Barry Sayer, CE of Clear Channel Independent, formerly Corpcom says the outdoor advertising industry should take a stronger line on self-regulation.
The company was acquired earlier this year by the Independent Group in partnership with Clear Channel of the US. The name was changed to reflect the branding of the two international media groups.
Sayer, a pioneer of big boards (4,5 m x 18 m) on freeways in industrial and commercial areas, says the public accepted these signs as appropriate for motorway locations. "The problem arose a few years back when tender requirements for the All-Africa Games took the big boards into the suburbs, with official approval, and residents objected. Though the sites achieved their purpose in promoting the games and raising money for associated projects, the boards are still there on 10-year contracts."
Bostik . . . one good idea builds on another
He says the industry should discourage actions in which companies erect billboards without approval, such as the big boards along the M1/N1 motorway between Sandton and Pretoria, which were not approved by the National Roads agency. The contractor continues to enjoy the income stream while the matter is bogged down in litigation.
Primedia Outdoor marketing manager Gary Nicholls says his company fully supports the regulations. "They ensure there is very little chance of our natural and rural environments being spoilt by unsightly advertising hoardings. We are confident the industry will act responsibly."
DStv top, McDonalds, bottom . . . Primedia Outdoor's scrolling billboards
Sayer says companies should support the authorities by not advertising with outdoor media owners who cannot show that their sites have been approved.
Clear Channel's policy in suburban areas is to use the new generation Citilite units, measuring 18 m² compared with the big board's 81 m². These are back-lit, flex-faced and "straight from the streets of Paris".
Primedia Outdoor's speciality is the large format scrolling billboard, now on two sites in Sandton. Nicholls says their success lies in an ability to "combat site fatigue through movement". A US survey showed that movement in billboards attracts almost five times more attention than static displays. More than 90% of passers-by retained some impression of the billboard in motion, while only 19% took notice of the static advertisements.
Sayer says outdoor advertising is holding up well in a difficult market. "Outdoor has increased market share for the past three to four years but it's now growing at a slower rate due to the ban on tobacco advertising and the tighter economic environment."
The outdoor advertising industry extends far beyond the roadside billboards. The Letter Corporation, for instance, has 8 000 advertising frames in airports, washrooms and other public places countrywide.
Another Altmedia (for Alternative/Ambient Media) company, GMR Transit Media, specialises in taxi, train and trailer advertising, and also has ads in stations and at taxi ranks.
Altmedia's rival, Comutanet, is pleased with new projects such as the branding of taxi ranks, and joint ventures with the SABC that have opened up fresh opportunities for its clients.
The branding exercise allows an advertiser to "own" a taxi rank, with the whole environment dominated by its promotions. The joint venture with the SABC involves 12 m² TV screens, with audio outlets throughout the taxi rank, allowing queuing commuters to watch live TV, such as news bulletins and, of course, advertising.
"We cut across many disciplines in our advertising," says Comutanet MD Ken Varejes. "We have some exciting new products, and we're very bullish about the future."
One innovation is a bus advertisement in which a liquid crystal section framed in the ad on the back of the vehicle can be changed by an SMS message from the controller's cell phone.
Comutanet has its own teams at Metro rail stations and taxi ranks throughout the country, housed in brick structures or converted shipping containers, ensuring that its operations run smoothly.
Golfcom, an Altmedia company, has a growing business in branding signage at golf clubs, down to the inside of the cup, and owns the Vodacom Caddy Foundation - a development programme that combines social upliftment with media.
Altmedia group CE Jason Druian says the group's local companies are doing well. The Letter Corporation has started an operation in Australia and has a transit media joint venture in five African countries with Clear Channel Independent.
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