In a climate where shop vacancy levels are continually on the increase, it may come as a pleasant surprise to hear that demand for prime billboard space in busy retail destinations remains high. Large-format outdoor advertising sites can generate important new and incremental revenue streams for retailers, landlords and managing agents, explains blowUp Media Group Managing Director, Katrin Robertson.
For advertisers, getting their brands noticed at the point-of-sale when people are in a buying mode is of paramount importance for influencing buyer behaviour. Therefore non-traditional outdoor advertising sites in and around shopping malls and bustling High Street locations are highly sought after.
For retail landlords, giant banners, building wraps and even digital screens, can also offer a great way to secure vacant premises, contain and fund restoration work, beautify city centres and generally leverage advertising revenue from existing properties on a short term or ongoing basis.
Banners can help to disguise vacant properties and keep an area looking bright and vibrant rather than appearing empty or run down. This helps to keep rent prices buoyant in the area and can form an important bridging gap when properties are not leased.
Building wraps also offer excellent protection during shop renovations, concealing unsightly building work and keeping the high street looking clean and tidy.
On a practical level building wraps can encase scaffolding and protect passers-by from the mess and noise of building work. The light weight mesh materials of the wrap also allows light to permeate the property beneath.
Building
wraps can mimic the original façade and showcase what the property will look
like once renovations are complete. Printed façades can be important for
historic buildings requiring long term repair work. Ad revenue can help to fund
conservation projects and contribute towards city beautification, as was the
case during restoration work carried out to the historic
For
retailers, banners can provide powerful brand building opportunities that
ensure their premises stand out from the crowd. During the Games, a hot bed for
gigantic banners and eye catching building wraps, John Lewis wrapped several
key stores across the
Outdoor
advertising sites can provide long term opportunities for landlords in areas
with significant footfall and proximity to retail destinations. More
advertisers are embracing digital signage as a way of bringing their brand
stories to life using full motion video.
Digital delivers cut through and brings new flexibility to Out of Home, and
has the additional benefit of being remotely update-able at the click of a
button. Digital signage also enables multiple advertising campaigns to run
consecutively with the potential to earn higher ad revenues.
When looking for an outdoor specialist to partner with, property specialists should look for a one stop shop to help realise their project from conception through to delivery. Generally speaking, Giant Posters need approval from the authorities, so selecting a company with both an in depth understanding of planning permissions and excellent relationships with local authorities is a must. Operational experience, safety track records and sales acumen are all integral to ensuring your site looks good and is constantly earning ad revenue.
Well executed banners can lift an area by creating clean, bright, modern looking spaces. Great advertising campaigns are also well received, fun and create 'talk-ability' amongst the public. Done well, outdoor advertising can generate significant returns for landlords looking to leverage their portfolios.
BlowUP media specialise in large-scale outdoor advertising, and currently manage over 300 locations - the largest such network in Europe.
