BMC contemplates banning video ads on DOOH
The Out-of-Home (OOH) media owners who have invested heavily in digital OOH over the past couple of years, particularly on animated or video screens across Mumbai, may have to rethink their business models. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM or BMC) may propose a complete ban on video and animated ads on billboards in its DOOH guidelines for the commercial capital. The traffic police department is believed to have made a recommendation in this regard, urging the BMC to consider it in the upcoming policy.
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“The traffic police officials said that animated or video ads on billboards distract not only drivers but also pedestrians, which has the potential to cause accidents,” sources privy to the development told e4m.
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It was not immediately clear whether the traffic police have presented some studies to support their suggestions. Mumbai registers close to 300 fatalities due to road accidents every year. Drunk driving and speeding are considered as the major reasons behind such deaths. Mumbai has the largest number of DOOH billboards (67) in India. Some of them display animated ads, such as discount offers. If the BMC policy has its way, these screens will be removed after their licenses expire. With consumers’ attention spans decreasing and the need for constant stimulation, video advertising is one of today’s most powerful marketing tools for brands. Media owners express anguish over the proposal. “Video and animated ads are permitted all across the world, including cities where people drive 200 km/hr. If the traffic police have conducted any study in this regard, they should share it with us. Besides, BMC should consult stakeholders before coming up with such a policy,” OOH players said. The guidelines for the digital screens will be part of the main OOH policy, which is in the final stages, but may be released later as deliberations on technical aspects of certain provisions are still on, e4m has learnt. e4m on Tuesday reported how BMC has planned a complete ban on hoardings on footpaths and right-of-way on national highways. Height of hoardings might also be capped at 100 feet. Besides, no new hoarding shall be permitted within 50 meters around the statues of historical/national importance personalities. India has one of the world's fastest-growing OOH advertising markets and the country is transitioning faster than many other mature markets in terms of Digital OOH (DOOH), according to a PwC report. As per Statista, the DOOH market has reached $100 million and is expected to grow at 16 percent compound annual growth rate. Mumbai, being the commercial capital of the country, commands a significant share in this market.
Cap on Luminosity Apart from the automatic switch off for all DOOH at 11 pm in Mumbai, BMC also plans to cap the luminosity of the screen. It had earlier constituted a technical committee comprising professors of IIT and VJTI to frame guidelines in this regard. The technical committee believes that digital screens luminosity should be capped at 3.2 lux of the ambience light during the night. However, their detailed and final suggestions in this regard are awaited. In other countries, luminosity often varies from location to location and time of the day.
Tags : Billboard Ooh Digital Ooh Bmc Advertising