Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'

Is Digital Signage Ready for Media Buyers? A Look Beyond 1,000,000 Ads

DOOH expert Lyle Bunn continues to diligently cover digital signage industry growth, extracting data from the latest studies and analyzing trends.

In his recent post he estimated, among other things, that the volume of unique ads played across all DOOH networks in North America in 2009 exceeds 1,000,000. Lyle further quotes a research company that puts the total number of DOOH displays in North Amedica at 900,000.

Lyle’s latest numbers are definitely useful to industry players and they most certainly will have an effect on new would-be venue owners, operators, suppliers and resellers researching the industry. However, as exciting as the numbers may look, it is not likely that they will serve as a catalyst to entice agencies or adverisers to put more money into DOOH space.

Unfortunately, to agencies, who for decades have been evaluating, planning and buying media using tools that process impressions, ratings and demographics, the number of ads displayed is not a metric.

The question today is no longer whether DOOH is a significant and viable medium – this much has been proven beyond doubt; the question is: how to buy it? 

The main complaints from media buyers are that the industry has not yet been able to answer  a few simple but critical questions:

1. What is the audience by geography, demographics and consumer behaviour? – so they could plan it like they do other media.

2. What is the ad spend by brand? – a standard metric – so Unilever, for instance, could see if P&G is already advertising on certain networks and decide for themselves… The problem here is that networks are withholding this information whereas in mainstream media it’s a standard parameter.

3. When will DOOH network ad space and audience data be included in agency media mix modelling tools and into syndicated research reports? This is what media buyers use for their media plans and if DOOH is not visible in those tools, it cannot possibly become a line item.

4. Another big question is: what category does digital signage belong to? Is it part of OOH (which in itself is not a big category), should it be a subset of cable, digital or alternative ‘buckets’? In fact, none of those category options actually do digital signage any good, as they do not reflect the unique and enormous potential it carries. So the debate goes back to: what this medium should be called and whether a separate, independent media category should be created to properly identify it.

OVAB is spearheading efforts to resolve all of the above issues. Following the publication of Audience Metrics Guidelines networks are now equipped with agency-endorsed approach to bring their audience measurements to a common denominator – impressions. The next big thing on the agenda is to standardize proof-of-performance metrics (proof of ad delivery, proof of effectivenes). Arbitron is going full steam ahead to assist networks in creating proper campaign performance validation.

Communication is underway between OVAB and syndicated media and consumer research suppliers on ways to include DOOH ad space into regular standard surveys. OVAB is also talking with media mix modelling software companies.

True, despite all impediments, digital signage has been growing even throughout the recession. This is a phenomenal result. But the real growth will commence when real advertising money starts flowing in.

Hopefully, 2010 and 2011 will see a shift towards the integration of digital signage into media planning and buying infrastructure on a systemic level. Only then can we expect a tidal change in ad spending in favor of our exciting but underfueled medium.  

You can read Lyle Bunn’s article that inspired this commentary of mine here.

Add comment October 2nd, 2009

Aggravation of Aggregation in Digital Signage

The concept of standardizing and packaging ad space from multiple DOOH networks to make media buys easier for agencies is becoming more and more prevalent. For this post I borrowed a smart headline from Rob Gorrie of AdCentricity, who commented on the overview of DOOH aggregators published on Digital Signage Today.

The idea of media aggregation is a relative novelty only in digital signage. Traditional media started using web sites for aggregation of media properties in the late 90s. Online media agencies began doing that almost since the beginning of Internet advertising. This trend was followed by the idea of cross-media exchanges and auctions, all of which successfully collapsed when the tech bubble burst.

What we are seeing today is a re-birth of the idea of media- and cross-media buying platforms, on a new qualitative level. However, when it comes to digital signage, its specific nature inevitably causes ‘aggravation’ of aggregation, at least in its early stages. If we follow Bill Yackey’s overview on Digital Signage Today, it becomes evident why.The trick with digital signage aggregation is that it has little value without an automated campaign execution (see points 4 and 5 in the workflow described in Bill’s article).

No affiliation with a big-name agency platform can resolve this issue, as such platforms deal mostly with the planning and buying aspects, and campaign execution is always based on a manual workflow. In all other media except digital signage campaign execution is a relatively mature process that does not involve complete and complex control at the receiving end. TV sets are controlled by viewers; radios are controlled by listeners, static billboards are updated once in a few weeks/months and are at the mercy of weather and vandals; magazines and newspapers are beyond control once they are distributed; PCs are controlled by users, etc.

Only in digital signage it is required and expected that one must enforce playback to a single screen in a network, fully control what’s showing when and account for it. Add several other networks – and you have a nightmare tech challenge for automation. Most traditional media and cross-media aggregators do not realize this until they try to do something with digital signage… And when they do… many of them give up the idea.

The solution is also obvious – DOOH aggregators must connect their cross-network planning and buying interfaces to a cross-network campaign execution (traffic) tool. My next statement is self-serving, but also true: there is only one such tool on the market today and it is called BroadSign Open API. So far it works only with BroadSign-powered networks (total of 160+networks in 25 countries), but this is only the first step. The technology is there. I invite you click here to learn more.

Add comment July 22nd, 2009

2008 Was a Tipping Point for Digital Signage: Lyle Bunn

Industtry analyst Lyle Bunn says 2008 was a decisive year for digital signage. Lyle published an excellent review of the year that starts with: “… After several years of sustained hard effort industry maturity was evident on a broad range of fronts.”

If you have not had time to read the abundant news on digital signage throughout the year, don’t get upset, just read this one article and you’ll know almost everything you need to know about the state of the industry and the outlook for 2009.

Getting back to the subject of what name should the industry adopt that Brian Dusho and I discussed in the previous post, Lyle confirmed that ‘digital signage’ is currently the most used name, despite the attempts of various groups to introduce other names. Besides, ‘digital signage’ doesn’t have the connotaion of being part of ‘out-of-home’ media. The latter has lately become rather a liability than an asset, as Outdoor/out-of-home bucket is ‘the last one to plan and the first one to cut’ when it comes to media plans and budgeting.

Click here to read Lyle Bunn’s article.

Add comment December 2nd, 2008

Identity Crisis in Digital Signage, or How to Stop Picking Up Crumbs And Start Getting Real Ad Dollars?

A few years ago, the first web portal for our industry named itself aka.tv, citing the fact that no single name was universally accepted at the time. Aka.tv’s home page still lists many names the medium went by then: narrowcasting, captive audience networks, electronic display networks, electronic billboards, digital media networks, out-of-home media networks, digital in-store merchandizing, retail media networks, place-based media, digital signage, intelligent visual information systems and datacasting.

Looking back, most of the names ended up to be short-lived, as they failed to resonate with providers or their clients. Out of the initial aka.tv list only ‘digital signage’ remains in heavy use, the rest got either extinct or were modified; for instance: ‘out-of-home media networks’ evolved into ‘digital out-of-home’, ‘out-of-home video’ and ‘alternative out-of-home’ (e.g., in PQ Media reports). ‘Place-based media’ was backed by Nielsen, but did not fly either.

So, unlike the clearly defined traditional media and Internet, we remain for the most part a ‘no name’ media segment in the eyes of agencies, although many advertisers recognize the potential impact of communicating with consumers when they leave home.

Nevertheless, despite the confused identity, since aka.tv was launched, the medium has quickly expanded into a two-billion-dollar-plus sector, with a growth rate of 27% per annum in 2007 (PQ Media Report) and forecasted CAGR of 12.9% from 2007 through 2012 (PQ Media Report). That’s impressive, considering the recession (it was factored in the report) and the fact that digital signage is thus far largely off the radars of major media buying houses.

The recent Digital Media Summit organized by OVAB in New York showed that Madison Avenue finally succumbed to the two-prone pressure – from advertisers and networks, and is now ready to consider digital signage for inclusion in media plans.

However, as I see from my discussions with marketers, agencies and networks, the continuing identity crisis keeps preventing the industry from getting a legitimate seat at the media buyers’ table.

While agencies say they are ‘ready’, they are still structured by silos, or ‘buckets, neither of which gives digital signage any visibility. If we do not proactively help them define the appropriate category for our sector, we risk staying buried somewhere deep in the ‘out-of-home’ or ‘alternative’, or ‘digital’ buckets and, as such, being eligible for nothing but ‘crumbs’ versus real ad dollars.

Due to the fact that we are currently a subcategory of a category, or even a subcategory of another subcategory, most planners are also largely unaware of digital signage. And, as the saying goes, ‘if you’re not on the plan, you’re not in the buy.’

The question is, should we keep hiding within an existing category, or simply create one of our own and get the attention our medium deserves? A separate category would have a much better chance to distinguish itself from other media by clearly stating its unique value in implementing marketing strategies.

The next question is: if we push for a separate category, how should we pitch it, what name would reflect its true identity? Should we promote ‘digital signage’, which is already the most wide-spread and proven term inside the industry, or make a brand new one?

Speaking about a new name, what quality makes digital signage so valuable to advertisers? Undoubtedly, the fact that it reaches people when they are at a location other than home, when they are in a ‘consumer mode’ and are not so opposed to advertising messages, as when they are at home. Following this logic, why not name it ‘location-based media’? Or revive the ‘place-based media’, but make it a stand-alone category this time?

PQ Media in its latest report adopted the general name ‘digital out-of-home media’ for the industry and subdivided it into ’video advertising networks’ (VANs), ‘digital billboards’ and ‘ambient advertising’. This classification makes sense and is in line with recently increased usage of ‘digital out-of-home’, but if we go along this path, we will inevitably find ourselves back in the Out-of-home/Outdoor category, which is “the last one to plan and the first one to cut”. Even certain influential members of the OVAB (Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau) are now doubtful about the ‘out-of-home’ part in the bureau’s name for the above-mentioned reason. Besides, ‘video advertising networks’ can be confused with online networks (just ‘google’ it and see what comes up).

Our trade, by all conservative estimates, is one of the fastest-growing media with unrivaled effectiveness, and it fully deserves a clear voice, a distinct name and an independent media buying category. It all starts with a name that may either help it soar, or stall acceptance by the advertising community. How do we resolve the identity crisis and get to play with ‘the big guys’? I would like to know everyone’s opinion.

Add comment November 29th, 2008

New Medium Shines Through the Gloom: OVAB’s Focus on Digital Out of Home

Amid the gloom-and-doom economic news pouring on us daily from all the front- and home pages, it is reassuring to see that the leaders of digital out-of-home media are staying the course.

The OVAB Digital Media Summit will take place in NYC as planned, on October 29, and is widely anticipated to be an unprecedented, watershed event that will lay the groundwork for bridging the gap between the Madison Avenue establishment and DOOH advertising networks in the US.

The oficial press release says: “The event, being held October 29, 2008 at The Grand Hyatt in New York City, will bring together senior marketers and media agency professionals and is designed to educate the advertising community on the power and efficacy of the medium.”

…The goal of the Digital Media Summit is to present and address the major obstacles and challenges facing the digital out-of-home market so that attendees come away with a better understanding of the industry. The breakthrough forum is an opportunity for advertising and agency planners to get exposed, in a single day, to all the key issues and advancements that concern digital out-of-home.”

As advertising budgets are being cut, the Summit appears to be perfectly timed to attract media buyers’ attention to the targeted and accountable nature of DOOH, which is increasingly proving itself as a most pragmatic and cost-efficient way to spend one’s ad dollars. The announcements that digital signage companies are still getting funded and that DOOH revenues keep growing despite the recession are in sharp contrast with the rest of financial news.

The Audience Metrics Guidelines to be unveiled at the Summit will serve as a tool to overcome the ‘language barrier’ between the disparate, technology-rich digital signage networks and the mainstream media buyers. The collaborative approach to building the Guidelines and the fact that they have been reviewed by many reputable media and research experts leaves no doubt that the ‘rule book’ will be adopted by a broad majority of DOOH ad space owners.

We at BroadSign are proud to be part of the OVAB process and progress. We are looking forward to the October 29 Digital Media Summit: Focus on Digital OOH.

OVAB Press Release.

Digital Media Summit page on OVAB Web Site.

Add comment October 6th, 2008

The First Audience Metrics Guidelines for Digital Out-of-Home To Be Unveiled on October 29

The Audience Metrics Guidelines that the Out-of-home Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB) has been working on for the past year are now ratified and will be presented at the OVAB’s Digital Summit on October 29 in New York. The event will bring together major players on Madison Avenue with members of OVAB, which today include some of the largest digital out-of-home networks and vendors in North America.

Although I was involved in the reviewing of the Guidelines and provided some input as well, I cannot disclose any details of the document until the official presentation. Essentially it is a set of principles long-used in mainstream media buying that are applied to standardize the DOOH ad space and make it easy to plan and buy. The result is a simple formula to calculate the audience metrics in a way that would make sense to media buyers and their clients. The ultimate goal of OVAB is to turn DOOH from an alternative media option, an innovation, into a commodity, i.e., a line item on the media plan, with appropriate budgets allocated ahead of time, and not as an afterthought.

 
Suzanne Alecia

As Suzanne Alecia, President of OVAB, explained, the Guidelines are not the actual standards yet, but once adopted by members, they will lay the foundation for ‘best practices’, which will then gradually evolve into standards by way of wide-spread usage by the selling and the buying parties.

It is interesting, though, that the OVAB event comes at a time when a financial crisis urges advertisers to look away from overpriced and not-so-accountable TV and into more pragmatic and sales-oriented media like DOOH. Before, we have seen a lot of upward pressure from networks trying to reach out to advertisers through the barricades of reluctant agencies. Today, as several sources indicate, the pressure on the agencies is also being exerted from above, from the advertisers themselves, who increasingly instruct agencies to explore the digital out-of-home opportunities and report back.

Against this background, the OVAB Digital Summit comes in handy, as a facilitator of relationship between sellers of the new space and potential buyers.

Media Post’s Digital Outsider newsletter shed some light on the forthcoming event: “…the main reason for Alecia’s visit with the Digital Outsider was to update us on plans for OVAB’s Oct. 29 Digital Summit, a day-long event in New York designed to help marketers, and agency media planning and buying executives, understand the state of out-of-home video technologies and advertising issues.

The day will be structured around three key issues: Creative, research and planning, and will feature a variety of case studies from some recent successful out-of-home video ad campaigns. The day caps off with a panel of client-side executives sharing their views, hopes and aspirations for out-of-home video, as well as any pitfalls they’ve encountered along the way.

But the highlight of the summit will likely be the official release of the just ratified OVAB guidelines for audience metrics and measurement. Draft versions of the guidelines already are being circulated among the OVAB membership, as well as key stakeholders in the advertising and research community, and Alecia says they’ve already gotten the tacit blessing of key bodies like the Media Rating Council and the Advertising Research Foundation.” Read the full article: Digital Outsider Taps Madison Avenue Insiders.

Add comment September 30th, 2008

What the Wall Street Meltdown Means for Digital Signage

“Madison Avenue is bracing for the worst ad slump since 2001 as a drop-off in consumer spending is likely to lead marketers to rein in their budgets”, reports New York Post on September 21. “The anticipated drop in spending in 2009 comes on the heels of a slight decline in 2007 and a more noticeable dip so far in 2008, according to industry data,” writes New York Post’s Holly M. Sanders. Most major press relayed a similar sentiment in the wake of last week’s meltdown on Wall Street.

Ad Spend chart Sept 23 2008

New York Times quoted the CEO of WPP: “In the last couple weeks, you could smell the fear in New York,” said Martin Sorrell, chief executive at the WPP Group, which owns agencies like Grey, JWT and Ogilvy & Mather, as “institutions that were regarded as invincible have gone down or had to be bailed out.””

The downturn in ad spending had started well before the “Black Sunday”: “… the Nielsen Monitor-Plus division of the Nielsen Company reported last week that ad spending in the first half of 2008 fell 1.4 percent compared with the same period a year ago. The laggards included ads in national magazines, down 3.1 percent; national newspapers, down 8.1 percent; and spot radio, down 10.1 percent,” says New York Times.

Reports forecast that traditional media is going to be the segment worst affected by the financial crisis, followed by online display advertising, which had already suffered a 6% drop in the first half of 2008, according to Nielsen. Display ads on the Internet have been largely dependent on financial and insurance advertisers.

New York Post writes that last week’s turmoil triggered memories of not-so-distant past: “No one wants a repeat of 2001, when the dot-com bust and an economic slowdown caused ad spending to plunge 9.8 percent, according to figures from ad researcher TNS.

During that recession, widespread cutbacks led to layoffs at many agencies, including some closings, shrinking budgets for many TV and cable outlets and the failure of several print publications,” (New York Post, September 21, 2008)

However, in 2001 the media landscape was quite different. Internet’s paid search advertising was not yet as proven and accountable as it is now, thanks to Google AdWords. Outdoor was less prominent and not yet regarded as ‘the only true mass medium left’, and the digital out-of-home ad space was almost non-existent. There are clear indications that these media may benefit from today’s difficult times, as marketers will cut budgets and look for more cost-efficient media placement options.

“It’ll be more pragmatic. More measurable. More digital.” — Nick Law, exec VP-chief creative officer North America of digital agency R/GA told Ad Age (“How Creativity Can Carry Your Business through a Recession”).

If we look at the categories falling under ‘more pragmatic, measurable and digital’, and I would add, ‘targeted’, they all continued to grow at an impressive rate throughout the economic troubles that began in early 2008.

“Despite the overall decline, ad spending for cable television, syndication TV, and outdoor advertising remained fairly healthy. Cable TV grew 8.1%,” writes crainsnewyork.com. Paid search was growing too, according to Nielsen Online. Outdoor was boosted by digital billboards, and in-store digital media (digital signage in retail) was expanding, notwithstanding the lack of standardized buying criteria and measurements.

Online display ads, although digital and targeted, were an exception from the above group due to their exposure to financial ad budgets, and, some say, their intrusive nature. A good example of the exception that proves the rule.

Ad Age’s analysis of what the meltdown means for the advertising industry included this abstract:

For agencies: “… there will be further retrenchment in the financial-services and automotive sectors, with some expecting telecom budgets to be hit hard, too. Across the board, the pressure on shops will intensify to prove return on investment. Expect less-brand-based and more-sales-led metrics.

For media: “…By now, if you are in the media, you know the story: fewer dollars to broad-scale media and more for targeted, accountable media and other marketing disciplines, such as direct and customer-relationship management. Some marketers will double down with their most trusted media partners to create big, provable multimedia programs…” (Ad Age, September 22, 2008, bold and italics mine)

Although it is a fast-growing sector, digital signage is still a minor portion of the Outdoor/Out-of-home media which, in turn, is a modest part of today’s media mix. But that is changing.

The recession will inevitably force marketers to scrutinize ad spending and eliminate a lot of marketing waste. At the same time, it presents a rare opportunity (that occurs only once in every few years) for digital out-of-home networks to demonstrate their unique value as the most flexible, targeted, cost-efficient and accountable medium. The medium that closes a sale.

1 comment September 23rd, 2008

Google is Getting Access to Cable TV Ad Sales: Is Digital Signage Next?

NBC Universal and Google announced a strategic partnership that would give the largest search advertising company access to cable TV ad space inventory, Ad Age reports.

The move, if successful, could enable smaller marketers, who have been using Google’s paid search ad engine AdWords and who have not been able to afford TV ads before, to buy air time on a number of NBC’s cable outlets, bypassing traditional media sales channels.

According to Ad Age, when the system is in place, it would allow ‘non-traditional’ advertisers to upload their own content and target it to cable TV households based on the desired geographic markets and viewer profiles using an online interface, thus avoiding agency overhead and media buyer commissions.

In addition, these new advertisers would be able to receive high-tech metrics via Google TV Ads application, which can report second-by-second set-top-box data, says Ad Age: “That measure has become more popular as companies such as Starcom USA, TNS and Nielsen have offered plans to help advertisers get more precise data about how viewers watch TV, skip across channels, and use digital video recorders.” The network TV ad space will not be affected by the deal, Ad Age reports.

This collaboration could give NBC Universal a much needed edge against its “Big 4″ rivals amid continuing fragmentation of TV market, while providing Google with a revenue stream from traditional media.

Mainstream agencies and research companies are likely to perceive the NBC-Google agreement as a threat, as it contributes to the erosion of their control of TV ad space and has the potential of taking over at least part of network TV sales in the future..

Many attempts of creating online ‘media space exchange’-type of enterprises since the early 90s have been thwarted, not without efforts by the traditional media establishment.

If the collaboration works, I don’t see any obstacle for Google to start making inroads into digital signage (judging by company’s reported patent applications it is already working on it), as there would not be too much difference in the ad sales set up. It would make more sense, though, when digital signage ad space is more aggregated.

Add comment September 14th, 2008

Why Should a Business Owner Consider a Digital Signage Network: A Million $$ Question

In recent years, many business owners have made a leap of faith and ventured into installing a digital signage network in their real estate. Many of them failed, some succeeded, some – succeeded big time. The prospect of boosting one’s business with digital signs is so enticing that digital signage suppliers are being overwhelmed with inquiries from small, medium and large-size enterprises. While the general idea is pretty simple – install screens, attract attention, promote-upsell-cross sell, the actual business models, content strategies and implementation tactics are still being tested by trial and error, causing a lot of entrepreneurs to sit on the fence until clear cut recipes for success are easily available.  

Ken Borusso of Visual Incite published a very useful article in digitalsignagetoday.com on why should a business consider digital signage and how it is different from TV.

Here are a couple of insights from the article:

- While some business owners are undecided about the value of digital signage, large broadcast media companies have been acquiring and consolidating network ad space for the past two years.

- The value of digital signage CPM is much higher than that of broadcast media, even though the numbers are comparable. Digital signage delivers viewers who are prequalified by targeting, are less distracted, are near the products advertised, and are more likely to make a purchase.

Ken also explains the difference between broadcast TV, cable TV and digital signage programming models.

This is a great update on the subject BroadSign’s Brian Dusho wrote about in 2005: Loop Vs Playlist: How to target Your Digital Signage Audience.

You can read the full article by Ken Borusso here.

 You can also find the Power Point Show of BroadSign’s presentation on a similar topic at Screen Expo Europe 2006 here.

Add comment September 11th, 2008

Outdoor “Holds It’s Own” in the Face Of Traditional Media Decline

Ad spending was down on most traditional media in the first quarter of this year, but Outdoor was performing “better than most other traditional media”, and even maintained positive growth, says OAAA’s weekly newsletter Outdoor Outlook, citng Robert Coen’s July 2008 report on advertising expenditures. (OAAA is Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc. – NU).

First Quarter 2008
National Medium Percent Change
Outdoor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0
Network TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Flat
Magazines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-1.5
Spot TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -3.0
Newspapers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -9.5
Spot Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-11.0
(Source: Outdoor Outlook)

“Among the hardest hit media forms is newspaper,” writes Outdoor Outlook. “Forbes recently reported daily newspaper circulation fell four percent in the first quarter of this year “and the slide is picking up speed.””

“The Audit Bureau of Circulation has released circulation figures on the nation’s top 20 newspapers, and the overall news isn’t good. Prominent newspapers with declining circulation include: The New York Times, down 3.9 percent (and Sunday is slipping even faster, by nine percent); Los Angeles Times, down 5.1 percent; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, down 8.5 percent; The Dallas Morning News, down 10.6 percent; and The Washington Post off 2.6 percent. Second quarter results are not expected to be better,” reports Jeff Golimowski in Outdoor Outlook.

Despite the sharp rises in oil price, Out-of-home’s reach and frequency have remained “virtually unchanged”–even as consumers react to high fuel prices by driving and flying less, the OAAA asserted in an official statement. “Regardless of gas prices, most Americans still have to go to work, prompting many to turn to public transportation, which offers equivalent exposure to out-of-home media via buses, subways and commuter rail,” says OAAA.

MediaDailyNews reported that the industry organization (OAAA) “was rebutting an annual report from Vernonis Suhler Stevenson and PQ Media, which found that time spent with out-of-home media slipped in 2008, blaming high gas prices for the decline.”

“Virtually alone among traditional media, out-of-home advertising enjoyed a string of strong years from 2002-2007, frequently posting revenue growth in the high single digits–but the rate of growth slowed to a more modest 3% in the first quarter of 2008, compared to the 8% growth rate in the first quarter of 2007,” writes MediaDailyNews.

“But VSS remains positive about out-of-home advertising, forecasting a cumulative annual growth rate of 10.3% through 2012. At this clip, out-of-home ad revenues should rise from $7.9 billion in 2007 to $12.9 billion in 2012. That’s more than double the projected growth rate for advertising in general, which VSS pegs at 4.3% per year through 2012,” concludes MediaDailyNews.

I would add that factors benefiting Outdoor advertising include:

- Fragmentation of network TV and the growing confusion about how to measure its efficiency. With TV fragmented and newspaper readership shrinking, Outdoor is the only medium allowing marketers to reach mass audiences efficiently.

- Exodus of audiences from traditional radio to satellite radio, ipods and internet (prompts local advertisers to consider Outdoor).

- Competition to newspapers from online media (prompts local advertisers to consider Outdoor).

- The recent ruling by the US Court of Appeals to allow cable TV networks to sell a centralized DVR service that will make ad-skipping “available to many more people, faster, and less expensively,” as Tom Rutledge, COO of CableVision, explained it to Hollywood Reporter.

- The continuing conversion of static billboards to digital, spurred by the last year’s US legislation easing restrictions on digital billboards. Digital billboards allow media owners to place more ads on the same face, change them faster, attract more attention with full motion ads, target ads more precisely and provide more accountability to advertisers.

Add comment September 1st, 2008

Previous Posts


Broadsign

Subscribe to this blog

Calendar

February 2012
M T W T F S S
« Oct    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829  

Posts by Month

Posts by Category