Outdoor advertising – a breath of fresh air

The world of outdoor advertising billboards, transport and ‘street furniture’ (things like bus shelters and public toilets) – is worth about $18 billion a year, just 6% of all the world’s spending on advertising. But it is one of the fastest-growing segments, having doubled its market share in recent years.

Outdoor advertising’s appeal is growing as TV and print are losing theirs. The soaring costs of TV are prompting clients to consider alternatives. Dennis Sullivan, boss of Portland Group, a media buyer, calls outdoor advertising the last true mass-market medium. It is also cheap. In Britain, a 30-second prime-time TV slot costs over ₤60,000 ($100,000); placing an ad on a bus shelter for two weeks works out at about ₤90.

Adding to its attractions has been a revolution in the quality of outdoor displays. Famous architects such as Britain’s Sir Norman Foster are designing arty bus shelters and kiosks with backlit displays. Backlighting, introduced in Europe by Decaux and More, and plastic poster skins have vastly improved colour and contrast.

Movement is possible too. Smirnoff used new multi-image printing to make a spider, seen through a vodka bottle, appear to crawl up a man’s back. And Disney advertised its ‘101 Dalmatians’ video on bus shelters with the sound of puppies barking.

This sort of innovation has attracted a new class of advertiser. Recent data from Concord, a poster buyer, shows that in Britain, alcohol and tobacco have been replaced by entertainment, clothing and financial services as the big outdoor advertisers, like car makers, are using it in new ways. BMW ran a ‘teasers’ campaign in Britain exclusively on bus shelters.

Particularly attractive to the new advertisers is street furniture, the fastest growing segment of the outdoor market. It accounts for some 20% in Europe and about 5% in America.

d) Answer the following questions.

1. Complete the table using information from the first paragraph of the text.

2. What do these numbers in the text refer to?

18 6 30 60,000 100,000 90 20 5

3. Why has outdoor advertising become more popular? List the reason.

4. Which industries are becoming more involved in outdoor advertising?

e) Discuss these questions.

1. Outdoor advertising is increasing in many countries. Is this a good thing? 2. What products do you think are suitable for outdoor advertising?

Exercise 48 Choose one of the advertising media below. Make a short presentation on its advantages and disadvantages.

television billboards newspapers street furniture

Exercise 49 a) In small groups, say which of the media in the box you would use to advertise the products and services below. You can only choose one medium for each product. Give reasons for your choices.

Model: If I wanted to advertise an expensive ring, I’d put it on the Internet.

TV commercials, radio spots, newspapers, magazines, billboards, the Internet, leaflets, sides of buses/taxis, telephone calls

An expensive ring, a new range of computers, raising money for a charity, a lost wallet, an unwanted new mobile phone, financial advice, a request for information about a crime, a household item, e.g. a carpet, a valuable antique chair.

b) Choose one of the products/services from above and write a brief description of how you would advertise it. Include a slogan if necessary.