Good times ahead for OOH sector, but attracting talent still a challenge

The past two years have been quite productive for the OOH sector. And, 2015 has started with a promise that the outdoor industry’s representative body, Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA), will play a more proactive role, which is bound to bring more positive news for the industry in years to come. One area where the industry has traditionally lagged is in attracting new talent compared with other mediums.

TV has its glamour, print prestige, digital excitement and radio charm which has often led the humble OOH space getting the shorter end of the stick.

In an earlier interview to exchange4media, CEO of Percept OOH Rajneesh Bahl had said, “More and more professionals are getting into the industry and people are investing in it. The only concern is that the knowledge domain is not increasing. If this increases, the sector will do really well. No new talent coming to the industry, which stagnates growth and inflow of new ideas.”

This analysis is quite common when it comes to the OOH industry, but outdoor agency heads feel that the scenario has improved a lot and is changing for the better.

A reason for this, says Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO and MD of Milestone Brandcom, is that for a long time OOH was run and controlled by second and third generation media owners and given the nature of the business, it was largely an unorganised and complex industry with high fragmentation.

“The A&M industry adopted the OOH medium only during 1995-2000. Once agencies showed interest and began to take the medium seriously, clients also started to show interest and push agencies to deliver,” he said.

                      So how difficult is it to find the right talent, especially from different fields?

Laqshya Media COO Atul Srivastava says talent is now coming to the OOH industry from all sectors. Recruitments, he said, are happening from campuses as organisations now have long-term plans and projects. However, he agrees that attracting talent could be a bit difficult because of the perception of the industry. “But once they are in (the industry), retention is natural. Recognition of individual excellence is a key differentiator to this industry, which binds the challenge-seekers to it,” he added.

Sanjeev Gupta, MD of Global Advertisers, says experienced talent is expensive and experience might sometimes create an unbending mindset, which is not ready to adopt new ways of doing things. “There are factors such as increased competition, price cutting and rising HR costs. Also, talent seeks better packages, perks and more attractive responsibility profile,” said Gupta. This is a point to which Bhattacharyya also agrees.

“All new B-school grads want to join industries with proven returns. All of them look for a good pay package. That’s their mindset from the beginning. I don’t blame them as the OOH sector should first get the ‘industry’ status. Being the third largest medium, we still don’t have any industry unified currency. There are a few initiatives from the advertising association to address these challenges faced by the industry. Hopefully, we would receive positive responses shortly,” he said.

Global Advertisers gives muscles to Thomas Cook’s Visit Mexico campaign

Thomas Cook’s ‘Visit Mexico’ Mumbai campaign executed by Global Advertisers has recently come to an end. According to Global Advertisers the campaign that covered Mumbai, was a short duration high impact drive that highlighted Thomas Cook's push for Mexico Tourism. The campaign featured creatives that urged the Indian audience who are taking international vacations to book holidays with Thomas Cook and explore Mexico, headlining the country’s Spanish heritage and culture as well as Incan roots.

Sanjeev Gupta, MD, Global Advertisers, says that the initial reports have been very encouraging. "Indians are familiar with Mexican food, music, dance and culture. A rising number of Indians speak Spanish. We choose some of the best sites in Mumbai for the campaign. These are neighborhoods that have substantial populations of international travellers who like to explore the world. The team did a great job with the site selection, the planning and the execution," he adds.

The campaign was mainly focused around high traffic locations such as Marine Drive, Bandra, Dadar, Mahim, Kandivali, Andheri, Juhu, Sion, and Vile Parle as part of the Mumbai campaign that ran from the 8th of December to the 22nd.

The visit Mexico campaign, a part of a larger drive that was initiated by the Mexico Tourism board last year with the slogan ‘Live it to Believe it’ and according to international industry sources the six phased campaign is going to be spending six million dollars over all its phases.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, PLAY IT BIG

OOH campaigns for the Maharashtra Assembly polls reveal an astute corporate approach that plays the branding game with elan

September 30, 2014; Mumbai: Now that it is clear who is going with whom and importantly who are now going it alone, the very first billboards announcing the Maharashtra Assembly polls are vying for the attention of voters.

It is election time, folks! 

This is however a campaign that promises to be different from any other the state has seen. The two cornered contest has turned four-cornered as as if picking its cues from the Lok Sabha campaign, all political parties appear to be going for clean, uncluttered design and simple messages.

"The Lok Sabha elections underlined the role that advertising in general and OOH in particular can play in an election campaign. All parties appear to have learned their lesson because the age of posters with 50 leaders competing for attention is a thing of the past now. It is the time of projecting a single face on a larger-than-life cutout and simple but well-thougt out messages," said Sanjeev Gupta, MD, Global Advertisers.

Sources in political parties confirmed that leaders were convinced that a better planned campaign handled by professional campaign managers was a good idea. "It is clear that a corporate approach is better than old-style campaigning. That is the way the last Lok Sabha elections were won and that is the way it is done," said a senior political observer who refused to be named.    

Global, being the largest owner of premium billboards in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has been playing an important part in all state, central and local-self government elections for the last 18 years. 

Log onto globaladvertisers.in know more about role of OOH in the 2014 Assembly polls in Maharashtra

Many Applauds for the new government of India- Sanjeev Gupta, MD - Global Advertisers

Global Advertisers congratulates BJP and its Prime Ministerial candidate Mr. Narendra Modi on the phenomenal win in 2014 Election.

We hope that his government keep their promises, fulfill our expectations and take India on the road of development…..

Mr. Modi’s ideology taught us to work first for your Nation, your Society and then for yourself, because once your community grows, you will definitely experience the fortune for your family. There are no freebies for anyone….

The cool new government is heartily welcome!!!

We need to stand united for the industry to grow- Sanjeev Gupta ( Global Advertisers )

It is partially true that the OOH industry is relatively unstructured, but as the industry is developing, we feel that more structure will automatically develop. What can drive the growth is the organised approach toward the pricing and legality of outdoor inventories. Several good partners who we have worked with, even despite the relatively unstructured nature of the industry helped us grow in critical economic conditions. If, all the major and small player combined their effort to uplift the face of industry, I am sure that day will come soon when marketer will give us due importance in their advertising plan.

We believe that smart planning is definitely the thumb rule for any successful marketing campaign. Starting from the concept design, the selection of activity execution partner and then going to the execution plan. We try to ensure that we generate success right from the planning stage itself. There can be so many unforeseen variables impacting an outdoor activity that unless you plan meticulously for the things that you can control, you might be thrown off balance by things that are out of your control!

For the record, Global has spearheaded the revolution in outdoor media – arresting consumers’ attention as well as driving home the message effectively. Mobile vans, taxi, bus shelter, Z-boxes, street furniture, fleet graphics, digital displays at mails and multiplexes, ferries, amusement parks, airplanes, swimming pools and rest rooms have been creatively exploited by Global to communicate with consumers on the go. That explains why Global has been the leading outdoor media partner for all major sectors over the last 18 years. Call Now Mr. Amit Gupta - 9820 797 773 Or Email -amit@globaladvertisers.in

‘Cutting edge technology made election advertising stand out’

How are outdoor advertising campaigns for political parties planned? And how was this election season different from the previous editions?

As the election campaigning draws to a close in Mumbai, advertising across political parties is reaching a fever pitch. Lok Sabha 2014 has seen some of the most aggressive advertising campaigns from the country’s two principal parties – the Congress and the BJP. It seems that every available space, whether on print or online or on the air, has been taken up by election advertising.

The Metrognome spoke to Global Advertisers’ Managing Director, Sanjeev Gupta (in pic on left), to find out more about the business of election advertising in the outdoor space.

Excerpts from the interview:

How does the election season benefit a business such as yours?

Outdoor media is the most important channel of communication for political campaigns, which mainly rely on political marches, rallies, morchas, dharnas, and door-to-door campaigns to get the message across. All forms of political campaigning happen outdoors. Moreover, 2014 is particularly special because the campaigns are managed with unprecedented professionalism and there is a marked corporate flavour in the way the campaigns are being conceptualised, planned and executed.

These factors are translating into good business. Our media properties played a prominent part in campaigns of nearly all major political parties. 

What are some of the requirements from clients?

All requirements from clients ultimately seek to accomplish one task – of scoring with the voters. They want advertising to be visible to voters. They want the media to work its magic at the right time.

Typically, an election campaign follows four stages: One, the introduction. Two, meeting the voters. Three, spreading information about the candidate/party’s USP. While the fourth stage is getting voters to choose the candidate on the big day.

At every stage, companies like ours offer our clients outdoor sites/ hoardings and other media to help them achieve their goals. We must hand-hold the client through the campaign, at every step, from printing to mounting of flex, and ultimately, to providing post-campaign feedback.   

What kinds of strategies are required to stand out among hundreds of other outdoor campaigns?

Our strategy has been to coordinate very closely with clients, offer competitive rates, select media carefully and dish up the right media mix. Above all, we have been on our feet for 11 hours for the last three months to accommodate changes in plan, content and sites.

That said, the secrets of standing out in a crowded marketplace are not really new.

Be clear about what you set out to achieve. Be better at service, and with the quality of billboards and other media. Be different from everyone in the way you frame your message, offer tailor-made solutions that work within the budget and out-innovate the competition.

What are some of the new types of outdoor advertising seen this election season?

More mobile vans with mounted hoardings were used in this season than ever before. Parties used concepts like ‘chai pe charcha’ and ‘e-chaupal’ and successfully harnessed cutting edge technology and offered it to voters in different parts of the country, which created quite a buzz.

Even with traditional outdoor advertising, the complimentary role of online and mobile media has increased several-fold. These changes hint at the shape of things to come.

This time, special creative content was designed for specific locations for better impact. There were cut-outs, LED, back-lit, 3-D and digital displays. The power of outdoor advertising was displayed like never before in this election. You can see this from the unusually high voter turnout this time.  

In monetary terms, what is the kind of boost that your business gets in election season?

All things remaining same, this election season, we expect business to grow by 50 per cent compared to the same period in a non-election year. This is, of course, a rough estimate.

On an average, how much do political parties spend on outdoor advertising?

I cannot discuss figures without explicit permission of a client but if you know the campaign expenses that are made public, you can safely conclude that outdoors gets anywhere between 40 to 50 per cent of the total outlay in a political campaign.

How does outdoor score over other media when it comes to election campaigns?

People who step out regularly either to commute, shop, visit friends or places of worship are more likely to step out to vote on the big day, too. It therefore makes more sense to invest in outdoor advertising than any other medium because the target demographic (voters) and the medium (billboards and other outdoor media) and the desired outcome (influencing voter behaviour in favour of a particular candidate/party on the day of voting) are 1) in the same geographical area, 2) are likely to be the same people (people who are outdoors on other days are also likely to vote on election day), and 3) the campaign, message, brand positioning can be tailored to address the specific demographic in that particular area.

Traditional election campaigns focussed on communicating achievements. This has changed as this time the efforts were on convincing voters and not merely communicating. The entire outdoor media fraternity – vendors, creative minds, agencies, mounters – have taken up this new challenge and have gone ahead to do an excellent job of it.

EKTA World launches Orange Fiesta with surprizes!

Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, renowned developer EKTA World recently launched its month long ‘The Orange Fiesta’ with goodies like series of discounts and value adds ranging from electronics and consumer durables, for buyers from April 25, 2014 onwards.

Home seekers can avail discounts of ranging from Rs. 4.69 lakhs to 22.85 lakhs on residential projects like EKTA Tripolis in Goregoan, EKTA Oculus in Chembur, EKTA Parksville in Virar, EKTA California in Pune and EKTA Greenville in Nashik.

Apart from savings on EKTA properties, “The Orange Fiesta” will offer prizes like I-pads, mobile phones and more goodies on Spin the Fiesta Wheel and various spot contests at all EKTA World sites. Apart from this, Air-Conditioners are also on offer for customers.

Leveraging OOH, the real estate giant has come up with an outdoor campaign in Mumbai. The campaign has jointly been executed by Bright Outdoor and Global Advertisers.

Likewise, Global Advertisers has used large size hoardings at strategic locations with uncluttered view and vibrant artwork which successfully grabbed the attention of target audience.

Sanjeev Gupta, MD, Global Advertisers, said, "At Global, we make sure that our client gets the best visibility from the campaign. Our team selected the hoardings located in the target area of Ekta World, they are illuminated, clutter free and the size of hoarding impress the viewer."

Join us on

Dead time during commuting is an opportunity for OOH- Sanjeev Gupta

Mumbai: 8 May, 2014: The discerning Indian consumers are in the era of fast moving lifeline, from hi-speed internet to speedy metro trains, they are moving faster than ever. To maintain the pace with consumers, out-of-home industry makes effort to open up new opportunities for brands to engage with consumers on the move. The proliferation of smartphones is also a boon for the out-of-home sector by allowing people to interact with outdoor display immediately, from visiting a website listed on a billboard of a train platform, to scanning a QR code at the bus stop. As such, the outdoor advertising in transport hubs is on the up as brands take advantage of the ‘dead’ time people face while waiting for a train or to catch a plane, or while they are sitting in traffic. So there is an opportunity for advertisers to help kill that dead time.

Outdoor advertising sector becomes gradually digitised, it seems the options open to advertisers are limitless. It’s an exciting media channel to be part of right now, as the industry keeps growing because advertisers are recognising out-of-home’s potential.

Nashta for the dimaag - Global Advertisers

Kellogg's cornflakes ties up with Meru Cabs to dish out a breakfast on the move to surprise passengers on the move

28 May 2014, Mumbai: Are you among those who do not feel like eating when you are about to leave home in the morning but feel the pangs 30 minutes after you step out. Well, Kellogs has a solution for you. Have Kellogg's healthy "Anaaj ka Nashta" in a box in your car as you commute to work everyday.

Save on time, eat exactly when you are hungry and eat healthy. Kellogg's breakfast was served in 100 Meru cabs in each of the four metropolitan cities of India. The idea, says an article published in Outdoor Asia, was to capture people who tend to skip their breakfast due to lack of time and engage them over a healthy breakfast in the cab.

The breakfast kit included a Kellogg’s Muesli breakfast pack, a spill proof deep bowl, a 100ml milk carton, sugar, spoon and a tissue. Chauffeurs used hand sanitizers before handing the kit over to the customer. The hundred cars that have been chosen are not known to the customer beforehand, which introduces a "happy surprise" element to the campaign.

"Solutions that fit into the fast paced life that we lead today are always welcome. Kellogg's campaign has managed to make a connect because it is simple, well-thought and engages the target customer in a way that is extremely friendly. When the commute is over an hour long, it is easy for the chauffer to open up a quality conversation. Great concept, great planning, excellent execution," said Sanjeev Gupta, MD, Global Advertisers, an outdoor media giant based in Mumbai.ENDS