A deep dive into digital out-of-home advertising in SA

There is no question that persistent load-shedding is having a hugely negative effect on the local economy’s ability to grow. According to economist Jannie Rossouw the economy would be about 25% bigger had it not been for loadshedding.

Record high rates of load-shedding have not only hobbled economic growth but is also affecting digital out-of-home (OOH) screens, Sijadu Mzozoyana, CEO of Relativ Media, said at a recent FM Redzone discussion that was hosted by Livia Brown from what3things in partnership with Epic Outdoor, Relativ Media and Primedia Outdoor.

The discussion brought together media owners, media agencies and research experts to discuss how to maximise digital OOH campaigns and budgets, what factors are considered when placing OOH in the marketing mix, how it is reported and verified, and what the latest trends are, among other things.

OOH companies have adopted a “plaster over the wound” approach to try to provide clients with additional opportunities to make up for the lost time caused by load-shedding, said Mzozoyana.

Agencies and clients need to be asking media owners the right questions in order to make strategic and informed decisions about digital OOH sites, advised Peter Lindstrom, executive responsible for sales at Primedia Outdoor. These should ideally include what metrics and value are being delivered. “Digital has made OOH very accessible, but the downside of this is unprecedented competition,” he said.

Gugulethu Mathobela, a senior OOH specialist and digital media strategist at GroupM, pointed out that it’s important to understand that digital OOH is not TV or digital media. Advertising on digital OOH needs to be contextually relevant with regard to both location and the time of day. At the same time, advertising must be aligned with other advertising channels and platforms.

BrandMapp is a consumer survey that profiles economically active sectors of society, helping to profile audiences using data. The survey has recently included specific questions to provide insight into the OOH industry. Director of Storytelling at BrandMapp, Brandon de Kock, said 60% of respondents said an OOH ad had caught their eye, with 10% saying they remembered a digital OOH ad. The survey revealed a clear correlation between age and outdoor advertising; younger consumers are more likely to be affected by digital OOH. There is a close correlation between higher levels of radio listenership and OOH, the survey showed.

Simon Wall, CEO at Tractor Outdoor, said there is no need to adapt billboards for anamorphic advertising and that brands should give agencies sufficient time to produce anamorphic ads, given their highly technical nature.

Wall announced a new industry blog platform, in collaboration with what3things, to create a singular point of contact for news and trends in the OOH industry in order to move the industry forward. The platform is intended to be live in early 2023. The blog will be edited by Brown and will be found at www.dooh.co.za.

Click here to watch the discussion.