The billboard beckons

?The OOH industry has never seen a steady graph and has had its ups and downs. If one was to graph its movement in the last four years, then 2007 had been an excellent year with a growth of nearly 30% over the previous year,? says Sanjay Shah, CEO, Blue Sky Brandcomm Asia. While the OOH sector grew by about 10% in 2008 over 2007, 2009 did not show any growth due to the recession. ?I feel 2010 has clocked an approximate growth of 10% over 2009 to close at about Rs 1,550 crore. 2011 looks promising and it should close with a growth rate of 12-15%,? he says.

One of the biggest reasons behind the attention that outdoor is attracting now is the increased confidence of clients in the medium. Says Rajneesh Bahl, business head ? outdoor, Percept Out of Home, ?There have been a lot of changes in the medium, towards good. Clients? confidence has certainly risen as outdoor is now playing the role of the primary media, it is localised and impactful.?

In the last couple of years, OOH advertising has been able to come out of the shadow of television and print campaigns and get its own place under the sun. Agrees Shah, ?More and more advertisers and marketers have started believing in and using the medium. Agencies, having realized the potential of the medium, have been instrumental in convincing them, which has resulted in higher budgets. This has resulted in outdoor advertising growing in stature in India over the last two decades, and outdoor, in many cases, has been the main medium for launch, positioning and repositioning of products and services.? According to Shah, the telecom industry is the top user of the medium with an approximate 40% share even as other categories too have started increasing their spends on the medium.

Another reason for this growth is the entry of new professional players, feels Bahl. ?New professional players such as JC Decaux, have really helped.

They have got international designs into the country and have raised the standards of outdoor advertising.?

Separate creatives and technology are also huge catalysts in boosting the growth of this medium. ?The advent of new media has helped a lot. OOH media started digital media stream which has been successful. The hoardings are no longer simple and plain. They are using new technology to bring in innovation,? says Bahl.

Advertisers are now demanding separate media-specific creatives, and creative agencies, having realized the potential, are putting their minds and hearts in creating the same. Says Shah, ?It is extremely important that the creative for OOH is addressed separately and is not the last-minute print ad adaptations. Outdoor has always been getting step-motherly treatment and there had never been any efforts to create separate OOH creatives. However, all this is now changing as perceptions have changed. Advertisers have realized that outdoor campaigns are innovative, can create a great buzz and get the attention of people.?

Muncipal guidelines for outdoor advertising have all along had a major influence on this sector. ?Legalisation of the medium and having a standard policy for outdoor across India is unfortunately still lacking, though in certain cities there is definitely an attempt to create the same,? says Shah. ?The OOH industry has been slow in keeping up with technological developments. It is the outcome of the authorities? mindset, where getting permissions is the key concern.?

Digital technology, which plays a very important role in outdoor advertising worldwide, is still in a nascent stage in India. ?A lot needs to change for digital to truly catch on in India, and for this rules and regulations need to be in place for the medium to really work. Importantly, the mindset needs to change where the authorities and governing bodies are concerned,? adds Shah.

Bahl feels that lack of research is one of the biggest handicaps that the medium faces. He says, ? Lack of research limits the scope of the medium.?

Shah agrees. ?The biggest challenge the medium faces is accountability, measurability and ROI. It is extremely important for gut feelings to be replaced by science and mathematics. However, more and more specialised agencies are being formed, thus changing the total outlook towards the medium and making it more professional and answerable.? While accountability is largely there, measurement and ROI are still at a distance. There have been a few attempts to bring in measurability and, in turn, ROI, but unfortunately these are yet to come through, say industry watchers. Quite a few agencies have their own ways of measurement and planning but so far syndicated attempts have not come fully through, points out Shah.

Another major hurdle is the high cost of tenders. Says Bahl, ?Tenders are being allotted at exorbitant cost to the end users. The cost of tenders has increased about 20 times and that has become a problem.?

The medium is continuously striving to improve, and overall, there have been enough examples in the recent past to document this improvement in terms of creatives, innovations and implementation.

Brandwagon picks up some interesting outdoor campaigns launched in the last few months to see how they have fared.

Breaking all records

Campaign: Guinness World Records (GWR)

Agency: Primesite

Client brief: To announce the launch of Hindi general enetertainment channel Colors?s new show with a bang by executing an innovation which is in sync with the overall communication.

Idea: Colors recently launched a show titled Guinness World Records – Ab India Todega. The show is all about awe-inspiring, bizarre, unforgettable and entertaining record breaking acts by Indians. Interestingly, the GEC came up with an outdoor campaign reflecting the daring spirit of the show. Four courageous mounters fixed the flex measuring 100 ft by 20 ft, at a height of over 60 ft, without any helmets or harnesses, in a record time of 20 minutes and 51 seconds at V Mehta Road, JVPD Scheme, Mumbai on March 11. The billboard announced the show’s launch on the channel and read, ‘This is the world’s fastest flex billboard ever mounted’, along with the show logo and channel branding.

Duration: 10 days

Result: It usually takes seven mounters more than 90 minutes to fix a billboard of such dimensions. The achievement of the team of four mounters earned them recognition from Guinness World Records. The attempt was adjudicated by Raymond Marshall, head, legal and business affairs, Guinness World Records. According to Colors, 18.5 million viewers watched the launch episode and 35.1 million viewers saw the show the first week.

A walk in the clouds

Campaign: Microsoft Cloud Power

Agency: JC Decaux

Client brief: Microsoft wanted to connect with the maximum number of people through a larger format.

Idea: To make use of the largest format of the media –a 90-m-long check-in glass facade at Bangalore airport, to give a unparalleled domination and reach to the advertiser.

Duration: 3 months

Result: The campaign was highly successful and covered all passengers departing from that airport. The huge format dominated the entire check-in area in the departure hall and couldn?t be missed by any passenger (both domestic and international) using the airport. Passengers gave the feedback that such a giant display format along with the high dwell time spent at the airport left a lasting impression on their minds and drove home the message of the campaign on cloud computing.

Homing in

Campaign: Star CJ Alive Neon SignLogo

Agency: Shlok Media & Alive Media

Client brief: The client wanted to create a talking point and build buzz around the television shopping channel Star CJ Alive and its activities. The objective of doing the campaign was to drive brand salience, impact and key message about the new programme to the target audience.

Idea: The strategic location of the innovative displays was planned in such a way that it caught the attention of commuters from all angles. Mahim Causeway junction is one of the busiest “congregation points” in Mumbai and the media island on the junction is visible to commuters night and day.

Duration: 1 month

Result:The revolving and static brand showcase platforms were a hit with the masses. Star CJ Alive would be the first brand to own this space. Awareness and trials have increased for the channel.

Power of zero

Campaign: Videocon Mobile Zero Paisa Per Second Plan

Agency: StreetSmart, Mudra Max

Client brief: Videocon Mobile Services planned to launch a unique, first of its kind tariff plan ? zero paisa per second. The client wanted to create buzz about this unique offering. Innovation was the most preferred route.

Idea: The TV ad for this innovative product had a teaser too. A teaser of a funeral ? a funeral of the 1 paise per second plan. Though it was interesting, the agency realised early that death would be visually difficult to pull off. It could put people off. Therefore, they focused on the birth and an egg is the immediate imagery that sprang to mind. The OOH teaser in Mumbai coincided with the funeral TV ad. The zero paise plan was revealed the same day.

Duration: The teaser ran for 5 days; with the zero paisa per second plan revealed on the sixth day. It was a first-of-its-kind progressive teaser innovation that extensively spread across social networking sites as a viral campaign.

Result: The campaign was a rage in the social media space where people have posted photos clicked by them on Facebook and tweeted their guesses on what the hoarding could be all about. Emails called ?the egg story? were doing the rounds. The innovation had visuals changing on a daily basis which made people look forward to what would be the next visual.

Super Hero comes closer

Campaign: Vodafone Super Zoozoo

Agency: Bates 141 Landscape

Client brief: With the outdoor campaign, the telecom major wanted to amplify the new brand promise of ‘Faster Smarter Better’ by executing innovations at strategic locations across Vodafone’s key markets. The main objective is to bring out the imagery.

Idea: The campaign showcases some unprecedented innovations done by the brand. For instance, outside a mall in Ahmedabad, a 40-ft 3D Super Zoozoo cutout has been created by using LED lights on the glasses worn by the Zoozoo. Another head turning innovation is the 3D cutout of the Super Zoozoo breaking out of a wall which has been deployed across different locations in Delhi. This creative was put together using expandable polystyrene. Then there is a series of hoardings deployed with creatives using 3D effect wherein the Super ZooZoo breaks the wall in parts and emerges finally in the last creative. The campaign has been rolled out in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Pune and Coimbatore. Interestingly, the agency has come up with a unique innovation for each circle. The thematic creatives of the outdoor campaign have been taken to the experiential realm of mall activations which include tech savvy Zoozoo zones. One of the engagement activities invites the shoppers to be a part of a Super Zoozoo dance.

Duration: Started middle of March and still continuing

Result: According to the agency, though it’s too soon to talk about the results, the innovations have managed to generate a lot of word-of-mouth for the client. While the total number of innovations stands at 12 currently, it is expected go up in the future.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Campaign: Pepsi Change the Game

Agency: Mudra Max and Big Street

Client brief: Pepsi’s Change the Game campaign rolled out on the eve of the ICC World Cup on television and other mediums had already attracted much attention, and the aim now was to grab the eyeballs with an eye-catching innovation at the Delhi Metro.

Idea: As part of the outdoor campaign, the beverage company fully wrapped and branded a train on the Delhi Airport Metro Express. The entire length of the train showcased Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. To cash in on the cricketing hysteria, the campaign was started on the day of India-Pakistan match. The impact of this branding was extensive as it covered all the six coaches with a total area of 4,900 sq ft approximately. Though branding an entire train has already been done by brands like Airtel and Max New York, this was a first for any train of Delhi Metro.

Duration: Started March-end and currently continuing

Result:Considering how Delhi Metro is a landmark achievement, with the Airport Metro Express the first-of-its-kind in the country, the innovation has managed to grab eyeballs. This premium inventory reaches out not only to the SEC A urban jet-setters but also connects with upwardly mobile commuters who have travelled extensively abroad and appreciate a premium experience.

Salon treatment

Campaign: The Four Fountain Spa Themes

Agency: Adometer

Client brief: The Four Fountains Spa was launching three affordable spas in three locations (Bandra, Powai and Malad) across Mumbai. The main objective was to target prospective customers across these locations.

Idea: Adometer Media, an outdoor media agency specialising in vehicular advertising came up with an interesting innovation for The Four Fountains Spa. As part of the campaign, besides branded stickers pasted on the exterior of the cars, 3D elements were added to the car to create spa themes. For instance, in the three different creatives on the three cars, fluffy, rolled towels along with flowers and clay pots that are used to drip oil during massages were placed on top of the vehicles, while an image of a candle was pasted across the window. The cars went around the chosen localities, and stopped at street corners and strategic locations like malls, where representatives from the company would interact with consumers, distributing vouchers and promotional material for the spa.

Duration: 1 month

Result:The concept worked for the brand allowing advertising to reach into the lanes and bylanes of these localities. Monitoring was carried out with the help of short code SMS.

Power of zero

Campaign: Videocon Mobile Zero Paisa Per Second Plan

Agency: StreetSmart, Mudra Max

Client brief: Videocon Mobile Services planned to launch a unique, first of its kind tariff plan ? zero paisa per second. The client wanted to create buzz about this unique offering. Innovation was the most preferred route.

Idea: The TV ad for this innovative product had a teaser too. A teaser of a funeral ? a funeral of the 1 paise per second plan. Though it was interesting, the agency realised early that death would be visually difficult to pull off. It could put people off. Therefore, they focused on the birth and an egg is the immediate imagery that sprang to mind. The OOH teaser in Mumbai coincided with the funeral TV ad. The zero paise plan was revealed the same day.

Duration: The teaser ran for 5 days; with the zero paisa per second plan revealed on the sixth day. It was a first-of-its-kind progressive teaser innovation that extensively spread across social networking sites as a viral campaign.

Result: The campaign was a rage in the social media space where people have posted photos clicked by them on Facebook and tweeted their guesses on what the hoarding could be all about. Emails called ?the egg story? were doing the rounds. The innovation had visuals changing on a daily basis which made people look forward to what would be the next visual.