EUROPE NEWS

UK: Clear Channel UK integrates its proprietary automated buying system with Posterscope’s location analytics, planning and trading platform, ECOS

-Initial roll out offered for Clear Channel’s premium Storm products, now available for Out of Home (OOH) specialist Posterscope to check availability and pricing, option and buy inventory inside its own ECOS system.

– The integration is a key milestone for Clear Channel’s automation strategy and vision for Creating The Future of Media, Out of Home.

– Work has begun with other Out of Home specialists to integrate the platform with their own systems and for the platform to carry additional products from the Clear Channel Portfolio.

Following the launch of the Clear Channel Ad Platform last year, the leading UK OOH media owner has connected its platform with Posterscope’s own location analytics planning and trading platform, ECOS. The direct connection simplifies the entire process of booking premium Storm inventory for the Posterscope team, from the initial checking of availability and cost, to placing options and purchasing. The API integration is the first Clear Channel UK has made with an OOH specialist and is an important next step as part of the company’s automation strategy.

UK: Clear Channel UK promotes from within to fill two new senior leadership positions

– Clear Channel UK continues to deliver on their vision to Create the Future of Media, Out of Home by creating two new senior leadership roles

– The new roles increase focus on customer partnerships

– Chris Pelekanou promoted to Chief Customer Officer

– Richard Bon promoted to Chief Revenue Officer

Leading out-of-home media owner Clear Channel UK have today announced two new senior leadership positions: Chief Customer Officer and Chief Revenue Officer. Both roles have been created to help Clear Channel UK increase focus on delivering flexible, creative and accountable advertising solutions for customers.

Chris Pelekanou will be stepping into the role of Chief Customer Officer, ensuring Clear Channel UK continues its track-record of inspiring, engaging and exciting new and existing customers. The expansive role will bring leadership across a diverse customer base that includes brands, SME advertisers, landlords and local authorities.

Ireland: PML Group appoints four new board executives

Our of home (OOH) advertising specialist PML Group has appointed four senior executives to its board. The appointees are Geoff Lyons (right), managing director, PML Group; Niamh White, group finance director; Darren Jackson, director, PML Northern Ireland and Karen Claxton, group investment director with the company.

All four new appointments, pictured with co-founder, Jimmy Cashen (centre), are immediate. Established in 1982, PML Group is the longest established OOH media planning and buying specialist in Ireland, operating from offices in Dublin and Belfast, with 45 employees.

The group comprises PML, Source out of home, Design+, Liveposter and the Poster Audit Bureau. Acquired by Posterscope Worldwide in 2015, PML Group accounts for 61 per cent of the OOH market in the Republic and 68 per cent share north of the border.

Geoff Lyons, managing director, PML Group, said that as the most recent Posterwatch market review published in the February issue of Marketing.ie shows, that in the market breakdown by format, digital accounted for almost 15 per cent of the OOH market in 2017, a trend that he expects to accelerate this year.

Diageo was the top advertiser.

UK: The Drum Digital Trading Awards judges discuss programmatic, omnichannel planning and blockchain

The WFA recently surveyed top marketers, learning that programmatic budgets will grow by 11% in 2018 despite ongoing industry concerns around transparency and the "murky" media supply chain.

Of course, programmatic isn’t the new kid on the block anymore, but this year it will be all about maintaining standards, transparency and brand safety. We spoke to four experts from IAB UK, Clear Channel, The Programmatic Advisory and Auto Trader, to explore how programmatic can grasp an industry-wide standard to achieve.

Maintaining standards

In less than ten years, automated trading has proven itself to be an efficiency gain for buyers looking to find the right audience for products and services. IAB UK’s, senior programmes manager, Dee Frew expresses that with this degree of sophistication, comes a need from buyers to re-learn digital trading in order to maximise returns.

He says: “Part of that learning, in order to maintain standards, is about becoming familiar with the unique nature of your offering and how best to protect it through the multitude of quality control vendors and industry-level initiatives available to you.”

Ireland: Exterion Media Extends CIE OOH Contract by Two Years

Exterion Media and CIÉ Group have announced a two year extension of their advertising estate management contract to January 2021.

The contract, which commenced in January 2014, includes external and internal advertising formats on the Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann fleets, rail and bus stations, bridges and a nationwide roadside billboard portfolio. The estate includes both traditional and digital advertising formats.

The last four years have seen Exterion Media implement a significant investment programme in both traditional and digital formats which has transformed the advertising estate in the rail environment. The Out-of-Home company have also launched new bus advertising formats on the Bus Éireann fleet thereby extending the availability of double deck advertising formats to Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

Exterion Media’s strategy also included significant investment in research and insights including the launch of the company’s own insights panel work.shop.play.

UK: Advertisers to increase programmatic spend by 11% despite trust and attribution concerns

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has surveyed top marketers, learning that programmatic budgets will grow by 11% in 2018 despite ongoing industry concerns around transparency and the "murky" media supply chain.

Last year, Procter & Gamble chief brand officer Marc Pritchard put the issue on the industry agenda, calling for greater transparency in a digital supply chain he called "murky at best, fraudulent at worst".

Nonetheless, the WFA, with partner Dataxu, surveyed senior marketers at 28 companies spending in excess of $50bn globally on marketing at the close of 2017. It found that programmatic budgets are expected to rise 11% from 17% of total digital media investment last year to 28% in 2018. In North America, this spend will go as high as 31%.

UK: TfL’s big pitch to brands: Elizabeth Line is an opportunity to redefine outdoor advertising

The new Elizabeth Line provides an opportunity for six brands to partner with the network, which was designed with advertising in mind.

TfL’s new Elizabeth Line will be a “once in a generation opportunity” to “redefine” outdoor advertising, with new stations designed with marketing in mind. “It is redefining the city and redefining out-of-home, which is a unique opportunity for brands. It really is a once in a generation opportunity,”

Graeme Craig, TfL’s director of commercial development tells Marketing Week. Craig was speaking at an event on 8th February to showcase the new line – which is 90% complete – to commercial partners ahead of the tender process. Big brands including Google and John Lewis were in attendance.

USA: 133 Campaigns Spotlighted as Contenders for 2018 OBIE Awards

OAAA has revealed 133 finalists for the 2018 OBIE Awards. Now in its 76th year, the OBIE Awards program is the oldest and one of the most prestigious shows in advertising, awarding creative excellence in the OOH medium.

Bronze, Silver, and Gold OBIE Awards, as well as a single Platinum Award and four Craft Awards, will be presented to those selected amongst this year’s finalists. Campaigns were chosen from 18 different categories, including several categories introduced last year to highlight engagement and customization in OOH.

“Every year we see new and exciting entries that demonstrate the power and beauty of OOH,” said OAAA’s Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Freitas. “This year was no different, with hundreds of exceptional entries that made the awards program more competitive than ever.”

Canada: PATTISON Outdoor and Fourthwall Celebrate Mazda’s 50th Anniversary in Canada with Digital Storefront

PATTISON Outdoor, Canada’s leading Out-of-Home advertising company, along with its digital and interactive arm, Fourthwall, partnered with agency J. Walter Thompson and Mazda Canada to celebrate the automotive brand’s 50th anniversary with their followers. To commemorate the occasion, Mazda Canada is releasing a series of limited edition prints through a PATTISON Outdoor digital storefront designed exclusively for the event.

This interactive digital campaign launched on Wednesday ahead of the Canadian International AutoShow, where the automotive brand is eligible to win two ‘Car of the Year’ awards from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

Located in the Royal Bank Plaza of Toronto’s PATH, this four-week interactive stunt is a first for PATTISON Outdoor, Fourthwall and Mazda. A 93” x 165” large format screen plays full-motion video, depicting the illustrations of British automotive artist Guy Allen. Mazda’s brand messaging directs fans to a payment terminal where they can tap-to-purchase a limited edition 18” x 24” print.

USA: Clear Channel Airports Awarded 5-Year Renewal with Long Beach Airport for Innovative Media Makeover

Clear Channel Airports (CCA), a brand division of Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA), and a subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., today announced it was awarded a five-year contract expansion with city-owned Long Beach Airport (LGB).

The new agreement and media upgrades begin May 1, 2018. Clear Channel Airports has partnered with LGB since 2005, which hosts five major airlines and offers nonstop service to 16 destinations including the most recently announced destination, Honolulu, which will be serviced by Hawaiian Airlines starting June 1. In addition to its historic 1941 Streamline Moderne terminal, the airport also opened an award-winning passenger concourse in 2012. Conde Nast Traveler voted LGB the third best airport in the U.S. in 2017, the fourth consecutive year the airport has made the prestigious list.

USA: DOOH Strategy Summit Brings Together Industry Leaders

The Digital Signage Federation (DSF), the independent not-for-profit trade organization serving the digital signage industry, will be presenting a full-day, ten-part Digital Out-of-Home Strategy Summit on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at DSE 2018. The DSF is the official trade association of the DSE.

With a welcoming address by Richard Ventura, 2018 Chairman of the DSF, the Digital-Out-of-Home Strategy Summit will feature:

Opening Keynote entitled, “The Importance of Measurement for DOOH”

To be presented by Kym Frank, President of Geopath, who will discuss the DOOH measurement ecosystem, including the strengths and weaknesses of available data sources and methodologies.

Panel: The Future Trends That Will Impact DOOH in Terms of New Technologies, Regulations, Opportunities and Strategies

To be moderated by DSF Board member David Haynes, panelists will include Christie Rice, Marketing Manager of Digital Signage Intel, Dina Townsend, Vice President and Retail Practice Leader of RMG Networks, Manalo Almagro, Managing Partner of Q Division, and Stephen Freitas, Chief Marketing Officer for Outdoor Advertising Association of America.

Australia: How one small word will subtly alter Australia’s ad industry for the better

Outdoor Media Association CEO Charmaine Moldrich explains how the AANA's subtle shift from 'exploitative and degrading' to 'exploitative or degrading' is a small ripple with the potential for big waves. The world changed profoundly last year.

What started with the exposure of unacceptable behaviour perpetrated by one man in Hollywood led to the global #metoo movement, which amplified discussions about gender equality across the spectrum.

Australia: APN Outdoor and Sydney Trains strengthen relationship with multi-year extension

APN Outdoor has announced the extension of one of their largest contracts, Sydney Trains.

The multi-year agreement covers their unique rail assets and a range of key static and digital billboards, altogether very significant to APN Outdoor’s current all-embracing media portfolio. With an impressive suite of 32 digital screens (XtrackTV) and over 550 Cross Track posters in Sydney, the extension allows APN Outdoor to continue their domination of the rail environment and to reach the highly desirable commuter audience on platform level, setting them apart from other Outdoor media companies.

Furthermore, the relationship extends to cover multiple strategically placed roadside and premium backlit Posters as well as several static and high status digital billboards, resulting in approximately 1,500 advertising faces in total.

James Warburton, CEO of APN Outdoor said: “Our relationship with Sydney Trains started over 20 years ago and we’re delighted to continue working them and to be able to provide our clients with truly unique and engaging assets across a magnitude of formats”. APN Outdoor will continue to explore future growth opportunities with Sydney Trains, with a particular focus on expanding its existing digital billboard portfolio.

The continuation of the Sydney Trains contract with APN Outdoor commences from 30 November 2018.

AFRICA NEWS

South Africa: 2018 is the year of the rooster: Time to crow about out of home!

“A single billboard has the ability to create instant awareness to thousands of consumers in just one day. A group of billboards, optimised for reach and coverage, have the ability to target more consumers in one month than any other single TV channel for much less per thousand.”

Every January, the trends and predicted growth areas for out of home wax lyrical about the projected growth from digital out of home and the plethora of digi-speak benefits it will have for brands. Yes, digital out of home is growing, with plenty of room for innovation, and yes, data-driven messaging will become more prevalent.

It goes without saying that technology will drive this innovation and integration with other digital and media channels, and we’re already seeing how digital OOH merges with mobile. Mobile technology, like Near Field Communication (NFC), QR readers, and Augmented Reality features, are enabling the marriage between OOH and mobile. But take an objective step back, and see that this trend is impacting all media – not just out of home.

India: GroupM forecasts India's advertising expenditure to grow 13% in 2018

India joins the top 10 club of ad markets in the world, its advertising industry is expected to see a 300 basis point jump in spends over 2017

The country’s largest media agency network GroupM has forecast a 13 per cent advertising expenditure (adex) growth for the domestic market in its latest report, ahead of peers Magna (part of IPG Mediabrands) and Dentsu Aegis Network (Dentsu). Magna had estimated a 2018 adex growth of 12.1 per cent recently, while Dentsu had forecast an adex growth of 12.5 per cent for the year.

GroupM’s current estimate is an improvement over 2017 when adex growth was pegged at 10 per cent. Dentsu and Magna had also forecast lower growth rates last year at 9.6 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively as marketers reined in ad spends following demonetisation and implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST).

Malaysia: Maybank Malaysia uses programmatic OOH to promote golfing tournament

IPG Mediabrands Malaysia agencies Initiative and Rapport have collaborated to create Malaysia’s first programmatic Out-of-Home (OOH) campaign with Maybank for the Maybank Championship 2018.

The annual Maybank Championship is a golfing tournament created as a platform for players not just from the European Tour and Asian Tour, but to also provide opportunities for appropriately qualified ASEAN players to compete in an international event.

To promote this year’s event held between 1st – 4th February, Initiative, the regional media agency for Maybank, together with Rapport, a global specialist network agency in the Out-of-Home (OOH) sector devised a first of its kind programmatic campaign.

FEPE OOH News 15th February 2018