There's great potential in the outdoors

IN CONVERSATION

Outdoor advertising in India has a lot of potential. Yet, it somehow escapes the marketing mix of important brands, perhaps as a result of the unclear regulations surrounding the medium. But now major outdoor agencies have come together to form the Indian Outdoor Agencies Association (IOAA).

Aabhas Sharma caught up with Noomi Mehta, CMD, Selvel Advertising, and chairman, IOAA, for his views on the subject.

What was the idea behind forming the IOAA and what will its immediate agenda be?

The perception today is that that somehow outdoor advertising is an illegal business. Brands shy away from it not knowing whether the hoarding or billboard they use will be around for long.

There is no clarity on the rules and regulations. We intend talking to civic bodies to straighten this. At the end of the day, we want the industry to grow. But we also want to work in tandem with various bodies to do that.

Is that the reason the medium has suffered and struggled to grow?

The outdoor advertising industry stands at around Rs 1200-Rs 1400 crore, and has the potential to be much bigger.

As traditional media gets more and more cluttered, OOH gains in importance as a critical medium to connect with the consumer and capture his attention when he is most receptive outside the home.

We know for a fact that a lot of foreign companies want to come in but stay away as they are not clear about how the whole thing works.

What's your view on outdoor advertising causing visual obstruction and being "unsafe"?

Tell me, isn't Times Square in New York the mecca of outdoor advertising "" in a manner of speaking? How many accidents occur there? And it has almost all forms of LED, moving images and huge attractive hoardings, yet it works.

To blame hoardings, billboards and outdoor agencies for accidents that might happen is unfair. One just can't keep on changing the regulations without seeing the bigger picture.

But how do you plan to address all these issues?

What we want is a dialogue with the bodies and we need to see that we work together in it. We are not saying that we want no rules and regulations.

But then the rules should be in accordance to what's best for all parties involved. Outdoor advertising generates a lot of money for the government bodies and we play a major role in that.

So we should be given a fair chance. The regulations have to be in place in order to drive the growth of this industry and not hamper it, which unfortunately has been the case. The IOAA would want to ensure this and with experienced heads from the biggest agencies in the country, I am sure we can do that.

How do you see the future of Indian outdoor advertising to be?

The future is bright and good if people associated with the industry work together. It has massive potential if utilised properly.

Again, I repeat, we are not averse to rules and regulations but what is need is more sense and clarity in how the industry should function.