Camille Uzan Promoted to Head of Planning and Operations

In an exciting development at Talon International, we are pleased to announce the promotion of Camille Uzan from Business Director to Head of Planning and Operations. This promotion is a testament to Talon International’s commitment to bolstering our operational excellence and planning capabilities across our global network. 

Talon International are at the forefront of the global OOH industry, experiencing robust growth from not only our UK based international clients but also from Talon offices in the US, Germany, Ireland, Dubai and Singapore who are all experiencing an increase in international, multi market requirements from local clients. Our ability to cater to the increasing demand from our clients around the world is a testament to the strength and leadership of our team. As we build on this success, the role of planning and operational excellence is increasingly important.  

Camille’s new role is designed to harness her exceptional skills and deep industry knowledge to nurture key client and agency relationships and drive the development of key processes. These processes will ensure Talon International continue to plan, buy, and execute efficient and effective global OOH campaigns.   

Adrian Skelton, Managing Partner – International, said: “OOH is evolving at pace across the globe, with growth being driven by technology, creativity, and innovation. Camille’s knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for international OOH will ensure our standards for best practice continue to evolve across the ever-changing international OOH landscape.   

Camille’s promotion reflects Talon International’s dedication to excellence and innovation in the OOH sector. Her experience and commitment to delivering results will play a pivotal role in enhancing our operational and planning strategies, ensuring we stay ahead and continue to deliver excellent business outcomes for our clients.”  

Talon International serves as a centralised hub connecting over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world, enabling us to plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets worldwide. 

WHY OOH INTERNATIONALLY & IN AIRPORTS THIS WINTER

As winter settles in, it brings not only a seasonal shift but also a transformation in consumer behaviour. The chilly holiday season paradoxically warms hearts around the globe. As people travel to reunite with loved ones, relish the festive charm of Christmas markets, and of course partake in gift . Whatever consumers get up to this winter, one thing is certain – they will be OUTSIDE. Talon International is your gateway to unlocking the immense potential of the season. With a network spanning 20+ offices worldwide, we empower brands to launch captivating Out of Home campaigns in over 100+ markets globally, emphasising the importance of why OOH internationally during the winter season.

In this “Sleigh the Season” blog, we’ll explore why OOH should top your priority list this Christmas. Including:

• the pivotal role that airports play in connecting with receptive audiences
• the power of proximity and the unique engagement it presents
• the transformative impact of programmatic buying on traditional holiday campaigns
• how dynamic DOOH can help unwrap the magic of the season
• key cities you should have on your OOH radar.

THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF AIRPORTS

Consumers are more eager than ever to get away, despite the challenges of a rising cost of living. ABTA’s latest report highlights that booking numbers are at an all-time high and increasing +16% year on year.

As key travel gateways, airports offer an unparalleled opportunity to capture consumers in a relaxed state of mind. Statistics reveal that within airport environments, 85% of frequent flyers express their enjoyment of airport ads and a striking 90% maintain a high level of ad awareness. When it comes to shopping, the allure of airports is undeniable, with 73% of travellers indicating their likelihood to indulge in retail therapy. Furthermore, a staggering 70% of global shoppers are enticed to visit airport retail establishments after exposure to OOH ads. Airports have earned their reputation as iconic shopping destinations that particularly appeal to affluent audiences. In fact, a remarkable 71% of luxury jetsetters anticipate encountering prestigious brands’ advertising when travelling through an airport.

TIP: Leveraging our global expertise in planning OOH campaigns in airports, we strategically identify prime locations to target diverse audiences worldwide. From arrivals to departures, this approach highlights the significance of why OOH internationally, ensuring effective engagement and influence over a captive audience during the festive season.

POWER OF PROXIMITY

When planning an international winter campaign, remember proximity reigns supreme.

Proximity targeting allows brands the opportunity to capitalise on the unique context, emotions, and activities often associated with Christmas. With location data enhancing the precision of Out of Home campaigns across cities and transport hubs, targeting becomes not just strategic but measurable. Imagine reaching passengers as they arrive at their destination airport. Enticing them with an advert for nearby hotels, or showcasing convenient onward connections upon their return home. Insights from a Talon study underline the impact of proximity touchpoints. 60% of audiences agree that ads are more noticeable when seen at key locations. Furthermore, 49% express an inclination to visit a store, while an additional 47% consider making a purchase after encountering an ad.

TIP: Strategically placing ads in high-traffic areas like transports hub and major cities becomes a catalyst for brands to genuinely engage consumers and drive meaningful action.

TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF PROGRAMMATIC

As a report from Barclays notes, consumers will remain mindful of their spending this year. This is amongst a backdrop of audiences becoming more dissociated with brands that don’t align with their priorities. How do you target this audience staying mindful of the current landscape?

OOH advertising has always been front of mind to drive brand fame and reach audiences at scale. However, the advancements in Out of Home technology means it is no longer simply a top of the funnel medium. It has been proven to work effectively along all stages of the purchasing process. Moreover, the growing use of audience data and measurement capability in OOH has seen the rapid growth in programmatic OOH. Results from a Talon study show PROOH drives a +15% higher level of audience relevance and 3x increase in purchase intent.

TIP: Using audience behaviour data, PROOH effectively delivers a transformative boost to Christmas campaigns as advertisers can use their own or third-party data to achieve a granular level of audience targeting and focus on those key ‘consumption moments’.

THE MAGIC OF DYNAMIC DOOH

The name dynamic DOOH itself highlights how flexible and changeable it can be; creative executions that adapt based on specific parameters. This dynamic capability can unlock the magic of OOH during the Christmas season. With results indicating an +18% increase in brain response among those exposed to such campaigns. Moreover, this approach yields an additional +16% increase for in-store sales, amplifying effectiveness.

TIP: As OOH continues to evolve, using dynamic DOOH is a sure-fire way to make your campaigns successful this festive season. It helps brands forge emotional connections with their audience by adding context. This not only makes the ads engaging, but also makes them memorable.

CITY SPOTLIGHTS

Discover the escalating trend in winter air travel, especially during the festive season. Talon International provides insights on why OOH internationally is key to effective planning.

Ireland

Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, research from Talon Insights shows Irish consumers are maintaining their spending habits, with 18% budgeting for winter sun destinations like Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Morocco. Dublin Airport has witnessed YoY growth in passenger numbers, reaching 1.48M passengers travelling between December and January 2022.

USA

The average American spends nearly $1000 on gifts at Christmas time, underlining the need for heightened investment in advertising to appeal to more affluent consumers. Post-pandemic travel continues to grow, particularly in states like Colorado, Arizona, and Nebraska, where interstate travel has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Regarding travel into the US, New York City attracted 6.5M visitors during the festive period in 2022. What beats New York in the snow!

APAC

83% of shoppers in the APAC region take advantage of year-end sales for purchases, surpassing the global average of 70%. This presents an ideal scenario for proximity targeting, allowing advertisers to connect with audiences in the right mindset. Furthermore, 40% of Singaporeans are motivated to travel due to the holiday season. With top international destinations including Bangkok, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur. 4.6M passengers travelled through Changi Airport from December 2022 to January 2023, solidifying its position as the Skytrax World’s Best Airport winner in 2023.

UK

Passenger numbers in the UK are on the rise. Notably at London Heathrow, which has experienced a 32% rise so far in 2023 and 38% MoM. Popular destinations include New York (JFK), Dubai (DXB), and Los Angeles (LAX) each served by five, four, and five airlines respectively from LHR. When it comes to splashing the cash on Christmas gifts, Brits are expected to spend an average of £602 each. An increase of 40% from an average spend of £429 in 2022. A Mintel report highlights that chocolates, coffee, cooking kits, clothing and alcoholic beverages top the list when it comes to Christmas gifting in the UK, with clothing accounting for 50% of gifts given and alcohol more than half of the food & drink category.

USE OOH TO CREATE GLOBAL IMPACT THIS CHRISTMAS!

Talon International is perfectly positioned to assist your brand navigating the global shift in winter consumer behaviour. Whether that be strategically placing your message in airports through PROOH or launching a dynamic campaign across major cities, armed with insights on why OOH internationally matters, our team ensures you Sleigh the Season with impactful OOH anywhere!

Chinese citizens, the largest tourism population, are now free to travel internationally after three years of strict “zero Covid” policies.

Talon International explains what this means for OOH advertisers

After three long years of restrictions, Chinese tourists are now free to travel. Pre-pandemic, Chinese tourists spent $255 billion, making them the World’s biggest spenders. Now they can travel internationally, what does this mean for the tourism industry and advertisers looking to reach them on their journeys?

Travel 

In December 2022, China announced it was abandoning its zero Covid strategy. The next day, trip.com recorded a +254% increase in mainland China’s outbound flight bookings (compared to the previous day). Flights bound for Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand led the surge, making them the top five destinations following the change.

Three of these airports were announced as the world’s top 10 airports of 2023, with Singapore Changi regaining its spot at number one. A light-filled, green haven that brands itself as its own “destination” the airport provides great OOH and DOOH opportunities for brands looking to reach travellers in their favourite airport. 

A staggering 308 million tourism trips were made in the first six days of the Chinese New Year, with Shanghai’s Plaza 66 mall seeing long queues form outside luxury stores, generating over $55 billion in revenue. Their understandable desire to travel and celebrate their freedom plays a key role in this. 

2023 is set to be a big year for Chinese travel, with 60% of Chinese tourists planning to travel outside of mainland China. A survey revealed that 40% of respondents plan to travel outbound in the first six months of 2023, the majority within Asia, as well as France and Australia. 42% said they would travel outbound in the summer months of July and August, whilst 32% are planning an autumn Golden Week getaway outside of mainland China. 

The China Outbound Tourism Research Institute estimates 18 million will travel internationally in the first half of the year, followed by 40 million in the second. Luxury shopping is the third main purpose for taking a trip, behind relaxing and experiencing art, culture and history. 

Revenge Spending 

After three years in lockdown, Chinese travellers are ready to “revenge spend” after saving a record $2.6 trillion in 2022.  

KPMG’s “Luxury Redefined” research study found that Chinese consumers can be split into five different personas – luxury newcomers, status reflectors, approval seekers, luxury connoisseurs and new luxury pioneers. Across these personas, Chinese consumers were found to have the confidence to spend and are eager to purchase luxury as a means of social advancement and self-differentiation. Key themes that also emerged were digital transformation, sustainability and the need for experiential retail. 

The return and rise of the Chinese traveller, is placing travel hubs and airport environments back at the heart of clients’ media strategies to influence purchase decisions. Insights such as these from KPMG, can be used to understand exactly what these consumers want to see from brands, such as sustainable initiatives, experiential activations and brand stories. 

Across all the personas, there is a clear desire for interaction with brands. Whether it be through providing strong brand stories, in-store sales activation activities or showcasing trendy items, all of this can be achieved through OOH. 

Reaching Chinese Consumers with OOH 

As highlighted above, there are numerous touchpoints that we can use to help brands to reach their target audience: 

1. In mainland China 

After being stuck indoors, people are eager to get outside and reclaim their lives. This presents an exciting opportunity for brands to capitalise on the large inventory of OOH sites around the country and busy city areas to reach these audiences out of the home. 

Abu Dhabi was one of the first brands emerging to target Chinese audiences after restrictions were lifted. Capitalising on their newfound freedom and desire to experience new things, Abu Dhabi promoted its exciting experiences on some of the largest digital OOH screens in Beijing and Shanghai. 

 2. Airports 

With Chinese airport passengers up +35% in January and set to increase even higher throughout the year, airports are an obvious choice for brands wanting to reach Chinese audiences.  

Although there are classic OOH formats throughout the airports that brands can advertise on, experiential and sustainable initiatives will be key to attract the new personas highlighted by KPMG. It’s time to think big and think outside of the box, capitalising on the excitement of travellers looking to experience new things. 

Kicking off 2023, Johnnie Walker launched their campaign on the most impactful advertising installations on the global airport scene in Spain, Dominican Republic, UK, UAE, India, South Korea and Singapore. The ultra-premium blended whisky used some of the most eye-catching formats to reach the global travellers.  

3. Destination Cities 

Of course, airport passengers must be going somewhere. Whether they are visiting new countries for work or pleasure, there are some incredible OOH sites and activation opportunities across the globe. As travellers are “taking it all in” in these destination cities, brands can make sure that they are seen with effective OOH executions. 

De Beers announced Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o as their global ambassador with an exciting 3D activation in the iconic Times Square. The digital OOH execution was unmissable in the iconic hotspot, popular with tourists. 

Upcoming Opportunities 

Looking ahead, Golden Week and the Chinese New Year are peak travel periods for China. Before the Pandemic, domestic tourists splurged some 650 billion yuan ($91 billion) during the 2019 Golden Week – over a quarter more than during the Chinese New Year festival. 

With 32% planning an autumn Golden Week getaway outside of mainland China, there are lots of opportunities for brands to reach travellers as they celebrate the holidays. 

The travel industry is looking optimistic. Brands are increasingly interested in targeting the global traveller and being even more present in premium environments with high dwell times. The customers’ expectations around sustainability and experiences are making the airport space extremely relevant, and some brands are already taking advantage of it.  

Airports have taken the pandemic as an opportunity to renovate and enhance their space, to propose more flexible solutions that are continuously more aligned with customer’s expectations.  For more information, please contact [email protected] or get in touch with your Talon International representative to discuss OOH opportunities targeting Chinese travellers.

Talon International Unveils Global Realignment

As part of a global strategic realignment at Talon, from today Plexus will become Talon International.

The same trusted team of experts you know, the same high-level service you expect and the same global independent OOH network that is still the biggest in the world.  All brought to you more efficiently and effectively under one unified brand synonymous with pioneering innovation and quality in Out of Home – Talon.

The world of Out of Home media is changing fast, and Talon is proud of our contribution to driving this evolution over the last decade. Talon’s ongoing dedication to offering our clients best-in-class planning, buying, creativity and technological solutions, ensures we deliver the best experience and outcomes for our clients on a global scale.

Nothing defines this global commitment more than the Talon International team who serve as a centralised hub connecting over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world, enabling us to plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets worldwide.

We are excited to take this next step on our journey with brand partners both new and old – to discuss the new opportunities this future holds, contact the team at

[email protected]

Alternatively head to the Talon International page to see first-hand what this new direction has to offer.

Plexus & Mediaplus: Elevating Global OOH Campaigns

Talon Group’s Plexus – a leading independent out-of-home (OOH) global network – today announced a strategic partnership with Mediaplus Group to provide OOH services to Mediaplus clients.

The partnership opens up new opportunities for both sides to implement cross-border OOH campaigns. 

Headquartered in Munich, Mediaplus is the largest independent and partner-managed agency in Europe, and develops multi-market strategic plans that are adapted for local markets, and enhanced with local media expertise and insights.  Leveraging Plexus’s full-service offering across digital and traditional outdoor media will further deliver on their ambition to link traditional and digital media planning with brand-specific target group models and media strategies. 

Part of the Talon Group, Plexus is the fastest-growing independent global OOH network, with over 20 Talon and partner offices around the world. Plexus plans and buys international campaigns in more than 75 markets worldwide for clients such as HSBC, Chanel, Bacardi-Martini, Airbus, Diageo, Virgin Atlantic, and Peroni.

Winfried Karst, managing director Europe, Talon Germany says: “We are delighted to have Mediaplus as like-minded entrepreneurial partners working closely together in the area of global OOH.”

Dr. Andrea Malgara, managing partner, Mediaplus Group commented: “Out of Home is a very regional medium that requires experienced specialists with knowledge of each market. Partnering with Plexus on cross-market campaigns enables us to deliver consistent, best-in-class OOH solutions for our growing portfolio of international clients.” 

Adrian Skelton, managing partner at Talon Group added: “We are really excited to be working with Mediaplus, and look forward to raising the bar with creative and innovative international OOH campaigns and demonstrating leadership in the ever-evolving space of programmatic OOH.”

From Adrian Skelton, Managing Partner in charge of Plexus at the Talon Group. 

Part of the Talon Group, Plexus is the largest independent global OOH network, focused on delivering smarter, creative, technology-led and integrated OOH communications. Combining independence with a collaborative approach, Talon and Plexus promote open working between agencies, clients and media partners.

With offices in London, Manchester, New York and Frankfurt, plus several other US cities, Talon has built up an OOH planning and buying network covering US, Europe, Asia and Latin America spanning 75 markets. International business is handled by the Plexus business, our global network with dedicated planning teams in London and New York acting as hubs for our Talon and partner offices around the World.

With intelligent targeting, use of global data and specialist on-the-ground knowledge, we deliver consistent and impactful OOH campaigns. Through technology, creativity and effective measurement, we are driven by bringing campaigns to life around the world that are always Smarter as Standard.

On the recent partnership with Hivestack… 

While still a relatively small part of OOH, the programmatic digital OOH sector is rapidly expanding across the world and as part of our “Smarter as Standard” philosophy. It’s important that the Talon Group are at the cutting edge of this sector and whilst we continue to invest in our market leading UK DSP – Atlas – our partnership with Hivestack expands our global capabilities in key international markets including the US and Germany where we have established Talon operations. Hivestack’s platform and technology will enable the Plexus team to smartly plan, buy and execute client campaigns in over 100 markets around the world, cementing our position as the leading independent international OOH Specialist and ensuring we can apply smart thinking, automation and coverage.

On the ideal client… 

Plexus works with a diverse range of clients, whether they advertise across two markets or 50! It is important they all receive an excellent service from the team no matter what size the budget. We plan and buy content in all environments and locations, from city centres to airports. The client that will get the most out of Plexus is a client that embraces data-led planning, creativity and innovation.

Our ideal client isn’t one that fits to an established perceived ideal audience for international OOH or airports, but one that fits our values and shares our ambitions to push the envelope of connected international OOH planning.

A client who shares ambitious KPIs based on being at the forefront of tech development, but not prioritising ahead of key business performance indicators; each party operating on a transparent and collaborative basis from ideation, brief writing and planning to delivery and evaluation. This means understanding each-other’s strengths and areas for development and collaborating to deliver exceptional work through smarter planning and creative execution.

On our international services… 

Speed, Simplicity and Trust are the founding principles of Plexus, as executing smarter OOH campaigns across multiple international markets doesn’t have to be complicated. The centralized teams based out of London and New York act as a single point of contact liaising with our network offices around the world to deliver a consistent end to end solution for our clients. Combined with Atlas and our propriety OOH data platform, Ada, our partnership with Hivestack now gives our clients the opportunity to access the growing programmatic OOH sector across the world in a smart and efficient way.

We are committed to ongoing investment in data and insight, covering mobility tracking post-covid, audience segmentation through proved behaviours, past and future air passenger movements, and wider market economics.

Our ability to simplify this breadth of information in to a simple centrally delivered strategy, based on local market on the ground knowledge is a key feature of our people-first, data-driven, future-facing business. We will continue to invest in travel to ensure that we’re able to effectively evaluate propositions and maintain our ongoing commitment to our local market partners.

On what to expect from Talon Group in next 6 months… 

We have a very clear vision to drive growth across the Talon Group and into Out of Home, to cement our position as an unmatched global OOH agency. Being independent allows us to be agile in investing in areas that will drive this growth, whether through acquisition, Adtech, data, partnerships or expanding into new markets. International growth remains a key focus with our US operations, the UK business and Plexus acting as an important hub for growth. Critical is that we continue to expand our adtech proposition globally through deeper investments in technology and by collaborating with innovative partners to scale our capabilities for our clients around the world.

We strongly believe that 2021 will be the year that OOH will Reset, Recover and Rise across the world, and the Talon Group will be at the forefront of this recovery – demonstrating leadership to our clients in this exciting time of change for the OOH industry. As we seek to accelerate our growth in 2021, we are building an unmatched full-service Out of Home agency to serve clients in the changing media marketplace, led by technology, collaboration and smarter ways of reaching audiences out of home.

As the world starts to emerge from lockdown, Plexus are this week launching a series of webinars that explore OOH’s recovery around the world. 

 Week one sees a focus on the US, with guest speakers from Talon US, The OAAA and Geopath.  

Webinar

Register to attend this weeks webinar here

User-generated messages of love and unity are being displayed on digital Out of Home screens worldwide with social media amplification ensuring the messages are also seen by millions – at home.

A Global Initiative to Spread Love

Today, Talon launched “#SendingLove” a new global initiative to promote messages of love that unite communities all over the world during the fight against the effects of COVID-19. The socially enabled DOOH campaign is facilitated by The World Out of Home Organization (WOO) and many of its member organisations and runs on advertising space donated by over 70 media owners across 153 cities making it the biggest User-Generated-Content campaign ever to run on digital Out of Home.

Created by Grand Visual, the campaign encourages participants to send love to those in places they cannot travel to, by getting creative with the heart-hand symbol and uploading their pictures and locations to www.sending love.to. Participants are then invited to donate to the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund before receiving a photo of their picture playing on-screen in their chosen city to share with friends and family across social channels.

#SendingLove is facilitated by Plexus, Talon’s global OOH network, who along with their partners have built a campaign with true international reach and a total OOH media value of US $15 Million. The creative automation system developed by Grand Visual geotargets messages to the chosen city, connecting communities to messages of love from afar in a show of global strength and solidarity.

Frank Bryant, Group Chief Operating Officer, Talon said:

“It’s great to see an initial idea to share love between countries grow into a powerful multi-channel concept. Centrally coordinated by our Plexus team, the collaboration from our global network, and the industry as a whole, has been truly inspirational. The willingness to make this happen by all has delivered a media first for user generated OOH creative whilst raising money for the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”

Dan Dawson, Chief Creative Officer, Grand Visual said:

“We set out with one thing in mind, to provide people with the opportunity to send love to their favourite places around the world. With an internationally understood heart shaped hand signal at the centre of the creative – we could share the love in cities the world over despite the constraints of lockdown, with shareable content further extending the message via social channels.”

Tom Goddard, President of the WOO added:

“It is great to see Out of Home companies coming together to respond to the crisis, and tackle the often profound effects of social distancing with messages of love, community, and reassurance during this worrying time. The World Out of Home Organization is determined to play its part in supporting members and we thank the global OOH community for playing their role during this pandemic. Together we can make a difference.”

Future Hope: Positive Signs for Luxury Market Recovery

Positive signs from China spark future hope for the luxury market

The question on many advertisers minds across the world now is not will consumers spend again post Covid-19, but when.

The global luxury sector is inevitably one of the first to get hit when an economy suffers a financial blow and this has been no different, with an initial 35% drop in sales predicted this year. However, it is often one of the first sectors to bounce back as people treat themselves as conditions return to normal.

It is then no surprise that according to China Daily, JP Morgan’s Vice Chairman of Global Banking and Asia-Pacific has predicted that the Chinese economy will grow by 15% quarter-on-quarter, April to June, an optimistic sign for the remainder of the year.

China is ahead of Europe on its way to recovery and there are strong learnings we can take from developments in the region. This past week has seen the first sign of lockdown restrictions begin to ease in many European countries, or at the very least an announcement of when they will. A global consumer sentiment study undertaken at the beginning of April showed that whilst consumers in Italy are still cautious about spending, the situation is slowly stabilising. For a country that has not yet had any restrictions lifted, this is a positive sign.

Recent consumer sentiment research from McKinsey demonstrated that whilst many countries expected an income decrease over the next two weeks, China didn’t – a positive sign that the road to recovery is well underway in this region. There was also a strong correlation between those who are optimistic for the future and those who are planning to increase their spending post Covid19, another sign that this won’t last forever.

As the outbreak spread across the world, luxury brands were at the forefront of the fight against the disease, with Burberry creating face masks and gowns whilst also funding research into a vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford. Hermes donated $20million to Paris’ public hospitals alongside manufacturing 30 tons of hand sanitiser and 31,000 face masks. In times of deep crisis, this is how people want to see brands react, and what will drive brand warmth for years to come.

GWI (Global Web Index) also shows us that those have bought from a luxury brand in the past year are over 65% more likely to fly in business or first class at least once a month. Learnings from the return of spending in the luxury sector suggest that although airlines will likely be one of the last services to resume business as lockdown restrictions lift across the world, they will see a surge when they do.  What we do know, is that at the beginning of the crisis, commercial airline travel was impacted a lot worse than private aviation travel and actually saw an increase of passengers until mid-March. It is highly probable that we will see the same pattern emerge as restrictions begin to lift, with private aviation likely to resume earlier than commercial aviation.

From experience we know that at the beginning of the crisis, commercial airline travel was impacted a lot worse than private aviation travel, where we saw an increase of passengers until mid-March. It is highly probable that we will see the same pattern emerge as restrictions begin to lift, with private aviation likely to resume earlier than commercial aviation. Those who are frequent luxury shoppers will be the same audience that already do, or are able to travel via private aviation.

This is the same for many other sectors. Those who buy luxury fashion are 20% more likely to have an interest in the theatre, museums, and live events, they are 33% more likely to regularly eat out at a restaurant and they are almost 15% more likely to watch sport (GWI). Showing a clear correlation between the return of spending in the luxury sector is a clear indication that the return of spending in many sectors will shortly follow.

Another recent report from Kantar showed us that consumers in China were unsurprisingly looking forward to returning to the ‘new normal’ and travel is at the top end of the “freedom” list, with 45% of the population looking forward to travelling as soon as possible (GWI).

With a handful of European countries beginning to slowly lift lockdowns and announce exit strategies, brands will be thinking about how they can reach audiences in the future, as people return to city centres and resume life outside of lockdown.

The expertise of the Plexus team has been utilised now more than ever before, as brands are looking to adjust their global campaigns in local markets based on the current Covid-19 situation. It is our job, as International planning experts, to advise and lead our clients through this process. What would have been the norm before, may well be different now, but this doesn’t mean the same people cannot be reached through advertising. Advertisers within the luxury sector don’t need to drastically change their behaviour, they just need to make smart adaptions based on ever evolving audience behaviour, something we are at the forefront of.

Whilst the luxury sector may be suffering now, it’s encouraging to see mounting evidence showing us there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Author: Finty Barton, International Client Manager, Plexus 

It’s very early days, but with some restrictions starting to be lifted at different stages across Europe, close analysis of key data sources and a smart reassessment of campaign delivery means we can start to get brands thinking about communicating again in the right places and moments – some clients already adapt their messages / artwork quickly to the current situation

Germany has delivered a measured and controlled approach to the COVID-19 crisis, but patterns of movement are changing as we slowly see restrictions being relaxed across the country. Analysis of data across the country is already revealing some recovery in OOH audiences from both a pedestrian and vehicular point of view, which will only continue in the coming weeks.

Source: Apple Mobility

Adapting OOH Strategies for a Shifting Landscape

Offices are not all closed although most of the workers stay at Home (Home Office) leaving OOH in residential areas and key points of interest most relevant. Working with several of our clients, we have re-evaluated individual OOH locations on the changing movement patterns, meaning a focus on a more localized role for OOH.

These include main road sites, with use of public transport severely restricted; food, retail, drugstore, pharmacy locations, now attracting significant audience traffic; and residential areas, parks and leisure locations, where the immediate local neighborhood is more important than ever and often well served by OOH.

Importantly, the market remains flexible and very willing to shorten cancellation periods. Brands that can adjust copy to fit context and location are better placed for competitive advantage as the market returns – albeit gradually – to normal ahead of many other European and Global markets.

Working with our global network, Plexus we will continue to monitor and analyze learnings from other European countries as well as from around the world to ensure our clients are best placed to understand the shifting landscape of OOH as we come out of the other side of the COVID-19 crisis.

Let’s keep moving!

Winfried Karst

Managing Director, Talon Europe

Adapting Brands Amid Crisis: OOH’s Reassurance & Adaptation

There is no doubt that this is a scary time. The world has never faced a pandemic like this before with business closing their doors and employees losing their jobs.

In these confusing, and to be honest, scary times, brands need to make sure that they are adapting their language and reassuring their customers. Now more than ever, communities need to see support from their favourite brands and OOH, as a trusted medium, is playing a key part in the fight against the negative spiral.

At the forefront of this crisis has been China, with many businesses and brands in the region already having had to adapt to a new ‘normal’. During the lockdown, giants such as WeChat remained active, adapting their OOH activities to display messages of support, solidarity and hope. Across the globe we have seen similar messages of support for frontline healthcare workers or the millions of staff that are allowing us to eat, receive mail, buy food or medicines. The OOH industry has not only demonstrated the power of its platform but the strength of its community by coming together. United behind World Out of Home Organisation, media owners, agencies and specialists  are helping shifting behaviours with the “stay at home” message.

As international OOH experts, COVID-19 has been keeping the Plexus team up at night for a while now. Our experience of working in the APAC region is giving us hope that this terrible outbreak has a pattern we can learn from and with light at the end of the tunnel. As China begins to show signs of recovery, we can look at how consumers are behaving.

After 75% of the Chinese population were isolated for eight weeks, it isn’t surprising to see reports that 80% of them are longing to spending time outdoors and 75% want to resume their lifestyle as soon as possible (GWI). A recent report from Kantar showed that everyone is looking forward to returning to the ‘new normal’ with out-of-home dining, gathering, shopping, entertainment, exercise and travel at the top of the “freedom” list.

Traffic figures are already picking up, as businesses open their doors and workers begin commuting again. Shenzhen Metro usage has been gradually increasing as the city reopens but remains well below normal footfall figures at about 34% compared to the same time last year. In Beijing, bike share schemes saw users increase by roughly 150%.

On top of this the numbers of domestic flights are starting to increase. According to the OAG, the last two weeks saw a 5.4% increase in scheduled flights, with flights at circa 60% loading capacity, far above the government’s initial predictions.

The travel industry will take a little more time to recover but GWI survey data shows 45% of the Chinese population are looking forward to traveling as soon as possible. Hardly surprising considering some families have been apart since the start of the Chinese New Year!

Nevertheless, the global aviation sector is undoubtedly facing huge challenges. Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to seek a government bailout as airports remain at reduced capacity. However, it isn’t the first global crisis the industry has faced. Historical figures show that there was a huge decline in flights during the 2003 SARS outbreak, shortly followed by 9/11 attacks and the financial credit crunch in 2008. The growth demonstrated by the sector and ability to recover after these events, gives us confidence the industry can bounce back once again. During this time of reflection for the aviation industry, they have an opportunity to look to further ‘future proof’ their businesses by looking to new methods of fleet management, airline consolidation, investigating cleaner energy and new technologies.

As the rest of the word is fighting the outbreak in parallel waves, China may see a decline in manufacturing orders but some domestic industries like retail and luxury fashion are already showing encouraging signs of recovery. According to China Daily, Jing Ulrich, JP Morgan’s Vice Chairman of Global Banking and Asia-Pacific, predicts that the Chinese economy will grow 15% quarter-on-quarter from April to June. After falling as much as 80% at the peak of the outbreak, there are reports of customers lining up to visit a Chanel boutique at a luxury mall in Hangzhou, a very encouraging sign that business is starting to pick up.

Globally, many brands have understandably taken the decision to cancel their media activities. The current mood and wider environment require them to quickly adapt media strategies, however by exiting the market completely brands are at risk of losing equity and awareness amongst consumers. More than ever before brands need to embrace change, be brave and engage consumers with positive messages to restore trust, confidence and leadership.

Communities are ready to take on the streets as soon as they are safe again and brands need to start thinking now about how they will celebrate being out-of-home with the rest of us. As for me, I will be on the first Eurostar to see my family and then on a sunny, sandy beach.

– Jonathan Everaere, International Business Director.

Creating a Better Advertising Experience in Travel’s New Era

On a recent visit to Future Travel Experience (FTE) EMEA in Istanbul, I was inspired and encouraged by some of the dynamics driving the future of the connected consumer, as outlined by futurist Rohit Talwar from Fast Future. His glimpse of our 2024 destination journey presented an interesting set of challenges and opportunities for advertisers. The trends he presented, led me to consider what the real opportunities are for advertisers and in particular, the ways in which they can capitalise on connectivity and how AI-led advances will affect the travel space.

Overall, they paint a picture that ambitious, forward-thinking advertisers would do well to capitalise on quickly, and would allow them to sponsor, fund or co-fund huge chunks of travel that they can only dream about today. As you can see outlined below, each trend comes with incredible possibility and scope to truly influence and alter the way advertisers communicate with the connected traveller:

Trend 1.
No longer do we have to simply come up with an idea. Through wearable tech, AI monitoring of our physical profile could indicate when we need a break. Stressed, anxious? Time to book a holiday.
Holiday ads served to you individually through your digital profile, and on an automated basis in the real world on your way to the office – either in your driverless car or through public transport.

Trend 2.
AI will notice what have you enjoyed recently. Any association to a given country – e.g. Mexican food, watching a film featuring an African landscape. 
Sensory ads served through personal devices allowing AR previews of this experience will allow immersive experiences close to real life. More of a trailer for a movie than a search for a hotel.

Trend 3.
AI will build a package based on all your conscious and indeed unconsciously identified preferences and give you the option to book.  
There is certainly the likelihood of advertisers being able to bid to be key booking partners for these experiences – either immediately travel related, or products and services included in the proposed holiday.

Trend 4.
When getting ready to leave, there will be no need to carry luggage around. Your specified wardrobe will be 3D printed to be ready for you upon your arrival. 
Clear potential here to use digital inflight to serve ads for clothes to buy and be printed prior to your arrival at your destination. A whole new e-commerce industry to consider! 

Trend 5.
Driverless car bidding for other cars to move out the way in traffic.
Ever since driverless cars have been around there has been debates over the role of roadside OOH media. In the future more than ever, creative will be king. To gain attention of passengers, advertisers will need to stand out through personalisation and context, but most importantly, impact. Billboards will not go away. Through real time digital delivery, creative is likely to be more in tune to that unique individual, and their mood at that part of the journey.

Trend 6.
Checking in through biometrics, as with all airport transactions including security, shopping, passing through security. 
What does this mean to ad placements? In theory less dwell time, more relaxed time moving around the terminal. Could digital screens replace all walls- constantly evolving surroundings and association opportunities for advertisers.

Trend 7.
Killing time having passed through security is likely to be easier and easier. Experiences through VR will become near real-life.
In-lounge VR gaming has been trialled in Germany, Elisabeth Huber from Munich Airport suggests passengers are willing to pay… but there’s a catch. At present only 1st person shooters have sufficient demand for monetisation. As content develops and more captivating (non-violent) experiences improve, this is a huge opportunity for both traditional gaming companies, and any other advertiser who wants to showcase an experience of their product or service. 

Trend 8.
Sleeping in flight- choosing dreams – moving on from the blurring of the online and offline world.
The futurist Ray Kurzweil has elaborated on this, and his hypothesis is that once our knowledge of artificial intelligence, technology, biology and neurology are sufficiently advanced, we will be able to ‘sleep hack’. Ethically whether advertisers would want to enter this world is another question all together. 

Trend 9.
Facial recognition on entry to destination.
Advertisers will be able to tap in to unique preferences and individual behaviours – travellers most likely getting reduced rates for advertiser involvement in the stay.

Trend 10.
Fully digital walls, connecting with work/family.
Brand sponsorship of connections brings an offer of a quality service, delivering tangible value to consumers. E.g., “this full room experience is brought to you by Samsung, this conference call is managed through Cisco”.

Trend 11.
Both from a reading and a listening perspective, traditional language translation will be a thing of the past. Wearables will allow us to see and hear our native language in real time when travelling.
From a creative perspective, and a global standardisation of copy, this offers huge potential for OOH, both in terms of creative application, and then based on placement based on new consumer expectations. 

Trend 12.
No longer posting holiday snaps on Facebook. A full AI review of the trip, posted to your social profile – with others experience it through AR, potential for holiday experiences to go viral. Moving on from the influencers of today to those of tomorrow.
With the lines between the online and offline world becoming more and blurred, virtual ads and sponsorships may become as valuable as physical ads in the real world. We’re already seeing this with billboard placements in gaming today. A natural development in what’s an industry with great potential. 

What is certain from these trends is that change in behaviours and a buoyant marketplace, will create an ideal environment for brands to capitalise on connected travel experiences.

Ambitious and forward-thinking advertisers have the opportunity to sponsor, partner, fund or co-fund any of these ideas. Actually, making many of these ideas a reality is our collective challenge, but one that we should embrace.

With Latitude, Plexus’s Connected Traveller offering, we ensure that our partner advertisers take these trends in to account, whilst always being at the forefront of ambitious plans for targeting the connected consumer of the future.

Written by Tom Perrett, International Client Services Director, Plexus.

Identifying trends to drive change

I recently attended Future Travel Experience (FTE) EMEA, an event co-located with FTE Ancillary and The New Airport Show in Istanbul.

This event was significant for a number of reasons, but primarily because it allowed us to learn more about how technology will influence behaviours, with a compelling focus on the consumer journey of the future.

Following the launch of our Latitude brand within the Plexus network earlier this year, I was further encouraged by how we’re positioning our view of the connected traveller.

Inspired by futurist Rohit Talwar from Fast Future, a speaker at the event, and very much aligned with our vision for the future, some of the key global travel trends to 2024 make for an exciting and evolving space.

For example, as flight numbers grow rapidly, we’re seeing the emergence of new global middle classes and a higher frequency of travel in developed markets. Opportunities persist in end to end trip curation, connected working practices and the expanding influence of social media. And of course, airports as destinations themselves driving ancillary (non-ticket services) revenues.

At Plexus, this means considering advertiser change dynamics embracing biometric development, seamless experiences, robotics and AI, real time language generation and alternative transport options (hyperloop, drones), all whilst considering the implications of a carbon backlash.

For the future consumer journey, we are now contemplating things like how we can influence passengers on the way back before another trip, whilst incrementally improving the experience each time. In other words, moving from a linear to a circular journey.

Talwar brought this to life outlining some of the following factors that will have a major influence on our comms strategies around the connected traveller. These include:

• All airport transactions becoming seamless, including security, shopping, passing through security. Unique biometric IDs removing the need for a passport.
• Killing time once through security is likely to be easier and easier. Experiences through VR will become near real-life.
• AI will build a package based on all of your conscious and indeed unconsciously identified preferences and give you the option to book.
• Facial recognition on entry to destination
• No longer posting holiday snaps on Facebook. A full AI review of the trip posted to your social profile, moving on from the influencers of today to those of tomorrow.

These present their own opportunity for advertisers, which I’ll explore in more detail in a second part to this blog. But needless to say, there will be both fantastic and simple technology-led opportunities for brands to connect with people in a more engaging, frictionless way.

In an era of automation, a re-occurring feature of FTE EMEA has been seamless processes, removing friction at all points. However, as Tan Lye Tech from Singapore Changi suggests, self-service does not equal no service. Passengers will always want trained, capable, friendly humans on hand. Current studies suggest people are nervous about communicating with robots, but over time this will be normalised.

All major stakeholders in this industry are aware of the potential ahead and will be expecting change along the way. Actually, making it happen is another story altogether. We must all adopt clear strategies and be brave. AWS (Amazon Web Services) are already looking to influence the space. Unlike the airlines and airports, they are not impacted by legacy challenges through hardware and antiquated systems, and with scale and deep enough pockets to succeed, they represent a major challenge to traditional players in this space.

With Latitude, Plexus‘s Connected Traveller offering, we will ensure that brands are aware of the environment that they’re active in at present, but that they also take in to account every possibility for this exciting future.

– Tom Perrett, Client Services Director, Plexus

Global OOH Evolution: The Collaborative Path Forward

Five years ago, I left Los Angeles to move to London. Aside from the obvious weather benefit I was excited to be more closely connected to my travel bucket list and had a keen ambition to set my career on a more international path. Cut to 5 years later…I’m now International Operations Director for Talon, sitting around a table in Dubai with the founding partners of our global OOH network, Plexus, before we all embark on the three day FEPE Congress. The 20 characters around the table include a range of experience and talents including industry veterans and relative newbies. Over 10 nationalities in the room and even more languages spoken by our collective group.

Well. That escalated quickly.

This year’s FEPE Congress was my first, and I was very pleased to see that our industry was well represented, and that a lot of hard work is going in to further our global connectivity as an industry. A set of excellent speakers took the stage – Nancy Fletcher shared her impressive journey and highlighted that unity and collaboration were at the forefront of how we will shift the needle to increase OOH’s global share. We saw how the South American market is working together now entering ALOOH’s second year and using OOH to improve the quality of people’s lives with projects like Va Verde. Rick Robinson reminded us that while OOH has fame, we need to keep earning the right to be in the people’s space. And Talon’s own Barry Cupples issued a challenge to the room declaring, “We need to be braver,” and come together better as an industry to drive top and bottom line growth for our clients.

At Talon we understand how critically important it is to continuously evolve our approach in an ever-changing OOH landscape. It requires creativity, agility, and genuine expertise, and it is our ambition to make global OOH Smarter as Standard.

At the start of April we launched Plexus, our global network of Talon and partner offices, and the rebrand of our International Planning and Buying team. Alongside Plexus we also introduced Latitude, our service specialising in reaching the Connected Traveler.

Inspired by the biological term representing a connected set of elements working toward a common goal, we have brought together Talon offices with like-minded independent global partners allowing us to serve clients from 20 offices around the world to cover over 75 markets. Built on a philosophy of Speed, Simplicity and Trust, Plexus offers a transparent approach with a focus on adding value and ensuring that OOH is playing its best possible role in the media mix to help our clients achieve their business objectives. And working together as a group of experts we want to deliver on Talon’s Smarter as Standard philosophy and our pledge to the market for:

• • A dedicated global OOH team with a common purpose
  • A network with operational consistency across markets
  • A place where brands can expect transparency and accountability

Following the FEPE Congress I think we all need to be making a pledge – when we get together in Toronto next year (as the newly branded World Out of Home Organization – WOO), what will everyone bring to the table to show what has been achieved in our respective markets? How will we show we’ve been brave? Will key industry players show actual leadership and collaboration to work together towards a common goal?

I’m not sure yet what the next five years will bring, but I’m looking forward to being a part of this collaborative path forward. Bring it on.

Shabnam Irilian is International Operations Director for Plexus, part of the Talon group. 

Talon Launches OOH AdTech Platforms: Plato and Ada

Plato and Ada are audience targeting and media trading platforms specifically designed for OOH. 

Talon has developed proprietary technology platforms that allow internal users and external customers to engage seamlessly with OOH to deliver meaningful outcomes.  

The two platforms simplify a fragmented and complex medium by bridging the gap between advertisers’ demands and existing capability in the OOH market place. They will be instrumental to delivering more advanced capabilities to advertisers as part of an integrated ecosystem with media owners, agencies, advertisers and measurement and data providers. A fundamental requirement to scale the industry beyond the current growth curve  

Plato is an automated trading platform, which aggregates all OOH inventory into a single, intuitive campaign planning and delivery system. It allows users to explore, plan, check availability, reserve and trade paper & digital inventory across multiple markets. All made possible through direct integrations with media owners and industry systems, allowing for fully optimised campaign planning and buying. 

Ada, an OOH data management platform, manages and activates billions of device-level audience data points to create new insights about how people behave and how to effectively reach and engage them whilst on-the-go. Advertisers can use Ada to activate their own customer data or create custom audience segments relevant to their campaigns. The platform enables more data driven audience targeting and campaign measurement than has been possible up to now. 

Both platforms have been developed in close collaboration with Sahaj Software, a partner with extensive experience in applying data science and software engineering to develop large scale technology across multiple verticals. 

Talon has also partnered multiple data providers to fuel Ada’s audience and location intelligence, including Location Sciences and Narrative. 

Josko Grljevic, Talon’s Chief Transformation Officer, explains, “The launch of Plato and Ada is a direct outcome of Talon’s continued investment in technology and automation. We believe that these are catalysts that will scale our business and the footprint of OOH by bridging the gap between advertisers and their audiences. Today’s off-line and manual processes simply can’t do that effectively nor can they compete with the real time nature of mobile and web. Our objective was therefore very clear – develop tools and services that allow our internal and external customers, to seamlessly engage with the OOH medium to deliver meaningful outcomes.” 

Jonathan Conway, Chief Strategy Officer at Talon adds, “Our goal has always been to use data, intelligence and technology to make it easy for advertisers to continually optimise their Out of Home investments. Plato and Ada were designed with this goal in mind. Combined, the platforms make it easy for advertisers to intuitively navigate the entire OOH market, target the audiences they really care about, and measure the brand and business outcomes of their campaigns.” 

Nitin Dhall, Co-Founder and Director of Sahaj Software Solutions adds, “Sahaj is proud to be Talon’s technology partner. We have solved complex business problems by successfully pairing our engineering expertise with Talon’s specialist OOH domain knowledge, to build genuinely innovative and scalable technology solutions.”

Talon Launches Global OOH Network and Connected Traveller Brands

Introducing Plexus and Latitude, Talon’s new group positioning as a smarter global OOH network. (more…)

The airport industry is constantly innovating and challenging convention. Ryanair – an airline that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – is a hugely successful business and does more than anyone to sustain change and transformation.

Ryanair’s Innovations: Impact on Advertisers & Airport OOH

In November 2016, Michael O’Leary declared that ‘in the next five to ten years the airfares on Ryanair will be free’. Those following O’Leary closely will know that he’s largely responsible for the aviation ancillary revenue movement of recent years. Ancillary revenue is a ‘revenue that is derived from goods or services other than a company’s primary product offering’. In the airline industry, this is all non-ticket sources, such as baggage charges, on board sales, and credit card fees. In 2017 Ryanair’s revenue in this area was $2.3m, 28% of its total revenue – and rising.

Since 2001, when O’Leary declared ‘The other airlines are asking how they can put up fares. We are asking how we could get rid of them’. Ryanair’s passenger numbers have grown from 8m to 120m per annum. This has been sustained, through often explosive growth, in a notoriously competitive marketplace.

In the latest innovation from the company, from November this year, passengers who wish to bring a wheelie bag of up to 10kg onboard must pay 6 for priority boarding, or 8 to check it in to the hold. This change has caused the free baggage allowance to fall by almost two-thirds from 58 litres to 20 litres.

Whilst the airline argues that the move isn’t a money-making exercise, but rather a measure to improve timekeeping; for the cynical among us it is an indication of O’Leary’s long-term vision. Free airfares would be largely dependent on Ryanair generating enough ancillary revenue elsewhere. Ryanair claims that only 40 per cent of passengers, 48 million of them in fact, will be affected, since many already use priority boarding, or comply with current baggage regulations.

So, there is no question that passengers will be affected by these changes, but the question is how will this impact advertisers taking advantage of these audiences throughout the passenger journey?

Crudely, the result is going to be more people waiting around for longer periods of time in two areas –  baggage drop off, and the arrivals reclaim. This opens up a couple of questions – how can advertisers make the most of that time? And does the Ryanair passenger then become more valuable than those of easyJet, BA, or Wizz Air?

As one of the most commercialised airlines in history, Ryanair will certainly be all over this in terms of monetising these changes. The value of display on its own app during this time increases through relevance and dwell time, as does airport OOH advertising along the same principles.

UK airport media owners are already on board with utilising flight data to improve audience targeting and minimising wastage for advertisers. At Stansted or Gatwick for example, by partnering with Primesight, Ryanair’s arriving passengers can be targeted using Primeflight digital targeting –  displaying relevant ads only at the time of those arrivals in the baggage carousels. Further understanding of where those flights arrive from can inform specific language creative, and tailored offers from advertisers. The dwell time and mobile opportunities to drive interactivity also increase with the new allowance.

With up to 40% more passengers per flight checking luggage in to the hold, on a typical 737-800 carrying approximately 140 passengers, that’s an extra 56 passengers waiting for luggage on every arrival. And how valuable could this audience be in comparison to easyJet or BA? Well, that depends on creative application and client objectives.

The average Brit makes two life-changing decisions whilst abroad on holiday, according to Travel Republic. This could be to move house, start a family, but also to make major purchasing decisions such as a mortgage, or a new car.

Increased dwell time allows advertisers to deliver more interactive, meaningful communications to Ryanair passengers, with the right format selection and digital implementation of course.

The results of advertiser activity are of course influenced by what makes each individual tick, which is ultimately a nod to the future. If passengers are happy to wait a little longer at check-in and arrivals in order to deliver greater punctuality on their Ryanair flight, they’re likely to be in a better frame of mind to interact with advertising, both traditional, or digital in the airport environment.

In future, the personalised targeting of these groups of passengers may be influenced by their individual circumstances, preferences, mobile habits, as well as their point of departure or arrival.

Advertisers that focus on contextual relevance and giving something of tangible value to the consumer are always going to lead the way in the airport environment. In general terms this could be wayfinding, coupons, experiences, or something more creative. What’s more interesting, is how we can consider more defined targeting in this space.

Whilst we’re able to consider targeting by flight arrival times now, the near future offers far greater tech solutions. As an example, the potential to serve ads to those individuals coming to the end of the lease of a family car (based on individual purchase data) across multiple touchpoints in the journey advertising an offer on a newer model makes for a genuinely exciting future for the airport OOH environment.

So with ancillary revenues at 28% of Ryanair’s total revenue there is some way to go before O’Leary can offer sustainable free flights. Advertisers however, can certainly profit from these changes in increased consumer journey waiting times and smarter thinking. Greater income for the airports through ad spend is only going to be positive for all parties.

There’s little doubt though that given its history, Ryanair will be after a slice of any incremental revenues from the airports should these changes positively affect income on the ground.

There is still some way to go to fund the revenue gap to their ultimate goal, but it’s a step in the right direction. And for us, this opens up a need for smarter ad opportunities that can only make a greater impact.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle embarks on a ‘Mystery Tunnel’ multi-platform experience in partnership with agencies Ambient, OMD and Talon.

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has recently activated a two-week campaign at Bluewater and Lakeside shopping centres to promote the many benefits of travelling to Europe by car with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.

Discover & Win: Eurotunnel’s Mystery Tunnel Adventure

The campaign, which was produced and delivered by experiential agency Ambient in partnership with OMD and Talon, looked to target a younger market of car owners through an engaging digital journey, while highlighting key Eurotunnel Le Shuttle benefits such as the short journey time, the wide choice of available destinations and the freedom to explore Europe at your own pace.

The activation stand featured two large tunnels with built-in screens. As consumers approached the tunnel entrance they are prompted to scan their unique Eurotunnel Le Shuttle ticket before being sent on a ‘mystery’ digital journey to one of four holiday destinations.

At the end of the journey consumers discovered if they had won one of a selection of exciting prizes including complimentary Eurotunnel Le Shuttle tickets along with entry to the Nausica Sea Centre. Multiple winners were selected at random and revealed following the completion of their digital journey.

Running concurrently with the OOH Experience has been a partnership with the Evening Standard which has seen advertorials featuring a number of northern European destinations and filmed short trips with four holidays to be won. Leaflets were handed out to shoppers at Bluewater and Lakeside inviting them to enter the Evening Standard holiday competitions for further chances to win with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.

Haico VanDerSteen, Marketing and Sales Director at Eurotunnel Le Shuttle said “We are very excited to launch the “Mystery Tunnel” experiential campaign and to be able to provide consumers with a fantastic opportunity to explore the many benefits of travelling with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.”

“This was the first OOH Experience activity that Eurotunnel Le Shuttle have ever run with Talon and OMD and one which we are confident that people in the South East of England loved participating in.  The campaign not only showcased some of the best destinations reachable via Eurotunnel Le Shuttle but offered loads of great prizes.  The addition of the cross promotion with the Evening Standard added a new dimension to the experience and opened it up to a much wider audience.” (Catherine Knight, Innovations Project Director, Talon)