Roy Chehwane, Chief commercial officer, Group Plus Media
Has the pandemic fundamentally changed OOH?
OOH is one of the most effective advertising mediums in the GCC, helping brands target people from different nationalities, social classes, and interests, and reaching the consumer in a real-world setting.
It is true that the pandemic has slowed down the OOH sector for a while, but the industry has benefited from this drop by developing tools to provide data and technological solutions which helped the industry compete with the digital world and thrive again.
OOH will remain one of the pillars of advertising and this has been clearly proven by multinational and local brands that are still choosing OOH as one of their main communication tools.
How are client demands changing?
Today, clients are becoming more and more data-driven. They are looking for measurable ads and seeking to obtain campaign results reports even in outdoor advertising.
Group Plus Media is working closely with Streach, a partner who can provide exact figures on the number of people that saw the ad on each billboard and measure the impression per person. This will help the advertiser measure the visibility reach and ROI for each ad.
The collected data will also be used to support smaller-scale businesses to increase their reach while targeting specific audiences.
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Mohamad El Dandachly, Commercial director, Group Plus Media
Where should OOH sit in the marketing funnel?
After 13 years in the industry of advertising I can say that OOH is still the fastest growing traditional media in the UAE and GCC, powered by unbeatable vision and creativity.
OOH advertising will always deliver innovative ways to help advertisers take their message and brands further and create memorable experiences that make the most of their ad budgets.
Despite the new orientation for going digital, very often the message cannot be delivered properly; whereas with OOH it is unavoidable for many advertisers and marketers to reach their audiences with real influential advertising wherever consumers live, work, travel and shop.
What role should technology play in OOH?
Technology has changed the face of outdoor advertising by making the ad more interactive, for instance with the LED screens invading Dubai streets and shifting the city to an advanced digital level. Personally, I believe the future is very promising for this industry.
In addition to its wide reach and visibility, OOH is using digital data to become an even more efficient tool for advertisers by providing them with monitorable results that will collect and measure results such as reach and frequency.
