Media & Marketing: It would seem that every public transport cloud has a silver lining. Outdoor media groups are hoping (at least privately) that the closure of the DART at weekends for the next 18 months could give their sector an unexpected boost, writes Emmet Oliver.
Outdoor advertising expenditure between January and June 2003 increased by 17 per cent on 2002 levels. A staggering €35.8 million was spent in the first half of this year. For the uninitiated, outdoor refers to poster sites, bus stops and billboards.
The addition of 100,000 cars to Dublin roads in the pre-Christmas period could push the figures for the second half of the year even higher.
Traffic gridlock has been helping outdoor companies for some time. Because commuters are increasingly "cash rich and time poor", the best opportunity to reach them is often in morning and evening traffic snarl when people have nothing else to do but gawp out their windows.
Figures released last year by the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) showed unprecedented levels of traffic growth in Dublin over the past five years, with current traffic levels almost reaching the levels predicted for 2016.
When the DTO first produced the traffic model in 1997, it forecast the number of morning peak commuters travelling by car, bus and rail for 2016 at 488,000. The current figure is more than 420,000.
More traffic means slower speeds and longer journey times. For example, the DTO calculates that the journey time to Dublin city centre from Finglas has increased by more than half between 1997 and 2002, with the average speed dropping from 16 kmph to 11 kmph.
Outdoor companies believe their medium hits consumers when they are mobile and most likely to make a purchase decision.
One of the companies targeting those precious commuters is French group JC Decaux. Managing director of its Irish operation Ms Niamh Cleary told The Irish Times: "The huge increases in cars on the road and numbers at work has resulted in traffic gridlock. This enables advertisers to reach their target audience in a meaningful way through the power of roadside billboards."
However, it is not all good news for outdoor companies, Viacom Outdoor, one of the big outdoor firms, may have to tweak its forecasts for the next six months. It has the contract for poster sites in DART stations but, with up to one-third fewer commuters passing through these stations, the exposure for clients will be reduced.
Nobody from the company was available to comment yesterday on the implications of the disruption to the DART service.
Football focus
The power of British football on the Irish imagination shows no sign of dimming. Advertisers who bought into this year's Champions League group matches appear to have got value for money, particularly for ties involving Manchester United.
According to new figures, 870,000 adults tuned into the recent Champions League match between Manchester United and Stuttgart on Network 2. According to AFA O'Meara, this was just 11,000 viewers less than the combined viewing figures of the Late, Late Show and TV3's Dunphy Show Live. When both shows went head to head for the first time in early September, 881,000 adults tuned in.
It is possible that matches in the later rounds of the competition could produce viewing patterns to eclipse the combined efforts of the chat shows.
TV3 has been achieving success - albeit more modestly - with its Champions League schedule. On September 16th, 180,000 adults tuned in to watch Man United versus Panathanikos, while, on September 30th, almost 200,000 adults watched Celtic beat Lyon.
Agency closes
Following the closure of Doherty Advertising, another agency, Media Guilfoyle Communications, is to cease trading.
The loss of the Allianz Insurance account to GT Media was one of the factors precipitating the closure, said managing director Mr Padraic Guilfoyle. However, he said the general downturn in trading conditions did not help.
Pitch fever
Two agencies were nervously waiting to hear news of the outcome of the Diageo pitch last night.
Initiative Media, the incumbents, and Carat Ireland are on the final shortlist, with Mediaedge and MediaVest failing to make that list.
Diageo is expected to spend about € 30 million in 2004, about 40 per cent of it on television - that is if the Government does not regulate this amount away via a ban or watershed.
If the Government clamps down on radio and television advertising, press is the likely to be the beneficiary.
Marketer shortlist
The shortlist for Marketer of the Year has been released. The competition, organised by Marketing magazine and sponsored by Edelman Public Relations, allows people to nominate marketing professionals they believe made a major impact in their sector. Shortlisted are: Ms Mary Davis of the Special Olympics; Mr Jim Miley of MyHome.ie; Ms Bronagh Rooney of Dublin Bus; Ms Rosaleen Kelly of Bank of Scotland (Ireland); Ms Ethel Power of Dublin Zoo; Ms Lynda Richard Stocks of Viking Splash Tours; Ms Edel Frost of Super Valu; Ms Mandy Mullins of Goldstar Meats; Mr John O'Sullivan of Aircoach; and Mr David Carpenter of the European Computer Driving Licence company.
The award will be presented in mid-November
