Electronic Billboards See Positive Response
Viacom Outdoor’s Digital Escalator Panels (DEPs), installed at the London Underground’s Tottenham Court Road station earlier this year, have wowed commuters, with many enthralled by them and choosing to pay extra attention as they continue their journey.
Research by Viacom Outdoor into the effect and response to the new medium showed that 80% of Londoners thought the advertising carried on the sites was enjoyable to look at, while 61% said it made their journey through the station more pleasurable.
The first advertisers to use the medium were British Airways, O2, Direct Line, Transport for London and 20th Century Fox, with Viacom’s research finding 73% of travellers watching the ads “all or most of the time” they were using escalators.
Just 1% of those questioned by the outdoor operator said that they were not interested by the ads, choosing not to look at them.
Overall the response to the medium has been positive, with a massive 85% of respondents describing the technology as “innovative”, while 78% found it “entertaining” and 73% claimed it was “engaging.”
The technology was installed at Tottenham Court Road in order to assess its performance earlier this year, with the single tube site selected due to its escalators being the busiest of any station in the network (see Viacom Breaks New Ground With Digital Tube Posters).
Advertisers using the new screens can choose from a combination of five and ten second spots on the 66 digital posters, installed on both sides of the escalators at the station. The individual advertisements rotate on a 60 second loop, running throughout the day over a two week period.
Because the sites are linked together electronically, advertisers are able to use all of the sites in unison, creating easily executed, or time sensitive site takeovers. Images are also able to transfer from screen to screen travelling up or down the escalator in sync with commuters. Advertising on the sites is controlled remotely from Viacom Outdoor’s offices.
Advertisers are initially being offered air time on the sites for fixed periods, although Viacom expects to offer day-part advertising, allowing brands to tailor advertisements to reach consumers on the move during the day and at different times during the week.
The latest research from Viacom echoes the findings of an earlier study, in which the outdoor operator claimed Londoners are shunning online advertising in favour of outdoor campaigns, with entertaining campaigns on the capital’s buses and Tube networks seen as a welcome addition to the commuting landscape (see Research Claims Ads Improve Bus and Tube Networks).
Commenting on the successful adoption of DEP technology, Stephen Fuller, head of consumer insight at Viacom Outdoor said: “London commuters are bombarded by advertising messages and therefore have high levels of ad avoidance. However, our research demonstrates that this is not the case with Tube users. Not only do they welcome ads on the Tube but in the case of the Digital Escalator Panels, it actually makes their journeys more pleasurable.”
Viacom Outdoor: 020 7482 3000 www.viacom-outdoor.co.uk