EUROPE NEWS

FEPE: 58th FEPE Congress in Stockholm: Early Bird bookings close February 28th

Early Bird bookings for the FEPE Stockholm Congress will end on February 28th

The 58th FEPE Congress, will be held between Wednesday June 7th and Friday June 9th 2017 at the Radisson Blu Waterfront hotel, Stockholm.

The link for the booking form can be found on the FEPE Homepage.

We will be having 2 days of presentations and panels, with high calibre speakers from across the world, all of whom will be bringing their unique viewpoints on the Out of Home industry. Last year's congress in Barcelona was FEPE's best attended yet, with over 350 attendees attending from 40 countries, both new records for us.

There will be an exclusive exhibition area attached to the main congress hall, and spaces are now available to reserve. If you are a supplier who wishes to get your product in front of an audience of global OOH decision makers please email us soon so we can hold a space for you.

As usual we have negotiated a special delegate rate for the hotel rooms and delegates are able to pay by credit card or bank transfer, which we hope will make bookings easier for some overseas delegates. Early bird registrations will be open until the end of February, which will allow delegates an extra €100 reduction regardless of FEPE membership status.

Delegate fees are unchanged from last year (and several years before) at €1100 for members and €1600 for non members, plus the additional early bird reduction. We will be announcing the Gala Dinner and Friday night social venues soon, along with our first confirmed speakers.

Further details will be announced in future newsletters.

UK: Forrest Media Selects Daktronics Video Displays for Scotland Installation

First 8-millimeter outdoor displays in Europe installed in Glasgow

The people in Glasgow, Scotland, are enjoying new sights as they pass by The SSE Hydro Arena as Forrest Media has selected Daktronics to install a two LED video displays to share brand and advertising messages with the masses.

The installation of two 8-millimeter LED video displays, the first of their kind in all of Europe, took place this past August in Glasgow, Scotland, and expands Forrest Media's network to 19 giant displays throughout the UK.

Forrest Media MD Marc Keenan said, "We are delighted with these new screens. The combination of the 8-millimeter tiles and the new cladding at such a 'go to' location looks amazing and this latest development reinforces our continued investment in the DOOH medium."

UK: My first 100 days in outdoor: I never knew you could do that

Leaping from agency land to a OOH media owner has been inspiring and surprising in equal measure, says Helen Weisinger of Outdoor Plus.

After 22 years occupying numerous agency boltholes, the move to the world of media ownership felt nothing short of terrifying.

One hundred days on, I can’t believe it took me this long to make the leap.

In three short months, I feel utterly re-energized by the opportunity and challenges that the medium throws up. However, the one challenge that has surprised me most is one that I hadn’t even considered. As I have trawled my way around town eulogizing about digital out of home, the words uttered most to me from clients, creative agencies and even a few media agencies have been, "I never knew you could do that".

Everyone seemed fully aware that OOH remains a great brand-builder and that in times of TV fragmentation and falling press readership it delivers a powerful broadcast audience.

Switzerland: Samsung and APG|SGA test 85-inch outdoor displays and evaluate the latest City ePanels of the future

Samsung and APG|SGA test 85-inch outdoor displays Samsung and APG|SGA are testing Samsung’s «OH85F» 85-inch outdoor display for the first time, exclusively in the city of Zurich.

On February 2nd, APG|SGA installed the first ever Samsung 85-inch outdoor display in Switzerland – right between the Sihlcity and Brunaupark shopping centres at the busy Saalsporthalle station of the Sihltal- Zurich-Uetliberg railway (SZU). The OH85F display developed by Samsung over the past few months will now be presented to the public exclusively in a test period lasting several weeks.

The «OH85F» is the largest available display in Samsung’s entire outdoor range. The glass is vandal-proof, and its anti-graffiti coating makes it easier to clean. The OH series units can be used in temperatures between minus 30 degrees and plus 50 degrees without the need for special casing – and in all weathers thanks to their IP56 certification. With a brightness of up to 2,500 cd/m2, the display is easily legible even in direct sunlight.

Michel Schauenberg, Head of Business Development Display at Samsung, is enthusiastic: "We are extremely pleased to present our pioneering new product at a railway station with our professional partners APG|SGA, Kilchenmann and SZU. We have achieved this premiere thanks to everyone involved. This first installation in Europe will help demonstrate the possibilities of Digital Out of Home Media."

Over a three-month test phase, APG|SGA will broadcast the same content on the new Samsung display as on the Rail ePanels at Zurich main station. Advertisers thus benefit from free additional benefits. As well as feedback from customers and location partners, the technical measurement data will be constantly evaluated and the control systems continuously optimized. Light and temperature fluctuations in particular will provide valuable information. The findings obtained will form theand evaluate the latest City ePanels of the future*

Ireland: Exterion Media Joins IAB Ireland

Exterion Media Ireland has announced that it has joined the Internet Advertising Bureau Ireland. The move is part of Exterion Media’s strategy to develop its digital infrastructure.

In joining IAB Ireland, Exterion Media will use and share its significant databank of insights into audience behaviours, in particular digital OOH, to promote better use of the digital channel and promote best practice within the industry. With the recent expansion of Exterion Media’s digital network the company now reaches 2m people in retail and rail commuter environments each week.

Membership of IAB Ireland will enable the company’s teams to get deeper understanding of the digital landscape by participating in training and events.

UK: Ocean Outdoor and Posterscope collaborate with Tate Britain on Hockney painting on largest digital canvas

Hockney’s LA Garden receives premiere on screens across the UK

In a digital out of home first, Ocean Outdoor and Posterscope are collaborating with Tate to broadcast artist David Hockney’s iPad paintings across city and roadside out of home screens in seven UK cities. For seven days from Thursday, February 9 up to 20 million people across the UK will see animated clips of Hockney’s brushstrokes, building to reveal a painting in the artist’s inimitable style.

The work – Untitled, 382 - depicts Hockney’s garden in Los Angeles and this will be its European premiere.

The campaign coincides with the public opening of the Tate Britain exhibition David Hockney on Thursday, February 9. Ocean will broadcast the creative clip across Signature’s The Loop in Manchester and Birmingham, The Grid city network and Ocean’s roadside Collections. The biggest canvas of all will be the Birmingham Media Eyes. The other cities are London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Newcastle.

Hockney has written a call-to-action that will appear at the end of the clip: Keep Calm and Carry On Drawing.

Hockney wholeheartedly embraces new technology and has painted with iPads since 2010. These works will be the focus of the final room of David Hockney - the most extensive retrospective of Hockney to date.

David Hockney said: "It is a very exciting moment to see this painting of my garden revealed for the first time in Europe, and on its biggest ever canvas. When I created this work I always imagined it would look rather good on a large scale, and I'm delighted that people from across the UK will see this picture come to life. I encourage everyone to keep calm and carry on drawing - and to come see my show at Tate Britain."

Ocean Group marketing director Richard Malton said: “Being invited to premiere a work which David Hockney has generated in a digital format has to be the purest form of content. This is a highly anticipated retrospective and the fact that we can share it across the UK with 20 million people is an incredible honour.”

Posterscope UK managing director Glen Wilson added: “As an organisation that embodies creativity and innovation, Tate Britain was looking for a unique way to premiere David Hockney’s amazing digital work and its new Hockney exhibition. This campaign takes advantage of the high impact, real-time, broadcast attributes of digital out of home and we are excited to be part of this DOOH media first.”

UK: Kinetic launches OOH startup incubator

Kinetic has launched a startup incubator, KineticX, focused on location advertising technologies for out-of-home advertising.

The UK-based programme aims to offer brands innovative solutions and to provide early-stage business access to Kinetic’s client base.

KineticX will work with early to mid-stage startups and will focus primarily on those with relevance to contextual marketing, digital screen technology, deep learning, AI, hyper-local technology, projections and holograms, and the Internet of Things.

Ireland: The behind-the-scenes machinations shaping the government’s new alcohol laws

The new Public Health (Alcohol) Bill has been under consideration by the government since late 2015 but has not yet been enacted.

It is a far-reaching bill with new legislation on aspects such as minimum pricing, advertising and product labelling. Over the next few weeks, TheJournal.ie will look at different aspects of the bill, the sides for and against the measures, and the effect the bill will have.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH (Alcohol) Bill was published by then-Minister for Health Leo Varadkar in December 2015. It has a wide-ranging set of measures designed to reduce the effects of alcohol-related harm in Ireland.

Switzerland: APG|SA buys Swiss dating app Blinq to power beacon push

The dating game sure is tough to maintain.

Zurich-based dating app Blinq has been acquired by a Swiss outdoor advertising firm, APG|SGA, with the latter coveting the team’s experience in rolling out beacon networks for a new division that will be developing interactive ads to work in conjunction with the Bluetooth comms tech. The price of the acquisition has not been disclosed, though given Blinq’s limited traction it’s unlikely to be much of a multiple.

The startup had raised around $1M in seed funding since being founded back in 2013, including from local angel investors and the founders’ own funds. The Blinq dating app — and another project the startup developed: an algorithm to judge physical attractiveness — will both be closed within two weeks, according to co-founder and CTO Jan Berchtold.

UK: Clear Channel UK Partners with Concept Group

Sign and large format LED display specialist Concept Group has supported Clear Channel UK in the expansion of their nationwide digital network.

Concept Group designed, built and installed a complex network of 10 LED display builds in prominent city centre locations and high footfall retail destinations across the UK. With projects in Birmingham, London, Manchester and Bristol, it was essential that work was carried out simultaneously in order to ensure the displays could start generating revenue as soon as possible.

Concept Group, one of only a few organisations able to deliver multiple large format digital deployments across the country simultaneously, completed Clear Channel’s multifaceted 10-strong network expansion in just 11 weeks from commencement on site.

The expanded network included two Malls Live XL sites; indoor large format installations at retail destinations, seven Wrap sites; digital 48-sheet LED display builds, and one super premium large format Storm structure, situated on main arterial routes in and out of major cities. The complex nationwide project saw Concept Group complete geo-tech ground surveys, bespoke foundation design and the swift delivery of each project, all in a highly challenging environments. Each site was also delivered on time, and under budget demonstrating complete transparency for the client.

Managing director of Concept, Sean Morrough, said: “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to build on our relationship with Clear Channel UK, having worked with the national out-of-home media owner for almost 18 months. This network roll out demonstrated our team’s ability to design, construct and manage a large number of complex projects simultaneously across the UK. “Our team has expanded rapidly in the last year, and it’s great to see the growing level of expertise we have within the company. Concept continues to grow from strength-to-strength, with our recent rebrand illustrating the depth of experience, skill-level and our growing capabilities.”

Darren Alderson, Director for Storm Development at Clear Channel UK, added: “Our vision is to create the future of media, Out of Home, and key to this is having a next-generation advertising estate in place that connects brands with their audiences’ right across the UK. For us, this has meant growing our market-leading digital portfolio at pace, including the addition of 10 new sites by Concept Group."

UK: I've been stalked - but in a nice way

By Dominic Mills

Compared to other channels, digital is supposed to be the one that tracks your every action, while others are much less precise.

If there was one medium I thought that was especially difficult to measure, it was outdoor. It's sort of roughly (but not entirely uneducated) guesswork, isn't it? Well no. In fact, it's incredibly precise.

In December, just for fun, I asked Route, which tracks OOH audiences, if it could test my exposure to posters. It gave me one of its new black boxes, aka the GPS MobiTest device. These have a certain rarity value: at any one time only the 277 members of the audience panel have one (14 days each, making 7,200 over the year).

USA: Look Out: An Amazing Year is Ahead

Nancy Fletcher OAAA President and CEO

After the swearing-in and inaugural events in Washington, DC, I just returned from the road. As we launch a new year with a new Congress and a new President, OAAA members want to know what’s next.

Here is a list of important industry events, services, and highlights to expect in the next few months.

National Convention + Expo

The 2017 OAAAGeopath National Convention + Expo in New Orleans, LA, May 15-17 features new ideas, new technologies, and new public service. In a world of clicks, likes, and page views, out of home advertising is well positioned for growth and success. The convention theme — Look Out — reflects our optimism and growing prominence in the changing media landscape. LookOut2017.com lists speakers, exhibitors, and convention details.

Register by February 17 for the early bird discount. 2017 Awards At the convention, we’ll present the OBIE Awards, which have been revamped with new categories and awards as we celebrate 75 years of creative excellence. The industry will also pay tribute to our most influential leaders and visionaries with the presentation of the OOH industry awards; be sure to get your nominations in by February 20.

The awards show and after-party will be held at the magical Mardi Gras World, just up the Mississippi River from the convention hotel, via a journey on the Creole Queen Riverboat.

USA: Billboards Call Out P&G's Top Marketer as He Fights Digital Ad Fakery: 'Hey Marc, This Ad Is Real.'

If Procter & Gamble Co. Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard wants ad viewability, he's getting it, right from the windows of his corporate headquarters.

In response to Mr. Pritchard's speech last week to the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting on the problems of digital ad viewability and fraud, among other things, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America has put up six billboards near P&G headquarters in Cincinnati shouting out: "Hey Marc, This ad is real."

The Cincinnati effort revives the OAAA's "Feel the Real" campaign originally introduced in 2015, which went on hiatus last year in favor of a pro bono voter-registration effort. Lamar Advertising donated the space for the new Cincinnati campaign, including a prominent spot along the on ramp to a major thoroughfare heading east from P&G headquarters that's been used in the past by such rivals as Unilever and Church & Dwight Co. to tweak P&G marketers.

USA: Clear Channel Airports Signs 10-Year Agreement with Honolulu International Airport to Provide Comprehensive Digital Media Program

Clear Channel Airports (CCA), a brand division of Clear Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA) (CCO), and a subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., today announced it has signed a new 10-year partnership with Honolulu International Airport (HNL) to provide a comprehensive digital advertising network throughout the airport. CCA is the first media company to offer an in-terminal advertising concession to HNL. The new advertising program, implemented by CCA, will include iconic, state-of-the-art digital assets and experiential displays with an installation date of May 1, 2017.

Honolulu International Airport has recently experienced four record-breaking years of growth for Hawaii’s visitor industry. The state is also projected to reach a record number of air seats servicing Hawaiian Islands in 2017, indicating long-term sustainability for the Hawaii visitor industry. At any given time, day or night, an estimated 10,000 people are in the HNL airport complex as passengers, employees or visitors, presenting a prominent platform for advertisers.

USA: Media planners expect to maintain or grow spend in DOOH and digital place based advertising

Planners expect to continue their current level of spending on digital place-based (DPB) and digital-out-of-home (DOOH) or increase it over the next three years, a new industry survey has found.

The Digital Place Based Advertising Association's (DPAA) eighth annual survey of media planners identifies the growing importance of DPB and DOOH media in today's advertising ecosystem. This year the survey is punctuated by the industry's increased focus of reaching consumers outside the home, continued disruption of television, significant enthusiasm for the use of mobile in conjunction with OOH and the potential offered by programmatic buying.

For the first time in the history of the survey, the percentage of planners (61%) who included DPB/DOOH in their media plans in the prior 12 months shot well past the 50% mark. Last year's figure was just slightly over 50%.

New Zealand: New Zealand OOH reports sensational full year growth of 28% in 2016

The Outdoor Media Association of NZ (OMANZ) reports that OOH investment in New Zealand climbed beyond 100 million dollars for the first time in 2016.

Figures just released show that sector growth accelerated further in the final quarter to smash the milestone and finish on more than $103 million, representing impressive full year growth of 28%.

OMANZ Chairman Wayne Chapman commented, “This spectacular result is rich reward for the significant commitment to the sector shown by OMANZ members throughout the year, and builds on the 13% growth enjoyed by the sector in 2015. Our members are to be congratulated for driving innovation, and most importantly value to our customers across the spectrum of technology, creativity and audience insight”

As an association OMANZ has a renewed commitment to ensuring that NZ OOH remains in the ascendancy, and that our organisation regains momentum. Emblematic of this shared commitment and of our confidence in the continued growth prospects of the sector, OMANZ is currently well advanced in recruiting our first full time General Manager and would expect that this appointment will herald a new level of focus and profile for OOH in New Zealand at the industry level”

AFRICA NEWS

Kenya: City Hall mulls direct billing of client ads as advertising firms delay payments

Companies seeking to have their advertisements on billboards across Nairobi may soon be forced to pay the county government directly.

This comes as the Nairobi City County raised issue with outdoor advertising companies over unpaid fees. According to officials, the county is owed in excess of Sh168.3 million as of December 31, 2016. In a notice in the dailies, Nairobi County Secretary Dr Robert Ayisi gave the firms, seven days to clear the arrears. “Failure to pay within the above period will compel the county to commence enforcement action and start billing the clients directly,” Dr Ayisi said.

Botswana: Alliance Media is voted the best billboard company in Botswana

Alliance Media continues on a winning streak in their 20th year of business. Last week, Alliance Media Botswana walked away with the Diamond Award at the PMR (Professional Management Review) Awards. Rea leboga, Botswana.

The Alliance Media Botswana team attended the event in Gabarone and they are very proud to be standing out and being recognised above the competition in Botswana.

The accolade proves that Alliance Media is indeed Africa’s leader in billboard and airport advertising, and more specifically, the leading billboard company in Botswana.

FEPE OOH News 9th February 2017