Aussie Mall’s OOH Ad Plan Is All Digital, No Print

March 18, 2014 by Dave Haynes

Here’s an interesting little story out of Melbourne, Australia that shows how digital is genuinely displacing conventional print: the city’s new Emporium shopping centre will have Australia’s biggest external digital sign, more than 30 digital advertising panels, and no print advertising.

From the trade publication ProPrint:

Australia’s largest retail advertising media company, oOh! Media, has won the exclusive media rights contract to provide the digital advertising, a number of which will be capable of full mobile interactivity; plus Wi-Fi connectivity and other digital and experiential technologies; and a 347sqm external digital screen on two sides of the complex’s exterior.

Both centre owners Colonial First State and oOh! Media have confirmed there will be no print advertising around the flagship development, which opens April 16, meaning the only opportunity it will bring for printers is point-of-sale advertising for individual tenants.

oOh! Media chief executive Brendan Cook says digital is most likely to displace print advertising in quality sensitive environments such as shopping centres like Emporium and airports, where his company recently installed 24 new digital signs at Sydney airport, as there is more competition for eyeballs and customers have more time to look.

Digital advertising can be targeted towards groups of customers and changed throughout the day, such as cereal ads in the morning and alcohol after children would have left the area, and to switch up campaigns quickly.

He says: “We will be able to raise-the-bar on shoppers’ retail advertising experience during their visit to the Emporium – from the huge external digital sites that entice traffic into the centre, to reactive digital panels and experiential opportunities inside the centre.”