Olympics helps boost spend on outdoor

Outdoor revenues grew 9.9 per cent to £229m in the second quarter of 2012, with transport, roadside, retail and leisure marking growth in the period. Digital made up 17% of the total revenue in the quarter.

The top spenders were mostly Olympic sponsors, including Glaxosmithkline, Coca Cola, Samsung and McDonald’s. Non-sponsors BSkyB, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Molson Coors, Talk Talk and Unilever – a major rival to Olympic sponsor Procter & Gamble – were also amongst the biggest spenders in the period.

This current quarter is tipped to be “even bigger” than the last as advertisers, particularly sponsors, are tapping in to the excitement around the Games and taking advantage of increased footfall in London and other Olympic host towns and cities.

The Outdoor Media Centre says one fifth of all sites in London have now been taken over by sponsors, partners and other sports related brands.

Mike Baker, Outdoor Media Centre chief executive, says: “Outdoor is the active space, and visual branding is the most important goal for sponsors and Games related advertisers. Everyone out on the street is thinking about the Games.”

Outdoor advertising accounts for about 9.3 per cent of all display advertising and is forecast to experience growth of 4.1 per cent year on year in 2012, second only to digital media, according to the Advertising Association and Warc’s annual Expenditure Report.