JCDecaux Upfronts 2020

We revel in the idea of a digital world. Saving paper saves the trees and in turn, saves media suppliers on production costs! And what’s better than buying one digital screen? Securing two digital screens!

In their recent upfronts 2020 conference, JCDecaux, the pioneer for outdoor media have announced their plans to bridge the gap between OOH and the digital world. The Brand Gap 2 report aims to take the reins on both branding and activation. Brands can expect a unified synergy between what consumers see on public and private screens, making for a stronger, longer impression.

JCD has teamed with Lumen, a cutting-edge eye-tracking technology company set to make waves in the digital world, tapping into some previously ambiguous insights. In a two-screen world, the cross-channel strategy allows for a consistent image to be displayed on more than one screen such as an outdoor digital 6 screen and a mobile phone.  In effect, the brand campaign resonates with the consumer from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to back to bed. Screen time exists profoundly in our lives, fed through our phones, our commutes and our work. Building a two-screen campaign creates a persistent message without being too pushy. Picture this – you scroll through Facebook on your way to work, your phone dies as you get to the train station, causing you to look for some passenger information point. During your commute, you find a digital passenger information point. And what’s the creative message beside it? The same advert you saw on Facebook earlier in the day.

The highly targeted, cross-channel strategy not only encourages awareness but consideration and sales. Implementing a trusted narrative, then sharing it across both OOH and Facebook formats has seen a 13% increase in the likelihood to purchase as well as the 6% uplift in actual sales. Studies show the propensity to purchase products increases across Gen Z and Millennial audiences when both OOH and digital formats are active. The brand image is viewed the first time, recognised the second and by the third/fourth view recognised, remembered and recalled. The memory becomes a motif displayed across various screens, prompting the target audience towards the lower end of the sales funnel.

In their October conference, CEO of JCDecaux UK announced ‘out-of-home can act as a primer to make the private screen more engaging and work harder’ – driving consideration and descending into the lower end of the sales funnel. Now that 57% of viewable media is on the same aspect ratio (vertical six-sheet), brands mould their adverts to fit around the audience’s routine. Geofencing pinpoints the perfect audience, where there’s no escaping the programmatic messaging. Take Virgin Active, they have over 30 clubs in Greater London and wanted to target people that are regularly seen in close proximity to their sites. Geotargeting helped to gain leverage of a highly connected audience, maximise the relevance of their messaging and achieve performance uplift from proactive brand activity. Out-of-home media not only primes but permeates the digital world with familiarity and trust.

Watch this (vertical) space as the gap between our private and public worlds collapses. Experience a flawless brand activation proven to stimulate the consideration stage of a highly targeted audience and, in turn, increase sales conversions.

Google Chrome Will Display Warnings For Slow Sites

In a further push to make websites take loading speeds seriously, Google have announced a new range of plans to help pre-warn users on how quickly or slowly a site may load.

“We think the web can do better and want to help users understand when a site may load slowly, while rewarding sites delivering fast experiences.” – Addy Osmani, Ben Greenstein and Bryan McQuade from the Chrome team

The plans include the rollout of warning messages within load screens on slower websites,  alongside a new green progress bar for sites with faster load times, both seen in the examples below:

Rather than implement strict criteria for what is and isn’t a fast site immediately, Google plan to gradually increase this over time. Google’s long-term goal is to clearly badge sites that load quickly or slowly for users, with further plans to expand the badging of sites to cover a range of signals beyond just site speed.

Google recommend using the following resources to help identify areas where improvements to site speed can be made:

Google also suggest checking web.dev/fast in order to learn the best practices for site performance.

To add to the above list, we would also recommend also utilising the following resources:

These additional resources will be able to provide valuable insights on page speed performance, and can be used alongside Google’s own resources.

Check out our latest SEO and Social Media market updates for the latest news, and if you’re interested in finding out more about what we can do for your brand, get in touch with us today.

GOMO or Go Home?

Testing the Malleability of OOH Media in a Transitional Digital World.

For years outdoor media has remained solid yet stagnant. Time may change but the reliability of a forty-foot poster has rarely been questioned. Without realising it, we are subject to ads in our outdoor life hundreds of times a week. They have become part of our daily commute, local environment and city architecture. But, as we journey further into the digital age, we are no longer accustomed to taking in our surroundings. Instead, we are increasingly more concerned with the world at our fingertips. Since the growth of digital media, outdoor media must work harder to gain the attention of the average consumer. Today billboards must compete with their immediate surroundings, alongside online traffic.
 
In today’s society, outdoor media is striving to be brighter, bolder and smarter than ever. Traditional billboard sites are being replaced by digital screens on a weekly basis. These screens offer the opportunity for more impressions, many creatives and a mix of ads every minute. So what is the latest step in the plight of OOH (out-of-home) media? Meet the iWalker by GOMO…
 
The iWalker is a wearable digital communication tool that moves with your audience. The device acts as a harness supporting a large screen above the head of the wearer. It also has speakers pumping music of the companies’ choice to the surrounding crowds. The device is eye-catching and attention-seeking. Used in the right location it represents a hybrid of events based promotion and outdoor media.
 
The selling point of the iWalker is, at present, the spectacle of it. The device catches the attention and not the eye of crowds, and in return, the device absorbs the data of the crowds. When presented with a scene, the iWalker analyses the situation and obtains data from the surroundings. It has the capacity to do several things, for example, viewer counting. The iWalker can detect all faces in the scene so the number of impressions is reliable and not estimated. It also tracks faces – monitoring how long a face remains in the scene – thus deducing dwell time and attention time. The device can then classify the gender and age of an individual. This means that the post-campaign analytics are tested and reliable thus improving the ROI.
 
Will the iWalker will prove to be another fad of the media world? Or will it will be as influential as the billboard was? Regardless of opinion, it is pushing the boundaries of outdoor media and offering movement to a static world.