Based on Outdoor Auditor’s latest audit report of the outdoor landscape, we are seeing some of the highest number of outdoor sites in the country, with a total of 12.9k billboards across all nine provinces, which equates to a 1.5% increase in inventory vs August 2017 and this growth has happened mostly in Gauteng (which accounts for 50% of all billboards in SA) and KZN, with the other provinces declining slightly and getting very negligible increases in inventory.
It is not illogical to question why there are more sites being put in the ground year on year in a struggling economy. In an article titled ‘Sign of the times’ written by Kristina Monllos, she noted that digital brands are flocking to Out-of-home (OOH) as awareness level marketing has increasingly become more important, so while the media landscape continues to fragment and consumers become increasingly more difficult to reach, OOH remains one of the guardians of awareness level marketing.
New bylaws to be promulgated end of May by City of Joburg:
What will the new bylaws mean for the out-of-home landscape of Joburg? Well, first of all, it is important to note that, traditionally, it was media owners who would identify the spots where they would like to place billboards and apply to the council for approval but since the Corridors of Freedom project, a spatial plan based on corridor transit-oriented development, the city has taken a more proactive approach to city planning and urbanisation with its investments in infrastructure in the form of Gautrain, Rapid Bus Transit and so forth. With this lens they see OOH as a medium that ought to be contributing to the overall development of the city. This means that there will be a massive declutter that is coming. Ceteris paribus, this will also open up bigger opportunities for media owners to create advertising opportunities that will combine spatial planning and awareness level marketing to the next level.
Trends in OOH:
Digital OOH is fast becoming as ubiquitous as static formats, especially in the most traffic-congested parts of Gauteng; with close to 16,500 panels nationwide and counting, it is no longer the next big thing, it already is. What we are starting to see is a more intelligent use of DOOH networks and no longer a copy-and-paste job of a TVC; we are seeing creative being tailored to each environment, which research shows us increases noting and recall.
Size does matter, we are seeing bigger and more impactful formats than ever, but more than that, we are seeing more experiential as well. With brands wanting more ROI, they are also requesting talkability around their campaigns, which is opening doors to more experientially driven OOH campaigns.
Last but certainly not least is mobile out-of-home (MOOH), underpinned by location strategies. The inclusion of the mobile device in the out-of-home space will continue to be the most critical tool in driving results vis-à-vis awareness, engagement and measurability. Successful brands are ones that integrate ‘moohbile’ underpinned by location and creative messaging tailored for the consumer journey from the time they leave home, to the time they are at point of purchase.
DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com
