15 December 2008
Outdoor media is put to a litmus test by a local media research company, revealing some encouraging figures in favour of the latest in out-of-home media - air-conditioned bus shelters.
The study, commissioned by Right Angle Media and produced by independent researchers Mars Media Services, is a first of its kind in the emirate and was undertaken to measure advertising effectiveness in the outdoor advertising sector. The research aims to establish a benchmark to enable businesses to better plan and measure advertising activity.
The survey revealed that "location, high quality creative and versatility are the key factors attributed to the success of outdoor advertising campaigns."
Dubai's air-conditioned bus shelters consistently ranked highly in the study, which revealed that over 90 per cent of the general public has an awareness of bus shelter advertising and 67 per cent could name brands which had advertised on the shelters. Nearly 91 per cent of the general public rank air-conditioned bus shelters as being a good asset for Dubai.
Scott Rowe, Director of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, Right Angle Media, said: "Quantifying ROI is a markeeter's chief mandate, although it's previously proved challenging in this market.
"It is essential that effectiveness outcomes can be accurately forecast and sustainable campaign objectives are matched with the media choice."
"The CPM (cost per thousand) of air-conditioned bus queue shelters ranked lower than any other form of OOH advertising in Dubai. These results reinforce the effectiveness of Right Angle Media," continued Rowe.
Reena Bedi, Marketing Manager of Shoemart, one of the fist clients to use this medium gives her nod of approval for the right amount of exposure and good value for money. "We were one of the first clients to book this media when it was available only in Jumeirah area. We tested the medium with our Pabloski brand and got a good amount of exposure," she said.
"I believe that the circuit worked for us as it has a slow moving traffic with lots of speed breakers and traffic light junctions. Anywhere else, it could be a different story," she said.
"While outdoor media is a universally accepted advertising channel, many misconceptions still exist in the industry, which were addressed by the research. Bigger advertisements are not always better. Vehicle count is also not a measure of effectiveness. Not all outdoor mediums work in the same way, their campaignable attributes vary significantly. Location, high quality creative and versatility of the media matter most, in order to ensure a good return," says Rowe.
Aldrin Fernandes, Chairman of Concept Group that has a very strong outdoor division Stroer-Concept-Shoof backs the bus shelter concept with a reasoning that "bus shelters are a recurring canvas at regular intervals. That makes them a very creative and effective tool for devising special campaigns."
The study is the first phase of ongoing research commissioned by Right Angle Media, with industry-specific profiling currently taking place.
Right Angle Media is responsible for the world's first air-conditioned bus queue shelter project.
It is one of the world's biggest and most unique street furniture projects and is a standard bearer for future street furniture concessions globally. The project is scheduled to run for over ten years on a DBOT (design, build, operate, transfer) basis and will be run exclusively by Right Angle Media. The company offers city-wide outdoor advertising concessions throughout the GCC.
Outdoor media is put to a litmus test by a local media research company, revealing some encouraging figures in favour of the latest in out-of-home media - air-conditioned bus shelters.
The study, commissioned by Right Angle Media and produced by independent researchers Mars Media Services, is a first of its kind in the emirate and was undertaken to measure advertising effectiveness in the outdoor advertising sector. The research aims to establish a benchmark to enable businesses to better plan and measure advertising activity.
The survey revealed that "location, high quality creative and versatility are the key factors attributed to the success of outdoor advertising campaigns."
Dubai's air-conditioned bus shelters consistently ranked highly in the study, which revealed that over 90 per cent of the general public has an awareness of bus shelter advertising and 67 per cent could name brands which had advertised on the shelters. Nearly 91 per cent of the general public rank air-conditioned bus shelters as being a good asset for Dubai.
Scott Rowe, Director of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, Right Angle Media, said: "Quantifying ROI is a markeeter's chief mandate, although it's previously proved challenging in this market.
"It is essential that effectiveness outcomes can be accurately forecast and sustainable campaign objectives are matched with the media choice."
"The CPM (cost per thousand) of air-conditioned bus queue shelters ranked lower than any other form of OOH advertising in Dubai. These results reinforce the effectiveness of Right Angle Media," continued Rowe.
Reena Bedi, Marketing Manager of Shoemart, one of the fist clients to use this medium gives her nod of approval for the right amount of exposure and good value for money. "We were one of the first clients to book this media when it was available only in Jumeirah area. We tested the medium with our Pabloski brand and got a good amount of exposure," she said.
"I believe that the circuit worked for us as it has a slow moving traffic with lots of speed breakers and traffic light junctions. Anywhere else, it could be a different story," she said.
"While outdoor media is a universally accepted advertising channel, many misconceptions still exist in the industry, which were addressed by the research. Bigger advertisements are not always better. Vehicle count is also not a measure of effectiveness. Not all outdoor mediums work in the same way, their campaignable attributes vary significantly. Location, high quality creative and versatility of the media matter most, in order to ensure a good return," says Rowe.
Aldrin Fernandes, Chairman of Concept Group that has a very strong outdoor division Stroer-Concept-Shoof backs the bus shelter concept with a reasoning that "bus shelters are a recurring canvas at regular intervals. That makes them a very creative and effective tool for devising special campaigns."
The study is the first phase of ongoing research commissioned by Right Angle Media, with industry-specific profiling currently taking place.
Right Angle Media is responsible for the world's first air-conditioned bus queue shelter project.
It is one of the world's biggest and most unique street furniture projects and is a standard bearer for future street furniture concessions globally. The project is scheduled to run for over ten years on a DBOT (design, build, operate, transfer) basis and will be run exclusively by Right Angle Media. The company offers city-wide outdoor advertising concessions throughout the GCC.
By Vigyan Arya
© Emirates Business 24/7 2008
