EUROPE NEWS

FEPE: Early Bird booking ending February 16th for the 2018 annual Congress in Sorrento

We will be closing early bird bookings in 2 weeks time for the 2018 FEPE Congress.

Our first speaker announcements will also be made in the next few weeks.

The Congress, which will take place at the Hilton Sorrento Palace (pictured), will welcome more than 300 delegates to a wide-ranging event including a full conference programme covering all the key issues of the day, the announcement of the 2018 FEPE Creative Awards and a full exhibition space.

As ever the Congress will provide superb networking opportunities and a range of challenging and stimulating content exploring the broader and fast changing media environment in which Out of Home is playing a fundamental and expanding role.

With Out of Home taking a greater share of media budgets in many territories across the world, the medium is now recognised as an increasingly dynamic and core element of many brands’ promotional expenditure. Delegates will have a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and gain a worldwide perspective on how OOH is developing.

The importance of creativity will once again be highlighted with a number of awards, including the FEPE Creative Award and further accolades for Life Achievement, Leadership and Technical Innovation.

FEPE President Tom Goddard says: “Every year the FEPE International Congress gets bigger in terms of delegate numbers from across the world and better, we hope, in its content. It’s a unique and uniquely valuable event in Out of Home and we look forward to welcoming old and new friends in Sorrento.”

For the second year Congress will begin with a special Networking Event where exhibitors can meet FEPE board members and other specially invited key buyers from around the world for up to ten one-to-one ten-minute meetings.

Exhbitor packages are €6000 including two full delegate places (value €3500). There is a reduced cost for additional booth staff. Exhibitors also have access to meeting facilities and the FEPE Lounge. The Exhibition is sited next to the main Congress auditorium and there are also other branding opportunities for exhibitors and Congress sponsors.

Congress Sponsors include Platinum Sponsors Hivestack, Posterscope and Daktronics and Gold Sponsors Broadsign, Smartlink and Prismaflex

Over recent years the Exhibition has grown in size and scale to become a key part of the Congress, the more so as technology and data - which comprise many of the exhibits - have grown in importance as the worldwide out of home industry transforms itself in the digital era.

For further information and booking form visit worldooh.org

UK: Ocean Outdoor and Marine Conservation Society announce partnership to stop the tide of single-use plastic from poisoning the sea

#StopThePlasticTide

Ocean Outdoor has announced a three year partnership with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) which will enable the charity to magnify its campaigns and engage millions of people in eradicating single-use plastic from the oceans.

As part of the partnership, Ocean is giving the Marine Conservation Society access to its premium portfolio of UK digital screens to support and amplify its campaigns throughout the three years. Ocean is launching Ocean for Oceans as part of its pledge to eradicate the use of single-use plastic within its own business by the end of 2018, and to work with its clients and suppliers to eliminate all single-use plastics from its products and supply chain by the start of 2021.

The company is planning a series of key events across 2018 to support the movement to end the use of single-use plastic, promote responsible recycling and protect the seas.

Ocean chief marketing officer Richard Malton said: “Ocean is committed to turning the tide on single-use plastic by eradicating it from our own business, and by working with all of our clients, partners and suppliers to do the same. Our new partnership with the Marine Conservation Society is integral to delivering on that promise and making such an important, transformational change.”

UK: Forrest Commence D48 Roll-out

Forrest Media has begun a significant development strategy which will see the company strengthen its position at the top of the premium outdoor advertising market in Scotland. Forrest CEO Chris Trainer commented;

“We have embarked on a £3m plus expansion programme, developing a brand new Digital 48 sheet network of sites in major towns and cities right across the Country.

Phase One will see 12 new Digital 48 developments, ready for April, across Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen, with further phases planned. Over the last 15 years we have carefully developed our premium giant format digital ‘CityScreen’ portfolio and we are now enhancing our offering with the introduction of these excellent D48 locations”.

The distinctive Forrest brand is recognised across Scotland’s major cities and highly visible on most arterial and main road locations.

Utilising the latest digital technology, the new screens will meet the constant demand for 48 sheet format. They will deliver above average industry Route scores and the standard of build, quality of screen, and overall site presentation will reflect the quality for which Forrest are renowned.

UK: Report: Out-of-home Summit 2018

The out-of-home sector headed indoors last week to debate its future, and there was a sense of positive change in the air

This week hosted the very first Out-of-Home Summit from Mediatel, and that felt telling in its own right; it demonstrated, to us at least, that bosses at the major OOH businesses were in the mood to challenge, change and improve - all by coming together to debate.

Focusing on collaboration, better evidence gathering to prove the medium's effectiveness, and pushing forward with a more unified voice, there was plenty of positive news to report.

Yet there are clear challenges. OOH's revenues are high, but growth has been fairly static. At the end of 2017, GroupM trimmed its original 2% forecast for out-of-home advertising growth to zero. However, for 2018, the view is slightly more positive at +2% - "if promised improvements in effectiveness, automation and efficiency bear out". Much of what was debated this week addresses those points.

UK: MediaTel OOH Summit: TV and OOH budgets are now "ring-fenced" for O2

A testament to the power of legacy media, O2's head of creative and media said that TV and out-of-home budgets are "ring-fenced", with 10-15% of the brand's overall spend currently allocated to outdoor.

Speaking at Mediatel's inaugural Out-of-Home Summit on Tuesday, Simon Valcarcel said no other channels give O2 the same scale, fame and high awareness that OOH and TV do - and that the money they invest in OOH will only increase in future.

"Over the last couple of years [our OOH budget] has increased, particularly as we’ve started to prove effectiveness and driving footfall," Valcarcel said. "TV and OOH are ring-fenced. We see ourselves as a brand that should be in all the stature sites; we view ourselves as a superbrand and we like to behave in that way with our media choices."

UK: Hyper-local rising

Historically, tech developments have tended to destroy local revenue sources, writes Roy Jeans - but now tech will help drive its revitalised growth

It currently seems that from a brand’s perspective whatever the media question, the answer is invariably Facebook and/or Google. The new generation of twenty-something planners and buyers has understandably grown up steeped in the solutions that the Big Tech companies offer. They consume their output on an hourly basis; are comfortable with them; and instinctively and immediately absorb any product developments.

Add in behavioural changes where the consumer is often reacting more quickly to events than the advertisers trying to sell to them, and we now have a generational schism between senior marketers and the consumer, as well as a technological one. Historically, clients used advertising to shape and strengthen brand presence through what is now quaintly called MSM. The consumer was then expected to follow the advertiser’s lead, and to purchase the good or service. The current flood of monies into Facebook and Google has quickly upended this approach, with mixed results at best.

Switzerland: APG|SGA Interaction tests blockchain application in the smart city area

APG|SGA is taking part in a proof of concept for the blockchain start-up IOTA in order to test forward-looking and data-driven business models.

This will make data from the public domain available on a data marketplace in the Internet of Things (IoT). APG|SGA Interaction conducted a test case in the smart city area. To do so, ten sensors were installed on APG|SGA advertising media throughout Switzerland to measure values such as temperature, CO2 and other factors. The sensors are connected to the Internet via Swisscom's LoRa network, and regularly supply data to the APG|SGA server. The aim is to make these data available to interested research institutes, cities or municipalities.

In collaboration with blockchain start-up IOTA, the sensors were connected to a data marketplace which interested parties can use to acquire the data. During the test phase, the data were made available at no cost. In the long-term, the data from these sensors will be commercialized. If the test is successful, APG|SGA Interaction wishes to further expand the network of sensors and support cities and municipalities as a technology partner in the smart city area.

France: JCDecaux beats fourth-quarter revenue target

JCDecaux beat its fourth-quarter revenue target, it said on Tuesday, citing improving French and Chinese markets.

The group’s fourth-quarter adjusted revenue was 1.02 billion euros ($1.27 billion). That represented 6.5 percent organic growth, beating the 4.5 percent forecast in November

“This strong performance reflects a growing contribution from our digital street furniture assets and the recovery of our operations in China, combined with an improvement in France, as well as solid revenue growth in the U.S. and in the rest of Europe,” Co-Chief Executive Jean-François Decaux said in a statement.

The company’s transport business delivered quarterly growth up almost 12 percent year on year. Full-year results are due to be published on March 8, along with first-quarter guidance.

Source

UK: The year of the brand

Digital out-of-home came of age in December 2017, writes Spencer Berwin - and that means big things for the year ahead

When Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer of P&G said in 2017, “we're at the starting line of the next wave of brand building”, it set off a debate about trust and transparency and underlined the importance of brand-safe media.

So why is WPP still forecasting digital online spend will grow by c10%, to take 60% of all media spend? I firmly believe that the tide is turning and 2018 will be ‘the year of the brand’, with a return to balance between activation and branding media.

It’s customary for media agencies to run predictions in January, after the end-of-year reflections. Within these predictions, there’s a consistent theme: that digital will continue its growth, that it’s an inevitability.

USA: From Palm Springs to Anytown, USA, signs are part of our culture

By Nancy Fletcher, President & CEO at Outdoor Advertising Association of America

On the day Oscar nominations came out (a billboard movie got seven nominations), I was thinking about a waitress from Palm Springs. Naomi Parker Fraley, the real Rosie the Riveter, had died at age 96. Her lengthy obituary in The New York Times was worthy of rock stars or heads of state.

Her story showcases taproots of our culture: the importance of public art and also the role of women. As part of the war effort, Naomi and her sister Ada worked in the machine shop at the Naval Air Station in Alameda.

An image of Naomi at her lathe — hair tied in a polka-dot bandanna — became an iconic poster symbolizing national unity and, later, feminism. After World War II, she worked as a waitress at the popular Doll House restaurant in Palm Springs.

For decades, Naomi was overlooked. When the public learned she was Rosie the Riveter, Naomi said she wanted neither fame nor fortune.

USA: Intersection selects Broadsign to power ads on expansive nationwide digital signage network

Intersection today announced it has selected Broadsign International, LLC’s leading marketing software to power advertising on Intersection’s network of digital displays across the U.S., including LinkNYC and transit assets in the top media markets, to improve advertisers’ ability to reach consumers with targeted, seamless campaigns.

Intersection will use Broadsign’s content management system, Broadsign Control, to deliver advertising and dynamic HTML5 content to its national network of digital displays. From a unified platform, Intersection will be able to manage branded content on more than 3,500 Link kiosks, urban panels, interactive station platform displays and bus shelters it operates nationwide.

“Our digital network extends across the top media markets in the U.S., providing brands the opportunity to connect with millions of customers on their daily journeys through our largest cities,” said Adrian D’Souza, SVP of sales strategy and operations at Intersection. “With Broadsign, we have the enhanced flexibility, creative capabilities, and planning tools to make those connections more efficiently and cohesively across our network.”

USA: Jody Senese on OUTFRONT Studios and Liveboards

Jody Senese is Chief Marketing Officer at OUTFRONT Media. She began her career with the New York Subways Advertising and joined OUTFRONT (then CBS Outdoor) in 1990. Jodi oversees all aspects of marketing including research, advertising and creative services and is integral in developing new business strategies for OUTFRONT Media. Insider talked with Senese last week.

Jodi, how did you enter the out of home business?

I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in English and Communications with the intent of going to law school, and was looking for a job where I could get a feel for the city in the meantime. I accepted an internship with New York Subways Advertising right after college and never looked back. I fell in love. I’ve now been doing this for nearly four decades, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else!

USA: Daktronics Expands Digital Billboard Product Options

Providing crisp, vibrant images, Daktronics brings a fresh look to the digital billboard market with its DB-5100 series. Designed and manufactured in Brookings, South Dakota, the DB-5100 uses targeted light output and a proprietary LED layout to achieve sharp contrast, reliable performance and a quick return on investment for owners. “Customers love this proven product.

We took a fresh look at it searching for innovative improvements to increase reliability and reduce price,” says Lori Sieler, Daktronics product manager for commercial engineering. “This product is designed to give our out-of-home customers more options. Not every digital billboard location, surroundings and audience are the same.

Sites with high visibility and long viewing distances will benefit from this design. The DB-5100 design incorporates our optimized technology with a specific louver design to enhance vibrancy, resulting in brilliant images.” Daktronics innovative 13OT pixel pitch provides sharper contrast and superior brightness, even in direct sunlight. The LED louver design and innovative pixel layout deliver superior color integrity and images that pop.

Major venues, like the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, utilize the same technology, offering powerful performance across the marketplace

Australia: Shopper Media expands to more than 200 shopping centres

Australia’s fastest-growing retail digital out-of-home business, Shopper Media Group, today announced its portfolio has reached more than 200 shopping centres nationally – the result of accelerated centre growth in 2017.

Shopper Media Group’s CEO, Ben Walker, says the new retail signings illustrate the growing demand from shopping centres for 100 per cent digital media solutions, and best-in-class data collection and analytics. Since its launch in 2015, Shopper Media Group has achieved exponential growth in the retail out-of-home landscape, with a focus on expanding reach in grocery-centric hubs.

Shopper Media Group has quickly established itself as a significant retail OOH player, offering shopping centres a total digital solution with its Smartlite® advertising panels, advanced Wi-Fi and virtual beacon technology that accurately tracks shopper behaviour in real-time.

Australia: Arnott’s gives away 13,500 packets of chilled Tim Tams in digital OOH campaign

Biscuit brand Arnott’s launched this year’s Tim Tam Gelato Messina range by giving away 13,500 chilled packets through a temperature-activated out-of-home campaign over the Australia Day long weekend.

Partnering with digital outdoor company VMO, the activations for the ‘Chill me’ Tim Tam range were at the QV in Melbourne’s CBD, Circle on Cavill on the Gold Coast and Manly Wharf on Sydney’s northern beaches. Using live data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the refrigerated units were programmed to open at a set temperature on the day to give away packets to passers by.

“What could be more Australian than an activation for this iconic Australian brand launched on Australia Day in three iconic Australian locations?” Anthony Deeble, VMO’s managing director said.

South Africa: The magic of creativity in OOH advertising

In the cluttered world of out of home advertising, outstanding creative can set a campaign apart and make it shine.

What is the state of creativity in South African OOH advertising and work that made a splash? Not only is great creative beneficial to clients, who get eyes on their offerings and an advert that sticks in a consumer’s mind, but also for owners of the site, who can demonstrate practical return on investment for their clients. “Successfully executed creative guarantees immediate stand out and advertising effectiveness, delivering high impact and engaging messaging,” says Jorja Buckham, marketing services manager for Primedia Outdoor.

Provantage CEO Jacques du Preez says, “Creativity will also lead to word of mouth and memorability… and that will ultimately lead to enhanced brand equity and increased ROI” while Michele Munro, founder and managing director of MMAP, believes “creativity is THE most important aspect of OOH advertising as it then tells a story as opposed to just a magazine advert being flighted on outdoor platforms and the impact then becomes exciting for both advertiser and consumer”.

FEPE OOH News 1st February 2018