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The development of digital has really changed the potential of Outdoor. The flexibility associated with digital (that is, day-part, interaction, posting…) has allowed clients far greater potential to use the medium for their needs. Also, the consolidation in ownership has created large global companies who then have the necessary investment to help continue such developments and help to optimise their potential. Both of these are still very new to the Indian market, and what digital developments have taken place seems to have lacked the correct investment – but I expect this to change in the very near future.


Andrew Atherton, Consultant, Outdoor Advtg Professionals

Andrew Atherton, a consultant at Outdoor Advertising Professionals Pvt Ltd (OAP), is an expert in the domain of working in various aspects of outdoor advertising like research, training, and alternate outdoor. He started his career at an advertising agency Mills & Allen Ltd, UK, learning the poster, IT and desktop publishing skills, and proceeded as Service Manager of the company, managing the complete building inventory for all new poster sites.

With an experience of over 20 years in the field of outdoor advertising media, Atherton’s best project is for Titan Outdoor Advertising agency through which he introduced a new analytical and mapping technique to optimise the inventory.

With an experience of over two decades, Atherton conducts training and system development workshops in OAP. He also gives media currencies used to trade in the buying & planning of media and how specifically this can relate to the Outdoor market place. With the help of various audience measurement systems that exist in the Outdoor market, he develops a USP for OAP to use within India that will help with their planning and buying.

In this interaction with exchange4media’s Shanta Saikia, Atherton shares the latest developments in the outdoor advertising space, the various measurement systems, training programmes and more...

When did you come on board as consultant at Outdoor Advertising Professionals?

I have been assisting Outdoor Advertising Professionals (I) Pvt Ltd (OAP) on a couple of projects over the last few months, but it is only now that I am beginning to get a better understanding of how OAP works and the areas that I feel I can be of assistance.


Which other agencies/ organisations have you been associated with before this?

I have been associated with POSTAR in the UK over the last 15 years, but as the representative for the companies that I was working with at the time.


What have been the key milestones/ developments in the outdoor advertising industry in the over two decades that you have been associated with it?

I see two main developments over the last two decades. Yes, there have been other developments such as formalising posting calendars and the like, but the two key ones I think have been the overall accountability and transparency of the planning & buying side of the business, and then the onset and ‘explosion’ of the digital offerings from the media owners.


How has the outdoor advertising industry changed globally over the years? What are the key trends seen today? How much of catching up does the Indian outdoor advertising industry have to do?

Again, the development of digital has really changed the potential of Outdoor. The flexibility associated with digital (that is, day-part, interaction, posting…) has allowed clients far greater potential to use the medium for their needs. Also, the consolidation in ownership has created large global companies who then have the necessary investment to help continue such developments and help to optimise their potential. Both of these are still very new to the Indian market, and what digital developments have taken place seems to have lacked the correct investment – but I expect this to change in the very near future.


What are the main growth drivers for the outdoor advertising industry today? What are the major challenges, key issues that concern the industry today?

Dare I say digital again? Whilst the potential is starting to show advertisers the real opportunities Outdoor offers them to engage with their consumers, there will still be further developments that advertisers will want to very much use. The biggest concern continues to be transparency to clients, and the role that specialist agencies like Kinetic & Posterscope are paid for.


What are the key differentiating factors between the Indian outdoor advertising industry and the industry globally?

Like with many aspects, India is playing catch up with the more data-rich planning countries like the UK. But the potential is there, and catch up they will!


You had introduced an analytical and mapping technique for Titan Outdoor Advertising agency. Could you elaborate on it – what was it all about, what necessitated it, has it been replicated for other clients, what was the measurability factor?

Mapping/ GIS techniques allowed the accurate mapping of inventory. This, in turn, allowed many proximity-based briefs to be more accurately planned, as well targeting using consumer profiling type databases.


What are the major audience measurement systems that exist in the outdoor market today? Please elaborate a bit on them.

There are three main measurement systems – MOVE in Australia, Eyes On in the US, and POSTAR in the UK. All three use sophisticated models to measure actual eyes on posters, rather than rely on gross. OTS figures are still used by other media. Now they also cover the majority of their respective Outdoor markets – bringing in formats in many other Outdoor environments.


Please tell us about the media currencies used to trade in the buying and planning of media, and how specifically they relate to the outdoor market place?

Most other media trade on audiences and then negotiate on the cost-per-thousand. The three measurement systems mentioned above now allow similar trading for the Outdoor medium as well, rather than relying on numbers of panels and price per panel.


Could you tell us about the USP that you have developed for OAP to use within India for their planning and buying?

It is still very much in development and does require a good element of understanding of the Indian market. Which is one of the main reasons for coming out to India – so I can better understand the market place over here, and OAP can better understand my ideas and help develop them.


How do you devise your training programmes? How are you extending your training to outdoor professionals in India?

My training programmes are very much based on my experience of having worked on many research projects and planning systems, on both the buying side and selling side of the industry.


Please share more about the various research projects that you have been associated with or have undertaken yourself.

Industry-wise, I was involved with POSTAR’s predecessor in the UK – OSCAR – again as the company’s representative on the various committees. With POSTAR, I have also been heavily involved with all of the various committees of varying times, and then there have been many individual company based projects. These range from various basic awareness studies to major research projects, helping to develop the companies’ key planning tools.


In your long career, could you share five work/ clients that you had worked on that had been challenging, but at the same time very rewarding...

There have been many, but some that have been rewarding because they have helped develop new strategies. These include the COI, Norwich Union and Kelloggs.


Archives
In an age of increasing media fragmentation and on-demand viewership, Global offers offbeat media solutions to reach an audience. By its exclusive nature, these solutions cannot be turned off or turned out… no matter where the consumers run, there it is, forcing the target audience to co-exist with the medium… The adoption of digital technology is driving growth of the outdoor segment. Another key reason behind rapid growth of outdoor advertising is the low cost of this medium compared with the more expensive advertising mediums.
- Sanjeev Gupta, CMD, Global Advertisers - 7/4/2011
After the modest or rather the dampening couple of years, the most exciting part has been the way the industry bounced back so quickly. The industry is in the consolidation phase again, so obviously we won’t see too much of investments in newer mediums or technologies. But the good thing is the way outdoor is being planned these days. Most campaigns focus on building optimum reach, which has resulted in outdoor becoming front of mind for any campaign.
- Abhijit Sengupta, CEO, OAP & Touchpoint - 5/31/2011
"After spending around a decade with specialised OOH agencies and later getting into the media owners’ shoe, was at times difficult and easy because I knew what the brand managers/media planners and buyers expect from OOH media owners... I went through the process of understanding the business from present media owners who apparently knew me through various business deals executed in my agency days. There were series of discussions and a final consensus after which I threw my hat in the ring."
- Jignesh N Sharma, Co-Founder, Hype Integracomm - 11/2/2010
“Katha was associated with companies who brought in the LED and scrollers at multiple locations. Katha has brought in one of the largest wall wrap in Asia at Sahara Star Hotel. Katha has gone one step ahead and explored the new approach to make outdoor advertising and branding more scenic and audible within a five star property. Recently we have acquired contract for Sahara Star Hotel where we have identified unique places for advertising and branding in the luxury five star hotel.And the story will continue.”
- Krishnendu Sen, Chairman, Katha Mediatix Limited - 9/21/2010
“We believe that we are not competing against anyone. We believe in excellence and not petty competition. Our biggest USP is that we are the only full fledged accredited agency and outdoor media owners in Delhi NCR. It is because of this reason that the clients choose us over other players since we provide practically all solutions. And since we won outdoor media properties, we give better rates and services to our own clients.”
- Mr. Mukesh Gupta, Managing Director, Graphisads - 9/9/2010

Noomi Mehta is the Chairman and Managing Director of Selvel One Group. This group of companies owning and managing the largest share of outdoor advertizing in India, personally negotiated the first Private Equity placement in an outdoor advertising company. He also pioneered larger format digital printing and founded Laser Advertising Ltd. Apart from other feathers in the cap, he is also the chairman and director of Indian Outdoor Advertizing Association, a national body formed to represent Indian OOH companies.

The Selvel One Group was conceived over five decades ago, and has always embodied innovation. A large part of its success has been due to the group’s leaders looking to re-write the laws of the medium. The group was instrumental in pioneering computer-generated designing and computer-manipulation of images for outdoors.
- Noomi Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director, Selvel One Group. - 8/18/2010

“The industry has evolved over the last four years. When we started, we believed we were the first ones. Within six months we saw 25 players in the market. And that was not surprising because people predictably thought it was easy business. It was a good time for investments as well, compared to today’s market. Then came the recession and that separated the men from the boys.”
- Mr. Rajan Mehta, Founder and CEO, LiveMedia - 7/26/2010

Technology has a much bigger role in the future of outdoor advertising. We have taken a lead in digital out of home industry. Though it expands the overall OOH market, it still remains to achieve critical mass. As a medium, there is a possibility of interacting with the TG in real time, which needs to be encashed. Once the basic issues with OOH (metrics, site evaluation tools, etc.) are taken care of, I guess we can move a notch up and seriously start using technology as an enhancer for the business. We look digital as future of outdoor. In 5-10 years, digital will be very big in India.
- Haresh Nayak, Managing Director, Posterscope India - 7/15/2010

The OOH business in India is quite fragmented and there is enough for all to partake. Also, the outdoor business is seeing newer categories increasing their spends and whoever presents the best go-to-market strategy wins the pitch. At the end of the day, it’s all about good planning and timely execution. Jagran Engage’s USP has always been on two levels – we cater to clients as media owners as well as a specialist agency with the wherewithals to provide great planning and timely execution.
- Pawan Bansal, COO, Jagran Engage - 6/30/2010

Media owners are getting increasingly organised. Industry status for outdoor advertising and the formation of outdoor associations and tools are being recognised as common currency, and outdoor is getting its due respect in the business… We could not have asked for a better year. Awesome sounds like a mild word referring to the performance of Primesite. We intend to be holding 40 per cent custodianship of the OOH market in coming two years.
- Mandeep Malhotra, Senior Vice President, Mudra MAX - 6/15/2010

Marketers are seeking solutions beyond traditional billboards and it is becoming critical to integrate this with retail signage and visual merchandising for maximum impact. With larger share of overall media budgets, OOH is becoming centralised and is being driven by brand strategy to a far greater extent compared to the previous years, where it was decentralised and pretty much left to sales and distribution. Media owning is looking attractive and there is likely to be significant consolidation in this space.
- Sanjeev Gupta, Chairman & MD, Global Advertisers - 5/10/2010
Outdoor today is being seen as much better organised than what it used to be a decade back. Delhi itself has had some kind of regulation coming into effect, which has helped the cause of outdoor advertising. I don’t think the government is being negligent about it, but I would say they are waking up to the fact that outdoor could be a great revenue earner for them. At the end of the day, media owners have to self regulate if this business has to survive long enough and move towards becoming a more organised and professional industry.
- Gour Gupta, COO, Platinum India - 12/1/2009
The industry is evolving fast and so are the OOH media options and technologies. Internationally, one can witness extensive use of large format LED screens, networked screens with remote content scheduling and management, use of LEDs as light source, interactive screens and use of ‘cold cathode’ in place of neon signs. Technological advancements have also been used for measuring the media effectiveness and consumer-centric innovations, which let the consumer experience the advertiser’s product in many different ways. The key challenge for any technological advancement is its adaptability and adoptability, apart from the cost implications.
- Sunder Hemrajani, Managing Director, Times Innovative Media Ltd - 10/15/2009
There are other challenges, namely the apathy of the civic agencies towards the outdoor media. The reality is that almost all government and civic authorities consider outdoor media as a burden. Despite heavy licensee fees and taxes, outdoor media does not enjoy 100 per cent legality. It is really strange. Something tangible should be done to impress upon the civic agencies to ‘promote’ outdoor and not to ‘control’ it.
- Mukesh Gupta, CEO, Graphisads - 7/7/2009
Digital OOH started off in the last one year or so. Though it expands the overall OOH market, it still remains to achieve critical mass. As a medium there is a possibility of interacting with the TG on real-time which needs to be exploited. In large formats we have been hearing a lot of opportunity with blue casting but we haven’t seen much happening on that front.
- M Kumar, GM - Brand Development, Jagran Engage - 4/9/2009
We are recently experiencing the trends seen 10 years back coming back in new avatar – categories like boutique stores, furniture stores, PSU banks and insurances, and real estate, localised brands are suddenly seen on outdoor mediums. In January 2009, we witnessed less inventory and more bookings. I predict this trend will continue, though the industry will still be ruled by telecom, financials and media - entertainment. Moreover, inventory balancing will be done by localised advertisers.
- Nabendu Bhattacharyya, President, OgilvyAction India - 2/9/2009
In-store radio plays a big role in setting the ambience within a store and enhancing the purchasing experience of consumers. The radio stations get the opportunity to reach out to their listeners at a very effective consumer touch point – retail – which makes a listener’s interaction with the brand as interesting as possible. Future Radio has already started in-store radio in some of these consumer touch points. Over time, Future Media has plans to launch its own in-store radio network.
- Partho Dasgupta, MD & CEO, Future Media (I) Ltd - 8/4/2008
If one takes into account that the time is not too far when the medium can interact with the TG on a real-time basis thanks to Bluetooth/IR technology, it would offer results that could be tracked and passed on to clients. In that sense, OOH has stormed their bastion and is able to offer ROI that is measurable. It is, therefore, not surprising that you now see a lot many brands hitherto focussing on ATL apportioning a major chunk of their advertising monies on OOH.
- M Kumar, General Manager, Brand Development, Jagran Engage - 6/3/2008
The Indian OOH Industry is still unorganised and quite fragmented, and though there is no official calculation, it is guesstimated to be around Rs 2,000 crore static and digital inclusive. Currently, people buy locations, but with research, the play would evolve to tracking audiences. The end game has to be about audiences and not about locations.
- Ishan Raina, CEO, OOH Media India - 4/14/2008
“In India, as cities are becoming more affluent, the proliferation of leisure activities such as cafes, bars, late-night leisure centres, gyms and cineplexes have combined to offer a lifestyle that is increasingly out-of-home. A typical person in India is now more likely than before to come into contact with some form of outdoor advertising on a daily basis.”
- Pramod Bhandula, Managing Director, JCDecaux India - 12/3/2007
"At the moment, we are seeing a dramatic technological change. We are also now inviting consumers to interact more with the banners and hoardings through infrared and Bluetooth applications; touch screens and LED screens. That is surely a great move towards creating a personal relationship with the consumer. In future, outdoor creatives have to be extremely creative for breaking the clutter. There will be diverse forms of billboards, and advertisers can practically advertise everywhere."
- Daniela Krautsack, Managing Director, Magic Moments, - 7/16/2007
“There has been a significant shift in consumers’ lifestyles, the explosion in mobility and suburban growth. This has led to the entire OOH media assuming a far greater importance. View this in the context of severe media fragmentation and the extremely short attention span of consumers, and you will appreciate how integrated OOH is becoming brand strategic in nature.”
- Sanjeev Hajela, President, Primesite - 4/10/2007
“Logically, things should improve when you come out with better products. Eventually, you will have to look at advertisers as consumers. I think outdoors should become the Maruti 800 of the business. It has to be a volume business. Things will only improve if we have research.”
- Farid Kureshi, CEO, Times OOH - 3/7/2007

The Indian outdoor market looks positive in comparison to the global market, it contributes 10 per cent of the advertising expenditure and has been growing at 20 per cent for the last couple of years as against in the US where it is growing at a mere 2.2 per cent and Europe where it is growing at 6 per cent. Standardisation of the medium, aesthetic structures and scientific research will decide the quality growth of the medium.
- Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Country Head - Landscapes & Signscapes, Ogilvy Activation - 2/5/2007

You cannot expect to make money or better the industry by just planting outdoor media formats arbitrarily. The building of world class outdoor formats must go hand-in-hand with the cityscape and must form part of the city. Further, to do all of this requires huge investments, which we are more than willing to do.
- Adille J Sumariwalla, Chairman & MD, Clear Channel Communications India Pvt Ltd - 12/19/2006

“We are a pro-client agency and the only objective we have is to be accountable for every penny the client spends with us and I guess all our clients will vouch for us in this regard. We always try to add value at each step when a campaign is in progress, starting from planning to post-campaign presentations. This was our approach for the Tesco campaign or the recent Suzuki Zeus launch campaign across 70 towns.”
- Pratik Sen, Partner, Media Mindscapes - 11/8/2006

With more and more global OOH majors coming into India, the outlook of the clients, the specialist agencies and also the media owners will undergo a sea change. Technology, innovation and accountability with service delivered to the “T” will be the benchmarks that clients will use to judge us, and we all have to stand the test. OOH will evolve beyond its ‘static media’ heritage. Consolidation will also play a key role in taking OOH to the next level.
- Kaushik Chakravorty, Country Head, Enhance India - 10/18/2006

We are like a newborn baby which can only devour energy and grow. In the process, we are using technology, generating state-of-the-art knowledge, data bank and policies. We will be building and consolidating our network to tackle legislative issues across the country, and all this without sacrificing any cash flow.
- Indrajit Sen, COO and Business Head, Jagran Engage - 8/21/2006

Digital is the way forward. Having said that, it is also true that it calls for large investments. Only a company with global bearings or a player with sufficiently deep pockets can cash in on this trend. Two forces are in play – on one hand, there is consolidation happening, and on the other, global players are infusing a quantum change. Together, these two developments will determine the course of the OOH medium.
- Sanjay Yashroy, President, Posterscope India - 7/6/2006

I think that government regulations are the only deterrent in the development of OOH. Mindsets have already changed and there are enough ways to prove to brand marketers and the efficacy of the medium does not need to be proved again, we already have an economy that is driving people outside the home and spending more time outside. So, the whole environment is absolutely ready for this. Now it is only a matter of the regulations to fall into place.
- Indrajit Sen, President, Primesite - 2/14/2006

OOH and technology are intricately linked. In India, we still have to see lenticular being used; I also feel that a lot more mobiles will be used in the future. I hope our basic infrastructure improves fast…because OOH will depend a lot on roads, electricity. More and more people, especially the youth, is spending time out of the home, and the only effective media to attract and engage this category is OOH. Here, too, the OOH pricing is much cheaper than radio, TV and print, which are more mature medias. So, I feel OOH is at a golden step right now.
- Sudhir Sharma, Director, Elephant Design Pvt Ltd - 12/23/2005

“The localised option and the option of measuring your ROI is a key factor working in favour of OOH. It gives the option of qualitative localised communication, whereby you can go into individual pockets of suburbs to design your communication. Outdoor is a very lively media and, hence, picture works better because there is no other way to make the consumer look at your display.”
- Jignesh Sharma, CEO, Posterscope India - 12/1/2005

We love to satisfy clients, whether it’s working through an agency or directly with the client. If the product is likeable, then you will have repeat purchases. In print, once it appears, it’s done. In outdoors, there are multiple opinions that sometimes result in changes to the site or the site itself. It may result in issues on payments and other things. It is very satisfying to have happy clients. For example, Coca-Cola has been with us in Chennai since day one, which was August 30, 1994.
- Sridharan, Vice-President, Diamond Publicity - 10/24/2005

“OOH is very effective and very economical in comparison to newspapers and television. It has a very strong impact for brands like Pepsi, Coke, Airtel, Hutch. Effective brand promotion requires substantial advertising through outdoor media. Outdoor advertising will play a very major role in future.”
- Mukesh Gupta, Managing Director, GraphisAds Pvt Ltd. - 9/17/2005

“We have to have relevant data on outdoor and we have to scientifically justify ROI. Till that happens I guess opportunities would only mean a new site on some new road… Currently, creativity in outdoor only means creativity in visuals but creativity has to be there in strategy and media as well.”
- Soumitra S Bhattacharyya, CEO, Madison Outdoor Media Services (MOMS) - 9/1/2005

“I think a reasonable figure for the industry currently is Rs 1,000 crore annually. Let us not forget that there are so many things that we cannot measure in outdoors, unlike traditional media. The growth rate is at 20 per cent year-on-year.”
- Satish Singh, COO, Laqshya Media - 6/15/2005

“Regulation for outdoor advertising is still a distant dream .We are looking forward to have them in place. The international players will play a vital role in forcing the government to have the laws and regulations in place for uniformity.”
- Pramod Bhandula, COO, Selvel Media Services - 5/18/2005

“Outdoor advertising is growing and will continue to grow over the next few years. But given a more concerted effort from everybody in the industry, the medium can really come into its own.”
- Vasant Jante, Publisher, Outdoor Today - 5/16/2005
“Outdoor has always provided more scope in terms of application of new technology, innovation and other factors. And it is continuously evolving. Today it is laser shows; tomorrow it will be something else. In the last 4-5 years, we have witnessed a steady growth in outdoor spends by clients across categories.”
- Abhijit Sen Gupta, CEO, OAP India - 4/8/2005
“Print and TV are much more expensive mediums than outdoors. Another advantage that OOH enjoys is the higher brand recall. It is also a more cost-effective media in today’s scenario.”
- Atul Rai, Chief Operating Officer, Ads Advertising Pvt. Ltd. - 1/28/2005

“Traditionally, when people talk about outdoors, it approximates Rs 875 crore business annually. This is what the industry spends. One normally talks of outdoors when it comes to out-of-home communications and says Rs 875 crore, but actually this is not the case. If you are looking at out-of-home as outdoor along with visual merchandising and the rest of it, then it all amounts to a whopping Rs 2,000-crore-plus industry.”


- Indrajit Sen, President, Prime Site - 10/26/2004

“OOH as a medium has the greatest flexibility in terms of being able to transform ideas and imaginations into reality and as long as we have people walking on the streets, the industry has an exciting future. To be better off, marketers will have to look at ways the customer can interface with products, with brands, when he is out on the streets.”
- Brent Kennedy, President & CEO, DDB Japan - 9/16/2004
“The outdoor market in India is currently looking positive. There is an increase in bookings – more short-term than long-term, largely driven by media, entertainment, telecom and finance categories. There is more accountability for the rupee spent, and research and planning tools are gaining prominence. Out-of-Home is the fastest growing media segment in the country and has an average growth of 20 per cent annually.”
- Pratap Bose, President, Ogilvy Activation - 8/9/2004

"Joining the Maini Group at the age of 19, Willis D’monte stayed with the company for the next eight years. Starting as a Client Service Engineer, he climbed to the level of Assistant Manager, Marketing. During this tenure, he also added an MBA degree from INGOU to his kitty. Joining Serve & Volley in 2002 as a Business Development Manager, he bagged some of the most prestigious accounts in the industry including Britannia on a national basis and TVS across a number of states. D’monte was promoted to the post of Media Manager and, was recently conferred with the responsibility of the Country Head. Speaking to Shubha Kumble, at the agency’s Bangalore head office, D’monte shares his views on the growing outdoor industry, the need for constant innovations and more."
- Willis D’monte, Country Head, Serve and Volley Advertising Pvt Ltd - 6/21/2004

The public interest litigation that hit out at hoardings was actually fanned by newspapers. It is ironical, though, that newspapers have used hoardings most extensively to advertise themselves.
- Noomi Mehta, MD, Selvel Advertising - 5/27/2004
 
 

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