Printers in Mumbai hopeful despite DOOH

The decision of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to bring in digital OOH media is set to take the industry forward. But is it likely to hit the overall business of the printing industry? To understand the impact, Media4Growth spoke to a number of printers in Mumbai.

Mansukh Gala, Director of Pacific Digital Print says, speaking about the impact in the context of the evolving landscape in metro cities and the changing dynamics in tier II and III markets, “The printing industry is huge and it grows by 20%-30% each year. The trajectory will continue in this direction even after the digital billboards have replaced the traditional billboards. This is because, the budget for printing will remain the same, and the demand for static media will increase in tier-2 and tier 3 cities.”

It may be noted that in 2014, media owners revolted against the decision to digitize billboards. With a similar provision in the existing draft ad policy, a petition is likely to be signed by the media owners again and there are players from digital printing who are likely to support them. Vivek Sejpal, Director of Splash Digital believes that some printers are likely to join the petition because of the adverse effect that the policy can have on the printing industry.

However, given the current scenario, the printers by and large do project a positive future. A Metro Multimedia Technology spokesperson suggests that there is a scope for expanding in other avenues, and the constant development in printing technology will find its place in outdoors as well.