Viacom Outdoor Trials High-Tech Bus Sides
London’s bus sides are about to get a 21st century makeover, as Viacom Outdoor rolls out the first fleet to carry full-colour mobile digital advertising screens.
The new technology will be used for the first time by online travel and lifestyle brand lastminute.com, with its digital ads being carried around central London for twelve weeks in a campaign planned by Smarter Communications media agency.
The new screens have been fitted to 25 London buses, taking up half of the advertising space on their pavement-facing sides. The screens’ content can be remotely updated by advertisers, allowing specific targeting of campaigns by daypart.
In the future, Viacom claims that technology upgrades will see the use of Global Satellite Positioning (GPS) systems to allow different versions of an advert to be show in different locations.
The launch of the digital bus sides follows Viacom Outdoor’s trial of digital escalator panels at London Underground’s Tottenham Court Road station. The screens, like those mounted on the sides of the new buses, allow text and graphics to animate across the screens, providing huge standout compared to their traditional, static rivals.
The escalator panels have so far been greeted with a warm reception, with research by Viacom showing 80% of Londoners thought the advertising carried on the sites was enjoyable to look at, while 61% said it made their journey more pleasurable (see Electronic Billboards See Positive Response).
The company will no doubt be hoping for a similar response to the new bus sides. Stuart Parish, media planning and purchasing manager at lastminute.com expressed delight at the new panels, stating: “Developing both new and innovative ways to reach our customer is always at the forefront of thinking for lastminute.com and this opportunity certainly fits the bill. The sites will offer us a stand out and impact that will be hard to ignore and I’m confident they will be a huge success for us.”
Nicky Cheshire, sales director, Impact at Viacom Outdoor added: “Our LED buses bring enhanced flexibility and dynamism to the world of outdoor. The ability to change messages at the touch of a button will allow advertisers to play on modality and truly engage with consumers as they move up and down the high streets of London.”
Viacom Outdoor: 020 7482 3000 www.viacom-outdoor.co.uk