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Rajneesh Bahl
Business Head- Outdoor
Percept Out of Home
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OOH Medium: The preferred choice of Advertisers these days! |
Over the last few years, due to the dynamic environment, the role of OOH as a medium has undergone sea changes. Over the second half of the last decade we have seen an accelerated evolution of the outdoor business in India. From a medium which was perceived as a reminder medium that supplemented print and television advertising, we have transited to a medium which drives impact. Today outdoor advertising is not only perceived as a medium that can be used effectively, strategically and tactically but also to achieve brand communication objectives. It has become one of the most important tools in the marketing mix. At present the media and entertainment industry today contributes 15-20 % of the total OOH spending.
The OOH landscape has seen a steady increase in brand participation in the recent years with a greater number of advertisers believing in the efficacy of OOH advertising in view of the changing lifestyle, especially in the metros and cities wherein people spend a larger portion of their waking hours out of home, either at work or for leisure and entertainment. Hence advertisers have come to believe that<> outdoor presence is essential for making a local impact. This would entail not just conventional outdoor advertising, but also the use of innovations, new media and brand activations.
Current OOH Scenario - Who all are using the OOH medium?
- The telecom players, among the biggest advertisers in the OOH domain, have had a dominant outdoor presence in all markets across the country. Given that the overall telecom subscriber base has touched 600 million, the OOH landscape has witnessed a combination of tariff wars and striking innovations that highlight service quality.
- The Media and Entertainment industry has traditionally been one of the highest spenders in the outdoor space. In the past, movie hoardings dominated the entertainment presence in the outdoor arena. Today, that place is largely taken by a swathe of television channels, each outdoing the other in drawing maximum eyeballs to their new programmes.
- The OOH landscape has also seen a steady rise in consumer durables advertising in recent times, triggered by the economic recovery. Changing lifestyles and higher disposable incomes have induced consumer durables to enhance their outdoor presence through conventional outdoor advertising, mall presence and digital OOH, apart from brand activation and other BTL activities.
- Real estate has conventionally been the largest spender in the OOH domain. This is particularly the case when the market is buzzing, like in the recent times when a large number of commercial and residential projects have been launched.
- Food joints have also not been left behind and have exploited this medium in a big way.
- The automobile industry is also in the league of using Out of home advertising comprehensively.
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Reasons for growth - Why more and more brands are using OOH media recently?
For a greater number of brands to use the OOH medium continuously, we need to understand what brands expect from the medium in the current market environment. The current market is also a dynamic scenario where the environments are constantly changing both for the brands as well as their needs from the medium. The breakthrough from a cluttered up medium is the biggest advantage for opting the OOH medium by the retailers. This medium has become a favorite with all because of its reach and visibility. As more and more people are on the go these days, it poses as the perfect option for retailers to market their propositions to their target audiences. OOH displays can catch the attention of customers even during rush hours when people may be stuck in traffic. Moreover it is a cost effective medium compared to TV and newspapers, and can be customized and moulded with innovation. Today OOH media is used at an extensive scale for everything from television to radio, mobile handsets to telecom services, and shampoos to soaps!
Digital OOH is being seen and heard much more now:
Digital is the newest buzzword not just in OOH but in the entire advertising and communication fraternity. OOH has transformed by going digital. Digital format is such that it is focused on marketing to consumers when they are 'on the go’. As three-fourths of the population spend most of their time out of their home, in public places like malls, multiplexes, offices, restaurants, gyms and clubs, OOH media plays the role of a strong emerging medium in all these places.
Innovation in OOH Advertising: Are clients open to new ideas and innovations? Is innovation purely a function of cost?
 Innovation is the key, every client and agency in the business keeps talking about it, but do we get to see much of innovation in OOH Advertising in India? Innovation in the context of OOH, honestly speaking, is one of the most misrepresented words. Innovation by definition means “introduction of something new and different”, whereas in the OOH context we rarely see that. What we see consistently is similar things time and again, which essentially get restricted to creating highlights on the base graphics. Very rarely is there an attempt to look at innovation from the perspective of an idea, an OOH-centric idea that can make the communication work harder.
Most clients are open to new ideas as long as they are within the framework of brand and communication percepts. Hence we should be prepared to move away from safe and mediocre solutions and at least attempt a level of form, if not content, in innovations.
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Founded in 1984, Percept, an entertainment, media and communications company, today , is at an enviable leadership position with a team of 1200 people and 62 offices across India and Middle East. This publication has been exclusively created for our stakeholders. The contents of this publication has been created with inputs from Percept Companies and Divisions. This document may not be reproduced or circulated without prior consent from the Corporate Communications Department at Percept Limited.
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