Ireland’s OOH market grew in value by 4% in 2018, fuelled primarily by a robust second half of the year, according to PML Group.
A key driver in the growth of the market was digital OOH which accounted for 19% of all OOH in 2018 and the agency expects this to increase to 25% in 2019, driven by the launch of new networks such as Digipanels and the expansion of existing digital networks.
According to PML, Diageo was the biggest OOH advertiser in 2018, followed by McDonald’s and AIB Group. Some of the biggest increases in investment among advertisers came from Dunnes Stores, PepsiCo and Ulster Bank.
Retail is the biggest spending category on OOH, driven primarily by supermarket activity such as Lidl and more general retail brands such as Arnotts. Finance, meanwhile, remains one of the highest spending categories with a wide range of banks and insurance advertisers contributing to this position.
The figures are contained in PML Group’s annual review of the OOH medium for 2018, published today.
According to PML, 2018 was notable for a step-change in the use of data and technology to optimise creative. Ireland saw a wide range of pioneer advertisers including Diageo, Premier Lotteries, Mondeléz and Valeo taking advantage of PML Group’s Dynamic platform capabilities to increase relevance of message for brands in 2018. 2019 has begun in similar vein, with an Aer Lingus Dynamic campaign active in cycle 1.
The report points to OOH’s classic strengths of impact, scale and building brand fame being more relevant than ever now. “The creative canvas for OOH advertisers is the best its ever been, in terms of quality and location. However, by incorporating OOH pillars including Innovation, Experiential and Dynamic alongside Classic OOH, marketers can see an effect throughout the marketing funnel, with OOH driving engagement, consideration and action on top of its core delivery of interest and awareness,” notes the PML review.
According to Colum Harmon, marketing director, PML Group: “2018 was a really strong year for OOH. Smart brands are playing to the key strengths of the various strands of OOH to achieve better business results. The stage for brands is quality, creative is improving and technology and data are adding exciting layers of planning and delivery for OOH advertisers.”
