Innovatus - A Times OOH initiative

Media News

National, September 13,2013

The Le Meridien hotel at Delhi recently witnessed an impressive customer interface initiative by Times OOH - “Innovatus- Seek the Future”. Nearly 100 media professionals and brand ambassadors, from various parts of Delhi NCR came together to celebrate the progress of some of Times OOH’s marquee properties – The DND Flyway and the Delhi Metro Violet Line. The agenda included unveiling of the DND Commuter Profile & Ad Recall Survey and showcasing pre-approved, ready-to-roll innovations at these properties. The highlight of the event was the launch of “Vade Mecum: Innovation Playbook for DND Flyway”- a ready reckoner of unique OOH creative ideas for DND. The evening concluded with a very interesting scotch appreciation session by Mixologik – an emerging bartending consultancy firm in India.

Along with Ipsos, one of the top three leading research firms globally, inputs from MConsult (the consulting arm of Group M) helped position the DND Flyway as a ‘Mega Impact, High Recall’ OOH medium. The research revealed that the DND hosts a premium audience (92% SEC A) that likes to spend money (premium brands are purchased by about 40% travelers at least once every 6 months and 66% dine out or visit multiplexes every 1-3 months). And, this audience uses the DND for travelling between 7-9 a.m. and 6-9 p.m. for 5 – 6 times a week (83% travel 5-6 times a week). What this means for advertisers is that they know exactly where their audience is going to be and when. Also, with only about 55 brands on an average being displayed in an uncluttered environment on the DND, it’s not a surprise that brands garner an impressive 45% spontaneous recall, with as many as 14 brands being recalled.

Innovatus is an ode to the vital spark of change, improvement and progress. The event was a celebration of not things, people or places, but of ideas. On these lines, an Innovation Playbook for DND Flyway was launched by Times OOH – Vade Mecum. The book covers several formats such as Creative Lighting, Technovation, Experiential Brand Building, amongst others spanning various zones of DND and multiple product categories. Extensive creative renders depict the numerous innovation possibilities.

The other new development unveiled during the gala was the ground-breaking technology being piloted at DND in terms of monitoring, measurement analytics systems and dynamic media streaming. Metrics will allow OOH media to compete even more effectively with other media, proving their worth in any media plan. It will also lead to increased ROI for all clients.

Some of the solutions included:-

Web based real-time outdoor site monitoring: This allows for 24/7 monitoring of sites to curb vandalism and provides for an effective proof of performance method.

Automated Traffic Count: This will not only provide an accurate traffic count, but also the number and type of vehicles crossing a particular site, leading to complete commuter mapping.

LED Ticker Integration: Static sites on the DND can now go dynamic through LED ticker integration. These are also equipped with humidity and temperature sensors for live information.

“First of all, I would like to thank TIMES OOH for such a wonderful evening where both clients and agencies got insights on the possibilities on both DND and Metro lines so as to create bigger MILESTONES for Brands.

Research will definitely support our outdoor mediums to fight against other media formats which have strong measurement tools.

I wish the Times OOH team all the best for the coming festive and action packed season”, says Prashant Mishra– North-head, Milestone media

Roopak Jain, VP - Sales & Marketing at Brys Advertising adds, “Passing by DND I had always thought of branding my product there. But the only thing preventing us was that we needed to do something different which could get maximum eyeballs and wow the audience through innovation. This event was exactly what I was looking for. So many innovations and each one just wonderful. The entire team of Times OOH carries the passion of being market leader and constantly delivers what we brands want. Congratulations team Times OOH. I had a great time at the Innovatus event."

Sunder Hemrajani, M.D. Times OOH says, “At Times OOH, we give equal credence to both customer satisfaction and innovation. It was wonderful to see these two core tenets merging at Innovatus, giving us an opportunity to showcase our latest research findings, path-breaking creative ideas and interact with our customers simultaneously. I thank all the brand ambassadors and media representatives who graced the occasion. We look forward to their continued support in helping us implement more such pioneering OOH initiatives.”

The extravaganza ended with an interesting session on whiskey appreciation held by renowned mixologist Nischal Gurung. Cocktails and dinner for all guests concluded the highly successful customer connect initiative by Times OOH.

Times OOH is a brand of Times Innovative Media. It owns properties in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.

For further information, please contact:

TIMES OOH, Times Innovative Media Limited

Sucheta Baliga

Mobile: +91 8375838473

Email: Sucheta.Baliga@timesgroup.com