Recently we’ve seen newspapers actively exploiting digital, TV production companies focusing on brand licensing, while radio owners are expanding live event programming. Vice Media, for instance, is boosting its programming capabilities via a newly announced acquisition of Pulse Films. The move comes alongside the roll-out of its new 24-hour cable channel, VICELAND, on an international scale.
These movements are all indicative of one of the biggest trends transforming the media industry ‒ that media owners are becoming increasingly less siloed. This is due to a number of factors. Agencies are busier than ever and are welcoming media owners working together and joining up their remits to bring more innovative, complete ideas to the table. A more fertile media landscape invites partnerships; while technology is creating new opportunities.
We know that different media has both benefits and limitations, but cross-fertilisation allows for more robust and impactful solutions. Out-of-home (OOH) might be the most traditional advertising medium, but the possibilities for cross-fertilisation are particularly prescient.
While static OOH lacks immediacy and will always require a two-week timeframe for content to achieve maximum results, it generates powerful, long-term uptake among consumers. When applied in a campaign in conjunction with, for instance, newspapers, which are designed for immediate impact, the results are amplified and longstanding. Digital OOH (DOOH), on the other hand, is more transient, but particularly flexible, lending itself very well to working with other media.
An example might be if a brand wanted to run a competition beyond its existing customers and share the results across DOOH screens. Newspapers, for instance, would be able to target millions of people to make them aware of the competition across both print and OOH, and provide instructions around entering.
Social media could be further woven in as the newspaper and its online platforms encourage conversation around the competition, while the screens could amplify it, such as by displaying tweets.
This kind of opportunity is encouraging OOH businesses to branch out from traditional areas of expertise, forming links with mobile, tech and data companies. At Primesight, for instance, we have recently partnered with Proxama and its beacon technology platform, TapPoint, will enable us to offer mobile proximity campaigns across our estate. This means advertisers will be able to interact with consumers without the need for them to download a specific app.
We’ve been exploring new technology options for some time and have already been introducing them to client work to help them achieve more dynamic campaigns. Last year, Lucozade’s ‘Find Your Flow’ campaign, in partnership with Primesight, Mediacom and GTN UK, leveraged TV, radio and OOH to target drivers. We used digital signage software from BroadSign to synch Primesight’s digital roadside Network with Lucozade’s radio schedule spot times. When cars drove past our billboards at the same time the radio ad was playing, the billboards switched to a full-domination ad for Lucozade.
The campaign was a media first and achieved really impressive results, with 79% of the target audience experiencing the complete campaign and 63% of them likely to buy Lucozade as a result.
These multimedia campaigns throw up new challenges for businesses as they need to operate outside of their traditional specialisms. They also raise the question of how revenues should be split as media owners look to receive a greater share. The industry will need to adopt a much longer term approach to partnerships to ensure all parties receive their fair share and that they continue to work together in the future.
But the pros outweigh the potential challenges. What’s really exciting is that they encourage real collaboration, strengthen relationships across the industry, and can produce ground-breaking campaigns. I’m looking forward to further collaboration right across the media industry, resulting in bigger, bolder work for our clients.
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