Out of home advertising remains a viable option for Canadian advertisers with nearly half a billion spent in 2010 according Nielsen Canada.
And the major categories for OOH advertising in 2010 according to Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada include:
- Telecommunications
- Financial Services & Insurance Services
- Retail
- Entertainment
- Media
- Restaurants, Catering Services, Night Clubs
- Travel & Transportation
- Food
- Automotive
- Alcohol & Related Beverages
Continued growth in this sector is being fueled by new opportunities to place advertising in locations not previously considered. The impact of technology is providing new specialty OOH formats including digital and new wide format substrates.
One of the new greenfield advertising opportunities are underground or covered parking structures. The breakthroughs in wide format graphic materials allow high impact, full colour graphic advertising to be placed on concrete, asphalt or brick surfaces with easier installation and removal. This advancement turns non-revenue assets such as parking structure pillars, walls or floor areas into new advertising sales opportunities.
To capitalize on these new locations, requires a change in thinking by advertisers to take advantage of this new canvas. Big, bold and dramatic visuals can be used to create your powerful brand or promotional message. Whether it’s launching a new luxury vehicle, tempting consumers with a new winter vacation hotspot or tempting employees of a competitor with reasons to join your team, parkade advertising offers a fresh, new approach to reaching a captive audience with targeted brand and promotional advertising.
The opportunities for property managers are equally exciting. It allows an underutilized asset to be leveraged to generate significant new income streams. And the concept of turning parking structures into an advertising medium is completely scalable and adaptable to virtually any physical structure or layout.
If there is a concern with this OOH format it is avoiding the creation of a visual nightmare with every possible area is covered with poorly designed and executed advertising. Not only will this reduce the value of the advertising space, it will reduce its impact on consumers. Property managers contemplating adding this new revenue stream should undertake an assessment of the space available and the value to advertisers.
CF Marketing Group has launched a new OOH concept – ParkadeAds. Initially available in select Western Canadian markets, it offers property managers a single source for valuing the revenue potential of a parking structure and creating an independent sales channel. For advertisers, the concept offers a new venue to deliver their messages that will get noticed and drive new impressions. More details available by contacting us at 403.452.2699 or info@cfmarketinginc.com. 
