Big Just Got Bigger In Outdoor, Say Analysts

The giant banner market has been identified as one of the fastest growing sections of outdoor advertising. An analysis of the market by Outdoor Connection predicts that revenue from giant banners could reach £6m by the end of this year.

The growth of the sector, which covers outdoor advertising which is often up to 40 metres long, has seen massive growth in the last two years. If this year’s predicted revenue is correct, it will be more than double last year’s figure of £2.76m, while that figure represented a 689% increase on 1998.

David Payne, director of Outdoor Connection, said, “The sexy status and headline-grabbing appeal of banners has drawn in a raft of cutting-edge brands that have bumped up banner revenue considerably. While we advise advertisers to plan their banner campaigns meticulously, it is the desire for cityscape standout that will continue to drive the boom in banners.”

The number of sites available to advertisers has also grown in recent years. Only five giant sites existed at the end of 1998, a number which grew to 41 by the end of 1999. Outdoor Connection is expecting the number to more than double by the end of 2000, reaching 86.

Last year the biggest single spender on this form of advertising was Ford, which spent £486,000. However, clothing and accessory brands were the group which made the biggest collective spend- around £1m.

Earlier in the year, Van Wagner introduced an opportunity for advertisers to target London’s big spenders- Square Mile workers and Knightsbridge shoppers- with giant billboard advertising, when it opened a number of new sites in the capital (see Van Wagner To Launch Biggest Billboards On The Planet). Evidently as convinced as Outdoor Connection about the future of this form of outdoor, its next project claims the title “the biggest billboard on the planet”.

Outdoor Connection: 020 7307 9700