IOAA conducts Outdoor Lighting Workshops

On Thursday, the Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA), in association with Outdoor Advertising Magazine, part of VJ Media Works, organised its first day-long Outdoor Advertising Workshop at Tivoli Gardens in New Delhi.

The workshop commenced with a welcome note by industry veteran Indrajit Sen, president, Laqshya Media and vice-chairman, IOAA. Sen said that the main objective of the workshop was to explore best lighting practices for outdoor companies.

He addressed the gathering that consisted of employees of OOH media companies, “As responsible members of the outdoor industry, we need to do away with non-aesthetic construction and lighting of billboards and hoardings. It’s high time that media companies give up the ‘chalta hai’ (will do) attitude and get set to provide the best services to clients.”

While lighting a hoarding, the lighting present in its vicinity, like street lights, industrial area floodlights and recreational area floodlights in stadia and parks should be kept in consideration, to achieve a distinct visual experience for the hoarding. Also, the brightness of light should be controlled accordingly, because there are certain parts of a creative that require high lighting. This can help ads break through the clutter. A hoarding catches momentary attention of a viewer and good lighting can play a significant role in making a message impactful,” said Matoo.

He also opined, “Since viewers are at a lower level as compared to a hoarding and looking up at it, lights should be mounted on the top of a hoarding. Also, importantly, the lights should be accessible for maintenance. There are also cases when front lit hoardings have a number of lights that give it a cluttered look. This must be avoided.”

Matoo added though light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an expensive lighting option, they help save energy and their use in outdoor advertising is growing. According to him, neon lighting is another energy effective option for brands. Interestingly, Havell’s is currently working with IIT engineers to convert bus shelters into self-contained, independent units by installing solar lighting systems.

The next speaker was Arup Chakraborty, application manager, lighting, GE India, who discussed requirements in the outdoor lighting scenario and effective solutions. He said, “Global warming is a big concern; outdoor players must consider this while lighting their hoardings and other outdoor formats. A signage made of wooden and steel frames is an option brands can explore. Signages use two and four feet long T5 lamps that emit less radiation than some other lighting options.”

He also added that, this year, GE-sponsored LEDs were extensively used for branding at the Beijing Olympics.

The third and final speaker, Rajat Mandal, assistant vice-president, Osram, the professional lighting company, discussed the future of lighting. He had brought along different types of lights and displayed their effects to the audience. He discussed how halogens have been a traditional lighting option for billboards since the ’60s. But according to him, today, outdoor companies have two good options for lighting -- LEDs and metal halides. “Though LED is expensive, it lasts for 15 years. Things may improve in two years’ time and rates are expected to come down by then,” he said.

The Outdoor Advertising Lighting Workshops will be conducted in Mumbai and Bengaluru on December 2 and December 4 respectively.

For the record, IOAA was formed in September 2007 with Selvel Advertising, Jagran Engage, Times OOH, Clear Channel, Prakash Arts and Laqshya Media as its founding members. It is registered as a not-for-profit company. The primary objective of the IOAA is to promote, protect and advance the rightful interests of outdoor media and outdoor advertising media companies and associated businesses.