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:

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:

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.” 

Visit www.platoada.com to find out more. 

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)

Renault has helped launched City Welcome, the third in a series of architecturally designed digital OOH advertising structures at London City Airport.

Renault has used the site to showcase their brand with standout creative. It encompasses a number of exterior design elements and materials to transform the roundabout and main entrance into London City Airport.

City Welcome is a premium digital media asset that has the benefit of being located at the main entrance to the Private Jet Centre as well as the primary route into the Main Terminal.

The Renault campaign was booked through MGOMD and Talon Outdoor and Renault have chosen to invest in a number of digital assets at the airport, including the City Icon and a network of 58 digital screens inside the main terminal, providing complete coverage of the airport audience.

Jonathan Everaere, Client Director

Jonathan Everaere, Client Director on the international team at Talon Outdoor, says:

‘We are delighted to see Renault extending their audience reach by including airport media as part of their UK campaign. By utilising London City Airport’s highly impactful newly installed Welcome digital screen, it gives Renault the perfect platform as a launch partner to fully engage with affluent business passengers and generate brand fame and memorability at a key Airport touchpoint.’