Seen and heard: Geo-tagging, elections boost out of home advertising

Technology helps recast one of the oldest modes of promotion, while a string of big events promises to deliver a big year for outdoor advertising

Out of home (OOH) advertising may well count as a relic in the age of digital media. And yet, innovative repackaging coupled with data-driven usage and an action-packed year where cricket and elections promise an advertising blitzkreig are unlocking new opportunities for the old medium. 

For one, the industry is tackling an old problem, that of its lack of metrics. New technology and a handy set of tools is helping advertisers get a far more accurate idea of the returns from the medium. 

Laqshya Media Group (LMG), a marketing communications group, has been working with OOH vendors with ‘SHARP’ or Strategic Hyperlocal AI-powered Research Planner—a tool that helps advertisers drive more value from billboard promotions. Recently when Zee5 launched its web series, Rangbaaz, LMG analysed consumer congregation points, high traffic routes, etc and identified dominance zones to gain maximum mileage.

Sai Nagesh, chief strategy officer, LMG said, “SHARP is the combination of diverse data points involving geotagged OOH formats, traffic study by a global research agency, API integrations with large service providers and other multiple databases”. As part of Phase 1 the software delivers results for 26 cities with data on more than 50,000 sites comprising billboards, mall facades, pillars, poles across these cities. 

The OOH media players have taken their time incorporating data-led strategies in their marketing plans, however. Nagesh attributes this to the perception that OOH is the last step in the marketing communication mix. Consequently   the medium ends up bagging a disproportionately small share of the spend pie.  

Lack of professional players has also been a drawback, says Haresh Nayak, regional director, Posterscope, an OOH communications agency that is a part of the Dentsu Aegis network. “The industry is slowly opening up thanks to technology that’s played an important role in calculating data for brands,” he says. 

Most brands see OOH as a ‘reminder’ medium to keep the brand name alive in front of the target audience. “With a measuring tool, advertisers and media owners will be forced to relook at the medium as accurate measurement will ensure better ROI for both sides,” says Nagesh. 

Ambi Parameswaran, founder-CEO Brand-Building says he is not sure how advanced these cross-industry measurements are. “Each big advertiser, and media buying agency has its own metrics,” he says. Still few doubt the increased enthusiasm for OOH as an advertising medium today for a wide range of businesses. According to the Pitch Madison report, in 2018, the OOH market grew by 9 per cent and now stands at Rs 3,365 crore. Organised retail, consumer services and real estate were the top three categories that contributed to OOH; OTT players are emerging as big spenders too. In 2019, it is expected to grow by 11 per cent to reach a size of  Rs 3,750 crore.  

Nayak however feels that the OOH industry has already been growing at 20 per cent year on year and will see at least 30-35 per cent growth in 2019. “It is the season of large campaigns. World Cup, Indian Premier League, Lok Sabha elections, these would involve large spending as well. Clients are making note of long-term hold,” he says. 

There are new hurdles too, as Parameswaran points out. For instance some cities are trying to restrict OOH use for election campaigns (Goa) and Chennai has eliminated traditional hoardings. However, there has been a growth of what is called “street furniture” that doubles up as billboard space. “The emergence of bus stands as a viable ad medium is an indication that we will see OOH transforming into new modes of delivery systems,” he adds. Airport advertising commands a healthy share of the OOH market too. 

Nayak points out, “if your campaign is good, OOH will bring great visibility for your brand”. Brands will have to keep in mind what a consumer would want to see. It is here that the new measurement tools could play a big part. “A metric tool will help brands understand the consumer data better and accordingly help them design their campaigns,” says Harish Bijoor, founder, Bijoor Consultants.