Tel Aviv’s Green Line Tram To Get @DenevaDS PIDS

June 27th, 2024

Andrew Neale

ICON Multimediab has been awarded the contract to implement its DENEVA Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) on the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Tram’s Green Line, managed by the Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd (NTA).

We re told that this project, carried out in collaboration with Alstom, will significantly enhance passenger experience through cutting-edge technological solutions.

The centralized communication solution will be integrated into various LED display formats placed on platforms, lobbies, and in videowall formats across the 62 stations of the Green Line, which will span 39 kilometers and connect various key areas of Tel Aviv. This will ensure that passengers receive clear and real-time information about tram schedules, service announcements, and other important communications. The line is expected to open in the first half of 2027.

Enrique Hornos, CEO of ICON Multimedia, told us “We are very excited that our DENEVA PIDS has been selected for this important project and very grateful to be able to collaborate with Alstom and the NTA in the development of the city’s rail communications network. Our commitment is to provide innovative solutions that enhance the passenger experience and contribute to the operational efficiency of rail operators. For us, this project is not only a technological challenge but also reinforces our presence in the global market.”

One of the major challenges of this project is the integration of DENEVA with the subsystems of the Israeli Ministry of Transport (MOT), along with the centralized PA system. These integrations are crucial to ensure that the information provided to passengers is accurate, timely and secure. Additionally, they will contribute to the vision of a more connected city by improving connectivity between different modes of transport such as buses and trains. This will not only optimize travel times but also enhance urban mobility. Close collaboration between ICON Multimedia, Alstom, and the Israeli Ministry of Transport will be essential to overcome these challenges and deliver an integrated and efficient public transport system.

75Media Unveils Its ESG Plan

June 27th, 2024

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Out of Home specialist 75Media has launched its first Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) plan, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The business has identified four of the UN-defined goals where it believes it can make the most impact and has set precise targets to ensure progress over the coming years.

In 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, which aim to tackle global challenges, including poverty, inequality, and climate change, by 2030.

75Media has already qualified for a four-star SDG rating, which puts it in the top 10% of over 5,000 businesses researched by Support the Goals.

Data from Outsmart, the trade body for the UK OOH advertising industry, found that OOH is the most sustainable advertising platform for brands, producing the least amount of carbon emissions per impression when compared to other major media.

The four UN goals 75Media intends to focus on are:

·        Goal 3: Good Health & Wellbeing

75Media is committing to promoting good health and wellbeing in its own workforce and society. Targets include partnering with an organisation to run two mental health awareness campaigns every year until 2030 and helping to support 60 disadvantaged young people to connect with nature.  The company has an ongoing partnership with the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust which enables vulnerable and marginalised groups to access the Dales.

·        Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth

The company has committed to creating safe working conditions, an inclusive workspace, and fair pay within its business and supply chain, with defined targets around increasing diversity in the workplace and working with suppliers which pay the living wage.

·        Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production

75Media will practice responsible consumption and production as well as commit to reducing waste generation throughout its operations. By 2029, it pledges to reduce waste by 50% and introduce three new circular economy projects into its portfolio maintenance programme, focused on reusing, repairing and refurbishing materials in order to maintain billboard assets.

·        Goal 13 – Climate action

75Media commits to keeping global warming below 1.5oc by reducing its carbon footprint. This will involve becoming net zero by 2040, and by 2029, pledging 90% of spend to suppliers who have net zero targets. The company already uses 100% certified renewable energy to power all of its digital billboards.

According to the World Economic Forum, only 60% of organisations have a sustainability strategy.

Katy Conway, Brand Communications & ESG Director, said: “The first step in any sustainability journey is having a solid strategy in place to help drive action towards what matters most – making the world a better place by 2030. We have identified four priority goals where we feel we can make the most impact and we have already started undertaking activity to help us meet those targets. In April, two members of staff qualified as Mental Health Workplace First Responders and over the coming weeks, we will begin the process of calculating our carbon footprint for scopes 1 and 2. The more positive steps all of us in the OOH industry take, and any commitment we make to change, is a move in the right direction.”

75Media’s full strategy can be found at www.75media.co.uk/esg

 

Branded Cities Woodbine Media-Operating Rights

June 27th, 2024

Tristan Cotterill

Branded Cities has announced the acquisition of operating rights to the highly anticipated Woodbine Entertainment digital network.

Fresh from their win of the coveted ‘The Well’ in Toronto’s west side, and the major redevelopments and additions to their flagship venue of Yonge and Dundas, Branded Cities continues to be the choice for brands for premium venues.

Woodbine Entertainment has plans for the most exciting development project in Canada by developing much of the 684 acres on which the historic Woodbine Racetrack is situated. The Woodbine Community Plan is the vision motivating the redevelopment of the property to create new, sustainable revenue streams to support and grow the horse racing industry and the approximately 25,000 jobs it supports across the province. The first phase of this development includes the recently expanded casino, which is now known as Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto and consists of the largest gaming floor in the country, a 400-room trackside hotel overlooking the world-renowned E.P Taylor Turf Course, a 5,000-person live entertainment venue and a brand-new parking structure.

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There’s Life In Corporate AV Display Buying

June 27th, 2024

Andrew Neale

PMA Research, worldwide market information experts on large displays, have published their latest sell-through tracking reports on large-format (32-inch and larger)flat panel displays being sold by leading North American distributors who typically serve commercial markets.

After a slow start to the year, spending for professional flat panel display technology is on the rise. Month-over-month, May 2024 unit volume grew nearly 10% and revenues grew more than 15% compared to April 2024.

Year-over-year, May 2024 unit volume and revenues grew by single digits compared to May 2023. Some of the sales improvement is linked to increased corporate AV spending which has been slow since the pandemic.

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#DACH @VIOOH #pDOOH #Webinar

June 27th, 2024

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Join VIOOH experts on Tuesday July 9 at 10AM BST as they discuss the latest creative innovations in programmatic DOOH in the DACH region to inspire your next campaign, covering everything from dynamic creative optimisation (DCO), to 3D and more.

Registration can be found here.

OA Collective Aims To Unite Independent Media Owners

June 26th, 2024

Tristan Cotterill

Outdoor Advertising Collective has unveiled an initiative aimed at empowering Australian-owned independent OOH owners. Initially OA Collective has united over 14 independent OOH owners, offering advertisers and brands unparalleled access to a network of premium assets, predominantly large format billboards, across Australia and New Zealand.

Co-founded by industry leaders Grant Kirkby and Warren Moore, boasting a combined 40 years of experience in OOH and various technology and media sectors, OA Collective introduces a transformative model designed to empower Australian-owned independent OOH owners. By grouping independent OOH players together all under one roof, OA Collective has made it easier for advertisers to buy and access these market leading assets all from one place – one contact, one contract.

Grant Kirkby, Co-founder of OA Collective, told us “Our vision is to unite every independent out-of-home media owner under one roof, simplifying the buying process for advertisers and granting them access to market-leading assets—all from a single source. What sets our model apart is that we don’t own any OOH assets ourselves, so we aren’t prioritising and pushing revenue to our owned assets. Instead, we’re solely focused on providing brands and advertisers with the optimal solution for their needs, unlocking new opportunities for independent OOH owners by giving them a seat at the table with national advertisers”.

Through OA Collective, independent OOH owners can harness the collective purchasing power of a network, enhancing the appeal and market reach of their sites. Additionally, the platform offers centralised selling, access to joint marketing efforts, distribution agreements, and collaborative project empowering owners with a stronger voice and positioning within the OOH landscape.

Australian Outdoor Media, CEO & Founder, Rob Lane says, “Our focus as a business is unlocking the potential of our brand partners across our digital billboard network. Partnering with OA Collective allows us to amplify our reach, offering greater scope and scale which is an exciting prospect.”

For more information about OA Collective and its innovative approach to out-of-home advertising click here.

The PowerUp Ukraine Conference

June 26th, 2024

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

The PowerUp Ukraine conference took place June 18, 2024 in Kyiv demonstrating that Ukraine’s tech ecosystem continues to thrive despite the war.

The event organised by Glovo, one of the largest European tech firms present in the country, and the Ukrainian Startup Fund had a simple message: Ukraine is open for business and international companies should invest to support innovation and growth in the country.

Ukraine’s blend of talent and startup culture has already garnered attention from international tech firms, recognizing Ukraine as a fertile ground for technological innovation and entrepreneurship and there is a lot more potential.

During the conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to welcoming foreign investors, supporting their presence, and advocating for reforms to enhance the business environment. “In the context of a full-scale war in Ukraine, it is crucial to develop the startup ecosystem and create conditions for the development of technology companies. We are systematically improving the work of the Diia.City space, which more than 1,000 companies have already joined. The Ukrainian Startup Fund has financed more than 750 startups with over $16 million, showcasing a technological and innovative Ukraine.”

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LG Electronics Esports World Cup Official Partner

June 26th, 2024

Tristan Cotterill

LG Electronics (LG) has been announced as the official partner of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 3 to August 25.

Formerly known as Gamers8, EWC is an annual international esports tournament. This year the event will host competitions for 21 of the world’s biggest online games, including League of Legends, Overwatch and Fortnite. The exclusive gaming monitor of the event for the third consecutive year is the LG UltraGea

Boasting the largest prize pool of any esports tournament, EWC 2024 promises eight weeks of thrilling gaming action, featuring over 1,500 professional athletes. The acclaimed LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor (model 32GS95UE) will be prominently featured at the event. More than 990 UltraGear gaming monitors will be utilized during league matches and showcased at LG’s booth at EWC.

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Robot Dog Mimics Heat Stroke Symptoms

June 26th, 2024

Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief

Robot dog mimics heat stroke symptoms in an interesting OOH build and stuns people in the streets of Finland

The Nordics’ leading petcare brand Musti Group launched a campaign warning dog owners to never leave their dog alone in a hot car. The campaign features a custom made robotic dog that simulates the symptoms of a heat stroke.

The robot is placed inside a car and its movements are triggered by changes in temperature. The campaign was created by the Finnish agency Erma&Reinikainen.

While Nordic summers are not always particularly hot, dogs with their fur coats are prone to heat strokes even in milder temperatures. Dogs should never be left alone in the car during summer, because the temperature inside a car can get dangerously high even on cloudy days. Even though awareness around the issue has increased, authorities in the Nordic countries still receive numerous reports of dogs left in hot cars every summer.

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oOh!media Large Format Energy Saving Trial

June 26th, 2024

Tristan Cotterill

oOh!media is launching a trial to assess the impact of reduced energy consumption across its large format digital network as part of an ongoing commitment to lead the Out of Home industry to a more sustainable future.

Beginning on 2 July, the first phase will see a black out of 70 large format LED sites across Australia between 1am to 4am each day for a period of six months. It follows an initial month-long test at one of oOh!’s sites in Sydney’s inner west, which showed an estimated energy saving of 6% if the site was blacked out during these hours.

Sarah Young, group director of environmental, social and governance (ESG) at oOh! told us “We are continually exploring ways to advance our sustainability agenda through innovation. This large format digital trial, the first of its scale for oOh!, will provide valuable insights and learnings on how we can transition the digital network to reduced and renewable power sources. This initiative is a key part of our broader ESG strategy and reinforces our commitment to creating a more sustainable business. We are excited to see the outcomes of this trial and its potential impacts.”

While oOh! is accelerating its move towards renewable energy, the company is also reducing power consumption by investing in LED technology that enables sites to consume less power when blacked out.

oOh! will bring additional sites into the program over time, and money saved on electricity will be ploughed back into oOh!’s transition to renewable energy across the network.

MOVE 1.5 data shows a minimal audience reach of 1% to 2% between the hours of 1am and 4am and oOh! clients will be unable to book these trial sites during the power down hours.