“Investing in OOH media has allowed us to reach wider audiences and create a larger impact”

As Imagicaa celebrates the company’s 10-year milestone, what has been the highlight of the journey and what were the challenges you faced along the way?

Change has been the only constant at Imagicaa and that’s led to inevitable change in brand identity and business transformation. From being a single thematic park to a holistic entertainment cum holiday destination with addition of newer attractions each year, the journey has been incredible. Innovative and immersive guest experience will remain at the centre of it all. From unique IP tie-ups like Hot Wheels Nitro, Chhota Bheem to Imagicaa CSR initiative ‘Share The Joy’ being inducted in the Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of Records, to entertaining 10 million+ happy guests, we have done it all. It has truly been a decade of thrill and excitement.

Imagicaa has faced several challenges in the past decade, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing competition, and combating share of time versus share of wallet. However, we continued to invest in new attractions and experiences and implement cost-cutting measures to stay competitive and overcome these challenges.

For Imagicaa’s anniversary campaign, you invested significantly in outdoor advertisements. According to you, what value does the OOH medium provide that makes it attractive for brands?

One of the values that the OOH medium provides is its ability to offer diverse and wide-ranging advertising options beyond billboards. This allows brands to be more creative and think outside the box in their advertising efforts. Additionally, OOH advertising is always on and can surround and immerse audiences in powerful advertising, wherever they live, work, travel, shop, and play. This makes OOH advertising a powerful storytelling tool that can deliver larger-than-life impact.

A significant amount of Imagicaa marketing spends this quarter have been apportioned for static OOH media i.e. billboards, hoardings. However, in the transit media market, bus wraps have emerged as viable solutions due to their vast size and ability to reach various areas around the city. The bus wraps increase visibility and acts as moving billboards, providing large-scale exposure at a low cost. 

For Imagicaa's anniversary campaign, investing significantly in outdoor advertisements through OOH media campaigns, specifically bus wraps, has allowed us to reach a wider audience and create a larger impact. 

Response to leveraging transit medium for communication has been encouraging and also built positive brand recall. For this summer season too, we have deployed 505 buses across Mumbai (250), Navi Mumbai (100), Pune (100), Surat (55) to seed our ‘Summer Ko Banao Awe-summer’ Campaign and showcase exciting offerings for ‘Imagicaa’s 10^th Year Carnival’ akin celebration and the daily prizes to be won including the bumper prize of MG Astor SUV car.

The surge in airport travel is also a massive opportunity for this summer and beyond, particularly for destination marketing advertisers like us. Airport screens captivate travellers in the terminal, the airport lounge, and baggage claim. We have therefore leveraged DOOH advertising media at both of Mumbai’s international (T2) and domestic (T1) airport terminals to promote our summer as well as anniversary bash campaigns for May given that airports have the highest dwell time for passengers. We have also utilised radio advertising, promoting our campaigns on Radio City and Red FM to help build brand recall amongst our target audience.

Did you open your premises to venue branding for third-party brands?

We have partnered with several brands for in-park branding in the past. Today also, we are constantly exploring brand partnerships and developing a branding strategy that aligns with the overall goals and objectives of both brands making it a win-win situation for all.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future and what role do you see OOH playing to help you achieve these goals?

Imagicaa' future vision includes expanding its footprint in India and redefining its customer experience strategy through digital transformation and event enhancements. Imagicaa will continue to leverage OOH advertising to increase brand awareness and attract visitors to all its parks. As OOH advertising continues to evolve, it is likely to become more targeted, personalised, and interactive, enabling brands to engage with consumers in new and innovative ways. By leveraging OOH advertising and embracing the future of DOOH advertising, we can create awareness about our offerings and promote the brand in a highly engaging and memorable ways by creating immersive and personalized experiences, engaging with potential visitors in real-time, and optimizing advertising efforts.