EUROPE NEWS

UK: Ebiquity report rings 'alarm' as advertisers under-value traditional media

Brands are under-investing in traditional media because they wrongly perceive that digital media is more effective at brand-building, according to a new report by Ebiquity for Radiocentre.

The report, called Re-evaluating media: What the evidence reveals about the true worth of media for brand advertisers, talked to 116 marketers and agency leaders to identify 12 key attributes for their media campaigns and then used 75 industry studies from the recent past to assess how different media performed against those criteria.

It found "a significant mismatch between industry perceptions and what the evidence says". The evidence from the 75 industry studies showed TV and radio were best for brand-building on a range of attributes, followed by newspapers, magazines and out of home, and most digital media ranked lower.

This is at odds with marketing decision-makers' perception that online video and social media were second only to TV in importance for brand-building.

UK: Thousands of virtual elephants trek through UK in global movement to end poaching

Globe-trotting herd grows as people join to protect elephants and demand the EU end its ivory trade

One third of Africa's elephants have already been lost, at an average rate of 55 killed a day.

New global movement #MarchforGiants will unite people around the world in unique activism to protect elephants and boost support for the fight against poaching. Starting this Thursday 8 March, the #MarchforGiants virtual herd of elephants will travel across digital billboards and social media to call for urgent action. Anyone can take part by donating £5 at www.marchforgiants.org or texting GIANT plus their name to 70025.

Sponsors customise their elephant’s design and personalise it with a name before it joins the ever-growing herd, and the funds raised protect elephants in the wild. Every digital elephant in #MarchforGiants represents an individual elephant that has been protected by a person during the campaign. Joanna Lumley has lent her support to the initiative, joining thousands of others around the world.

Ireland: PML Group, Posterscope’s Irish Team, announce the winners of their 2018 Poster Impact Awards

The awards recognise the stand-out OOH campaigns from 2017, in terms of creative rating and campaign recall among the Dublin public. Congratulations to all the advertisers, media and creative agencies involved in these brilliant OOH campaigns.

UK: Guerrilla activists reimagine movie posters with black leads to underline diversity woes

Black Brixton teens have “begged and hustled" to develop a vast outdoor ad campaign to create a conversation about the lack of black actors in top movies and shows.

To do so, they shot, developed and erected ads throughout London for a reported cost of £150. The Guardian reports that 18-year-old Shiden Tekle and friends from the activist group Legally Black, conceived the campaign. They, with the help of parents, and the Special Patrol Group (SPG), a subversive ad collective that made its name arguing that ‘Advertising Shits in Your Head’, delivered across ads in London by hijacking ad panels.

Posters for Titanic, Harry Potter, Skyfall, Bridget Jones, Skins, Doctor Who and The Inbetweeners were all edited to have only black leads, underlining the issues with the strapline, "If you’re surprised, it means you don’t see enough black people in major roles, join us on our mission for better black representation in the media".

UK: 8 Outdoor wins £11m funding to drive digital expansion

The owner of 8 Outdoor has won the backing of a Hong Kong-based investor to fund expansion in the UK digital out-of-home sector. SIS Digital Vision has received an £11m investment from Sun Hung Kai & Co. (SHK) in return for a minority stake.

Cennydd Roberts, chief executive of 8 Outdoor, said it would use the cash to accelerate what he called its "broadcast digital" strategy by offering brands mass reach via DOOH screens in the 50 biggest UK cities. 8 Outdoor already operates about 90 digital screens in 25 cities and hopes to have added another "80 to 100" screens and a further 25 cities by the end of 2018.

"The barriers to entry would be cash and sites," Roberts said.

"We’ve got the cash sorted out [with the SHK investment] and we’ve been building up a pipeline of sites. "

He claimed 8 Outdoor already reaches "more adults by large-format roadside screen than any other media owner in the UK after only three years after trading".

UK: Taking off: What Influences Traveller Motivations?

Before travellers even begin looking at booking their next trip, they are already getting ideas from their environment. Expedia study reveals the key influences and motivations behind travel decision-making.

MORE CHOICE AND MORE CONSIDERATIONS

The world tourism industry is worth around 2.5 trillion USD and it’s set to continue growth. Global mobility is on the up and as the culture of work shifts also, people make more opportunities to travel for work and pleasure. Whether it’s visiting family, a shopping spree, relaxing or just a short escape, behind the endless number of motivations there is a whole process of decision-making, which only gets more complex as the number of choices grows. Expedia Media Solutions, the division behind the world-famous travel brand, released a study exploring the motivations and influences affecting travellers’ decisions, with a special focus on their use of online resources.

The study covers eight countries: Australia, France, Germany, UK, Canada, Japan, China, USA. One of the key findings reveals that before travellers even begin searching online they are likely to already be getting travel ideas from a variety of channels in their everyday environment.

USA: The Billboard Industry Thanked ‘3 Billboards’ Using ‘3 Billboards’-Inspired Billboards

On Sunday night, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri scored Oscar wins for its stars, Frances McDormand (best actress) and Sam Rockwell (best supporting actor).

The billboard industry thanked the film for bringing attention back to billboards with, well, a few Three Billboards-inspired billboards. (Say that five times fast.)

“We wanted to cheer on the movie with ‘billboard’ in the title, showcase capabilities of modern outdoor—to adapt quickly, change copy and display great creative—and then thirdly, to have some fun with this,” said Ken Klein, evp of government affairs at the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), of the congratulatory billboards.

USA: My Turn: Reasserting OOH as a Core Media Buy

Nancy Fletcher OAAA President and CEO

Aspirational, yes. The goal, says former OAAA Chairman Kevin Gleason (Adams + Fairway), is to make OOH more powerful than anyone has yet to imagine. OAAA’s five-year strategic plan is designed to help the industry get there by making OOH more of a core media buy. We are now in the second year of the industry’s five-year plan.

As we assess progress, I ask three things of you

Acknowledge that media, advertising, and communication are changing – and we must adjust to thrive.
Commit (or re-commit) to the industry’s five-year goal.
Use the many practical tools available to carry out the industry plan.

First, a quick reminder. Our five-year plan – launched November 2016 – was based on unvarnished input from our customers. They told us what they want, how we can improve, and the consequences of living in the past.

USA: The Data Revolution Is Changing OOH

It’s a Friday afternoon in the mall, and shoppers are going about their business, buying clothes ahead of the weekend; others are lining up at a new cupcake stand. While store owners watch the hustle and bustle with hopeful eyes, computers are making their own observations beneath the surface. As the stream of shoppers circulate, computers embedded in the digital billboards along the concourse get a distinct ping. Then another.

By analyzing the cell phones’ search and web histories, the computers see a critical mass of adolescents congregating nearby. In moments, the digital billboard replaces the home furniture ad displayed for the earlier soccer-mom crowd with an ad for the new spring line at an apparel store on the third floor. As the flock of teens discuss their next destination, they start to talk about the sale. Sure enough, one of them needs a few new shirts for the upcoming season.

USA: Why REI Is Going Out-Of-Home For Its Outside-The-Box Marketing

When the outdoor recreation retailer REI closed its shops for Black Friday, the biggest sales day of the year for many stores, it was testing brand appeal against strong short-term revenue, as well as its out-of-home (OOH) media and data services.

REI has grown its OOH media from nothing two to three years ago to about 15% of its marketing mix, said Amy Ball, the company’s senior manager of advertising and branded content. “The ability to measure [OOH] has allowed us to prove to our leadership that this isn’t just upper-funnel,” Ball said.

“That it drives foot traffic and pulls people into consideration and purchase.” REI’s OOH holiday campaign last year was limited to Washington, DC, Denver and the San Francisco Bay Area and are expanding to another one or two markets in the Northeast in 2018. But even if the number of REI billboards grows slowly, OOH can be a bigger part of the media mix because of the associated data costs and because some mobile networks now fall under OOH budgets.

Australia: Nick Vile Appointed Chairperson of OMANZ

Nick Vile, General Manager of Adshel, Appointed Chairperson of OMANZ In a unanimous decision, Nick Vile, General Manager of Adshel NZ has been voted as the new Chairman of the Outdoor Media Association of New Zealand (OMANZ) at the latest AGM.

The move comes at a time when the out-of-home sector has experienced stellar growth over the last two years. Revenue for OMANZ members grew by 18% for 2017, and now contributes over $120 million in revenue to the New Zealand Advertising landscape. Growth in the sector is set to continue in 2018 as OMANZ operators continue to implement plans for further digitalisation, plus continue to add value through advancements in ad tech, audience profiling and data capability.

Australia: Telstra dials into OOH with digital billboards for taxis

Telstra is moving further into the outdoor advertising space inking a new deal with a taxi screen company to provide what it says is a "world first" real-time advertising solution.

The telco has partnered with Sydney-based advertising startup Cab Digital Media to launch TaxiLive, a digital billboard for taxis - which features on the back of the car. The 32 inch custom designed digital screens are GPS enabled and connect to the Telstra network.

Channel Ten and Telstra are among the first advertisers. OMD and Spark Foundry are on board to sell the media space.

Advertising messages can be targeted to the digital screens based on their location, the time of day or the weather.

New Zealand: The Future of Digital Out-of- Home in New Zealand

Adshel NZ Brings Key Industry Leaders on the Journey of the Future of Digital Out-of- Home in New Zealand

To bring the future of digital out-of-home (DOOH) to the forefront, leading outdoor media company, Adshel NZ, has called on key local and global industry experts to ignite a conversation around the future of DOOH in New Zealand.

Adshel has spent the last two years building on the scale of the Adshel Live network, driving the benefits of the dynamic creative capabilities that DOOH offers. Now, at the start of the next phase of development, Adshel are moving towards creating a truly revolutionized DOOH product.

In a move designed to engage the industry, Adshel brought leading global channel strategist Mike Gamaroff and Senior Vice President- Channel Strategy, of mobile engagement company SITO, to New Zealand in February to meet with key industry leaders.

UAE: Samsung Defies Limits of Out of Home Advertising

Spectacular showcase and multi-sensory consumer experiences at Burj Khalifa underscore innovative new features of the new Galaxy S9 and S9+

Samsung Electronics, pushes the boundaries of traditional advertising campaigns and marketing engagements with a spectacular showcase at the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The new Galaxy S9 and S9+—unveiled at Samsung Unpacked in Barcelona on February 25, 2018 with advanced, redesigned camera—will be featured in a display of LED lights and multi-sensory experiences to capture the attention of consumers worldwide and demonstrate its commitment to meaningful innovation that defies barriers.

Samsung Electronics is the first technology brand that will be represented on Burj Khalifa’s LED Façade. The Burj Khalifa, a global icon, garners attention as a popular gathering place and for its amazing LED display, which has been the center of attraction of the ‘Light Up 2018’ spectacle. Samsung will project its Galaxy S9 and S9+ campaign, The Camera.

Reimagined on the iconic landmark five times from March 2-3. The company will also host an on-the-ground consumer event with Product Experience Zones that allow consumers to explore new advanced visual and audio capabilities of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ first-hand.

South Africa: Road research shows OOH now centre stage in media mix landscape

The new Road research that has been revealed, positions OOH, front and centre in the media mix landscape.

The new audience data measured 30,633 respondents combining 2015/16 data to allow one of the largest samples in the market; giving accurate, deeper, richer and robust information on mobility overall. Several factors were taken into account in the fusion process of two data sets that directly affect the audiences when combining 2015/16 data.

This information and process lead to more diverse routing information for modelling, broadening our understanding of mobility and overall roads and routes are taken. The new data/currency will allow for accountability, better and more dynamic media planning, coverage, reporting and integration.

India: Times OOH Caters to 70% of Daily Commuters in Bangalore

The well-designed, energy efficient, newly constructed bus shelters in Bangalore allows brands to put forward their communication more evidently, to a larger audience.

Lately, Times OOH has been awarded a contract to Design, Build, Operate and Maintain a total of 700 Bus Queue Shelters (BQS) along with Public Utilities across the city of Bangalore. Out of which, nearby 400 are up and running- spread across an area from International airport in North to Mysore road in South covering a stretch of 40 km & ITPL in East to Tumkur in West covering 30 km.

The overall purpose behind constructing these set of street furniture within a short span of time was to contribute to the urban landscape of the city and serve the daily travelers at prime locations as well as provide shelters to citizens residing in remote locations like Kempapura, Summanahalli, etc. where there were no bus shelters or limited transport facility previously.

India: DOOH-ing it right

As the usage of everything digital sees an upsurge, why should the out-of-home medium stay behind?

A take on how digital OOH will replace static billboards. With the rise of digital natives, internet penetration, and surge in smartphone usage, the pattern of information consumption and retention has changed drastically. In the current scenario, consumers have access to several mediums but they are more inclined towards digital channels as they are more engaging and provide information on a real-time basis.

While traditional mediums are struggling to adapt and provide similar offerings to the consumer, digital mediums are far more accessible in creating a larger scope for highly refined conversations with consumers.

FEPE OOH News 8th March 2018