Dubai Metro could attract billions of advertising money in UAE February 27, 2008
Posted by Farrukh Naeem at copywriterjournalist.com in : Advertising , trackbackAdvertising agencies in the UAE and abroad are gearing up to bid for the opportunity to advertise in the Dubai Metro project, Hamed Al Sewerky of Emirates Business has reported today.
With thousands of commuters expected to travel daily in Dubai Metro, the potential for brands to have a captive audience is immense. Tenders and bids could be up for grabs for advertising not just inside or on the Metro cars but also in the stations and on the pillars.
What remains to be seen, and seems to be a cause of concern for advertising agencies in UAE is the chance for a bidding war. Also, if one advertising agency were to be awarded a long term contract, what happens to other brands not handled by that agency – will they get no chance to advertise to people using the Metro?
Will the space in and around the Metro just be cluttered with ads of all shapes and sizes, like the outdoor landscape currently is? Will we see the more and more of real estate ads that dot our landscape next to the high-rises?
As an advertising creative, I am excited at the prospect of a new, moving medium that I can use to engage people. Maybe entertain them, or make their travel a little less monotonous.
What does Dubai Metro and an advertising opportunity in it or on it or around it mean to you? Click on the comments link and say what you think is going to happen…
Comments»
Hope the metro authority finalizes ad spaces in such a way that instead of adding to the clutter, they work to make the environment more lively. And makes those spaces standard in terms of size, rather than putting up every flat space available for advertising.
I don’t think that one agency winning will make any difference, this will still be available for clients- normally such bids are taken up by specialist outdoor media agencies and not by advertising agencies.
I hope agencies refrain from doing the standard thing of taking a print ad and putting it on this medium. the products that use this medium should be relevant to the travelers, this is their opportunity to make creative that befits the medium, and use the medium to deliver the message effectively. Lets hope this is the case.
True, Shilov. This looks more like an outdoor agency buy and resell kind of a thing.
Talking of print ads becoming billboards, I’ve seen bullet points on billboards in Dubai… LOL.
Please get me a pic of one of these billboards- will paste it on my company notice board, we guys are a bit overworked and need a good laugh! Am sure this must be done by a ‘creative’ client.
Also am compiling a list of things not to do in OOH creative, do let me know of any other blunders you’ve seen on billboards.
Shilov,
List of things not to fo in OOH creative – great!
Readers of this blog will surely benefit from it. Mail me!