For print buyers, the ubiquitous nature of outdoor advertising also represents one of its major challenges; the outdoor category is so broad it's staggering. From static posters employing traditional paper and paste, to huge illuminated billboards and 'scrolling', advertising displays as street furniture elements such as bus stops, public utility, information/vending/telephone kiosks, graphics on buses &taxis, digital LED displays, malls and airports ... the list goes on. Little wonder outdoor scored so highly in the latest Price Water Cooper survey, in which a majority of adults said that outdoor advertising gave them something to look at while travelling.
Roadside and transport account for the lion's share of a spend in 2009, came close to Euros 1.5 bn in the UK. In India, the estimated size of the OOH industry is Rs 15 billion in 2008, which is projected to become almost twice its current size in 2013 (i.e., Rs 25 billion). Its share in the total ad pie is expected to go down marginally to 6.8% in 2013 from a current level of 6.9% in 2008.
Know your market
there has been a boom in the formats available - fleet of bus, taxis, graphics on escalators at malls and airports - people have realised that outdoor is a good medium. The key according to me is, one word: planning. First, decide what the right option is. It's all about audience - ask yourself what the best outdoor medium to hit that audience is?
The other important thing for buyers to be aware of is the nature of outdoor's requirements. Even an apparently simple poster campaign can have its pitfalls. Outdoor is a very specialist area. A lot of people think that printing, say, 50 large-format poster banners are simple. In fact, it's likely to involve different trim sizes, finishing, and precision welding of the skeleton structure that allows the poster to be locked into the fixing bracket. So many times we've seen the local print company produce a few posters, and they've been delivered to the site on time so all seems fine, only to discover that they don't fit. By that point, it's a very expensive problem.
So plan ahead, and while you're at it make sure you're aware of planning restrictions. Also consult local planning authorities who decide whether a particular site or type of advert should be allowed or not.
In short, there are many factors to contend with, and given the gamut of planning and production issues, as well as the concentration in outdoor media ownership - 10 firms control the lion's share of outdoor opportunities, encompassing almost 250,000 panels nationwide - it's hardly surprising to find that most work is channelled through dedicated outdoor operations. Most OOH companies list their printer companies on its website. These in turn use a roster of specialist suppliers.
Changing needs
Laqshya Media is one such OOH player. Our specialty (among traditional outdoor needs) is airports. The airports at Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru are in the news. Two years ago, Laqshya Media was awarded the advertising rights for Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad for a period of seven years. This is the 1st airport in India which is a Greenfield airport project and Laqshya Media executed the project which included planning, design, manufacture, install & maintain advertising displays at RGIA.
Laqshya Media also has the advertising rights for Colombo Airport in Sri Lanka making the only Indian OOH company to have gone international in airport advertising.
I've seen a wholesale shift in production methods over the past decade for OOH segment: 10-15 years ago it was conventional hand paint ,litho or screen. Now outdoor is completely on digital printing technology - we don't use any conventional printing technologies at all. The break points are changing too. Digital print is breaking into far higher runs than screen ever did, and use of litho has been replaced with digital press for short runs. Now, runs of 50-150 can be done economically using digital.
Screen & litho printing in Out Of Home segment has shrunk considerably. In the conventional printing process the colours are more vivid and it can definitely add value but time preparation, pre-press process, production process does not make it economically viable for Out Of Home segment where every campaign has timelines and on time production, installation of display is key to the success.
Significant development in digital printing segment has ensured fast production with consistent quality.
As in all business areas, environmental concerns are now a priority & it has not left the Out Of Home advertising segment. As there is considerable usage of PVC products is large volume disposal of these products is a concern. Especially in India there is no process in disposing the PVC banners resulting in huge pilferage of PVC. As & when the pressure on using green product will increase use PVC based products will also reduce. Many companies who are leaders in manufacturing PVC printing media have already started making products which are green, bio degradable, can be easily recycled and does not leave huge carbon foot print.
In my days in 3M Graphics, the R&D team spent a few years investigating an alternative to vinyl for bus panel advertising, and is now poised to roll out a solution involving a litho-printable water-resistant board that is made with 80% recycled content and is itself recyclable at the end of the campaign. There are interesting applications like the London Underground --- where poster sites use dry posting (instead of being pasted up, the posters are held in place using a special 3M sticky tape), with more than 50% of sites converted already.
Last but certainly not the least comes the ‘no-print' option of digital displays, which are further transforming the advertising opportunities in the Out Of Home segment. Digital displays comprises of various display options like huge LED screens & high resolution LCD screens are playing significant roles in malls/ airports / super stores & giving the extra boost advertising revenue model. There are many recent campaigns in digital display in Bengaluru/Delhi & Hyderabad airport for a major brand which harnessed the advantages digital displays can offer in terms of time-sensitive messaging. Digital advertising gives the end user option of interactivity with the brand though touch & sound hence gives a better brand engagement. At present digital advertising comes at an ultra-premium price as the initial cost is very high, and media owners are unlikely to dilute the value of this niche offering by installing too many digital displays.
Our buyers will be deploying print technology for OOH for a while yet.
Digital advertising is going to pick up & is going to change the way a brand communicate in OOH segment. But it will not eliminate the traditional display of OOH segment.
CASE STUDY: HYDERABAD AIRPORT
Laqshya Media has created displays at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. One of the display is a portrait display having a size of 9m (30ft) height and 6 m (20ft) length. This is backlit portrait which uses the best of lighting systems. Giving a crystal clear back lit display of such a big size without any visible joint was a challenge.
Selection of print provider
We selected one of the best large format digital printer, Printech Digital since they have a solid experience of printing large format backlit signs. Printech also had the technology to join two flex prints without the overlap joints for back lit purpose. This means, there is no joint visible when the display is backlit.
Selection of media
Selection of the correct backlit media was very critical as it was not only for the good printing but the media has to withstand strong wind pressure. We selected 20 OZ backlit flex for the print job after conducting trials.
Selection of printing platform
Selection of correct printing platform was critical to get the day and night balance. We selected UV printing to ensure that the printed graphics is bright in the day time and has the same richness when backlit. The UV print platform gave us the results.
Special joint for the back lit flex
Maximum size for backlit media that is readily available is 10-feet width in the Indian market. We had no other option but to join the flex in order to make a size of 20-feet by 30-feet.
The joint in a large format backlit flex is carried out in an enclosed area in the post-printing stage where a special tape is used to join the flex. It is a slow process which ensures that the overlapping images are aligned before the application of the tape.
Today we expertise in creating 20 feet by 30-feet backlit displays with no flaws. This provides maximum impact to the customer.
