Sohini Sen
OOH

OAC 2015: "With increasing data-rich clients, the industry is getting more interested in ROI": Anupriya Acharya

At the recently held Outdoor Advertising Convention, Acharya, group CEO, ZenithOptimedia, spoke about the challenges facing the OOH industry.

The Outdoor Advertising Convention, being held in Mumbai's Renaissance Convention Centre, had media owners and planners speaking about the future of outdoor advertising. While many spoke about the challenges, the overall mood seemed to be optimistic.

Anupriya Acharya, group CEO, ZenithOptimedia India, spoke about global trends India's position in the picture. The OOH industry is slated to grow by 4.8-5 per cent. However, according to Acharya, in the next four to five years, in markets like Singapore and UK, almost 50-60 per cent of the industry's revenues will come from digital outdoor campaigns. As user-interfaces become more intuitive and technology becomes cheaper, campaigns become more interactive.

OAC 2015: "With increasing data-rich clients, the industry is getting more interested in ROI": Anupriya Acharya
Acharya shared data which showed that while the advertising spends in television is growing at 13-14 per cent and OOH at 9 per cent, digital is growing much faster. OOH, she stated, beats clutter, uses the transit time of consumers, is larger-than-life and localised to suit specific needs. In short, from a brand solution perspective, no one can skip through an OOH ad.

According to her, data-rich clients have started using OOH in recent years. A lot of these clients have transactions on their website which lets them access data. This data can be analysed to understand which medium works best for the brand.

OOH medium poses several barriers too. Regulatory decisions have fashioned it in a way that the confidence other mediums enjoy is much more than OOH. Measurement is also something Acharya feels the industry must work towards. With increasing data-rich clients, the industry is getting more interested in ROI. Finally, transparency and compliance are crucial, she said, and can help solve a lot of these hurdles.

Abhay Kumar Mishra, CEO, Mumbai Metro One, spoke about the opportunities a brand can leverage at metro stations. According to him, OOH doesn't just build brand identity, but also dramatises the product benefit, enhances the promotion package, skews to the point of sale and targets geographically. As such, it is capable of creating engagement, relevance and innovation at the same time.

Mishra shared that infrastructure spends on OOH have increased by 10 per cent from the 12th Five Year Plan. According to him, the Mumbai Metro One has the eighth densest network with 32 lakh unique commuters in a month. With over 200 brands already having tied up with the Metro One project, using train wraps, digital screens, static screens and innovative solutions, Mumbai Metro One offers potential for brand marketers, he said.

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