MxMIndia

Tag: OOH

  • Milestone Brandcom brings the glitz and glamour from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa out on the streets

    Milestone Brandcom executes campaign for Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Brandcom has brought out the glitz, glamour, magic & star power straight from the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa out onto the city streets.

     

    Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is the Indian version of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and ABC’s Dancing with the Stars that went on air on June 16. The dazzling launch was supported by an extensive OOH coverage in over 22 cities across a wide array of 1,500 high impact media touch points; coupled with a mixed bag of innovative ideas that have been conceptualized and implemented by Milestone Brandcom along traditional and unconventional media mix generated the desired buzz and hype around the launch of the show.

     

    This is the first time that Colors is broadcasting this famous international format. The show brings together 12 celebrities along with one common man who will compete with each other along with their choreographer partners for the title. These 13 pairs will be judged by 3 celebrity judges – Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar & Remo D’souza.

     

    The media mandate / communication objective to Milestone Brandcom was to bring out the spectacular extravaganza from the show, live on OOH. The core communication objective was to create intrigue for the upcoming show and to build salience for the brand and maximize impact through high visibility, scale and innovation.

     

    The main media objective was to drive tune ins for the channel thereby increasing TRPs.

    To ensure the right audiences were reached, a high intensity OOH plan was executed across the key target markets – Mumbai, Delhi, UP, Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra and Rajasthan across mass media touch points varying from billboards, bus shelters, metro signages, pillars, bus panels, lift branding, station branding and utilities. The viewers were intrigued at every OOH transit point with thrilling visuals of the judges.

     

    The 2 innovations executed for the show were conceptualized around the “disco ball” element that relates directly to dance; were a perfect brand fit for the show. The first was a Gigantic Disco ball at Mahim causeway. The disco ball, sparkling through the night was set up on a rotating disc. It was visible from a distance of over 500 metres and ensured that every passerby stopped & glanced at it. The second execution at Juhu, Tulip star junction was that of a “shiny disco ball.” The hoarding was lit from various points & it appeared as if the disco ball was glistening in the night.

     

    Commenting on the campaign Rajesh Iyer, Head Marketing, COLORS said: “Since this was the first season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa on Colors, we had a dual task in hand – to communicate the launch of the show along with building recall for the time slot and the channel. Along with Milestone Brandcom, we developed an idea of using the “disco ball” imagery through-out the campaign to bring out the essence and star power of the show. Due to the awareness created by this innovative and creative OOH campaign, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa has stood out distinctly and created excitement. This concept has helped us in creating buzz for the show and certainly created the desired impact.”

     

    “We tried to being out the action from the sets of the show out onto the OOH campaign. In order to complement the exuberance of the show it was essential to build presence along every key arterial route and important transit junction in the key markets and that is exactly what we delivered,” said Hanoz Patel, Founder Member & Managing Partner, Milestone Brandcom.

     

  • The writing is clearly on the wall that all OOH will one day become digital, writes Rajan Mehta, founder and CEO, LIveMedia

    The Anchor: Rajan Mehta on 5 ways how Digital OOH is revolutionizing Out-of-Home

    By Rajan Mehta, Founder and CEO, LIveMedia

     

    One day, all media will become digital and OOH is no exception. Although still in its nuptial stage, digital OOH is quickly revolutionizing the OOH industry and has brought forth the following added advantages which are hard to ignore.

     

    1. Precise Targeting of your Consumer Segment:

    LCD Screens have been installed in places like restaurants, coffee shops, clubs, gyms, salons, office cafeterias, college cafeterias, hospitals etc wherein the profile of people visiting them is easily decipherable. Coupled with this is the fact that we know the geographical location of each of these places and the context that each place has to offer. Advertisers don’t have to advertise on the entire network but can pick and choose screens based on demographic, geographic or psychographic profile of the consumers they want to target, thus enormously improving the efficacy of their campaigns. This kind of sharp-shooting has never been offered before.

     

    2. Different Strokes for Different Folks:

    In today’s world one size does not fit all. Therefore, you have to communicate differently with different customer segments. You may want to show a Blackberry Bold with a pink casing to young ladies while at the same time in a black casing to young professionals. This can be done easily on a digital screen network wherein you can show the creative with a pink Blackberry casing in places like salons etc where young women are present, while in office cafeteria’s which are more male dominated it could be shown with a black casing. Not only this, you could run the creative in Kannada in Karnataka, in English in Delhi and in Punjabi in Punjab. This ensures that we are communicating in the most effective and targeted manner with our potential consumers.

     

    3. New Genre of Entertainment:

    We all know people are very discreet when it comes to media consumption. If there is nothing in it for them they would not consume it. Digital OOH has pioneered a new genre of content which is crisp, trendy and fitting into the lifestyles of people, thereby giving them a reason to look at the Screens while they are out of home. It’s truly like “Get entertained. Wherever you go”. You just need to step into a restaurant, gym, office cafeteria which has a LiveMedia Screen to see what we are talking about. Out-of-home advertising has now become entertainment-/ infotainment-based just like TV and Press, and not simply thrust upon people.

     

    4. Context has been added:

    We all know anything told in a context has a better impact. Imagine someone sitting in a hospital lobby with a Screen in front of him and an Advertisement for a Medical Insurance product comes up. The person would definitely take notice and think about it. The rest depends upon the creative. Similarly, advertising for lifestyle products in a coffee shop makes a lot of sense as these places are all about lifestyle. In addition to the above there are various programmes (content) that run on these screens which also create a context while people are watching. For example, if there is a programme on sports and an advertisement for some sports goods is placed next to it, then it works well as the person’s mind is already tuned into sports.

     

    5. It’s Finally Measurable:

    The bane of OOH has been that it’s not been measurable. Well, digital OOH is changing this paradigm! Since digital OOH is present in controlled environments like restaurants, cafeterias, gyms, salons, colleges, hospitals etc it is easy to reach out to people in these places and subject them to a survey, the data from which can then be used to measure the impact of the medium. Companies like IMRB have been doing this research for quite some time and have developed robust methodologies to collect, analyse and report the data. The current research is done to understand four parameters – demographics being addressed, noticeability of screens, engagement pattern and finally recall of various advertisements.

     

    The medium still has a long way to go but the writing is on the wall that all OOH will one day become digital!

     

    Rajan Mehta is Founder and CEO, LIveMedia

     

  • The brand communication was targeted at the Indians in the age bracket of 18-40 years

    Milestone Brandcom rolls out a widespread campaign for eBay India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Breaking through the OOH clutter, Milestone Brandcom has executed an exceptional campaign for eBay India , the online shopping destination where thousands of manufacturers and merchants list a range of every-day use products, with the best deals.

     

    eBay India is a pioneer of eCommerce in India . At any given time, there are over 6 million live listings on eBay India across 2,000 categories of products. eBay India has, over the years, taken significant steps to strengthen the brand through a mix of Offline/Digital campaigns such as the current ‘want it, get it’ campaign.

     

    The brand communication was targeted at the Indians in the age bracket of 18-40 years. The main audiences being value seeking, shopping enthusiasts who have dreams/wants and are looking for deals and availability of products to fulfill these wants. With a tag line, ‘want it, get it’ the communication was aimed at reinforcing the role of eBay India in everyone’s life.

     

    “If you have a want, we will get you a deal” crisply established eBay India as the one destination to fulfill all the wants.

     

    The media mandate to Milestone Brandcom was to position eBay India as the distinguished website where one could get the best deals on a wide variety of products. In an extremely cluttered outdoor scenario, the core communication objective was to stand out and make a bold impression.

     

    The objective was to drive more customers to the website and make eBay India the hot spot for ‘wants’ to complement all occasions.

     

    “Communicating with such vast audiences, required strategic site selection and fitting media placement. The brand needed to be positioned amongst the masses as a one stop, online shopping destination. The strategy deployed to achieve these objectives was a media burst across key arterial routes and catchment areas, malls, colleges & hangouts. The objective was to build presence and reach amongst key catchment area where the TG would be inherent in,” said Imtiyaz Vilatra, founder member & managing partner at Milestone Brandcom.

     

    The OOH media plan covered 700 media touch points in 3 major metros (Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore) and was spread across an assortment of media formats such as billboards, gantries, bus shelters, fuel station branding, pole kiosks, bus side panels, mall facades & metro station media.

     

    To tap into the areas close to markets and malls, various unconventional media formats such as mall facades, fuel and railway station media, bus back & side panels, metro station signages and so on were taken up.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Kashyap Vadapalli, Chief Marketing Officer, eBay India said: “Our recent campaign is congruent with our goal of step jumping e-commerce trial in general and eBay trial in particular amongst shopping enthusiasts across the country. The campaign plays to eBay’s core strength of unmatched variety, illustrating not only the width but also the depth in categories available on eBay India . Through this campaign, we would like consumers to rediscover their eBay shopping experience with greater variety and better deals.”

     

    Campaign Details

    Client: eBay India

    Cities: Mumbai,Delhi,Bangalore. 675 media touchpoints

    Media formats used: Besides high reach & frequency media on key arterial roads & busy junctions, the brand communication was around most unconventional media formats to effectively reach the TG. Media formats closer to shopping destinations were extensively and creatively leveraged for maximum exposure and relevant connect – places like fuel stations, metro signages, railway stations, bus backs  collectively invoked shopping enthusiasts with the width and depth in categories available on eBay India.

     

  • Practically anything and everything can be accommodated in the dimensions of a media unit on OOH space, says Satish Singh

    The Anchor: Satish Singh lists 10 reasons why outdoor scores over other media

    By Satish Singh

     

    1. Free Medium – No Cost of Consumption

    Unlike any other medium, where you require a subscription or purchase, OOH is free. You need to purchase a newspaper to see an ad in it. One must have satellite TV subscription to cable/DTH to see an advertisement. For OOH, there is no need to purchase anything. It is outside, on the streets and is free for everyone to see, read, understand and there is typically a call to action – like a Short code, Toll free, and so on.

     

    2. Zone Domination Approach

    A particular territory could be concentrated with the communication in a limited geographic area to create a domination effect. What we call a roadblock in Radio and TV can be achieved in greater magnitude with this kind of an approach. This leads to the word of mouth and viral scenario along with creation of buzz – which is more likely to give a media multiplier effect – eventually leading to a digital platform discussions on the social platforms.

     

    3. Reach + Frequency

    This is the typical Catch 22 one sees in media planning. OOH allows you to circumvent the inherent challenge of the choice between the two, by helping you be there and do that. It is the only medium that will give you the best of the aspects by meeting both at a miniscule portion of what the traditional media would drain the wallet at.

     

    4. Large scale empty canvas

    The scale is superb and gigantic. One has the opportunity to create an imaginative thought on the larger than life canvas.

     

    5. Dynamic Visual impact

    3D, Motion, Lights, day/night effect, the list is nearly inexhaustive. This is something that is very exclusive to OOH. No other media offers this aspect – be it print, television, social, digital, none. The fanfare around the medium is because of the ability to push your imaginative genius to the limits and beyond. Practically anything and everything can be accommodated in the dimensions of a media unit on OOH space.

     

    6. 24×7

    This medium is there for an exposure 24×7. It will be present for a minimum duration of 10 days (as per the local associations in cities acrossIndia) and cannot be missed if a person is late to watch a program or read the newspaper that day.

     

    7. No Avoidance – Virtually No OTS

    Because of the size and scale, it is virtually impossible to miss a display in a city and, therefore, we have virtually no OTS. It is as good as MUST SEE.

     

    8. Key Ingredient of LMC

    As the studies have proved, the Last Mile Connectivity has most bearing in the actual purchase of the product. This is the time when the POP/POS is preceded by the OOH to ensure the curiosity pull happens to the brand/product and the retail point takes it up from there to ensure a closure of purchase/sale.

     

    9. Region Specific Targeting

    The only medium that works better than that of the traditional media is OOH in this area. If you want minimal geographic spillover, this gives you a ZERO spillover. The kind of brands and products that have a certain geography have chosen this medium as the lead medium. Telecom is the finest example for this – every circle has a specific tariff, VAS offering, network and bouquet of services. The best way of communicating about the same is the OOH. Traditionally, the lead medium for the industry has been OOH.

     

    10. Day-part capturing

    Media Scheduling is a part of every planner’s life today. Application in OOH is next to impossible. But that thought has been vapourised with the newer and advanced ways of putting up media and removing the same. This enables us to capture the morning, noon and evening parts of the communication that is possible on the same medium without breaking much of a sweat.

     

    All in all, the Out-Of-Home media is a really flexible and robust area of communication and advertising wherein one can expect focussed geographies to be connected, without the risk factors of a traditional print and electronic or any other media which has an OTS. Outdoors is BIG, BOLD, BEAUTIFUL and UNMISSABLE.

     

    Satish Singh is President, Lakshya Media

     

  • Frequent changes in its menu and innovations are part of the fast food giant's gambit for growth

    McDonald’s innovates with menu to get numbers

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Amit Jatia

    Ordering at McDonald’s was a no-brainer a few years back, with limited menu option that included burgers, french fries, cola or a McSwirl. But in the last two years, there has been an increased focus on bringing in variety to the McDonald’s menu and one has seen the launch of breakfast menu, spicy delights and McFlurry among host of other new options available in the menu.

     

    Explaining the rationale behind the revamped menu, Amit Jatia, Vice Chairperson McDonald’s India (West & South), said: “At McDonald’s our customers’ happiness is key in everything that we do. We aim to be relevant and offer various options to our customers. McDonald’s interacts with its customers through various platforms, be it customer feedback forms or surveys or select group discussions, all to ensure that we provide our customers with the highest quality products that are based on their feedback. McDonald’s also undertakes various innovations to provide its customers with quality products at affordable prices which are served fast and hygienically. Keeping in mind the customer needs, McDonald’s India has been very active with new menu and innovative campaigns.”

     

    Giving an insight into the strategy that goes behind the menu revamp, Jatia said: “We aim to provide a wide variety of offerings with the newness in flavour. We take leadership in providing choice when the customer most needs it. For example, during the recession, to provide our customers with meal options that were cost-effective, we launched and still provide the Extra Value Meal menu which consists of a burger, medium fries and a medium coke.”

     

    The fast food giant also believes in offering a wide variety of products such as the globally popular Chicken McNuggets, McFlurry a range of desserts introduced in 2011 and the recently introduced McFlurry Caramel as an addition to this range of products. There is also the Happy Price Menu starting at Rs25 to cater to the customers that would like a small bite that is cost effective.

     

    McValue Lunch has been launched this year to provide the customers an extensive variety and choice of great quality products while being pocket friendly. Another addition to the menu is the Spice Fest that was launched on April 1 where a new twist to the menu has been introduced.

     

    But does this increased thrust on the menu have to do anything with the jostling of space and new players in the QSR segment? As Jatia explained: “McDonald is a leader and pioneer in the QSR space inIndia, our innovations are based on our customers’ feedback and are an extension of our ‘I’m Lovin it’ experience. With regards to our menu innovations, we have a menu board that designs the new innovations that are tested and researched for a specific period of time before we introduce them in the market. We also conduct test launches to gauge customer reactions and feedback to our products before they can be introduced to a wider audience group.”

     

    McDonald’s introduced its breakfast menu in October 2010 as part of its all day dining options. Initially launched in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, breakfast menu is also available in Hyderabad today. With the launch of breakfast menu, McDonald’s is not only providing customers a completely new range of products, but is also open between 7-11am which is a brand new day part.

     

    Talking on the McDelivery and why it isn’t as popular as the pizza companies, where home delivery form a key to their sales, Jatia said: “Asia is the only market where McDonald’s has a delivery option and this shows tremendous commitment for the market and potential to expand it more. With regards to delivery, since its launch our delivery service has grown by leaps and bound to now include a state-of the art 24×7 live call center as well as the recently launched web delivery option which is extremely user friendly. Keeping in mind, McDonald’s commitment to quality, the company has reduced the service to the neighborhood, which is up to 7 minutes away from the restaurant, from the earlier 10 minutes. The mapping of the delivery area is such that even during peak hours, customers receive orders that are hot and fresh.  McDonald’s has taken this proactive measure to ensure the quality of food is not compromised.”

     

    On the advertising front too, McDonald’s has gone aggressive, especially the OOH medium. For the new Spice Fest advertising campaign, the company has tied up with their international ad director Nick, who has been working with McDonalds International on worldwide campaigns. “Again customers’ feedback plays a big role in the way we approach all our endeavours and in this regards the look and feel of this campaign has been made contemporary to relate to our customers on an international scale. The ad brings out the freshness of the ingredients used to create a world class amalgamation of mouth-watering products coming together as part of the Spice Fest. It starts with a fun face-off between three chefs from different countries like Africa, Asia and America, all trying to prove that their recipe is superior, while still coming together to produce a delicious feast for Spice Fest,” added Jatia.

     

    Currently, McDonald’s India has 250 restaurants serving more than 6.5 lakh customers daily. In the South and West, there are approximately 150 restaurants. Their growth phase as Jatia explains can be broadly categorised as ‘Build, Grow, and Accelerate’. He divulges that McDonald’s India, and particularly Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd (the company which runs the McDonald’s business in western and southern India), has an aggressive expansion plan – including market expansion, new customer outreach formats and menu expansion.

     

    McDonald’s (West and South) will be investing approximately Rs450 – 500 crore. “We’ve been opening new stores at a rate of 10-15 per cent and expect to increase that to 15 – 20per cent going forward. McDonald’s India (West & South) is expanding its reach by expanding the portfolio and access points with formats like from kiosks, drivethroughs, web delivery and petrol pumps in addition to the restaurant restaurants,” concluded Jatia.

     

  • Milestone Brandcom creates mesmerizing presence forSwitzerlandtourism across Mumbai

    Switzerland Tourism builds extended recall in Mumbai yet again

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Brandcom, a leading, and fastest growing, integrated OOH brand communications agency inIndia, has executed a surreal campaign for Switzerland Tourism.

     

    This campaign was an extension of their last campaign – “We do whatever it takes to make your holidays perfect”. The core communication objective of the campaign was to fascinate and intrigue people with vibrant images of some the geographical diversity that can be found withinSwitzerland. The campaign tag line was “ExploreSwitzerland”.

     

    The main focus of the campaign was to showcase the different destinations inSwitzerlandalong with very special offers from tour operator partners in India Switzerland, the playground of Europe, has been the dream destination for tourists for decades. Extending across the north and south side of theAlps, it encompasses a great diversity of landscapes – shimmering glaciers, snowcapped mountains, lush meadows and beautiful villages. The climate inSwitzerlandis moderate, with no excessive heat, cold or humidity.

     

    A media plan encompassing 170 media touch points spread well across a selection of formats covering high traffic & footfalls along arterial roads. There was an assorted mix of media touch points such as Billboards, Backlit Bus Shelters, Backlit Pole Kiosks, Large format Mall Facades.

     

    As part of the campaign, to further deliver the desired impact, an exceptional innovation – of a cable car going skywards to & fro from the famousMt.Titlisthat stands tall at 10,000 Feet – was executed on a 30×20 billboard at a prime location at Worli Naka. The innovation was striking and strategically placed at one of the high traffic count traffic signals in Mumbai. It was visible to almost all vehicular & pedestrian traffic moving fromSouth Mumbaito Central and suburban areas of Mumbai.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Imtiyaz Vilatra, Founder Member & Managing Partner, Milestone Brandcom said: “The objective was to bring to light the mesmerizing diversity of landscapesSwitzerlandhas to offer. The campaign aims at targeting the upper middle class who more often than not, invest in a good vacation, the company has come up with various attractive welcoming offers to explore the immaculate beauty thatSwitzerlandhas to offer. The mesmerizing dream-like locations & attractive rates offered by the company, combined with the right media mix along key arterial routes helped in targeting the right audiences.”

     

    “Top of the mind recall & clutter breaking innovations are what separate an ordinary advertising & marketing campaign from a successful one. The objective was to utilize the OOH space effectively and build presence and reach along key arterial junctions & traffic points in order to reach the right TG. The campaign, executed by team Milestone, left no arterial route or media without our brand presence. I believe the work done on OOH in Mumbai was a critical success factor. Milestone Brandcom has delivered an excellent campaign right from planning to execution,” said Ritu Sharma, Interim Director, Switzerland Tourism.

     

    Milestone Brandcom is the fastest growing Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising & media company with operations in 42 cities acrossIndiaproviding services in over 1000 towns. The company offers through the line advertising solutions for brands nationally across multiple OOH media touch points. With a turnover of 220 crore in 2 years of operations, Milestone Brandcom is already amongst the top 3 OOH brand communication service providers inIndia.

     

  • The agency installs a gigantic pen drive at a mall in the city. The installation attempts to highlight and reiterate ‘storage and space’, the USP of the brand

    Six Inches Communications develops unique OOH innovation for Kingston

    By A Correspondent

     

    Six Inches Communications, an integrated brand communications agency, has created an exceptional Out of Home (OOH) innovation for Kingston Technology, the US based, independent memory module company whose products include Solid State Drives, memory modules, Wi-Drive, USB Drives, memory cards and card readers. The installation in the form of an enormous pen drive attempts to highlight and reiterate ‘storage and space’, the USP of the brand.

     

    The agency has replicated a pen drive on a large format OOH installation which is 31 ft in length, 9.5 ft tall and 12 ft wide at the entrance of Nirmal Lifestyle, Mulund for a period of one month. The concept of the innovation revolves around the idea of giving the users a real life experience of entering a pen drive.

     

    From the exterior, an illusion of people getting into the pen drive will be created while the inner walls of the gigantic installation will have interesting graphics depicting the benefits of the device.

     

    Commenting on the latest initiative, Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director,KingstonIndiasaid: “Kingston pen drives have large capacity and is one-of-its-kind in this category. We wanted to highlight the fact that though pen drives look small, they are huge storage devices and convey the idea that one can carry his/her world in a pen drive; be it music, movies, data, photographs or confidential documents”.

     

    Pravin Shah, CEO and Managing Director of Six Inches Communications said: “In order to communicate the magnitude of space offered byKingstonpen drives we opted for the OOH medium as it gives a brand the flexibility to explore innovation with products in terms of size, shape and experience. The larger-than-life installation will successfully bring to life some of the key benefits ofKingstonpen drive”.

     

    The customers will also witness a painter painting a portrait along with a guitarist strumming a song inside the installation to highlight the idea of bringing the data stored in the pen drive to life whenever required.

     

  • The power of outdoor is best unleashed by the digital advances in technology, says Noomi Mehta.

    5 reasons why Digital makes OOH even more relevant

    By Noomi Mehta

     

    #1 Digital helps provide instant displays on giant LED screens without any time loss for printing.

     

    #2 Digital offers an incredible array of colours to give brands a considerable boost in image, making them widely recognised as using cutting edge technology and helping to build the brand in the minds of the younger generation.

     

    #3 Digital gives huge options for interaction with viewers, through technology such as Bluetooth, WiFi etc. For example a display could lead you to a website merely by clicking on it and give news, views, offers, free downloads etc.

     

    #4 Digital LED screens when used in large sizes can create a sensation. It’s like having a combination of flexible neon signs and giant outdoor TV screens.

     

    #5 It provides instant messaging with the added advantage of full colour imagery. It’s great for giving important local news in case of emergencies. It’s great for making special offers to local markets.

     

    Noomi Mehta is the Chairman and Managing Director of Selvel One Group.

     

  • OAP targeted 23 types of media that comprised of 440 media units covering an outdoor space of approx 1,52,000 sq ft across 22 markets

    Outdoor Advertising Professionals’ innovative outdoor arena for SA Tourism

    By A Correspondent

     

    The landscapes and abundant wildlife of South Africa is the canvas for Outdoor Advertising Professionals, who are using innovative outdoor ideas to promote South Africa Tourism.

     

    South Africahas truly been a ground-breaking destination for adventure, sport, nature and wildlife travel and is a pioneer and global leader in responsible tourism.

     

    A creative and out-of the-box idea by Outdoor Advertising Professionals was of putting up a tri-vision billboard for this campaign, the first of its kind in Mumbai. The mandate to Outdoor Advertising Professionals was to offer high impact and high quality exposure thereby ensuring top-of-the-mind recall, which in turn required them to look for all formats of media that could be a clutter-breaker.

     

    OAP targeted 23 types of media that comprised of 440 media units covering an outdoor space of approx 1,52,000 sq ft across 22 markets. The various media chosen are billboards, backlit walls, bus shelters, cantilevers, glass façades, flagpoles, gantries, glow cubes, king-long buses, metro signages, pole kiosks, subway panels, skywalks, standalones, malls, airport displays and so on.

     

    Commenting about this OOH campaign James Varghese, Vice president OAP said: “Being a leader in technology, OAP implemented various tools and technology to ensure that an optimum campaign was planned. Every single detail of the campaign was backed by a technical explanation. We implemented iLAP – a research tool to zero-in on those locations where the target audience is more densely skewed. Each site was chosen based on its Panel Value. OAP has also been able to customize the outdoor plan with the help of Gallop Math Model which helped us foresee the reach and frequency that a particular plan can generate. Based on the results, we re-worked the plan so as to attain desirable reach and frequency of 52 per cent and 4 respectively.”

     

    OAP’s commitment and understanding of the brand propositions in the previous campaign for South Africa Tourism in the 2011 helped in retaining the client for second year in a row for latest 2012 campaign.

     

    OAP is the AOR (Agency on Record) for outdoor media planning and buying for many leading corporate advertisers inIndia. They are one of the top 5 companies in the industry. As a premiere outdoor specialist company they are at the forefront of bringing in new and scientific approach towards media planning.

     

  • Most brands have seen increased purchasing power in smaller markets, and these audiences can be tapped effectively using OOH, feels Vikas Nowal.

    Anchor: 5 reasons OOH must shift focus to Tier 2 & 3 cities

    By Vikas Nowal

     

    #1 There is considerably less OOH media clutter in Tier II and Tier III markets, which means that messages do not get lost in the proliferation of communication targeting the target consumer.

     

    Media is more noticeable in these markets, so any innovations done are highlighted, and receive local media coverage as well as become talking points among the TG.

     

    #2 The relative cost of media is less, therefore, spending more rational amounts of money can help cover the city, rather than spread yourself thin due to high per unit outlays. It is possible to capitalize on the “build” and perception “spillover” quality of OOH, by retaining sites for a longer duration, since the costs are rational.

     

    The limitations of too-short campaign periods, which have become almost a norm in metros, can be rectified and the campaign has the ability to register and be internalized by the TG.

     

    #3 Business potential across categories is rising in these markets, therefore an investment in media in these cities results in better ROI for the client. Most brands have seen increased purchasing power in smaller markets, and these audiences can be tapped effectively using OOH, whereby the returns will typically be higher than in metros.

     

    #4 Media absorption power in these markets is more limited, therefore the possibility of optimally covering the entire city costs less than a Mumbai or a Delhi. For eg: spending Rs100 in Mumbai / Delhi may yield a less than optimum coverage whereas even a lesser spend in a smaller market with a comparable geographical spread may result in overkill.

     

    #5 Malls and multiplexes are gaining traction in smaller markets as destinations, and media available at these locations provides a controlled OOH visibility option closer to POS, thereby driving purchase decisions. Activation undertaken at these locations also helps in multiplying the effect of static OOH done across the city.

     

    Vikas Nowal is Vice President, Mudra Max OOH.

     

  • Mudra Max has exclusively implemented a high decibel campaign in Mumbai and Delhi through a mix of digital, experiential, on ground and OOH execution

    Volkswagen & Mudra Max go 360 on OOH for Think Blue

    By A Correspondent

     

    Volkswagen is not just a brand but a proud bearer of automotive heritage. ‘Think Blue’ is a philosophy of the brand’s ecological and sustainable activities that has been designed to promote it’s key corporate objective of sustainability and environmental protection.

     

    The current initiative aims at strengthening the brand’s ‘Think blue’ philosophy using the opportunity provided by the Delhi Auto expo.

     

    Mudra Max has exclusively implemented a high decibel campaign in Mumbai and Delhithrough a mix of digital, experiential, on ground and OOH execution. The campaign is based on the international template which tells the story of the Volkswagen brand’s evolution as a responsible brand leveraging the ‘Think Blue’ philosophy.

     

    Mudra Max and Volkswagen installed an exceptional art-piece of the iconic Beetle created wholly out of scrap collected from various Think Blue clean-up drives undertaken by Volkswagen at different locations.

     

    The concept has given life to lifeless objects that have been discarded. The team took 15 days to put together a real-sized Beetle, made entirely of scrap ranging from discarded mother boards, keyboards, disposed machinery parts, mobile phones, cans, plastic bottles, cassettes, wires and other such scrap.

     

    To maximize impact and reach, the Delhi T3 terminal served as the venue to exhibit the Beetle art-piece along with a holistic mix of media elements, ranging from a constant running AV on the Think Blue philosophy and the making of the Beetle, a digital set up which connected the location live to Volkswagen’s micro-site and pages on Facebook, cameramen to capture pictures of passersby and giving them away in custom made ‘Think Blue’ photo jackets as mementos, with promoters engaging people to a classic steel-plated information kiosk on the heritage of Volkswagen and Think blue.

     

    At the same time garbage collection drives were initiated where the trash collected were mounted in cases and put on billboards to spread awareness and to have a more responsible behaviour towards the environment.

     

    Taking the display of the art-piece forward, the Beetle was brought back to Mumbai and is now exhibited at Mahim causeway, one of the most significant junctions in the city catering to high decibel traffic and footfalls all day long.

     

    This would further heighten the impact and buzz created by the art-piece and would create talking points around the brand’s philosophy of Think blue and achieving sustainability while creating something beautiful.

     

    A concept of ‘Fence branding’ preceded the entire ‘Think blue’ activity. A global template campaign of Volkswagen was rolled out worldwide on December 15, 2011. The primary requisite was continuous running space which would complement the ‘story telling’ creative of Volkswagen.

     

    Huge fences at Inorbit mall, Travelators at Delhi T3 airport, Fence branding at the T1 Delhi Airport were taken up. The size of the media was enormous running up to 700 square feet at one go.

     

    In addition, an entire Delhi Metro train was wrapped with the ‘Think Blue’ story to create higher impact and interest. This was coupled with a block-out media presence across significant stations of theDelhi metro & DAME.

     

    Speaking on the execution, Vikas Nowal, Vice President, Mudra Max-OOH on behalf of the Mudra Max team said: “We wanted to ensure that the Volkswagen campaign receives equal prominence in the communication across media. Therefore, the need of the hour was to create disruptive opportunities for the message to hit home. The Earth Hour activity was probably the simplest yet most relevant introduction to the brand’s commitment to taking care of the environment. The Beetle installation is something we are all extremely proud of achieving, and is the best embodiment of the iconic brand, and the worthy cause it champions. We continue to look at how we can help spread the brand’s message to a wider audience.”

     

    Bishwajeet Samal, Head of Marketing Communication at Volkswagen India said: “Our aim was to create buzz and drive home the message of ‘Think Blue. Drive Blue.’ With Out of Home activations like the Beetle art piece constructed purely out of scrap, branding of a Delhi Metro with the ‘Think Blue.’ message, creating the ugliest billboard in New Delhi from garbage collected from cleanliness drives in New Delhi; our outdoor agency effectively positioned Brand Volkswagen as a responsible automobile manufacturer.”

     

     

  • Bus shelter ads are strategically placed in areas with more pedestrians, where it is easy to see the brand and its message. Advertisements on bus shelters are usually lit at night with visual appeal.

    Trade bullish on bus shelter advtg

    By Robin Thomas

     

    Looking for a cost-efficient medium with high brand recall and healthy Return on Investments (ROIs) to advertise your product, then you should head to the nearest bus stop. The bus shelters, strategically placed in areas with the target group travelling either by foot or in a vehicle, are fast becoming coveted advertising mediums. FMCG brands, television channels and retail brands have increasingly started using bus shelters as a medium to deliver their brand message as ads placed at bus shelter make it easy to see the brand and its message.

     

    Many advertisers prefer to go for bus shelter advertising as it is cost-efficient and has a high brand recall, especially in the metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. Hindustan Unilever and P&G are two big instances of big OOH spenders which are very active in bus shelter advertising, particularly in Mumbai and Delhi. According to Bikas Verma, Associate Vice President, Outdoor Advertising Professionals (OAP) Pvt Ltd, bus shelter advertising contributes approximately 10-15 per cent of the overall OOH advertising spends.

     

    Gurjit Singh, COO, Crayons Advertising observed, “Compared to other OOH formats, bus shelter ads give more frequencies to the campaign as the strategic look gives an edge to the campaign.”

     

    “Bus shelters are primarily service-oriented street furniture item. They also prove to be a very effective OOH format as they offer an efficient channel for the brands to reach out to the consumers in every nook and corner of the city. Advertisers have acknowledged this medium as very cost-effective, offering best in class ROIs. Bus shelters also provide widespread exposure to their campaigns, catering to a wide range of target groups,” explained Ayush Kakkar, Assistant Manager – Marketing, JCDecaux.

     

    The road ahead

    Mr Verma is of the opinion that since billboards are now facing government restrictions, bus shelter advertising, which is high-impact and high-frequency advertising, is bound to grow further. “In markets like Mumbai or any other metro, bus shelter and likewise street furniture will be the future of OOH advertising, as these serve the dual purpose of being a utility as well as an ad revenue stream. This format of OOH media is very apt for the female TG and since billboards will not be permitted in these markets in future, their growth potential is nearing the end.”

     

    Mr Kakkar of JCDecaux noted, “The growth potential in case of bus shelter advertising is huge and it will continue to grow as more and more cities adapt to these service-oriented formats. Globally, bus shelters are already a very popular communication vehicle in the world’s best cities.”