The out-of-home (OOH) industry is posting $60.4m revenue for October alone, a boost of 10.44 per cent from the same time last year. The sector’s enviable track record continues, with year-to-date revenue up by 7.92 per cent to $472.8m – already ahead of last year’s record 7.1 per cent growth to $438.1m. Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of the OMA, says, “The outdoor industry has had 17 out of 18 quarters of growth since the GFC. I attribute this to the efficacy of our medium; that we still reach mass audiences that are growing.” “While other advertising mediums fragment, outdoor continues to grow: our latest Move update showed an increase in audiences by 3.6 per cent across the five capital cities.
Back to back growth: outdoor media
“We are innovative, using technology to our advantage, through NFC, QR codes and digital. It a really exciting time to be in outdoor and I am hopeful that 2014 will be our best year to-date.” Moldrich says that digital screens, while providing opportunities such as dayparting to help brands to more keenly target their consumers, still make up only about 16 per cent of OOH total revenue; the vast majority is still static print. In the category run down, Roadside Other – street furniture, taxis, bus and tram externals and small format – is leading the charge, bringing in $19.9m revenue for October and $159.3m for the year to date. Roadside Billboards raked in $19.4m for October and $156.3m for 2014 so far. Transport, including airports, saw $11.8m revenue for the month and $80.9m year-to-date; while retail attracted $9.3m in October and a total of $76.4 for the year. The OMA has been prepping for a final push for the summer months with a campaign to encourage brands to advertise outdoor while consumers are out and about, instead of taking their advertising on holiday. Moldrich says, “Several of our members have done some new research on the summer season as the industry instinctively believes that people are out and about more during this time. “And the research showed that we were right. People say they are out and about more and that they notice outdoor advertising more. They spend less time online and watching TV. “It is a really great message with the research to back it up, but it is too soon to predict our success.”
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