EUROPE NEWS

UK: Out of home pioneer Dennis Sullivan dies at 70

Dennnis Sullivan, one of the true pioneers of the international out of home industry, has died at his home in Tuscany aged 70.

Dennis spent four decades in the out of home industry, beginning his career in sales at the UK’s Mills & Allen (now JC Decaux) before becoming sales director at British Posters in 1974. In 1977 he joined the UK’s first specialist outdoor planning and buying agency Portland Outdoor, a joint venture between full service ad agencies CDP and JWT, becoming managing director in 1978.

Portland was eventually majority owned by WPP with Sullivan’s POA Holdings a substantial minority shareholder. Portland then merged with Poster Publicity to become the world’s first international outdoor specialist with offices across the world and $250m in billings. The merged company is now WPP’s Kinetic, the world’s biggest out of home specialist agency.

In recent years Dennis continued in the industry working as an international OOH consultant as well as running his villa rental business from his home in Italy.

Dennis was a big personality in an era of many big personalities, determined to do things his own way and impatient of the compromises that came with ownership by a big holding company. He saw the potential for out of home to become a major medium long before most people and steered his companies deftly through a rapidly changing media landscape.

He was a regular fixture at FEPE Congresses, always popular, entertaining and thought provoking. He will be much missed by his many friends.

FEPE Ambassador John Ellery, who worked with Dennis for many years, says: “It’s hard to imagine an out of home industry and FEPE Congresses without Dennis. He was a visionary, a real maverick and a dear friend.”

Everyone at FEPE and in the out of home industry as a whole sends their condolences to his partner Gilly Love and family.

There will be a thanksgiving memorial service in the UK in due course, details will follow when confirmed.

UK: Mediatel's OOH Summit - Bringing together the key players in UK's OOH industry

Tuesday 23 January 2018 at the RSA, 8 John Adam Street, London , WC2N 6EZ

A new addition to the events calendar, Mediatel's first Out-Of-Home Summit brings together the key players in UK's OOH industry.

These experts will be sharing their views on the industry's latest developments and challenges, and OOH's role in the media landscape.

France: JCDecaux will develop a global eco-friendly mobility solution, bike rental and parking, on Nantes Métropole territory

JCDecaux S.A. has been awarded, following a competitive tender, the bike rental and parking contract for Nantes Métropole (Nantes: 6th biggest city in France, nearly 620,000 inhabitants on the Métropole territory), for a period of 7 years (with the possibility of renewing it for a further 3 years).

Accordingly, JCDecaux has totally renewed its offering, becoming the sole bike operator for Nantes Métropole with a comprehensive bicloo service. This is the first time in France that an operator has proposed a global and complementary bike offering for a local authority: self-service bikes, medium/long-term bike rental, including electric bikes, and parking solutions. These schemes will be rolled out in the 24* districts of Nantes Métropole from 1 September 2018, closely associating both the civil society and private economic contributors of the territory.

Under this new contract, JCDecaux will deploy:

1,230 new self-service bikes, a 100% assembled in France
123 docking stations including 20 docking stations with solar masts, self-sufficient energy.

UK: 8 Outdoor appoints new marketing and communications director

8 Outdoor has appointed Eleanor Crossman to the newly created role of marketing and communications director, it has been announced.

Crossman joins from MWWPR where she led a portfolio of media business clients. In her new role, Crossman will be responsible for building brand awareness with advertisers and agencies as the business accelerates its digital out-of-home portfolio.

She will report to chief executive, Cennydd Roberts. The appointment completes 8 Outdoor's senior management team alongside Kanjeev Sikka who has been promoted to group sales director. He will lead a team of over 20 sales people across both national and direct sales.

UK: InLinkUK expands into Leeds

InLinks: Innovative digital street advertising goes live in first city outside London Primesight has announced the roll-out of its latest digital advertising opportunity in Leeds, with the first InLink installed on The Headrow.

Already proving incredibly popular with consumers in London, the 70+ InLinks across six boroughs have had over 24,000 Wi-Fi subscribers to date, who have already used enough free data to stream over one million songs.

As well as currently hosting advertising from a range of brands such as Amazon, Barclays, Tanqueray and Three Mobile, the InLinks’ sleek 55" HD digital displays feature real-time information, allowing advertisers to align themselves with valuable sponsorship opportunities that bring useful information to consumers such as traffic alerts and news bulletins.

As the roll-out continues, 14 InLinks will be activated in Leeds providing residents and visitors free ultrafast Wi-Fi speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps), the fastest free public Wi-Fi service available in the UK. Consumers can also make free phone calls to UK landlines and mobiles alongside a range of other free digital services.

Naren Patel, CEO at Primesight said: “This exciting expansion outside of London will give new and existing brands the ability to reach the Leeds audience in an engaging and sophisticated way. The InLinks in Leeds mark the start of a nationwide roll-out which will answer the industry’s desire for effective digital out of home advertising available throughout the UK.

“As the fourth largest urban economy in the UK with more than £1.93 billion spent annually, advertisers will soon reap the rewards of this advanced advertising platform in Leeds. In city centre locations and busy retail areas that have recently undergone a £165 million redevelopment, the InLinks allow marketers to reach consumers in the precise moments when shopping is front of mind.”

With Leeds recognised as the third best place to shop* in the UK, home to major destinations such as Leeds Art Gallery, four major theatres and four leading universities, the InLink roll-out continues to increase Primesight’s advertising proposition across the UK’s most prominent and diverse urban centres.

*As rated in the Javelin Venue Score 2017.

AMERICAS NEWS

USA: Interview with Kym Frank, President at Geopath

MarTalk Connect is our Interview Series with marketing technology companies that are making a difference. Join us as we talk to them about their product journeys, insight on the categories they serve and some bonus protips!

Kym Frank, President at Geopath talks about powering a smarter OOH marketplace and making the most of marketing dollars spent. To stay ahead of the curve, she says, her tips are: aim for better analytics and deeper consumer insights, and have a better understanding of OOH ad effectiveness. She sees streaming of live content and pairing OOH with digital and mobile advertising as the two big current trends.

Kym is an expert in media and human insights with 20 years of experience in the industry. She is a polished presenter, a trusted company representative and nimble researcher.

USA: CES 2018 Preview: What Marketers Should Look For In OOH Innovation

As the form-factor of technology changes, evolves and miniaturizes, so does our relationship with it, writes Kinetic's Rosh Singh. What does OOH look like when AR is ubiquitous, and what can marketers do in a world where sensors are woven into the materials around us?

The world of outdoor is a hotbed of innovation, and there are numerous technologies that will either affect the way that brands engage with consumers, or change the way that consumers engage with the world around them. And with CES 2018 just around the corner, we have a brilliant opportunity for us to discover and delve deeper into the technologies that will influence and affect the out-of-home market in the coming year.

USA: Out of home displays boost National Geographic’s Photo Ark campaign

Whether driving down the interstate, waiting at a train station, or visiting city centers like Times Square, consumers across the country were inspired by out of home (OOH) media featuring images from National Geographic’s Photo Ark – a bold, multi-year project aimed at saving animals at risk of extinction.

The Photo Ark images, call to action, and hashtag – See What We Can #SaveTogether Before It’s Too Late – were part of a multi-platform creative campaign, which was featured on a dynamic mix of billboards, digital displays, transit, cinema, and other OOH ad displays.

In all, the images appeared on more than 72,000 donated ad spaces nationwide.

USA: DSF announces 2018 Board of directors and executive

The Digital Signage Federation (aka DSF) has announced who won seats on the 2018 board of directors, as well as who’s on the executive for next year. The at-large board elections, which concluded last week, saw these four folks re-elected for a second two-year term:

Ryan Cahoy – Rise Vision

Paul Fleuranges – MTA/NYC Transit

Sheldon Silverman – SmartBomb Media Group

Sandi Stambaugh – SYNNEX Corporation

Newly elected at-large board members, starting their first two-year term in January:

Laura Cison – GFX International

Stephanie Gutnik – Broadsign

USA: AdMobilize Partners with Media Mea to Offer “Off-The-Shelf” Digital Signage Solutions

AdMobilize has announced a partnership with custom interactive display manufacturer media mea to equip its digital signage solutions with fully-integrated, easy-to-use audience analytics functionality.

According to Mike Neel, Chief Marketing Officer of AdMobilize, the AdMobilize-equipped media mea solutions will debut in Q1 2018, making it easier and more affordable than ever for brands and agencies to utilize real-time analytics to better understand their audiences.

“This partnership meets a very real demand from DOOH customers for an ‘off the shelf’ digital signage solution that comes enabled with sophisticated audience analytics capabilities,” said Neel. “Now, media mea customers can, with the touch of a button, turn on audience analytics functionality. There is no need for a complicated installation, which, as a result, lowers the barrier to entry for users to take advantage of this cutting-edge audience analytics technology.”

Canada: Astral Launches New Programmatic Offering

New programmatic self-serve platform is now available through a private marketplace model for out-of-home campaigns

Bell Media’s out-of-home advertising division, Astral, announced today the launch of its new and unique programmatic solution for large format digital inventory. Using an exclusive self-serve platform, powered by Hivestack and fueled with real-time mobile location data, clients will be able to use audience targeting previously only attainable online. The platform includes inventory across all major Canadian cities, real-time reporting, and attribution measurement capabilities.

“We’re excited to be the first to roll out this innovative platform to advertisers, allowing them to seamlessly extend online capabilities into digital out-of-home,” said Karine Moses, President, Astral. “This new platform is a major step towards truly integrated, audience-centric advertising that generates measurable results for brands. Combined with the launch of our new logo and brand identity, it reinforces Astral’s leadership in out-of-home, and affirms Bell Media’s commitment to innovation.”

Mexico: JCDecaux will design, build and operate Mexico City's advertising bus-shelters for the Metrobus Line 7

JCDecaux SA has announced that its Mexican subsidiary, JCDecaux Out Of Home Mexico, S.A. de C.V., a joint venture with América Móvil, has been selected for the design, installation, management, maintenance and advertising operation of the 125 bus shelters Line 7 of Metrobús, the Bus Rapid Transit system in Mexico City.

JCDecaux has devised and developed modular street furniture that can be adapted to the 125 stations that are currently being installed over the two stretches of the line, from "Indios Verdes" until Santa Fe, passing through the famous Paseo de la Reforma. With 100,000 passengers per day, Metrobús Line 7 will help ease traffic in the city centre and reduce travel times by up to 35%, thanks to a large number of interchanges with other Metrobús lines and the metro system.

The new stations have been designed by Lance Wyman, the famous designer who created the 1968 Olympic Games logo and the city's metro map, and whose ground-breaking pictograms were the forerunners of modern graphic trends around Mexico.

USA: iHeart Media Selling Clear Channel Outdoor Shares?

iHeart Media announced on Monday it is exploring a sale of a large part of its stake in Clear Channel Outdoor in order to raise capital and buy more time before a looming bankruptcy.

There were a number of news outlets reporting but Insider pulled most of their information from the San Antonio Express News. In their 8K filing to the SEC, iHeart says the potential sale would include some or all of a group of 100 million Class B shares of Clear Channel Outdoor and 10.73 million shares of Clear Channel Outdoor Class A stock.

This would not be a sale of all of the Clear Channel shares controlled by iHeart. iHeartMedia owns 315 million Class B shares of Clear Channel Outdoor and 49 million Class A shares of Clear Channel, including the 10.73 million up for sale.

Australia: City Of Sydney Puts Its OOH Advertising Contract Out To Tender

The City of Sydney has kicked off the tender process for its highly-coveted outdoor advertising contract, with the pressure firmly on JCDecaux to retain it.

The council has issued a tender notice on its website seeking expressions of interest for the contract, which encompasses street furniture, out-of-home (OOH) media services and free public WiFi. JC Decaux has held the contract – originally signed as a joint venture with Manboom – since 1997, and it is set to expire early next year.

The City of Sydney contract is estimated to be worth between $30 million and $35 million a year, and the winner is expected to sign on for 10 to 15 years, The Australian reported when news the contract was up for grabs started surfacing last year. Expressions of interest close at 11am AEST on Tuesday 6 February 2018.

Source

New Zealand: Rugby fans fight for their territory in Airport domination

In a first-of-its-kind campaign, leading Outdoor media company, APN Outdoor, in partnership with DDB and Steinlager, completely dominated Auckland Airport and transformed it into a real time battleground.

Travellers “claimed their territory” in support of their rugby team - the All Blacks or British & Irish Lions. With the British & Irish Lions only coming to New Zealand every 12 years, official partner of the All Blacks, Steinlager, wanted to do something memorable for their 2017 tour and invited their rivals, Guinness, the official sponsor of the British & Irish Lions, to a fight for their territory.

Australia: OMA appoints Red Ant Design to create automated out of home platform

The Outdoor Media Association has appointed Red Ant Design to create Australia’s first ‘automated proposal platform’ (APP).

Red Ant Design’s new platform, which will be built in Sydney, will allow media agencies to request proposals from OMA members and combine those proposals into a campaign.

Agencies will also be able to confirm booking and receive billing files within the software, and have access to MOVE audience reports.

It aims to make transactions in out of home ‘as seamless as possible’.

Two years ago, the OMA said it would build a “one stop hub” for buying and selling out of home advertising across all formats, nationally.

South Africa: OMC Road research update reveals how OOH industry has evolved

"Out of Home (OOH) is just becoming such an explosive media opportunity for all of us," said Trish Gilford, a freelance media strategist working with the Outdoor Media Council (OMC), when she took the stage to introduce a presentation on the Roadside Outdoor Audience Data (Road) measurement system at the end of last month.

“Gone are the days of just having a billboard. We now have digital billboards – small sizes, big sizes, etc. – which are all over South Africa. A lot of them have come in from overseas and are now being implemented on our side. It's an extremely powerful medium which has the ability to catch numerous eyeballs on a massive scale, allowing us to connect and engage with consumers anywhere and everywhere.”

South Africa: JCDecaux launches first to market game changing technologies for digital OOH in sub-Saharan Africa

With society moving into the electronic age, more people are communicating in cyberspace not only to access more information, but also to create a reality of their own.

There is a revolution occurring in virtually every corner of the world today, especially in the media delivery. The increasing rate of urbanisation and consumer connectivity, continues to be largely responsible for shifting media consumption habits, necessitating not only the innovative approaches to campaign planning but also media buying offerings.

The advent of new media and communication technologies have brought about a profound transformation in the way people communicate, share knowledge and information. These new technologies offer vast new opportunities for public participation and engagement, and have the potential to expand media use even better.

FEPE OOH News 14th December 2017