FEPE NEWS

57th FEPE Congress in Barcelona: Congress Hotel is Full!

The FEPE Congress hotel, the Crowne Plaza Fira Center, is now fully booked.

However, we have secured another overflow location within walking distance of the Congress, a 4 Star Hotel, the HOTEL CATALONIA BARCELONA PLAZA located in Plaça Espanya. Rooms all include breakfast and Wi-Fi for a similar price.

We are now finalising the last details of the 2016 Barcelona programme. A pdf version will be available to download in the near future.

Other additions to the programme of speakers and panel members we can announce are Shinji Abe and Ichiro Jinnai of Dentsu, Benjamin Milne of Posterscope Japan and James Mitchell of Mcgarrybowen.

Mr Abe and Benjamin Milne will be presenting with Annie Rickard and Ichiro Jinnai to give us valuable insights into the Japanese OOH market.

Christian von den Brincken of Ströer will be moderating our panel on Smart Cities, with a panel including Brian Dusho of Civiq, Daniel Parisien of General.run and Bill Derrenger, Vice President of Southern Europe, Clear Channel

Brand Planner James Mitchell will be taking part in the adblocking/audience panel. We still have some availability at The Crowne Plaza but room availability is not infinite. We recommend booking as soon as possible if you wishto take advantage of our special rate.

Speakers and panel members already confirmed are Kester Fielding of Bacardi and Stephen Sargeant of Diageo, Tom Goodwin, James Murphy, Michel Sara, Mark Boidman, Bob Wootton, Annie Rickard, Abe San (Dentsu), Ben Milne (Dentsu), James Mitchell, (Mcgarrybowen) Nancy Fletcher, Rosanne Caron, Noomi Mehta, Alan Brydon, Mark Craze, Tim Bleakley of Ocean Outdoor and Charmaine Moldrich.

FEPE Board members including Matthew Dearden, Christian Schmalzl, John Ellery, Shaun Gregory and Brendon Cook will also be moderating panels and facilitating sessions along with FEPE President Antonio Vincenti.

The Gala Dinner will be held at the Codorniu wine making facility, just outside Barcelona. Codorníu is synonymous to the history of a family of winegrowers which goes back to the XVI century. It is the oldest family business in Spain and one of the oldest in the world. It now has 450 years of history behind it.

The 57th FEPE Congress, which will be held between Wednesday June 1st and Friday June 3rd 2016 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Fira Center, Barcelona.

One or two exhibition places are still available, so please get in touch if you wish to showcase your company and products in front of a high level audience of OOH professionals.

The link for the booking form can be found on the FEPE Homepage, at www.worldooh.org

Further details will be announced in future newsletters.

UK: Pioneering Study Reveals Out of Home Drives Significant Uplift in Smartphone Brand Action

A new study released today from Outsmart, the marketing body for Out of Home (OOH), reveals that OOH activity drives +17% uplift in smartphone brand actions. ‘OutPerform’ is its first major study since opening doors in September 2015.

Outsmart joined forces with leading market researchers, Ipsos and OOH industry measurement body, Route, to explore how the medium performs in today’s connected world, especially with the proliferation of the smartphone.

The groundbreaking study, believed to be the biggest of its kind, investigated how public journeys can become personal stories among 16-44 year olds in the UK.

The results also show that the uplift in smartphone brand action increases to 38% among the top 20 best performing campaigns within the study and even higher for Millennial and Gen Z audiences.

Results demonstrate that OOH converts brand advertising into brand behaviour, revealing 66% of smartphone actions are direct to brand, such as a search query or website visit.

Furthermore, 57% of respondents that took action were new or lapsed customers, highlighting the power of OOH for brands seeking growth by reaching a wider group of consumers beyond the core buyer.

Full story here

UK: Ocean extends The Grid as Britain’s DOOH gateway to mobile consumers

Digital out of home media owner Ocean has doubled the size of its full motion city centre screen portfolio to reach 15 million people across seven of the biggest British cities.

The Grid, which now encompasses 14 large format digital screens in handpicked locations, is the UK’s only full motion city centre network. Originally launched in September 2013 with 7 screens in 6 cities, The Grid is at the forefront of emerging technological DOOH capability.

The British Fashion Council, Twitter and Topshop and Hunter are among the leaders running interactive, live campaigns that show how to utilise digital out of home’s unique capabilities well. Since its launch, more than 180 brands have appeared on The Grid, leveraging its mass audience of ABC1 shoppers at the heart of major retail districts and transport destinations.

Ocean marketing director Richard Malton said:

“The Grid delivers something unique to both cities and consumers; large format full motion DOOH that allows 100% flexibility for advertisers to target both niche and mass audiences in key central environments. “Technology continues to change the way people feel, think and interact with each other. The Grid is the real time gateway to mobile consumers because it integrates the latest in digital technology with unique out of home locations to deliver a lasting and evidently emotional connection between brands and people.”

The Grid can be bought flexibly to suit any brief; by the hour, commuter or retail slot, day or campaign period.

Source

Netherlands: Clear Channel International announces leadership changes to Netherlands business

Clear Channel International (CCI) has announced that Jeroen Hillenaar, founder and Managing Director of Clear Channel Hillenaar is leaving the business to pursue new opportunities.

From today, Tom Motmans, General Manager of Clear Channel Belgium, is taking on an expanded role which will also see him assume full leadership responsibility for Clear Channel’s Netherlands business, to become General Manager Belgium and Netherlands. He will continue to report into Matthew Dearden, President Europe.

CCI has also confirmed that the business will now be known as Clear Channel Netherlands, to reflect the next phase of the business’s evolution. At the same time Jan Wichers is promoted to Country Manager Netherlands.

Commenting on today's announcement, Matthew Dearden, Clear Channel's President Europe said:

“I am delighted that Tom Motmans is taking on responsibility for Clear Channel Netherlands in addition to his current role as General Manager for Belgium. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership, particularly in driving the recent growth of our digital out-of-home network in Belgium. I am confident that Tom, together with the Dutch management team, will lead the business successfully as they embark on their own digital expansion journey.”

He added: "I would like to add my thanks to Jeroen for the positive things he has done for our business and wish him success in his future endeavors.”

Jeroen Hillenaar founded the Dutch out-of-home business Hillenaar in 1990, which became part of Clear Channel International in 2001 and was later renamed Clear Channel Hillenaar in 2012.

Jeroen Hillenaar said: "Over 25 year ago I entered the Dutch world‎ of media as a pioneer and I am proud to have been part of an international team that has continued to build a successful business over the past 15 years. Now is however the right time to step down."

He added: "Our focus has always been on the customers and I guarantee that this remains to be so in the safe and capable hands of my successors."

UK: Exterion Media, Proxama and Mapway and launch UK’s largest iBeacon consumer transport experience on London buses

Exterion Media has launched the UK’s largest iBeacon experience across 500 Transport for London (TfL) buses throughout London in partnership with Proxama PLC (AIM: PROX), the leading mobile proximity marketing expert and Mapway, the world’s leading publisher of transport apps for mobile devices.

Mapway has integrated Proxama’s beacon Mobile SDK into its Bus Times London app and is currently deploying a utility-led consumer engagement experience to bus passengers in London. The experience is delivered using Exterion Media’s bus beacon network, which is underpinned by Proxama’s TapPoint® beacon platform.

With bus travel in London accounting for more than half of all bus journeys in the UK, at an average journey time of 17 minutes, brands will be able to use the opportunity presented by this ‘dwell time’ to engage with passengers. The service launched for Android users of Bus Times London on 17 March and delivers:

- Real-time travel updates - in-app notifications are delivered to users when they board a beacon-enabled bus, advising them of real-time travel updates for the route they are traveling on

- Contextual in-app ads – relevant and timely advertising served based on the consumer being on board a bus at time of viewing. Brands can capitalise on the consumer’s exact physical context and dwell time to deliver ads at the right time and increase click through rates

Brands using beacon-triggered enhanced advertising have seen that delivering contextually-relevant experiences drives higher consumer engagement levels. Sticky9 (part of the PhotoBox group) is seeing an average click-through rate of 14.5 per cent, much higher than the typical one to two per cent of non-beacon-triggered advertising. Beacon-triggered real-time travel update notifications are receiving a click-through rate of 44 per cent.

Following the success seen to date on its Android app, Mapway is integrating Proxama’s proximity Mobile SDK into the iOS version of the Bus Times London app, with the update scheduled for release to the App Store in May. Both apps combined will deliver a reachable consumer audience of half a million.

“This collaboration is a huge milestone for the proximity marketing industry. App owners are looking for ways to increase active user numbers and establish new sources of revenue, and beacons can deliver on both objectives. Brands are also looking for ways to better understand and more accurately engage with their target audiences, so campaigns like this deliver a win-win - with the results speaking for themselves,” said Jon Worley, CEO of Proxama’s Marketing Division. “This partnership is yet another indication that 2016 is the year that beacon technology for marketing gains significant traction.”

David James, CEO of Mapway, said: “We chose to work with Proxama and Exterion Media because, using beacons, we can ensure opted-in users only receive relevant and timely notifications and that content is both powerful and contextual. This platform has enormous potential for brands, and we look forward to helping them better engage with consumers. Similarly, we hope adverts will become of more interest to users of our apps, replacing volume with quality and relevance”

“With 2.3 billion passenger journeys made on London buses a year, the partnership creates an innovative platform for brands that want access to this hard-to-reach audience exclusively. The partnership also provides consumers with relevant, timely, and engaging content in an unobtrusive way. Not only can brands better target consumers, but the information collected will provide unique insights that will ensure future efforts are even more successful - allowing us to continue to make the everyday inspirational,” said Jason Cotterrell, Managing Director at Exterion Media UK.

Proxama and Mapway will be delivering a keynote presentation showcasing both experiences at the Marketing Technologist Forum in London on 4 May.

Ireland: Rail Commuters respond to OOH advertising according to research

New research carried out by Exterion Media and Kinetic has found that rail commuters have an average travel period of 35.5 minutes to absorb advertisements – 7.84 minutes on the platform and 27.69 minutes on board.

The study was undertaken by Millward Brown on behalf of the two Out-of-Home companies and provides unique insights into the behaviours of rail and DART passengers in Dublin on the Iarnród Éireann network. The report, “The Right Track”, measures and illustrates the rail passenger journey and gives greater accountability and further insights to advertisers and their agencies who target the lucrative commuter audience.

Recall of advertising formats in the rail environment was strong due to frequency of travel and the prolonged time commuters have to engage with advertising. A total of 500 passengers on the Dublin rail network were interviewed as part of this study to include their journey time, their online behaviours and their response to advertising they encountered in the rail environment.

Full article here

UK: Posterscope aims to bolster digital offering with acquisition of Liveposter

Posterscope, the Dentsu Aegis out-of-home specialist, has bought Liveposter, an out-of-home platform which enables digital campaigns to run across multiple networks and media owners. The acquisition has been made to bolster Posterscope’s global real-time capabilities as digital OOH billings are forecast to grow to 54 per cent of the UK market by 2019.

Liveposter’s platform uses a wide variety of data feeds to create customised and targeted advertising, which allows the advertisers to have control over the content without the need to access the individual media owner systems.

The two companies have already worked together on campaigns, such as for Stella Artois' cider brand, Cidre, which last year delivered real-time ads activated by changes in temperature, as demand for the product goes up in warmer weather.

Stephen Whyte, the UK chief executive of Posterscope, said: "The ability to deliver dynamic content in real time, driven by highly relevant data and optimised to audience type and audience mindset represents an enormous leap in the power of the OOH medium. "I am certain that it will attract new advertisers to the medium, particularly those that need highly flexible and agile brand communication."

Source

UK: BroadSign Selected by Kong Outdoor Limited for New and Existing Roadside Displays in the UK

The network converts 16 displays and adds eight new sites across England and Scotland.

Leeds, England. May 5, 2016. BroadSign International, LLC’s automated digital out-of-home software has been selected by Kong Outdoor Limited for the network’s 24 roadside displays in the United Kingdom.

Kong Outdoor screens, ranging from 14 square meters in portrait orientation to 20 square meters in landscape, are situated in roadside and pedestrian locations based on clear lines of sight and high traffic. The London Package alone has a potential reach of over 8 million impressions over two weeks time.

Upon meeting with BroadSign at Integrated Systems Europe, Kong Outdoor was attracted to the company’s software for its cost effectiveness, top-notch services and accurate reporting.

“When evaluating other digital signage CMS providers, BroadSign best understood our requirements,” said Ross Barrett, Managing Director at Kong Outdoor. “An industry standard, their team worked with us to develop a bespoke solution that fit our needs and budget. They are forward thinkers and innovators, and we are alike in that respect.”

Kong Outdoor roadside displays have a one-minute loop with four ad slots, while pedestrian sites fit six advertisements into the loop. The company’s in-house creative team contributes to the delivery of a turnkey solution to customers such as Qatar Airlines, Pizza Hut and DC Shoes.

Recent and dynamic campaigns include real-time updates of the Brit Awards with Kiss FM radio and conditional content based on weather for Greggs bakeries.

“Kong Outdoor is a shining example of the DOOH innovation occurring in the UK,” said Maarten Dollevoet, Vice President EMEA at BroadSign. “Their displays are positioned to reach targeted viewers and their in-house creative team ensures creative is engaging and impactful. BroadSign looks forward to helping drive their solution through our automated and flexible platform.”

To learn more about BroadSign’s DOOH solutions, set a meeting with the team during London Digital Signage Week.

AMERICAS NEWS

USA: These New NYC Subway Ad Screens Know Who's Looking at Them

The new Outfront screens are in Columbus Circle.

Digital advertising is going big—very big—and will soon be everywhere. The out-of-home advertising market (OOH), which includes everything from billboards to posters to Jumbotrons, is finally making a big push into the digital landscape, changing what used to be static canvases into dynamic advertising displays.

This is more than just a bunch of dummy flat screens flipping through ads at random, but rather advertising directly targeted to specific audiences based on time and location. And unlike the digital ads that appear on a computer browser or mobile phone, OOH digital ads yield real-life impressions via interactions with passersby, giving marketers peace of mind that their digital ad dollars are being used effectively and not being eaten up by a bunch of hungry bots.

The first glimpses of this new reality have started popping up on street corners and inside subway stations in New York City. Last week saw the opening of TurnStyle, a new retail development located inside the redone Columbus Circle subway station on 59th street, which gave weary commuters something to do on their way to the train besides staring at rats fighting over sunflower seeds. It also gave them a glimpse into new digital advertising: As the new storefronts took the wall space once reserved for advertising posters, the MTA’s advertising partner, Outfront Media, decided to replace those paper posters with dynamic digital displays.

Down the block-long shopping concourse, Outfront wrapped several of the station’s cast iron columns with dynamic digital displays that show everything from ads for Clariton to subway traffic announcements from the MTA. Commuters can interact with the displays, access a directory of stores, participate in promotions, and connect with social media platforms.

Full story here

USA: Times Square Advertising: America’s Digital Grand Canyon

Considering Times Square holds the title as the most visited location in the world (yep, more than Disney World, more than the Vatican), it’s no wonder that it’s become such an advertising mecca for brands. Large companies from all over the world have used Times Square as a promotional hub, with bright lights and mega-screens attracting tourists and buoying the visual vibrancy of the city that never sleeps.

These ads aren’t your run-of-the-mill paint and plaster numbers, either. These are full-blown multimedia advertising spectacles, with dazzling digital displays and hi-tech interactive capabilities.

But New York City is huge – with five boroughs and five trillion neighborhoods (roughly) – so why did this one particular five block stretch become such an iconic advertising landmark? Let’s take a look at some of those reasons and also at some of the most memorable ways advertisers have been able to take advantage of its buzzing, blaring, brand-building allure.

Historical Importance of Times Square

When the Dutch first settled in Manhattan, the area that would later become Times Square was attractive because of its easy access to the Hudson River and would become a carriage-building hub named Longacre Square – named after the London location that served the same purpose. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries it was prized real estate, but was mostly devoted to privately owned hotels and apartment buildings that offered little for tourists.

In 1904, when The New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs moved his paper’s operations to Longacre Square, the spot was renamed in honor of the well-regarded publication. Times Square was born, and not long after it started to become more of a cultural hub. It was the setting for such cultural touchstone moments as the famous “Kiss” photograph at the conclusion of World War II. Although the area gradually descended into crime and destitution in the 1960s and 1970s, it rebounded (and rebranded) in a big way throughout the late 1980s and is still enjoying that iconic, ad-based landmark status to this very day.

Technology in Times Square

Times Square’s advertising ventures have always been on the cutting edge of technology. One of the most recent additions to its cavernous display has served as a kind of apogee to that trend: the biggest and most expensive billboard display in the area was built late last year. According to The New York Times, the board was built by Vornado Realty Trust to hang on the Marriott Marquis hotel and spans “almost a football field.”

Full article here

USA: A Big OOH Picture

Out of home advertising professionals gathered last week in Boca Raton, FL for the TAB/OAAA “ BIG Picture” conference. It was Grand Visual’s 3rd year attending, and it was heartening to see digital, data and technology taking centre stage. Ben & Neil have shared their highlights from this years event.

A Vibrant Canvas

As with most advertising conferences right now, online and ad-blocking featured on the agenda. Gerry Graf, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Barton F Graft 9000 said: “Online is swallowing other media but it can’t swallow Out-of-Home because it can’t replicate the real life experience of OOH.”

A sentiment shared by the creative community – with consensus across the event that OOH is still as big and bold as it’s always been and digital adds a level of agility and richness. Ted Florea of PNYC, discussed OAAA’s “Feel the Real” campaign which “delivered eight different levels and 288 individual creative messages.” A campaign which proved OOH is no longer a one-size-fits-all model and sets of creative assets should work together to create a unified whole.

Change; Building a Team for the Future

It was great to hear solutions for how the industry should navigate as it moves towards a more digital future. Futurist Mike Walsh said: “Young people expect everything in the physical world should work like magic”. Digital has the opportunity to make OOH a truly magical medium for the generations to come. He continued, to prepare for a changing future the question is, “what capabilities in your team will be less relevant in 5 years time? What skills will be absolutely essential?” An essential consideration as the OOH medium evolves. We need to recognise that functions that have been around for years will be replaced by those enabling new digital capabilities. Holding on to old behaviours will stifle evolution just when we need be nurturing new ways of working.

Making the most of Digital

With available levels of data and digital inventory increasing, it was great to hear the question being asked if we are making the most of these opportunities. Dennis Camlek, Turner Media stated: “Advertisers like digital because it’s easy to target, deploy and report.” Whilst digital solves some problems, it also reveals others with Jennifer Seickel, from OOH Pitch stating “On major digital flights we cannot even get logs or Proof of Play reports within the flight period and when we have contextual or triggered creative reporting becomes even more important”

Full article here

AUSTRALIA NEWS

Australia: Double digit growth momentum continues

The Out-of-Home (OOH) industry today reported a net revenue of $55.3 million for the month of April, an increase of 11.7% from the same month last year, which posted a net revenue of $49.5 million.*

Year-to-date revenue has increased by 16.9%, tracking at $233.0 million, up from $199.3 million* for the same time last year. Digital Out-of-Home revenue makes up 36.2% of total revenue, up from 21.4% for the same period last year.

Category figures April 2016:

• Roadside Billboards (over and under 25 square metres) $23.7 million

• Roadside Other (street furniture, taxis, bus/tram externals, small format) $14.8 million

• Transport (including airports) $7.9 million

• Retail, Lifestyle and Other^ $8.8 million

* 2015 figures have been adjusted to reflect changes in OMA membership, as well as a minor adjustment due to over-reporting.

^Reported in this category are: shopping centre panels, as well as all place-based digital signs including office media – covering signs in lifts and office buildings, cafe panels, and digital screens in doctors surgeries and medical centres.

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

New Zealand: New Zealand Out of Home Records Stellar Start to 2016

The Outdoor Media Association of NZ (OMANZ) reports another period of strong growth for the Out of Home industry with the release of Q1 2016 revenue figures today.

Gross media revenue for the industry for Jan-March 2016 increased by 18% over the same period in 2015, reaching $20.2 million for the quarter.

The Q1 performance continues the positive trend for OOH in New Zealand, and builds on the full year 2015 sector growth of 13%.

Wayne Chapman, Chairman of OMANZ commented,

“It is pleasing for our sector and our members to see that OOH remains strongly in the ascendancy in New Zealand. The underlying strength in our medium gives our member companies the confidence to continue to invest in transformational initiatives designed to ultimately deliver a re-imagination of NZ OOH, as we move towards our true potential”

Australia: OMA pushes "reasonable regulation" of OOH

The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has singled out hefty regulation of out of home (OOH) as a constraint to innovation in Australia's cities.

In a speech delivered to the Future Cities conference, an initiative put on by the outdoor industry body, OMA CEO Charmaine Moldrich spoke of how the change from static posters to digital screens in the outdoor sector has led to a change in rules around their use.

“As the industry transformed, regulation followed to the point where now I believe it is constraining innovation and our cities are ending up with outcomes that are regulation driven rather than being led by vision,” Moldrich says.

“I believe that technology can help tackle the challenges of rapid urbanisation of our future cities, and smart OOH will play a part in making cities more sustainable and liveable.” Instead of governments and industry working in opposition - what Moldrich refers to as a “push/pull relationship” - the OMA leader says it is time for community, business and government to work together.

Full article here

ASIA NEWS

Thailand: Kinetic: Digital Screen is the Hottest OOH Media,

With extensive expertise in strategic planning for out-of-home media together with various media partners and innovative tools, Kinetic Worldwide (Thailand) remains the leading OOH media agency.

Witsuwat Amkaphet, manager of Kinetic Worldwide (Thailand), the world's leading OOH media agency, said yesterday that due to people's lifestyle of spending over 12 hours a day outside on average, OOH media has become more important and popular, leading many brands to choose OOH media increasingly each year. Excluding in-store media, OOH media growth in Thailand was 12 per cent to Bt8 billion last year, driven by digital OOH.

There are many OOH platforms that can match with a consumer's journey, covering all lifestyles of the target group, particularly digital screens, which have become more popular due to a combination of multimedia technologies.

By year-end, over 500 digital screens will be added nationwide, with 60 per cent located in Bangkok and 40 per cent in the provinces, boosting the use of OOH media. "We have been trusted by our customers in Thailand and overseas to be a strategic OOH media planner.

Full article here

India: In India, Internet-of-Things brings some relief to Outdoor Media

A start-up, named Adwise Analytics, formed by 2 industry veterans & an IoT company, with some prominent applications already under its belt, is setting up a new eco-system in outdoor advertising in India.

They use IoT to register outdoor displays on a cloud-based platform, monitor each display using a camera device, and use that input to instantly alert media owners of defects in display, if any, and provide a Third-Party Certificate of Delivery at the end of each contract. The certificate transparently specifies defective days if any during contracted period with photographs as audit proof.

This resolves long standing issue of both advertisers and agencies being unsure of deliveries against contracts as well as that of media owners not knowing until much later about defects on their boards which affect display and, finally, their revenues. Some of the larger media companies have already opted for this platform and say they are happy with the prompt alerts about defects and the proof of display that it provides, which can resolve billing disputes based on defects or short display periods.

This platform also tracks whether the display remains undisturbed through the contract period – this becomes important in an environment where politicians or other local strong-arms don’t think twice before simply installing their personal or party messages on top of a contracted commercial display. Naturally, the advertiser deducts randomly for such disruptions – and rightly so – but, now, Adwise certifies the exact period of disruption – which is expected to narrow the deductions to justifiable and acceptable numbers – which comes a big relief to media companies. Overall Adwise has apparently struck a basic need of the industry in India.

More details may be found in www.adwiseanalytics.com .

Read more here