BigFX Moves To Compete With Banner Market Leaders

Independent banner contractor, bigFX, has appointed former Megaposter sales and marketing director, Ian Bohn, as the exclusive sales agent for its national banner portfolio as the company moves to disrupt the current duopoly in large-scale poster advertising held by blowUP and Clear Channel.

Bohn worked for Megaposter UK until its acquisition by blowUP Media last year, a move which gave the firm a majority share of the UK’s giant poster market (see BlowUP Inflates Portfolio With MegaPoster Purchase).

However, the sales and marketing boss has now signed with bigFX, and has been working on several key London sites as the company moves to extend its presence and challenge the market leadership of blowUP and rival outdoor firm, Clear Channel.

Commenting on his appointment, Bohn said: “I was delighted to accept bigFX’s invitation to market their inventory and look forward to helping raise their profile in a sector that, since the collapse of Mega Profile and the sale of Megaposter, has become a bit of a duopoly. During my three and a half years at Megaposter we took the business from nowhere to third in a fast growing banner sector and I’m aiming to replicate, or better that performance this time around.”

A spokesman for bigFX added: “We believe that with our growing presence in the UK’s main regional cities, aligned to the London sites in development through Bohn Associates, we offer advertisers a real alternative in the current market.”

Growth in banner advertising has seen the sector expand rapidly, with recent figures showing a record investment of £5 million in the medium in the first quarter of 2005. Amongst those choosing to use large-scale poster formats for their campaigns are high profile firms such as Apple, BMW, H&M, Levis, Sony Ericsson and T Mobile.

Bohn is currently targeting several high-traffic locations for bigFX, with several planning applications pending and an appeal in progress which could result in a giant site on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue.

bigFX: 020 7240 0123 www.bigfx.co.uk