerby, Clear Channel Development Director, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Glasgow Street Furniture contract and are looking forward to maintaining the shelters, upgrading the paper estate and digitising fifty locations in the city to create new revenue streams.

We are excited to be working with Glasgow City Council to offer the people of Glasgow engaging advertising.”

Source

UK: Exterion Media hires bank to explore options-sources

Exterion Media Group, the European outdoor advertising company owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity LLC, is exploring strategic alternatives, including a major acquisition, according to people familiar with the matter.

Platinum Equity has hired Royal Bank of Canada to help identify the best option for Exterion, the people said this week. Acquiring the European assets of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc, alone or with a partner, is one possibility, the people added.

The sources asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. A Platinum Equity spokesman declined to comment, while representatives from Royal Bank of Canada and Exterion could not be immediately reached for comment.

Dealmaking in the outdoor advertising industry is on the rise because billboards are proving to be popular with local audiences even as other longtime regional advertising mainstays like newspapers and TV struggle to attract eyeballs.

The industry is dominated by large publicly traded companies as well as independently-run regional companies that are often owned by private equity funds.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc is selling its European assets, which could be valued at more than $2.5 billion, Reuters has previously reported. Private equity firms and outdoor rival JC Decaux SA are interested in buying it.

If Platinum does not buy Clear Channel Outdoor's European assets, it could look at other smaller acquisitions, a dividend recapitalization - in which a company borrows money to pay a dividend to stockholders - or other financing, the people said.

It could also explore selling itself, though this is not the main focus of the process, the people said. Platinum Equity acquired Exterion Media in September 2013 for $225 million from CBS Outdoor. It has billboards in London's underground and buses and in U.K. train stations.

It also serves advertisers in Ireland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and China, according to its website. It generates roughly $60 million to $70 million earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and could now be valued at 10 times that amount, according to the sources.

Source

AMERICAS NEWS

USA: What is out-of-home in a 'mobile' world?

By Josh Kruter, Vice President, Digital Product, Clear Channel Outdoor

With 65 percent-plus of the U.S. population smartphone-armed and dangerous, mobile technology has transformed the way people interact with the world and each other — and how brands engage with consumers who are, more than ever, on the go.

Marketers must not only keep up with this vast, rapidly evolving landscape but also discern what actually matters amidst the hype machine that frequently envelopes technology changes.

Herewith, some thoughts for successfully connecting mobile with out-of-home...

Please DON'T start with technology: People still come first

Winning brands don't chase technologies. It isn't about "I need an app ... beacon ... mobile video ... payments ... thing."

They start by asking, "Who am I?"; "What do I stand for?"; "Who are my customers?"; "What do they need/want?"; and "How do I find and serve them?"

Yes, the technologies we use ultimately matter. But they're the wizard behind the curtain, that we practitioners use to make magic once we know who our audiences are, what drives them and what actions we want them to take.

Know your audience(s), then take them on a journey

People live in the real world and connect to the digital. They use multiple screens. So brands need to decide what story to tell and how to tell it across these screens. They must ask, "How do I connect the platforms at my disposal to take my audiences into deeper engagement with my brand and what I want to sell them?"

There's a reason winning marketers — from savvy retailers to the world's tech giants, Apple and Google — have ramped their investments in out-of-home. They are spending above-average shares of their ad budgets on OOH, even as they do TV, online video, geo-located mobile and more. They get that "above-the-line" awareness drives action on other screens and at retail, where more personal engagement happens, last-mile decisions occur and dollars change hands.

These winners challenge themselves: "How can I use mobile to make my more general 'big screen' outdoor message personal? And how do I dynamically evolve my creative in both places to tell my story?"

They also get that, when their audiences want to engage in a conversation with them and with each other, it isn't enough to have that conversation on TwitterFaceStagram. The large screens of OOH can powerfully elevate the exchange to a real world celebration of "you" that has measurable reach and drives additional participation.

Be clear on what mobile's really changing (and what it's not)

Smartphones really have made us more mobile. They're untethering us from our desks and our couches, empowering us to be out and about far more than a decade ago.

Selfishly, as a member of the OOH industry — I love that. While the desktop Web gave the shiv to printed publications, what phones are actually cannibalizing is the desktop Web. Deep browsing at home is being replaced by multiple shorter engagements with sip-able and/or utilitarian content on the go. And more time on the go means more impressions for OOH ads.

Equally significantly, mobile is also changing what we can know about the audiences we seek to reach and when. Are the locations I'm using for OOH messaging really the best? Or, are there others I should also be thinking about? Did consumers actually see my message and then what actions did they take?

The data captured by the devices we carry reveal this, and more, in real time. When paired with the precise latitudes and longitudes that are fundamental attributes of all OOH inventory, whether digital or traditional… Well, suddenly these two media truly sound like they were made for each other.

Source

USA: L.A. bans alcohol ads on bus shelters, city property

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban alcohol advertising on bus shelters, benches and other city-owned property.

The measure’s supporters said the prohibition will curb the alcohol industry’s ability to entice young people into alcohol consumption.

Councilman Paul Koretz, one of the authors of the ban, said the city joins “Philadelphia and San Francisco in striking a blow against the presence of alcohol ads on city-owned and controlled property, including bus shelters used daily by young people in our city.”

The council voted 12-0 to approve the ordinance, which will now go to the mayor’s desk. If signed, the measure would make Los Angeles the most populous city in the country to prohibit alcohol advertising on city property, according to supporters.

Councilman Jose Huizar, an early backer of the ban when it was first suggested in 2011 by then-Councilmen Richard Alarcon, Tony Cardenas and Bill Rosendahl, said the ban “is a long time coming.”

Low-income and working communities in his council district — such as Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Highland Park — are “disproportionately” exposed to alcohol advertising, Huizar said.

Those are “proud communities that are improving, and these types of advertisements are not the kind of messages we want to send to kids on the Eastside, South LA. or any other low-income areas in the city of Los Angeles,” Huizar said.

Alcohol advertisements take up about 20 percent of the space offered on bus shelters and benches in five council districts surveyed by members of Alcohol Justice, which pushed for the ordinance.

The prohibition would apply to new advertising contracts, in particular those with the Bureau of Street Services which manages bus shelters and benches, but would not affect existing contracts. Alcohol Justice’s advocacy director, Jorge E. Castillo, said the city currently has about seven years left on a contract with outdoor advertising company JCDecaux.

Full story here

USA: GTCR Partners with Adams Outdoor Advertising to Acquire Fairway Media Group

GTCR, a leading private equity firm, today announced it has partnered with Adams Outdoor Advertising (“Adams Outdoor”) to acquire Fairway Media Group, LLC (“Fairway”) from ACON Investments and MidOcean Partners. Fairway is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the United States, operating approximately 20,000 bulletins, posters and digital billboard faces across key metro areas in the Southeast, Southwest and Midwest regions.

The investment in Fairway illustrates GTCR’s focus on partnering with outstanding management teams to acquire and grow market-leading companies. Since 1983, Adams Outdoor has been a preeminent provider of outdoor advertising solutions and has reinvented outdoor into the advertising medium of choice for its clients. GTCR is partnering with Adams Outdoor, Adams Outdoor CEO Kevin Gleason, Adams Outdoor CFO Abe Levine and existing Fairway management to enhance Fairway’s strong customer relationships and further expand its outdoor advertising offerings.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Adams Outdoor in this transaction,” said David Donnini, Managing Director at GTCR. “Kevin Gleason and Abe Levine are proven veterans of the outdoor advertising industry, and we look forward to working with them to continue building a leading outdoor advertising franchise at Fairway.”

“Fairway is a great company with strong market presence and high quality assets in attractive, fast-growing economies,” said Kevin Gleason, CEO of Adams Outdoor. “I am excited about the opportunity to work with GTCR to build on the success that Fairway has achieved to date, and to continue to serve its customers, employees and communities.”

“Kevin and Abe have an exceptional track record in operating and managing outdoor advertising companies, and this transaction demonstrates GTCR’s commitment to finding creative ways to partner with leading management teams,” said Craig Bondy, Managing Director at GTCR. “Fairway is a unique asset within the outdoor advertising industry, and we look forward to supporting the growth opportunities available through acquisitions and internal investments.”

GTCR’s investment in Fairway was funded from GTCR Fund XI, a private equity fund raised in 2014 with $3.85 billion of limited partner equity capital commitments. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. served as M&A advisor to GTCR, Stephen McNeely of Tantara Capital Partners, Inc. served as an industry advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to GTCR. Newstone Capital Partners provided mezzanine debt financing in connection with the transaction.

Adams Outdoor will assume a minority ownership stake in Fairway. Moelis & Company LLC served as financial advisor to Fairway, and Hogan Lovells US LLP served as its legal advisor.

Source

USA: Top 5 Trends in Digital Out of Home

We tend to spend a lot of time outside and on-the-go, getting from one place to the next. It’s no surprise, then, that the average global consumer is exposed to various Digital Out of Home Media for 14 minutes per week, and investments in the space are expected to grow 14.2% year-over-year between 2011 - 2017. New York City’s Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan has recently reopened, accommodating up to 300,000 daily riders and boasting more than 50 digital screens available for marketers. The largest and most expensive digital billboard debuted in Times Square this past November, with just as many pedestrians expected to pass though the area daily. The overlapping powers of digital, mobile, outdoor, and Out of Home content seem to be stepping up.

Digital Out of Home (or “DOOH” as the channel is commonly referred) encompasses a variety of screen shapes, sizes, and levels of interactivity. From digital billboards and signs on taxis, to digital signage at airport gates and gyms and waiting rooms, these varieties underline a necessary bridge between context and location in relevance and favorable recall - vital components of any media campaign. The IAB sees norms and expectations from the online advertising world informing and expediting the growth of DOOH, and the IAB’s Digital Out of Home Taskforce launched this past fall with aims to define the DOOH channel while positioning its place within the larger interactive advertising industry.

1. Cross-platform targeting opportunities are on the rise.

As mobile devices become more advanced and ubiquitous, the proliferation of captive digital screens in home and out of home has been growing. Interactions with consumers have become more prominent via new mobile technologies like NFC, beacons and more accurate geofencing capabilities. Such technologies may allow a marketer to personalize the consumer’s experience and even allow for immediate interaction.

2. DOOH will provide increasingly relevant messages in locations that matter.

The amount of time spent outside and in transit is increasing in many regions. New forms of targeting and subsets have made the art of reaching specific audience segments in ideal locations easier - and in our highly distracted modern experience, a consumer’s receptivity to new concepts outside the home can be highly impactful. In fact, a recent study by YuMe and IPG Media Lab found that consumers are 41% more receptive to advertising in public places than at home, and 16% more receptive at school/work than at home. As a consumer, the device you carry with you creates a natural tie-in to your visual experience outdoors, and relevant DOOH messages enhance the value via existing screens throughout popular locations.

3. Data is (literally) where it’s at, locally and programmatically.

According to BIA/Kelsey, marketers spent $1.4 billion on location-targeted mobile campaigns in 2012. By 2017, spending on location-targeted mobile advertising will reach $10.8 billion, representing a 52% share of all mobile ad dollars. (In fact, next month the IAB’s Location Data Working Group will release a primer on using location data for attribution and ad effectiveness.) DOOH is benefiting from this rapidly growing segment, using big data to reach the same mobile consumer on larger, higher impact screens and enabling marketers to craft cross-screen, location-based strategies to maximize the impact of advertising to consumers outside the home. At the same time, finding scale and ease of buying in DOOH is being made easier through programmatic conversations and data-driven media buying. Programmatic solutions are developing in DOOH, and are leading to a deeper connection with the mobile and interactive marketplaces. Programmatic DOOH has the potential to drive standardization and reduce overall fragmentation in the marketplace. The 1st and 3rd party data sets that allow buyers and sellers to better define audiences exposed to DOOH media is also rapidly evolving. Programmatic bidding enables buyers to more accurately target the most appropriate audience, while sellers benefit from yield optimization of their media assets.

Full article here

AFRICA NEWS

Nigeria: Saving Lagos From Defacement

Just a few years back, the Lagos State government through the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA), began a heavy clampdown on individuals, organisations, religious bodies, and other privately owned bodies who defaced Lagos walls or buildings with posters, in a bid to protect the environment.

Presently however, those in the corridors of power appear to be breaking the same law with election campaign posters brandied at every street corner, wall, and on every available space around the metropolis.

At many of the popular bus-stops around the city, it is not uncommon to find election campaign posters of incumbent government officials or other individuals aspiring into government offices openly flouting the law against defacing Lagos State with such posters, a paradox that only raises the question of what LASAA is doing to combat the menace.

LASAA was established by the Lagos State Structure for Signage and Advertisement Law 2006, and is responsible for the management, regulation and control of the branding opportunities, signage and outdoor advertising environment of Lagos State.

The agency is also in charge of issuing licences and permits for the construction and placement of outdoor structures in any part of the state, and also controls the number, size and location of outdoor structures.

It also ensures that such structures are compatible with surrounding land uses and environment and further ensure the beautification of the immediate surrounding and vicinity of the advertisement, whilst ensuring the adverts are maintained or removed when no longer in use to avoid potential damages to lives and properties. According to the agency, outdoor signage and pasting of posters should not necessarily deface the state, but should be used as a platform for supporting infrastructural developments.

"The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency believes that outdoor advertisement medium can be used as a tool for supporting infrastructural developments. For advertisements to run from dusk to dawn, infrastructures that support the outdoor medium of outdoor advertising must be functional.

"In this wise, LASSA is involved in the provision of infrastructures which promotes good advertisements. This includes Street lights, Bus Shelters etc. the street light advertisement project for example guarantees illumination on our major roads 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Revenues generated from such advertisement will support the maintenance of such streetlight lamp poles", it added.

According to the agency's website, structures or advertisements that will be painted or posted on a wall, are designed or intended for a short period of time shall require due registration with the agency.

But with general elections around the corner, and electoral campaigns in full swing already, many politicians have formed the habit of printing election posters and pasting them all around Lagos in order to attract potential voters with disregard for LASAA law.

In Lagos, there are numerous political offices that are being vied for by the aspirants, from councillorship at the local government level to various federal level positions. Also, pulling much weight is the position of president and governor of Lagos State. To create publicity and generate awareness, a ready-made option for most aspirants has always been through election campaign posters which are posted on street walls, streetlights, pavements, electrical poles, on bridges, residential buildings and office gates, and every other imaginable space.

Full article here

South Africa: Things to look out for in 2015

2015 is going to be another tough year for the media industry and out of home would not escape the realities of the South African economy. Here are a couple markers to look out for and maybe some revision of old practices that might create opportunities. Welcome to 2015.

The local economy

The South African economy is facing tough times in light of the poor performance of the government. The ANC led government rhetoric will shift left to gain lost ground from the EFF. This will influence investor confidence and put pressure on the Rand. Coupled with the ESCOM crisis, any gains from a lower oil price will be nullified by a continuing falling rand.

It is believed that South Africa is at a tipping point and if confidence in Africa’s second largest economy is not restored soon we won’t escape the consequential down grading by rating agencies which will increase our national debt to nearly uncontrollable levels. If the Rand reaches a new high (or is it low) against the US$ this year it could trigger a mini collapse of the South African economy.

The above-mentioned factors will also depress advertising spend as companies tighten their belts. However be on the look out for savvy companies that will see the opportunity to increase market share with lower rates and downscaling of competitors advertising placing.

The local media environment

The local media environment would still be in some turmoil due to the growth of online media. Print media would continue its decline. It is in this segment that opportunity lies, but don’t rely on the ad agencies to bring the budget to outdoor. It will go to TV. A direct approach to advertisers should be a priority approach by outdoor companies to lure the traditional budgets for print media to the outdoor segment. For this you would need data – so start compiling data about your billboard to make a convincing argument.

There are a host of advertisers that are not in the mainstream media financial cycle - the below R10 million a year club. These companies should be persuaded to turn some of their budget to outdoor advertising.

The time for order taking has come and gone. The outdoor industry will have to work harder for their share of the advertising cake. The industry will have to get its research up and running so as to provide advertisers with valuable data about the effectiveness of the medium. We al know it works – why can’t we persuade our clients of that as well.

Welcome to 2015.

Source

AUSTRALIA NEWS

Australia: Unprecedented growth: confirming Out-of-Home is the place to be

The Australian Out-of-Home (OOH) industry experienced unprecedented growth in 2014 posting a 10.0% overall increase on net revenue year on year, taking the industry’s net revenue to $602.1 million, up from $547.6* million in 2013.

“We are thrilled with the result of 2014, solidifying the value of Outdoor in the media plan. This is our fifth year of growth since we recovered from the GFC in 2010, which also coincided with the launch of MOVE, our audience measurement system,” said Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of the Outdoor Media Association (OMA).

“MOVE (Measurement of Outdoor Visibility and Exposure) has proven to be a sound investment, providing a currency for Outdoor and allowing media buyers and advertisers to validate decisions with accurate reach and frequency,” Moldrich said “MOVE is able to show the efficiency of the medium, and our continual updates and software development ensures accuracy in measurement and ease of use.”

In tracking the growth of OOH across 2014, there was a modest start with a 1.8%* year on year increase for quarter one, which picked up substantially in quarter two with an 8.9%* increase from the same period in 2013.

The industry hit its stride over winter showing an 11.6%* increase for quarter three which was followed by extraordinary growth in quarter four of 15.6%, compared to the same quarter in 2013. The industry has undergone phenomenal change in 2014 growing digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) inventory which now represents 18.8% of revenue, reflecting a 66% increase from 2013 (11.3%).

OOH audiences are also growing. In 2014, MOVE reported an increase of 3.6% in total daily contacts measured, totalling 400 million up from 386 million in 2013. People are travelling further each day and spending an average of 14 hours travelling and shopping each week. In light of this, Australians are now likely to see an average of 26 advertising faces each day.

“What is so exciting about the 2014 results is that we are seeing growth across all formats. Technology is driving some of this, with the uptake of digital and mobile integration, but traditional, static formats are winning too. The potential for Outdoor to innovate and engage with consumers is really compelling, while the broadcast story remains strong,” said Moldrich.

“The OOH industry continues to deliver healthy results and evolve at the pace that audiences are demanding – and we have plans for further advancements in 2015. Watch this space,” said Moldrich.

Category totals for 2014**:

• Roadside Billboards (over and under 25 square metres) $197.8 million

• Roadside Other (street furniture, taxis, bus/tram externals, small format) $199.7 million

• Transport (including airports) $106.1 million

• Retail $98.5 million

Category figures for Quarter Four 2014**:

• Roadside Billboards (over and under 25 square metres) $60.9 million • Roadside Other (street furniture, taxis, bus/tram externals, small format) $60.2 million

• Transport (including airports) $37.1 million

• Retail $31.5 million

*Figures have been adjusted from previously reported 2013/2014 revenue to reflect changes in OMA membership, allowing direct comparisons in revenue year-on-year.

**Figures may not add to total due to rounding.

MIDDLE EAST NEWS

UAE: Posterscope promotes Abdallah Saab to general manager

Posterscope, a part of the Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has announced the promotion of Abdallah Saab to general manager, a newly created position.

He was business development director prior to the promotion, and had spent the preceding seven years working for DAN agency Carat.

Saab will continue his business development responsibilities in this new role, but will also focus on enhancing Posterscope’s offerings and driving the strategic direction of the business, informed an agency statement. It listed his responsibilities as including exploring new technologies, relationships and partnerships to meet the needs of the evolving out?of?home marketplace.

On Saab’s appointment, Michael Nederlof, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network MENA, said, “Posterscope’s success is driven by consumer insight, innovation and market intelligence. With more than a decade of experience within our network, and unrivalled expertise in the region’s media, Abdallah is the perfect person to lead Posterscope, and I am sure he will deliver a positive business advantage to both our network and his growing portfolio of clients.”

“Posterscope has grown at a phenomenal rate since we launched in 2013. We knew the OOH market in the Middle East was developing fast but there are now even more integrated opportunities for OOH with search, social, mobile, content and transactional properties,” he added.

Posterscope’s airport specialist division, PSI, has contributed significantly to the company’s double digit growth as the UAE travel market continues to boom, according to the agency.

Saab said, “Consumers are more connected while outdoors than ever before; this dynamic creates a tremendous opportunity for out-of-home to play a crucial role in solving our clients’ business challenges. I look forward to working with our clients and our partners to continue to evolve the Posterscope offering and drive innovation across out-of-home and the industry as a whole.”

Posterscope is responsible for all OOH activities for clients of DAN agencies Carat and Vizeum. It also works with other agency groups and with clients directly.

Source

ASIA NEWS

India: Times OOH bags ad rights for 156 Delhi bus shelters

Times OOH has won the contract for advertising rights for 156 Bus Queue Shelters (BQS) in Delhi for seven years.

The contract has the provision of getting an extension for another three years.

These bus shelters are spread throughout Delhi and cover strategic locations like North Delhi University Campus, Akshardham Temple, Pragati Maidan, Vasant Kunj, Dhaula Kuan, East Delhi. Times OOH already has outdoor advertisement rights in Delhi-NCR area at Delhi Airport, DND Expressway, Yamuna Expressway and Delhi Metro.

Times OOH also has the advertising rights at Mumbai and Delhi airports, as well as exclusive rights on Mumbai Metro One.

A FICCI-KPMG media and entertainment report stated that the Indian OOH industry was worth Rs 1,930 crore in 2013, and is estimated to grow at 9.2% over the next few years. The contract was tendered by Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation.

Source