Driving Direct Marketing Outdoors!

Added: (Thu Jul 21 2005)

Pressbox (Press Release) - A Manchester-based outdoor advertising company has today officially launched its innovative vehicle advertising programme which it promises will allow advertisers to address some of the most problematic factors associated with outdoor advertising – targeting and accountability.

The scheme, described by Managing Director Paul Fabretti as “bringing some of the accountability of direct marketing to outdoor advertising” allows advertisers to move beyond billboards, taxi and bus advertising and enable them to target specific types of consumers in particular regions or institutions.

Fabretti explains that “by providing everything needed to enable the advertisers to reach their target customer or key market locations, our programme ensures that advertisers are able to send their message directly to more of the people most likely to respond. There is a desperate need with outdoor media to find ways of maximising exposure, but minimising wastage so that mainly those most likely to respond are exposed to the ad”.

Accused though of being little different to taxi or bus advertising Fabretti responds by explaining that the programme “achieves similar levels of exposure” as other mobile media, but that “the targeted nature of the vehicle at a wide variety of specific locations such as colleges, shopping centres and motorways ensures that exposure is often wider and more effective than buses or taxis”.

“Word of mouth also plays an enormous role in the success in our campaigns” explains Fabretti, suggesting that the nature of the scheme means potential customers like friends, colleagues and family all hear about the car and the ad. “Youth brands are able to achieve deeper penetration into key markets where mobility and the need for a car plays an important factor in the lives of the under-21’s” concludes Fabretti.

Integrating the latest GPS technology into the programme also means that Outdoor Direct Media can provide advertisers with large amounts of evidence of the movements of the vehicle, the routes it has taken as well as by whom it has been seen. “We believe we are amongst the first to provide our clients with daily reports on the activity of their ad, ensuring that the ad is being used to its maximum potential” concludes Fabretti.

And, with talks ongoing between Outdoor Direct Media and several nationwide advertisers, it seems as if the line between above and below the line marketing is getting thinner all the time.