DOOH: BMC to allow video ads in 'controlled environment'
The Out-of-Home Media Owners operating in Mumbai can have a sigh of relief for now. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM or BMC) has softened its stance and decided to allow video ads in controlled environments such as malls, bus depots, waiting areas and commercial buildings not exposed to vehicular movements for the time being. The decision was taken recently at a meeting held at the BMC headquarters for the “revision” of the commercial capital’s first-ever digital outdoor advertising policy.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.defineSlot('/21740140234/e4m_story_page_para3_small_horizontal_banner_3_728x90_normal', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1595331589677-0').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.enableServices();
});
However, the BMC’s panel of experts has “unanimously” decided to ban video ads along the major traffic corridors which are exposed to heavy vehicular movement. The meeting chaired by Municipal Commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi was attended by IIT Bombay experts and consultants of EY.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
googletag.defineSlot('/21740140234/e4m_story_page_para3_small_horizontal_banner_3_728x90_normal_next', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1601359261569-0').addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.enableServices();
});
“These restrictions would continue until a detailed study by IIT Bombay is carried out with respect to impact of videos on safety of vehicular traffic,” reads the minutes of the meeting. Notably, e4m was first to report two weeks ago that BMC contemplates banning video ads on DOOH. Safety concerns were raised by the traffic police, who claim that animated or video ads on billboards distract drivers and pedestrians, potentially causing accidents. The development had irked media owners and they had alleged that traffic police’s concerns were misplaced since they neither had conducted any study nor consulted stakeholders or experts to arrive at the conclusion that video ads pose risk. They had also argued that video ads are permitted across the world. Multiple images with dwell time of 8 seconds permitted The civic body has also decided to allow digital billboards to run multiple static images with a speed of eight seconds per frame, even as it prohibits the video and animated ads on roads and highways for “safety” of drivers and pedestrians. “Multiple static images could be advertised with a dwell time (duration) of 8 seconds for smooth transition,” the BMC panel decided. Mumbai, with the largest number of DOOH billboards (67) in India, is set to undergo significant changes as the BMC aims to enhance road safety while regulating the booming digital advertising market. Meanwhile, after toying with the idea to cap the illumination levels of all digital screens during the night at 3.2 Lux of the ambience light in the upcoming DOOH advertising policy, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (BMC) has decided to appoint an agency which specializes in lighting to conduct a thorough study on “illuminance” first. A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting held on July 16 chaired by Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Joshi. Name of the agency and timeline for such a survey have still not been determined yet. The civic body had earlier constituted a technical committee comprising professors of IIT and VJTI to frame guidelines. The committee has proposed a cap of 3.2 Lux. Illuminance primarily means the measurement of the amount of light falling onto (illuminating) and spreading over a given surface area. Illuminance also correlates with how humans perceive the brightness of an illuminated area. The agency is expected to conduct a field survey to measure the luminosity of the current hoardings. The survey will be supervised by committee members which include IIT Bombay experts, EY consultants and BMC officials. The data will be uploaded on a cloud-based platform. The agency will also explore the feasibility of installing sensors and cameras to monitor the illumination of all DOOH screens across the city. In a bid to make the policy more inclusive, BMC will also conduct a “citizens survey” before finalizing the illumination rules for digital screens in Mumbai. While Mumbai doesn’t have any policy with regards to luminosity of outdoors screens, in many countries luminosity often varies from location to location and time of the day. The BMC stipulates that hoardings should be equipped with ambient light sensors to dim or turn off the lights during curfew hours. The BMC already proposed that all DOOH boards will be turned off by 11 pm, everynight. Proper placement and orientation of digital screens will also be mandated to “minimize the glare”. Besides, BMC also plans a regular monitoring and adjustment of illumination
Sensors, placement and orientation of screens
Digital screens often face criticism for their alleged adverse impact on drivers. To avoid any risk, BMC has banned video ads on roads and highways, capped luminosity and has proposed an automatic switch off for all DOOH at 11 pm in Mumbai.