NewsLine Column: Giant Banners – The Truth Behind The Shroud
Giant banners have risen to prominence over the last few years as marketers seek new ways to cut through the increasing amount of advertising clutter. With this in mind Ian Bohn, sales and marketing director of Megaposter UK, gives an insider’s view of the phenomenon.
Giant banners have become an accepted part of the media and urban landscape and whilst some critics have dismissively labelled them shrouds, there is in fact nothing dreary about them at all. Giant banners were pioneered in Germany in the early 1990’s by Megaposter and blowUP media, a division of the Stroer Group.
As with many good continental European ideas (think advertising on bus shelters), the concept was imported into the UK by a domestic contractor and in 1998 Mega Profile started the giant banner sector in Britain. Around the Millennium, when banners began to gain acceptance with agency buyers, both of the original pioneering German companies moved into the UK, since when the sector has shown dramatic growth both in the number of sites and revenues.
Industry sources quantified the banner sector revenues climbing from less than £500,000 in 1998 to around £12 million in 2002. Our own estimates for 2003 place this year’s spend slightly lower, but a year of consolidation after such massive sustained growth comes to every sector. 2003 has seen the biggest ever banner campaign for Audi, with a TV budget being switched to banners for the impact they can deliver. Currently British Gas is running a strategically focussed banner presence in key conurbations nationally.
We have also witnessed the entry of a mainstream outdoor contractor to the sector, with Clear Channel securing the rights to market Britain’s biggest site at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham and acquiring a small London banner company in the summer. Despite this, the established order has been maintained, with the top three specialist banner contractors responsible for 90% of the banner bookings in 2003. Our estimates of market share put Mega Profile top with between 35% – 40%, blowUP second with around 30% – 35% and Megaposter in third place on 20%, with several smaller contractors making up the balance.
The sector has also made progress on issues like research and planning. Megaposter commissioned research into public attitudes to giant banners, demonstrating a positive reaction. In a street survey of just under 400, only 14% found banners “offensive” against 62% considering them “not offensive”. A massive 71% indicated a preference for banner advertising rather than the bland builders screening material. This view has been accepted by several councils and Megaposter has tracked our recent planning success rate for applications for temporary express consent at 60%.This figure is much higher than would be expected for traditional roadside lightboxes and billboards.
Our research also provided an insight into the primary audience for banners, which is primarily in the younger 18 – 34 age group. This is probably one reason why banners have been traditionally popular with fashion and lifestyle brands. The UK banner sector has come far since 1998, to a point where it not only delivers impact and standout, but also greater reliability and accountability, which is great news for clients and agencies. And with advertisers becoming increasingly aware of the effectiveness of banners, councils becoming more accepting of their presence and research proving their worth, banners are set to play an increasingly important part in the media landscape.
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