Indoor advertising on growth path James Bainbridge
‘INDOOR-outdoor’ could be the new buzzword in the out-of-home industry, as targeted indoor advertising is growing by 70% a year.
A major player in the sector, Ultimate Media, has seen this growth across its three networks, and the company’s marketing director Peter Cope said the sector has enjoyed “the fastest growth in the out-of-home market in the past three to four years”.
Ad spend on mainstream out-of-home media grew by 13.6% according to the last report from the Commercial Economic Advisory Service of Australia in April.
Media buyers who have used indoor sites agree they are a booming area.
Mitchell & Partners Brisbane account manager Tim Harper-Russell has used Ultimate’s Venue Ads—posters in the washrooms of pubs and clubs—as part of Virgin Mobile’s nationwide ‘Warren’ campaign.
“It’s a growth medium in terms of targeting the younger demographics,” he said. “They’re tricky to reach with standard media—a lot of them are out and about and it’s easier to catch them with this.
“The battle it faces is getting over the perception that it’s not a mainstream medium.”
Cope, formerly MD of AdShel, said the company has grown from turning over $4m a year following its launch in November 2000, to a projected $10m turnover this year.
The firm changed its name from Ultimate Outdoor to reflect its growing indoor focus in March.
Ultimate sells across some 500 pubs and clubs, as well as its Active Light network of back-lit sites in 120 gyms, and its Uni Light network of back-lit sites in buildings on 95 university campuses.
Cope said advertisers that spent $76,000 on a month’s campaign on the Venue Ads network would reach 45% of all people aged 18-39 in the five capital cities, with a 3.3 frequency.
He said advertisers that spent $112,000 on a month’s campaign on Uni Light would reach 85% of tertiary students, with an average frequency of 12.
