Punjab media owners disappointed with new draft ad policy

The draft Punjab Outdoor Advertising Policy 2018 has queered the pitch for media owners in the state. After waiting expectantly for a business-enabling policy, the industry now sees the provisions of the draft policy as burdensome. Municipal corporations are looking to raise ad revenues several fold.

Kamal Mittal, Proprietor of Jalandhar-based Creative Designer told Media4Growth: “Their idea of earning three times more revenue is next to impossible as the Punjab market is already saturated and there aren’t various means to earn huge revenues as the local brands don’t shell out big budgets for OOH and corporate clients spend as per their sales target. Moreover, no client will be ready to meet hefty costs of advertising”.

Deepak Singhla, Partner of Bhatinda-based Kanhiya Advertisers finds no major changes in the new draft policy as compared to the previous one. “Apart from adding taxes there is nothing new in this draft which can bring profitability in the market. The policy has been drafted but its implementation will be more even more difficult as the landscape of each city is different so the provisions such as no sites on the footpath and at a 100 feet distance and etc will not be possible as the roads are narrow and different”.

Even the aspects of Digital OOH don’t excite the media owners as they are aware of the fact that it includes various other provisions of safety that will curb DOOH advertising. 

The media owners feel that the corporation will understand the adverse outcomes of this policy once they bear the losses with failing tenders as no media owner will be able to invest in tenders that will cost three time the previous base price.

The best step for municipal corporation will be to implement the policy step by step in a calibrated fashion.