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Ocean Outdoor launches digital sites in UK regions as it installs face recognition posters in London's Westfield

By Gordon Young, Editor

June 19, 2012 | 3 min read

Ocean Outdoor, a boutique outdoor media business which was recently acquired by the private equity arm of Lloyds for £35m, has announced a £2m investment in Manchester as part of an ambitious expansion scheme.

The company, which pursues a quality over quantity mantra when it comes to the outdoor business, has launched two new digital sites. The first called the Media Wall @Printworks is a 15 x 7 metre full motion digital screen. The second can be found on Portland Street and is a 2.1 x 5.8 metre tower.

In addition the company has built two new banner locations in the city; one - measuring 31 x 11.4m is in Deansgate while the other, measuring 3.1 x 5.8 metres., is on the Portland Tower.

The company only has around 30 sites in the UK, compared to the likes of JC Decaux which has around 50,000. But by focusing on premium sites on premium locations it argues they are every bit as impactful. For example one site it manages is the iMax cinema in London. The cost of wrapping this building makes it the most expensive poster site in Europe.

However, in recent months it is digital that has generated the most interest around the business. The company’s campaign for Lynx, which featured augmented reality angels - those standing on certain spot in Birmingham City Centre and London VIctoria could see themselves interacting with the virtual angels on a giant digital bill poster - generated a significant amount of profile.

It now aims to build on that trend by making sure its new digital sites are Wi-Fi and broadband enabled.

Marketing director Richard Malton told The Drum: “Our aim is to double in size over the next three years and digital will be a key driver. In China for example, digital is around 40% of out of home. In the UK the figure is around 23% so there is room for growth.”

The plan will now see Ocean bringing digital sites to other UK centres for the first time over the next few months including Glasgow, Leeds and Edinburgh.

However, the business will continue to invest in its London heartland too, according to Malton. “We are also planning to put face recognition into a site in Westfield Shopping Centre” he said.

“This will be a first. We are currently testing the software, but the site should be able to recognise, for example, whether the majority of the audience in front are either male or female and serve a relevant poster. If for example you are selling a car to men you might want an ad that talks about performance and speed. However, when selling it to a woman you might want to focus on other features.”

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