Little ones sit in the niches of the big ones
Outdoor advertising Classic billposters are facing competition from companies that have nothing else to do with outdoor advertising: They are penetrating their domains with e-posters - initially in airports.
Traditional billposters are facing competition from companies that have nothing else to do with outdoor advertising: Since May of this year, the renovated Bern-Belp airport has been using ten 42-inch screens instead of billboards. These screens display information on flight operations, weather reports and commercials. The screens belong to the IT service provider Bison Systems in Sursee LU and are marketed by their partner company Publiscreen together with IP Multimedia.An example of how new companies do business in the domains of the previous outdoor advertisers. And there is more: At Kloten Airport, actually the territory of the outdoor advertiser Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP), Bison Systems operates six screens in a VIP lounge of the new Dock E, which run not only entertainment but also advertising.
Even cinema marketer Cinecom has been selling screens since September, to 50 independent kiosks in western Switzerland. It will soon also be equipping around 140 Coop service stations and Pronto stores throughout Switzerland with screens and marketing them. IP Multimedia is also present at 75 Tamoil gas stations. The interesting thing is that CCP holds exclusive rights for billboard advertising at Tamoil and Coop gas stations, as well as for small posters at independent kiosks. Now, however, other companies are gaining a foothold there - via the electronic billboard, of all things.
Citylights, a small outdoor advertiser, is also venturing among the screen providers and is now marketing three screens at highly frequented locations in Zurich. Twelve more are to follow by the end of the year. And the desire for screens is not even stopping at stadium advertising. For the past three weeks, Cinecom has been marketing two 12-square-meter screens and eight 42-inch plasma screens at the EV Zug ice hockey stadium. It is currently in negotiations with other stadiums. This list is not exhaustive and by no means reflects all the screen activities of the new providers. But the question arises: Did the large billposters miss the timely entry into the "small" screens (21 to 50 inches)?
Only targeted content will do the trick
But at CCP, which seems to be the most affected by this at the moment, CEO Beat Roeschlin is calm. "I admire the courage of all those who are jumping on this medium early, but I don't think we're hurting each other." He also doubts that screens will pay for themselves if they are used merely as a kind of removable medium. Advertising on screens, no matter what size, only works in combination with up-to-date information, similar to what Publiscreen is trying in Bern-Belp, he says. "Because in addition to the emotional element, there needs to be a rational element to get the consumer to look at all." Optimal target-group-specific content management, however, requires an editorial effort that is currently still too expensive. But once this becomes much more affordable for advertisers, "we too will convert some of our positions into digital communication platforms," says Beat Roeschlin.
Markus Knöpfli
Even cinema marketer Cinecom has been selling screens since September, to 50 independent kiosks in western Switzerland. It will soon also be equipping around 140 Coop service stations and Pronto stores throughout Switzerland with screens and marketing them. IP Multimedia is also present at 75 Tamoil gas stations. The interesting thing is that CCP holds exclusive rights for billboard advertising at Tamoil and Coop gas stations, as well as for small posters at independent kiosks. Now, however, other companies are gaining a foothold there - via the electronic billboard, of all things.
Citylights, a small outdoor advertiser, is also venturing among the screen providers and is now marketing three screens at highly frequented locations in Zurich. Twelve more are to follow by the end of the year. And the desire for screens is not even stopping at stadium advertising. For the past three weeks, Cinecom has been marketing two 12-square-meter screens and eight 42-inch plasma screens at the EV Zug ice hockey stadium. It is currently in negotiations with other stadiums. This list is not exhaustive and by no means reflects all the screen activities of the new providers. But the question arises: Did the large billposters miss the timely entry into the "small" screens (21 to 50 inches)?
Only targeted content will do the trick
But at CCP, which seems to be the most affected by this at the moment, CEO Beat Roeschlin is calm. "I admire the courage of all those who are jumping on this medium early, but I don't think we're hurting each other." He also doubts that screens will pay for themselves if they are used merely as a kind of removable medium. Advertising on screens, no matter what size, only works in combination with up-to-date information, similar to what Publiscreen is trying in Bern-Belp, he says. "Because in addition to the emotional element, there needs to be a rational element to get the consumer to look at all." Optimal target-group-specific content management, however, requires an editorial effort that is currently still too expensive. But once this becomes much more affordable for advertisers, "we too will convert some of our positions into digital communication platforms," says Beat Roeschlin.
Markus Knöpfli
