Fast Forward - Outdoor

Outdoor costs cause controversy in Ghana

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:44:00 --0100

The Outdoor costs cause controversy in Ghana Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has rejected calls for a 600% hike in the price of permits for outdoor ads.

Outdoor suffers in UAE

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:08:00 --0100

Ad spend on out-of-home in the UAE dropped nearly 40% in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to published reports.

Kinetic tracks consumer moods

Mon, 10 May 2010 17:51:00 --0100

New research from Kinetic and Clear Chanel charts the interaction between consumers and out-of-home media. Over a three week period eye and face contact with advertising displayed at Westfield Royal Victoria Place, in the UK, was tracked using technology from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute to better understand the correlation between consumer mood and interaction with out-of-home advertising.

JCDecaux reports net profit down 77% in 2009

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:11:00 --0100

Outdoor giant JCDecaux has just released its final results for 2009. Operating profit dropped 29% to �392m on revenues down 12% at �1,919m, while net profit plunged an eye-watering 77% to just �25m.

Coca-Cola Gets Hands-on With Its Own Digital Billboards

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:23:00 --0100

The world's largest beverage company has added another feather to its cap: media owner. Late last year, Coca-Cola started rolling out its Digital Network, a group of 28 electronic billboards in 27 markets that the company owns and operates.

Clear Channel ad row could leave commuters in the cold

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:31:00 --0100

Outdoor advertising company Clear Channel, which owns and maintains 38,000 of Britain's bus shelters, has said it will stop building them if local councils allow BT to build new phone boxes with big advertising hoardings. Barry Sayer, chief executive of Clear Channel, said:

We feel we are being majorly disadvantaged by these phone boxes which are basically adverts with a phone attached. Clear Channel pays out £24 million a year in costs, maintenance and rates for the right to sell advertising on bus shelters. But BT does not have to pay councils anything and can collect the same from adverts.

BT argues that it is only placing the new payphones on existing sites, and that advertising is "essential" if it is to to fulfill its obligation of ensuring that everyone has access to basic telephone services. However, following pressure from Clear Channel and residents, local councils are said to be blocking the applications.

JC Decaux reports healthy figures

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:58:00 --0100

French outdoor advertising operator yesterday reported a 2.9% increase in revenue in 2008 to �2.17 billion. The street furniture and transport divisions fared particularly well. The company expects, however, that 2009 will be "very challenging".

JCDecaux announce 1.6% rise in Q3 revenue

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:05:00 --0100

Outdoor advertising company JCDecaux reported a 1.6% rise in third-quarter revenue to �495.6 million, boosted by strong performance in its transport and street furniture divisions. Commenting on the results, co-CEO Jean-Charles Decaux said

As has been widely reported, advertising market conditions continued to deteriorate in the third quarter, particularly in developed countries while emerging markets have been less impacted. In this environment, the Group delivered a solid performance driven principally by its Transport division and its exposure to the Asia Pacific Region.

The group now expects organic revenue growth of 5.5% to 6% for 2008 as a whole, down from a previous forecast of 6% to 7%.

Decaux-News Corp deal falls through

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:26:00 --0100

Tough market conditions have been blamed for the collapse of the proposed deal between News Corp and outdoor giant JC Decaux that would have created the world's biggest outdoor advertising player. The deal was to have involved JC Decaux buying News Corp's Russian-based billboard advertising unit, but investors proved nervous about the risks of such a transaction in the current economic climate. In a joint statement released yesterday, the companies said: "Economic and capital-market conditions have made it increasingly difficult to conclude strategic partnerships on this scale."

Can OOH companies make digital investment pay?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:21:00 --0100

An article in the Financial Times today looks at the money being spent by outdoor advertising companies upgrading to digital sites in transport centres and at roadside. It points out that companies will need to charge a good premium for the new digital sites if they are to recoup their investment in the new technology. CBS Outdoor has just finished a £72m development project at its LU sites to create what is now Europe's largest digital screen network. In addition to 830 escalator panels and 181 larger LCD screens, it has just switched on 23 cross-track projection screens in five central London stations. Meanwhile, JC Decaux has spent £10m on 500 digital panels sited at Heathrow Terminal 5, and is also trialling 20 digital boards around London. Jeremy Male of Decaux comments that his company hopes to be able to charge between five and seven times poster rates for digital panels, but since running costs are higher, it remains to be seen whether the companies can make their strategy pay in the current economic climate.

Posters that can tell when you're looking at them

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:08:00 --0100

A Canadian start-up called xuuk has developed a cheap device that it says can tell when people are looking at it. Xuuk is selling the device - which is called eyebox2, and costs $999 - as a means of tracking the number of impressions attracted by outdoor ads. Such devices are much cheaper, and potentially more accurate and more finely detailed, than current outdoor research techniques. They could help attract even more demand for outdoor advertising, which is already growing rapidly thanks to better research and the development of new types of display.