HOW EXPENSIVE HAS IT BECOME TO ADVERTISE ON SZR?
Sheikh Zayed Road is by far the most highly demanded OOH location in the UAE. Clients brief specifically and only for Sheikh Zayed Road locations and OOH.
Brands are willing to invest more to secure visibility on Sheikh Zayed Road than any other highway and that’s why we see increases in advertising rates there. In my view OOH offers excellent value because it delivers very high levels of campaign performance.
MPN is also investing heavily across other strategic roads, such as the E311 as we believe brands can benefit from more cost effective and alternative locations without compromising on performance and visibility.
WHAT TRENDS HAVE YOU SEEN ALONG THE ‘GOLDEN MILE’ AND DOES MPN OWN ANY BILLBOARDS ON THAT STRETCH?
The golden mile has become the whole of Sheikh Zayed Road, the busiest road in the country. There is nothing more premium than for a brand to be on the main arterial road that connects the old and new areas of the city.
MPN’s ultra-premium locations opposite Mall of the Emirates are recognised to be the most in demand with a waiting list of the world’s largest brands who know the power of strategically using OOH.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ADVERTISERS/CLIENTS YOU WORK WITH?
We’re proud to work across the full spectrum with high profile global and local brands as well as SMEs. Our core principle is to deliver high levels of respect and transparency to all clients, as we value direct relationships across our OOH business as well as our radio business, ARN.
Although all our clients have unique goals and challenges, they all receive the same approach from us.
WHAT EFFECT IS TECHNOLOGY HAVING ON THE OOH SECTOR?
Technology, specifically in data reporting is enabling us to measure the huge flow of traffic viewing our assets and MPN is working with Seventh Decimal and its platform Streach to obtain independent OOH audience and location data across our formats, and for our clients campaigns.
Other OOH providers are also adopting the platform, which helps to create a standardised and independent measurement system for advertisers.
HAVE YOU SEEN A RECENT OOH CAMPAIGN THAT REALLY CAUGHT YOUR EYE?
SeaWorld selected MPN as the core of its launch campaign, using the power of our 200m mega-hoarding to feature a giant 22-metre 2D layered LED outline logo. This allowed them to showcase the campaign to millions of consumers and was a huge part of their successful launch. Atlantis Aquaventure is actively featuring a
Trident which is a 26-metre 3D lightbox. The size and scale of these executions are huge and very impressive, which in turn work to optimise the campaign performance further.
WHAT ARE CLIENTS ASKING YOU FOR?
More locations on Sheikh Zayed Road is probably the number one request, and more brands want to find creative ways to embellish their installations with die-cut extensions, LED lights and 2D/3D designs. All of MPNs locations are large format and all are capable of these creative and innovative installations.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE EVOLUTION OF DOOH?
MPN is using digital technology to transform data reporting in the industry. The vast majority of market demand is for an always-on static format that can cut through with a highly-defined message that one client can own for a long period.
This is why MPN’s mega-hoardings are the most premium in the market, as the majority of advertisers are signed to annual contracts. This locks out competitors, unlike digital where you’re sharing the space with your competitor brands. The strategic businesses we work with value the exclusivity and ownership that comes with our assets
By Martyn Frederick, Director of Sales & Operations at MPN (Multi Platform Network)
