Soccer mania writ large on Kolkata OOH ahead of FIFA U-17 World Cup finals

The city of Kolkata is gripped in a spell of soccer mania as the FIFA Under-17 World Cup makes headway. The World Cup host city resembles a tapestry of FIFA Under-17 World Cup colours and imageries. The iconic Salt Lake stadium, also known as Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, where the World Cup U-17 final match will be played, is adorned with the event advertising displays, many in very innovative formats. The entire campaign is led by FIFA in association with Biswa Bangla, Government of West Bengal with due support of Sports Department, Government of West Bengal, Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

Genesis Advertising, which had clinched the event promotion project from the Sports Department, Government of West Bengal, assigned the outdoor agency Unique Outdoor Advertising and Marketing to execute the event campaign on hoardings, billboards, transit media, etc. Sign and Graphics took up the signage work while BTL activations at the city malls were done by DNA Networks.

For the campaign, multiple media formats such as hoardings, billboards, cutouts, unipoles, gantry, bus branding, tram branding, metro coach branding, pillar branding, standees, bus queue shelters, traffic signals, police booth, kiosk, college bus branding, vessel branding, selfie stands, LED displays, overheads, L-shaped and T-shaped gates have been used in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. Materials such as fibre glass, plywood, vinyl flex, LED, signages, both for frontlit and backlit media, have been used. Notably, the campaign is writ large on unipoles and hoardings on the arterial stretch from Parama Island to Airport and from Maa flyover to Salt Lake Stadium.

Apart from the branding exercise, the city was cleaned up and the sanitation and sewage systems have been spruced up. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority had also constructed subways for easy pedestrian movement. Some Rs 45 crore was spent toward beautifying the city that also entailed laying grass banks, garbage disposal utilities, drain cleaning, installation of lights, props, logos, etc.

 “Advertisement is a key source of revenue for the state government, new media additions are to be executed ahead of the finals this week. As digital billboards are a hindrance to the traffic, the state government has allowed only few LED displays. We cannot allow LED billboards further. We are controlling the billboards and hoardings only within BMC. Till we are here, we trying to keep the city beautiful because Mr Firhad Hakim, Minister, Urban and Municipal affairs, Government of West Bengal, has promised all support to keep the city clean,” said Debasish Jana, Mayor-in Council, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.

Sabyasachi Dutta, Mayor, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, commented that “FIFA is a milestone event. It is our motto and endeavour to decorate Bidhannagar and we are here to give all our municipal service to our residents and those who are visiting us. We have taken all precautions to ensure that the hoardings and other media are well secured and do not pose any hazard to the passers-by and traffic. I hope that Kolkata has done a lot under the leadership of our honourable Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.” (618 words)