European Digital OOH

Recently, we have begun to see more and more digital OOH initiatives coming out of Europe. Some websites, including www.digitalsignagescene.com have forecast that digital OOH revenue in Western Europe is likely to quadruple in a five year time span, from 158 million euros in 2007 to a forecasted 626 million in 2012! This equals an annual growth rate of 32%.

A perfect example is Diesel’s Be Stupid campaign. A digital window display by Comtech has consumers photographing themselves with their mobile phones, so that they can MMS the photo into Diesel. The photos then go to the digital display, as well as the Facebook page. Want to know the scary part of it all? None of the photos are moderated. If the campaign, which is currently taking place in Denmark, is successful then it will be rolled out across Europe.

Another example of European Digital OOH comes from Stroer Kentvizyon, Turkey’s largest developer of OOH advertising. An Outdoortv digital ad network has been installed in 16 metro stations in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. The screens were developed to help make waiting for the metro more enjoyable. The screens, which are located in the centre of each metro station, also provide advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers through appealing digital content, and brand messaging.

http://en.ooh-tv.com/2010/05/05/turkey-strer-kentvizyon-installs-digital-signage-network-in-metro-stations-selects-scala/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

One other example of Europe is harnessing the power of digital OOH comes from Portugal, where the mobile Internet service Vodafone 360 is being promoted through 360 degree, crystal clear LED displays. These displays are Litefast MAGIC, a product made by German Kinoton gmbH, and are located in malls throughout Lisbon and Porto.

http://www.digitalsignageuniverse.com/news_kinoton_120909.html

Digital OOH offers a multitude of advantages that suggest Europe might just have the right idea. Unlike traditional static formats that require manual maintenance, digital formats are fed remotely from a central server. The flexibility and creative allowances that digital formats offer, are also able to generate higher ROI. Another advantage to digital OOH is the reduction of entry barriers through the ability to run shorter campaigns, such as part-day campaigns that run in the morning commuting hours. It is clear that there is a lot we can learn from Europe and their current use of digital OOH technologies. When will we start seeing these types of initiatives here in Canada?