‘Pricing , measurement, maintenance & technology key to higher spends on OOH’

Could you first take us through the brand approach of SONY SAB towards OOH medium as a whole?

The primary objective for us with OOH has always been to create high impact visibility, in addition to building reach and frequency for our campaigns. OOH offers impact and in-your - face visibility, which is very important for an industry like ours, especially  when we launch a new show.  Secondly, the approach depends on the focus market for our campaigns and our TG. Depending on those, we plan the catchment areas for our campaigns.

What is the approximate percentage of marketing spends allotted for OOH typically?

Every campaign is different, but overall I’d say OOH is very important and part of most of our launch plans, because like I said, OOH offers visibility. So I’d say the spends are significant and not a small percentage.

Do you see the spends on OOH going up even further? Are you exploring newer options in this space?

We will be happy to explore newer options, but it all depends on how cost effective this medium becomes. Sometimes it’s not just very cost effective in terms of offering a scientific way of measuring it. In the past, people have attempted measuring , but ultimately it depends on how people in this industry can use technology to really demand the right kind of pricing - like sensor technologies to capture the number of cars going by a site, for example. Without such measuring mechanisms in place,  it’s just based on guesstimates.

Would you say that the challenges you typically encounter in the OOH space need to be sorted before spends on this medium can go up? Could you elaborate on some of these challenges?

Yes. The main challenge is the disparity in price points and also the availability of sites. Very often, although we make plans much in advance, we get to know of what’s available only a few days before the campaign. So there has to be a professional way of managing availability and timelines; and agencies could enable the clients to have far more clarity in these aspects. Maintenance is another area that needs to be organised better.

Read the full interview in the October 2021 issue of Outdoor Asia.