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Jumping out of the hoarding
Surina=20 Sayal | afaqs! | Mumbai, July 28, 2008 =

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steady = clutter of hoardings=20 plastered across the skyline of a city, you suddenly see Akshay Kumar = crashing=20 out of a glass screen and jumping to grab a Thums Up. Moving on you see = a=20 Shoppers Stop hoarding with men painting on the new logo and message, = only to=20 realise a minute later that they are not really there =96 it=92s just an = illusion.=20 What=92s happening? Welcome to the next generation of 3D hoardings or, = as=20 Encyclomedia Networks, the OOH solution provider that created these, = calls it,=20 the =91iCatch billboards=92.

Mukesh=20 Manik
Mumbai based = Mukesh Manik of=20 Encyclomedia Networks is the brain behind the 3D hoardings. Manik = believes in=20 doing things differently. (Even his designation is something else =96 = M-I-C or=20 Man-in-Charge!).

Manik believes that an advertiser need not = plaster a=20 city with his brand message, a few attention grabbing hoardings can do = the job=20 just as easily =96 after all, less is more.

Speaking to afaqs!, = Manik=20 says, =93We believe that investing in the quality of content rather than = spending=20 on the quantity fetches better returns.=94

Airtel=20 Before

Airtel=20 After
Well, the cost of = production of=20 the iCatch billboards is definitely on the higher side because of the = superior=20 materials involved in making them. Based on economies of scale, the cost = actually depends on the number of prints taken. The billboards could = cost about=20 25 per cent more than regular billboards in a bulk deal. If the number = of prints=20 is less, it could cost even 50 per cent more.

Normally, 90 per = cent of=20 the cost of putting up a hoarding goes in the form of rental, while the=20 remaining 10 per cent is spent on creative, administration and printing, = and=20 mounting. In such a case, when one invests a little extra on creative = and print=20 quality and reduces the cost of media space, the results could increase=20 exponentially.

=93Hundred billboards sound impressive, but they = serve no=20 purpose if no one looks at them. The effective use of the media canvas = is the=20 key,=94 says Manik.

=93Advertisers spend significant amounts of = money on=20 branding. In our case, the clients=92 money is spent more strategically = on=20 creative impact and print quality, rather than the quantity of the media = used,=94=20 Manik explains.

Spice Telecom = Before

Spice Telecom = After
However, = statistically, no=20 formal study has been done to assess direct impact on product sales. So, = afaqs!=20 spoke to a couple of Encyclomedia=92s clients, brands such as Airtel, = Dove, Clinic=20 All Clear, Kwality Wall=92s, Shoppers Stop, Idea, Castrol, XBox and = Coca-Cola=20 brands Maaza, Minute Maid, Limca, Thums Up and Fanta.

Kashmira = Chadha,=20 director, marketing, Coca-Cola India, says, =93We got very positive = feedback on=20 the Thums Up outdoor campaign. The innovative hoarding designs were much = appreciated and added to the effectiveness of our campaign. = Encyclomedia=92s=20 strength is in coming up with innovative designs in line with the = overall=20 creative implementation for the brand.=94

The 3D hoardings for = Thums Up=92s=20 outdoor campaign featured the moment when Akshay Kumar bends his back to = get his=20 Thums Up, conveying the message, =91Thums Up ke liye kuchh bhi = karega=92.=20

=93It=92s all about engaging and exciting the consumer,=94 says=20 Chadha.

And in line with Encyclomedia=92s =91less is more=92 = philosophy, the 3D=20 Thums Up outdoors were strategically positioned only in a few locations = in=20 Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Another = client,=20 Spice Telecom, also seems to be quite satisfied with the innovation. The = company=92s assistant general manager, marketing, Siddharth Mehra, = shares his=20 experience: =93The work on Spice Telecom was spectacular. We had a lot = of people=20 calling us up and telling us how good it looked. It really took people = by=20 surprise.=94

Mehra explains that the telecom category uses a lot = of=20 regionalisation in its communication because of which it is quite = dependent on=20 OOH (out of home). But many other categories such as real estate, = insurance and=20 FMCG also use OOH now, so there is a lot of clutter in this space.=20

=93Thus, we looked at doing something innovative, with more = cheekiness in=20 the idea and in the creative. This makes the message more interesting = and=20 noticeable. I=92m really sure the iCatch hoarding met our objectives and = helped in=20 promoting brand awareness for Spice Telecom.=94

How long does it = take to=20 create an iCatch billboard? Manik says they usually turn around = campaigns within=20 21 days. This includes thought, design concepts, final art and print = production.=20 =93Clients accept these timelines and plan accordingly. Regular = billboards are=20 usually adaptations of the TV or print campaign and not original art. = So, they=20 take a lot less time to execute,=94 he points out.

=93The impact = of a=20 campaign is directly related to creative freedom,=94 he adds. =

Manik says=20 advertisers now recognise the importance of bringing the brand to the = consumer=20 and are moving away from using traditional media in the way they have = been used=20 for so long.

For the record, Encyclomedia has a team of 40 people = who=20 operate out of an office and studio in Mumbai and work with clients from = Chennai=20 to Columbia.

Encyclomedia helps clients with effective use of = floors,=20 windows, tables, fleets and buildings, in addition to billboards. In = India,=20 Encyclomedia has worked directly with clients for the most part, but = there have=20 been campaigns in which agencies have been involved as well to make sure = that=20 the brand guidelines are followed. Internationally, the company works = through=20 its distribution partners, who share the same philosophy and, in turn, = work=20 directly with the clients.

About competitors in this space, Manik = simply=20 says, =93This is an exciting time in our industry, when we are all able = to=20 capitalise on creativity. Our product is the idea. We believe that every = agency=20 has the skill to come up with great ideas.=94

=A9 2008 afaqs! =

2 Comments
From Vandana = Matai=97 Mon 28=20 Jul 2008 04:05:02 PM I saw the Shoppers Stop hoarding and I = really=20 thought that there were people standing on a plank erasing the logo. = It's only=20 when I looked carefully that I saw that it was not really a plank there. = Good=20 work.

From Mitesh L = Thakker=97=20 Mon 28 Jul 2008 02:55:10 PM I agree with Surina, its all about = creating=20 impact, but at what cost & ROI.

25 to 50% higher cost may not = result=20 in incremental ROI. and thus may not be justified.

Leave a = comment=20
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