Electric Cars spark demand: Sophie Hamilton, marketing executive PML Group with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home.
Electric Cars spark demand in our latest iQ research
Since the release of the first electric vehicles, the Automotive Industry has transformed. Vehicle makers continue to refine their manufacturing processes and improve existing technology. According to the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) EVs, plug-in hybrids and hybrids now make up a combined 44% of the market share. This week, we publish new research from our iQ programme, investigating the EV market among 300 Dubliners, aged 16-54.
The findings demonstrate how consumer behaviour and awareness are changing as more people accept alternative and sustainable mobility modes. Looking at current car ownership, 75% of participants drive either Diesel or Petrol cars. Petrol and Diesel users is highest amongst the 35-44 age category with 85% of females and 75% of males driving this type of vehicle.
However, the appetite for change is growing, highlighting positive consumer demand trends for the EV market. 55% of all participants said their next car purchase will be a hybrid or electric vehicle. That is an increase of 43% compared to current car ownership and highlights a major switch from Petrol and Diesel to more energy efficient vehicles. The graph above shows a significant decline in petrol and diesel models for Dubliners next car purchase.
Following this, we asked participants for their top reasons for choosing electric car models. The top reasons included the environmental benefit, fuel savings, tax savings and other financial incentives. Deloitte’s Global State of the Consumer Tracker regularly polls 40,000 individuals across 18 countries (including 1,000 Irish respondents), capturing a continual snapshot of worldwide consumer sentiment. 21% of Irish consumers plan to buy a vehicle in the next 6 months. Of those who plan to purchase a new vehicle, there is an evident change in consumer buying behaviour. 12% want to replace their vehicle with a more fuel-efficient vehicle and 7% want to switch to an electrified vehicle.
As a medium with a tangible presence in public spaces, the OOH industry is helping Ireland continue the journey to becoming a more sustainable society. OOH plays an important role in driving awareness for electric car brands and presents major opportunities for brands to take advantage of this growing interest. Some examples in the last few months include MINI Electric, Nissan Qashqai and Fiat 500e.
On the Move
Sticking to mobility, The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has published its latest Transport Bulletin which is compiled using data collected by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Road Safety Authority, the National Transport Authority, Dublin City Council, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Transport.
The TII data for the end of February 2022 showed that car traffic volumes in Dublin increased by 27% compared with week one of this year. For the week beginning 21 February 2022 (week 8), the volumes were 75% higher than 2021, 7% lower than the same week in 2019 and 6% lower than the same week in 2020. Data for selected regional sites followed the same trends. The volumes of private cars in selected regional sites increased by 32% compared with week one of this year. For the week beginning 21 February 2022 (week 8), the volumes were 79% higher than 2021, 8% lower compared with the same week in 2019, and 10% below the same week in 2020.
Average weekly volume of cars at selected Dublin and regional sites, 2019-2022
The number of rail and bus journeys in the week starting 20 February 2022 was 65% of the number taken in early March 2020. The number of bus journeys in Dublin for week beginning 20 February 2022 was 66% of the level in early March 2020, compared with 70% for bus journeys outside Dublin and 59% for rail journeys. (Data for rail journeys includes passenger journeys on Intercity and DART services.)
Luas journeys also rose during 2022, with an increase of 67% between the beginning of January to end of February. The number of journeys in week 8 was 66% of the level for the same week in 2020 for the red line and 59% for the green line.
Passenger numbers handled by Dublin airport was almost 14 times that of February 2021 and 35% lower than February 2020.
Latest national Locomizer mobility data, based on analysis of mobile phone location movements via anonymised app reporting, shows an increase to +40% of pre-pandemic levels. This has continued the trend since the start of the year with traffic levels increasing week on week.
Event Based Impact
The month of March has been a great example of how brands can leverage Out of Home as an event-based marketing channel. Outdoor is a location medium but its agility means its content can be hyper-relevant to time and to events happening across the physical and virtual landscape. The array of campaigns has really helped build the momentum surrounding some of the most anticipated events of the year. Here are some of the great examples:
Easter:
The countdown to Easter has officially begun as Baileys is driving appetite appeal and prompting consumers to action in its latest OOH campaign. The creative is sure to hit the sweet tooth while Easter is on the mind of grocery shoppers. Baileys are communicating with key decision makers via Tesco Live and Digitowers which is the perfect opportunity to influence shoppers at the point of sale.
Mother’s Day:
With Mother’s Day this Sunday, High Street Ashbourne calls on commuters to ‘Spoil her’ with a gift from a range of retailers the high street has to offer. The heart-warming creative grabs the attention of commuters and illustrates the potential of the medium in leveraging events in the real world using contextual copy.
Cheltenham:
Boyle Sport and Paddy Power are amongst the Irish bookmakers which launched OOH campaigns for the much-anticipated Cheltenham festival. Boyle Sports launched a highly visible Digital OOH (DOOH) campaign to woo punters with its ‘money-back’ offers and grow its share of the betting market at one of the busiest times of the year for bookmakers. Paddy Power dominated Dublin airport with an array of ads featuring Colm Meaney, Ruby Walsh and Peter Crouch. The Irish bookmaker maximised the opportunity to build top of mind awareness for Irish racing fans returning to Prestbury Park. High impact formats such as the Digital T1 Skyscreen and T2 Blue Lifts are among the formats ‘under starters orders’ at the airport.
Event based marketing in the real world is big part of what we do. No matter what the occasion or time, Dynamic Digital OOH can adapt to meet a brand’s needs. Our latest Out\Look Opportunities showcases the vibrancy of what is going on in the great outdoors over the next few months. From sporting to music events, OOH is the perfect medium to reach these large audiences at the right place and at the right time.
