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Rewind a few years ago and Electric Vehicles (EVs) were an uncommon sight on our roads. Limited choice paired with poor battery life were a common gripe with many EV vehicles owners. Fast forward to present day and owners of EVs are no longer few and far between.
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The number of EVs in the UK is growing at a rapid rate and by the end of June 2024, there were over 1,140,000 full electric cars on our roads. From 2022 to 2023 the UK saw a 41% growth of registered plug-in and hybrid electric cars, and by 2030, it is expected that 80% of new cars sold in Great Britain will be electric.
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It’s not just the popularity of EVs that has increased but technology has also progressed rapidly in the field of EVs, too. Efficiency, model availability, faster charging, reduced operating costs and price premium are some of the positives that EV owners are benefiting from.

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As more people consider purchasing an EV, advertising is becoming an important tool in reaching this audience. With studies reporting that over half of young drivers are likely to switch to an all-electric vehicle but also that they are the most likely to engage with out of home advertising (OOH)   and make a purchase, there is a prime opportunity for electric vehicle brands to target this audience.
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A study from YouGov found that people considering buying EV/plug-in hybrid cars are significantly more likely to notice ads displayed from certain medians, with over a quarter stating they would notice EV ads placed on billboards.
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So, why is OOH so effective for EV ad campaigns?
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Broad reach: OOH ads can provide auto brands with the opportunity to reach a wide audience.</li>
<li class="li1">Prime locations &amp; contextual relevance: Campaigns can benefit from being placed in high traffic areas within both roadside and retail environments, or even in proximity to charging hubs or garages.</li>
<li class="li1">Enhanced brand perception: Large, high quality OOH displays can help portray EVs as a modern and innovate premium product.</li>
<li class="li1">Impactful storytelling: This is made possible with OOH by utilising formats such as dynamic images and 3D campaigns.</li>
</ul>
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We have delved into the audiences of Open Media’s portfolio to discover just how popular EVs and EV-related interests are. Utilising data from Starcount we have uncovered sites with over-index against three important interests; Sustainability, Climate &amp; Green Issues, and Electric Vehicles.

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Spanning across the county, the audience data has shown the clear appetite for EVs and interest in sustainability issues, most notably in Southern areas. The evidence is clear, electric vehicles are here to stay and OOH provides the perfect opportunity to target and become front of mind of consumer audiences.
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To learn more about how OOH could work for your EV campaign, contact fiona@openmedia.uk.com
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Sources: Statista, Zap-map, <a href="http://gov.uk">gov.uk</a>, ONS, theecoexperts.co.uk, YouGov, Warc, Starcount

With major new site openings in Wales, London and Liverpool, it has been an incredibly exciting 2024 for Open Media.
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Reaching 8 million people per week, our Open Connect network brings brands, organisations and campaigns to life in the most creative ways imaginable.
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From big screen to sunscreen, 3D to Just Do It, it has been another unforgettable 12 months of working alongside the biggest names in business.
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After another record-breaking year for Open Media, our team members reflect on their favourite campaigns of 2024.

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Heineken

<h2>Heineken, Cheers to The Real Hardcore Fans</h2>
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Heineken launched their brilliant Cheers to The Real Hardcore Fans campaign for the Champions League. Heineken showed real fans in high-emotive states, something all football supporters can recognise and have experienced.
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I loved this campaign because it perfectly captured the essence of being a football fan.
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Our site at Boxpark Wembley &#8211; one of the most popular fan-parks in the country &#8211; was turned into a Heineken Haven to celebrate the Champions League final and bring the excitement to life with their amazing campaign.

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<h2>Universal Pictures, Despicable Me 4</h2>
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2024 has been a breakthrough year for cinema campaigns at Open Media with my favourite, undoubtedly, the Universal Pictures campaign for Despicable Me 4.
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Launching at the height of summer, the campaign showcased the power of our Open Perspective and Open Connect networks in building meaningful connections with audiences, while driving national reach ahead of a major box office debut.
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A standout moment was the activation at BOXPARK Wembley, which coincided with the Taylor Swift shows at Wembley. Universal strategically used this site to display their dynamic trailer footage, tapping into an engaged crowd and building anticipation.
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As one of the first to utilise our Popcorn Pack offering, it was a fantastic blueprint for the industry, highlighting the effectiveness in leveraging large-format DOOH near leading UK cinemas. Looking back, this campaign was a perfect example of how OOH is becoming an essential part of cinema marketing.

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SolDeJaneiro

<h2>Sol De Janeiro, Rio Radiance Sunscreen Collection</h2>
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Just as the summer holidays approached, we were beginning to look forward to sunshine and holidays.
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It was during this exciting time Sol revealed their campaign for the Rio Radiance Sunscreen Collection, with striking graphics and gorgeous summer colours.
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Sol De Janeiro perfectly captured the essence of the season and helped create an excitement for the coming months.

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<h2>Nike, Winning Isn’t For Everyone</h2>
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The messaging throughout this Nike campaign was clever and perfectly reflected the competitiveness of athletes and their willingness to win.
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The supporting imagery within added emotion, and combined with strong bold colours, completed the look of this stand-out campaign with influential footballers such as Phil Foden.

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<h2>Muller Rice, Muller Rice Euros </h2>
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My favourite campaign from this year has been Muller Rice.
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As an American, I’m not usually supporting a team at the European Championships, but my favourite player for many years has been Declan Rice. As a West Ham United fan, I have watched him grow as a player over the years!
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I might be bias, but that boosted this campaign to easily becoming my favourite for 2024. The next step for Muller Rice is to please let me meet Declan so I’m not just getting pictures of the campaigns!

A summer holiday is commonplace with a lot of people each year, with travellers jetting off to many different destinations in search of sun, sea and sangria, and travel companies are vying for as many customers as possible.
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However going on holiday isn’t a new trend. Some of the earliest travel advertisement posters date back as far as the 1870’s, encouraging people to travel by railway for pleasure, and The British Travel and Holidays Association ran their famous ‘Come to Britain’ campaign in 1929 for an impressive 50 years.
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Fast forward to the 1950’s and the advent of the package holiday. Package holidays helped revolutionise travel with factors such as chartered flights and reduced travel times from journeying via plane. Around this time the shift turned away from railway posters and instead to more glamorous airline travel, causing a big change in advertising. Although package holidays were born out of the 1950’s, it was really until the 1970’s the world saw the advent of mass tourism, with Britons spending more on overseas holidays than those at home for the first time ever.

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Canary Islands

Travel continues to be an enormous industry which is growing, especially in the UK in which £64.2bn is expected to spent this year on consumers taking holidays. In particular, spending on package holidays taken by UK residents overseas was estimated to have reached £21.1bn in 2023.
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With such a big market comes big audiences and as such, golden advertising opportunities. A study by Aviva found that nearly three quarters of people (73%) say that it is important for them to go on holiday.

<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">OOH can help increase brand awareness. It is common knowledge that OOH reaches a large volume and broad range of audiences every single day. By utilising the medium, travel brands can get in front of audiences they never have previously.</li>
<li class="li1">Proximity targeting. Adding OOH to a media plan can assist in targeting specific locations for campaigns. It is important to note that seeing an OOH advertisement is commonplace in most peoples daily routines. OOH can help brands target areas with high pedestrian numbers or long dwell times.</li>
<li class="li1">Emotional advertising. Picture this, you’re stuck in a traffic jam or on your commute to work on a dreary day. You see an advert that shows a sun-soaked destination which immediately transports you back to your holidays and then want to book your next. Playing on emotions and creating a sense of wanderlust is easy to do with OOH.</li>
<li class="li1">Creative possibilities are endless. Whether immersing the viewer helping them to ‘experience’ the destination, making use of 3D capabilities or simply taking advantage of a large format canvas with high impact visuals, with OOH creativeness knows no bounds.</li>
</ul>
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It’s clear to see that advertising using OOH is more than just putting an ad on a screen, it is speaking to and connecting with an audience, which is key when looking to win customers.

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Vrbo Holiday Homes

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British Airways Wandsworth

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Gozo Moor

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Virgin Atlantic Speke d48

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EasyJet HF

Finally, what are some key recommendations travel brands should be considering when adding OOH to a media plan?
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<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Make sure your campaign is innovative enough to cut through the rest of the advertising noise and connect with your target audience.</li>
<li class="li1">Make the most out of the many choice of outdoor locations by utilising high traffic, pedestrianised or travel-orientated locations.</li>
<li class="li1">Make the most out of creative possibilities with high-impact imagery or messaging.</li>
</ul>
Sources: Mintel, Aviva, Finder.com, Emarketer, insightooh.com
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To learn more about how OOH could work for your campaign, contact <a href="mailto:jamie.fisher@openmedia.uk.co">jamie.fisher@openmedia.uk.co</a>m

Marking the first targeted, data-driven campaign collaboration between two B Corp media owners, Open Media and Mobsta have united to develop a hyper-targeted campaign on behalf of the German National Tourist Office UK &amp; Ireland (GNTO).
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The campaign – which seeks to establish a powerful blueprint for the media industry and aims to improve media’s role within the advertising chain – is designed to reach sustainably-minded consumers and encourage positive behaviour change among consumers within the travel and tourism sector.

Recognised as the fourth most sustainable country in the UN, Germany has long demonstrated its commitment to sustainability, developing world-class initiatives and state-of-the-art infrastructure which seamlessly integrates innovation, eco-conscious practices and affordability.
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The country has developed a wide range of practical initiatives such as a €49 per month nationwide public transport ticket, enabling cost-effective and sustainable travel across the country. This initiative, coupled with free local transport (often included with hotel stays) and over 100,000 kilometres of cycle paths, ensures that sustainable tourism is accessible to all visiting the country.
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Moreover, cities such as Freiburg and Hamburg exemplify the country’s ongoing commitment to creating energy-efficient destinations, combining outdoor spaces and environmentally conscious design. This includes the creation of <a href="https://www.hamburg.com/residents/green/green-roofs-19000">purpose-built roof gardens</a> in Hamburg to promote biodiversity and the development of plus-energy architecture in Freiburg, with the city also home to the very first plus-energy house in the world, <a href="https://architectuul.com/architecture/heliotrop-rotating-house">The Heliotrope</a>.

This month, Open Media and Mobsta are bringing together their unique offerings in digital out-of-home (DOOH) and behaviourally informed geo-contextual mobile display advertising respectively, to amplify the ‘Simply Feel Good” campaign message, while equipping consumers with the tools to enable and encourage sustainable travel in Germany.
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This includes signposting visitors to <a href="https://www.germany.travel/en/feel-good/stay-overnight.html">a certified list of sustainable accommodation options</a>, ensuring visitors can plan their stays and enjoy trips responsibly with a &#8220;Simply Feel Good&#8221; peace of mind.

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By harnessing data from Starcount’s market-leading intelligence platform, Open Media and Mobsta worked together to determine the optimum out-of-home (OOH) locations to reach the audiences in the right mindset, with a focus on reaching sustainably minded travellers, selecting sites most likely to over-index against those interested in travel and equally, sustainability.
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This insight helped refine the campaign’s focus to sites within two of Open Media’s DOOH networks (Open Connect and Open D48) across five major UK cities: London, Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Manchester. This data-intelligence approach was then applied to Mobsta’s behaviourally informed geo-contextual advertising capability, utilising location-based retargeting to drive further awareness and frequency at scale.

Open Media and Mobsta have long proven their commitment to building a sustainable media landscape, founded on a shared principle that prioritises the planet, as well as profit. They are bringing to market revolutionary, sustainable advertising solutions that deliver first-in-class results for clients while reducing the industry’s overall impact.
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As the first B Corp certified media owner in OOH in the UK and Europe, Open Media has continued to pioneer sustainability initiatives that help to reduce the impact of OOH advertising. This includes developing a unique-play, data-driven carbon calculator in partnership with UniLED, giving brands the ability to track and measure the “in-use” emissions of a campaign. Moreover, Open’s partnership with offsetting partner, Ecologi takes this one step further by presenting clients with the solution to offset campaign emissions effectively.
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Specifically, this campaign will become the first travel and tourism campaign to utilise these two sustainability offerings, marking an exciting step for the industry.
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Sharing these same principles, Mobsta has also firmly cemented itself as a leader in sustainability within the media industry. Since becoming B Corp certified in 2022, Mobsta has too furthered its work in this area. The business has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050 in line with SBTi, while declaring key targets which seek to reduce the business’ Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 2030 (by 42% in the next 5 years).
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Through this campaign, Open Media and Mobsta’s partnership illustrates how B Corp media owners can lead the way in responsible advertising. The campaign sets a precedent with a sustainable, data-backed approach that benefits both clients and the planet. More broadly, this collaboration addresses action three of Ad Net Zero’s 5-step action plan, by reducing the emissions generated from the campaign’s media planning and buying.
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Together, Open Media and Mobsta are collectively reshaping advertising with a commitment to long-term change.

Established in 2010, Mobsta is a media owner specialising in geo-contextual omnichannel activation fuelled by behavioural and consumer data to deliver first-in-class location-powered advertising campaigns. As a B Corp-certified business, Mobsta puts people and planet alongside profit through sustainable media buying and responsible practices.

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Brilliant things can happen when a room full of inspiring women get together and open up, and this is what we see each month when we host our Open Chat breakfast events. The initiative began back in January 2020, organised by Chief Revenue Officer Fiona Ravlic, and are hosted by senior women in the OOH or wider media industry. Attended by 20- 25 women in varying aspects of the media, the Open Chat always comes with fantastic feedback and even a waiting list for future events.
The aim of the breakfasts are to get like-minded women into the same room to open up, share stories and advise, as well as inspire and support each other. Topics discussed have ranged from breaking the glass ceiling, to navigating the menopause, to sharing anecdotes of career challenges, and guests always leave feeling inspired.
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We have had so many inspiring women be kind enough to give up their time to guest host including;
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Kelly Parker, CEO @ Wavemaker</li>
<li class="li1">Natalie Bell, CEO @ Wavemaker</li>
<li class="li1">Sarah Parkes, Managing Partner @ Talon</li>
<li class="li1">Nicole Lonsdale, Chief Client Officer @ Kinetic</li>
<li class="li1">Kathryn Jacob, CEO @ Pearl &amp; Dean</li>
<li class="li1">Liz Jones, Founder @ Conker</li>
<li class="li1">Georgina Bramall, Marketing Strategy Director @ GiffGaff</li>
</ul>
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As well as speakers from the media industry, we have been lucky enough to be joined by charity founders and CEO’s such as Leanne Pero from Black Women Rising and Natalie Haskell from Coppafeel. Alongside inviting charity leaders to host, Open Media are always happy to support female-led charities with media space around the UK.

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It is a fact that media industry is dominated by males, so events like these are so important to give women a platform and make them heard as well as show that there actually is progression for women in the media space. In the UK media industry, men continue to dominate top leadership positions, with women continuing to be underrepresented at CEO level.
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There are more FTSE 100 CEOs named &#8220;Dave&#8221; or &#8220;David&#8221; than there are female CEOs. According to a 2023 review, nine FTSE 100 companies were led by men named David, compared to seven female CEO’s.
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Women in the media industry face a number of barriers including; Gender bias, lack of representation, harassment &amp; abuse, stereotyping and tokenism, to name a few.

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<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Only 22% of C-suite roles in the media and entertainment industry are held by women.</li>
<li class="li1">According to a 2020 report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the average pay gap in in UK media companies stood at 15.1%</li>
<li class="li1">A study by the Everyday Sexism Project found that one in two women (50%) had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work.</li>
<li class="li1">A study from McKinsey on Women in the Workplace has revealed it will take 50 years to achieve gender parity in the workplace for all women. Read other key findings of this study <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">here</a>.</li>
</ul>
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The Open Chat events create a safe space and platform to discuss these challenges, as well as share experience and advice to others. Although the above statistics are shocking and something that need to be seriously addressed, knowing that others are have been in similar situations can offer reassurance and help to others.

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Fiona

Black Friday is changing. No longer a 24-hour frenzy, the UK spent <a href="https://citcom.co.uk/blog/the-rise-of-black-friday-in-the-uk/#:~:text=Black%20Friday%20has%20continued%20to,increase%20year%2Don%2Dyear.">an eye-watering £13 billion</a>, up 7.3% year-on-year, across the weekend bonanza in 2023.
But while the Black Friday period, which culminates in Cyber Monday, remains an online-first event, in-store purchasing grew last year, with 44% of consumers buying at physical locations and spending an average of £113. It is also a major chance to build customer loyalty, with <a href="https://store.mintel.com/report/uk-black-friday-market-report">84% agreeing</a> a positive experience during Black Friday encourages them to shop with a retailer again.

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This offers brands a tangible opportunity to supercharge their Black Friday campaigns using out-of-home advertising (OOH), with <a href="https://www.marketing-beat.co.uk/2024/09/11/ipa-media-landscape-report/">renewed research</a> asserting OOH reaches over 90% of adults every week of the calendar year. This presents OOH a huge chance both directly and indirectly, with a <a href="https://broadsign.com/blog/supercharge-your-black-friday-cyber-monday-campaigns-with-out-of-home-advertising/">poll</a> finding 74% of mobile users act after viewing OOH, including online searches (44%), website (38%) and social visits (30%).
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<a href="https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/publications-reports/the-2024-christmas-consumer">Data also suggests</a> consumers will spend earlier than ever in 2024, with 20% of parents beginning their shopping in November, alongside 14% of non-parents. But Black Friday kickstarts it all, with 82% of 18-24s and 75% of 25-34s planning to spend at least a quarter of their budget.
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Furthermore, <a href="https://openmedia.uk.com/insights/unwrapping-christmas-spending-with-starcount">during the recent study between Open Media and Starcount</a>, we found November is the highest spending month for consumers purchasing electronics and technology, with 25–34-year-olds in particular splashing out. In 2023, <a href="https://dotdigital.com/blog/black-friday-cyber-monday-stats/">according to statistics</a>, 68% of Gen Z (born between 1997-2012) intended to take advantage of Black Friday with <a href="https://www.finder.com/uk/banking/black-friday-statistics">their estimated spend</a> hitting £176, a whopping 56% more than national average. For brands and advertisers, this is a real opening to connect with fresh audiences.
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In fact, it is reported 32% of Gen Z believe Black Friday offers good value, while almost half of spending by under 25s is expected to be in-store or by click and collect, adding greater impetus to the increased value of OOH with new eyes to be reached. This <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/retail-consumer/consumer-reconsidered.html">echoes research by PwC</a> showing a post-pandemic resurgence of young people wanting to experience real-life shopping.
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Put simply, during Black Friday, millions of people are on the high street &#8211; in front of OOH &#8211; with a desire to spend. OOH offers brands the chance to amplify their messaging &#8211; according to <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/">YouGov</a>, in 2022, 61% of Black Friday consumers snapped a photo of an OOH ad, while 49% spoke to friends and family about an OOH placement.
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Modern data also suggests OOH is having an increasing influence on online spending, with a study from <a href="https://uk.themedialeader.com/ooh-impact-on-online-sales-underestimated/#:~:text=A%20study%20from%20GroupM%20OOH,£2%20is%20spent%20online.">GroupM</a> discovering OOH has an online multiplier of 1.7, meaning for every £3 spent in-store due to OOH, £2 is spent online.
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With this in mind, brands can utilise our Open Connect network &#8211; 23 digital screens placed strategically across the busiest cities of the UK – to position themselves in the heart of the action during Black Friday, capturing attention, commanding visibility and creating a lasting association during the busiest season of the retail calendar.
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Our Open Connect network opens doors to locations previously deemed unreachable, from Wembley to Trafford Centre, engaging millions of consumers and providing a gateway into diverse audiences, allowing you to put your brand centre stage.
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As Black Friday changes, the potential of OOH continues to grow.
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To find out more about how OOH can work for your festive campaign, contact <a href="mailto:fiona@openmedia.uk.com">fiona@openmedia.uk.com</a>.
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Sources: Citcom, Mintel, Marketing Beat, IPA, Starcount, Dot Digital, PwC, Media Leader, YouGov, Finder.

Open Media pay special tribute to Michael Molloy and the Tyred Campaign

On the anniversary of his passing, Open Media honoured the life and legacy of talented 18-year-old musician Michael Molloy, from Liverpool, who was tragically killed in a coach crash while travelling home from a music festival on September 10th 2012.
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Michael and two others, Kerry Ogden, 23, and coach driver Colin Daulby, 63, died after a 19-year-old tyre on the coach blew out on the motorway. All the tyres on board were found to be dangerously old, with even the spare 14 years old.
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Following the crash, Michael&#8217;s mother, Frances, launched a campaign for a ban on tyres over 10 years old for buses, coaches and lorries. The Tyred Campaign faced many hurdles and was rejected eight times in parliament overall.

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In 2019, however, Frances and the Molloy family were victorious, with the government announcing legislation to ban tyres 10 years or older on the front wheels of buses, coaches, minibuses and goods vehicles.
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And on Tuesday, the 12th anniversary of the tragic crash, Open Media turned their Liverpool City Centre screens into tributes, remembering Michael the musician and the life-saving influence of the Tyred Campaign.
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In 2013, Michael&#8217;s song &#8216;Rise and Fall&#8217;, which he performed with friend Alex Evans, was released by his family, breaking into the UK singles chart at number 38.

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Open Media lit up five of their most popular screens in Liverpool City Centre with an image of Michael, playing his beloved guitar, and the slogan &#8216;Legends Never Die&#8217;, as well as the Tyred Campaign logo, while thousands passed by.
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His mother Frances told the Liverpool ECHO: &#8220;This is how we remember Michael &#8211; he was a musician first and foremost. He loved music, it was his whole life. Once he learned to play guitar, I don&#8217;t think I can remember a day when he didn&#8217;t play it.
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&#8220;He was always thinking about what he was going to do next with music, so that&#8217;s how people remember him. All his friends describe him as a larger-than-life character.&#8221;

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Open Media CEO Mike Smith said: &#8220;Open Media are proud to play a small part in remembering Michael Molloy and his inspirational legacy. The Tyred Campaign has, and will, save countless lives.
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“As a firm with strong Liverpool roots, Michael will forever be in our hearts and the tribute was important, for all of us at Open, to play our part in remembering a special human being.&#8221;

Christmas, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Spirits are high and against the twinkling lights and sparkly decorations, shoppers are starting to undertake the sometimes mammoth task of their Christmas shopping. We see the high streets come alive as crowds of shoppers flock to stores, presenting an ample opportunity for brands to get in front of receptive and engaged audiences using out-of-home (OOH) at Christmas time.
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Christmas sales figures in the UK are unsurprisingly reported to be the highest in Europe, with Brits expected to spend over £600 on Christmas gifting each year. Popular gift categories include clothing &amp; shoes, as well as food, beverages &amp; alcohol. Despite a significant shift in online shopping over recent years, a substantial amount of the public’s hard-earned cash is still spent in physical stores around the Christmas period. Last year, it was reported sales in store saw a rise of 3.5% in the run up to December compared to the previous month, and as more people are out and about, OOH advertising will also benefit from the increase in footfall, positively impacting viewership figures. Although the lead up to Christmas Day is extremely important, sales post-Christmas also make up a significant portion of December spending. Last year from Christmas Day to the end of December, 58.3 million people were forecast to head to the high street in search of their post-Christmas bargains.
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This year as we head into the Golden Quarter, we wanted to conduct a deep-dive into the motivations and intent around Christmas shopping, uncovering the best opportunities for OOH activations around this period. We are delighted to have collaborated with Starcount on this project, an advanced audience platform that integrates signals from social, demographic and banking spend transactions to reveal consumer motivations and behaviours. Together, we have identified three key categories (Alcohol, Clothing &amp; Footwear, and Electronics &amp; Technology) that present the best opportunities for OOH activations during the festive period. With December being an imperative month for spending within these categories, OOH can help a brand become front of mind at arguably the most important time of the year.

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It’s no secret that alcohol spend over the Christmas period makes up a significant part of the festive budget. Whether you are hosting Christmas dinner or buying bubbles as a gift, the uplift in alcohol sales in December year-on-year is huge. Seasonal spending on alcohol is a key element of the festive economy and is often driven by targeted OOH campaigns, so we delved deeper to understand who is spending the most, and when.
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We discovered 3 key findings when analysing alcohol spend data:
<ul class="ul1">
<li>The alcohol category sees the highest spend in Q4, specifically the month of December.</li>
<li class="li1">The week leading up to Christmas was the largest week in terms of alcohol sales.</li>
<li class="li1">The 35-44 age bracket spent the most, as well as those earning £100k+</li>
</ul>
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It’s no surprise the alcohol category sees the highest spend in Q4, with an 8% increase compared to November. This increase is likely due to most festive celebrations occurring in December, especially the highlight of the season, Christmas Dinner.
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Looking into the periods where alcohol spending is at its highest, we see an expected increase in sales throughout November and December, suggesting that consumers are stocking up for the holiday through physical, in-store shopping or alcohol delivery services &#8211; something that likely doesn’t happen at any other time of the year. Interestingly, the week leading up to Christmas Day was the largest week for alcohol sales in Q4, representing a WoW growth of 26% vs the week ending the 17th December.

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Indexed Alcohol Spend vs. Week (1)

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Indexed Alcohol Spend vs. Month

Taking a closer look into the types of people who spend highly on alcohol during the Christmas period, we can see that the ages between 35-44, and with an income of 100k+ are the highest spenders in the alcohol category. This is likely due to this audience having a higher level of disposable income and will therefore indulge in products with a more premium offering, either for personal use or splashing out on family and friends over the festive period. Alcohol brands should keep this front-of-mind and allocate some of their OOH budget towards targeting last-minute buyers during the week of Christmas.
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In accordance with this audience, we have hand-selected a few of Open Media’s sites that index perfectly against those who spend the most on alcohol at Christmas and would make a perfect canvas for alcohol brands’ campaigns: Our Trafford Centre sites (Landscapes, Portraits &amp; D48), Wandsworth High Street, Hammersmith High Street &amp; BOXPARK Liverpool.
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By utilising these targeted locations during peak spending periods, alcohol brands can craft a highly targeted campaign, reaching the right audience at the perfect moment.

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Thatchers Moor

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Peroni ABC banner

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IMG_3955

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Erdinger New CS Ext

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Insight_Stats

Whether as part of gifting or Christmas parties and festivities, spending on Clothing &amp; Footwear at Christmas time surges every year. Interestingly, we are starting to see the once ‘Boxing Day Sales’ arriving earlier in the year.
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We discovered 3 key findings when analysing Clothing &amp; Footwear data:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">December is the highest spending month for the Clothing &amp; Footwear category, seeing a MoM increase of 7% vs November.</li>
<li class="li1">We witness two periods in December where spending peaks: the first week in December, and the week after Christmas.</li>
<li class="li1">The people that spend the most in this category at Christmas time are those aged between 35-44, with low-mid income levels of £20-40k.</li>
</ul>
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November &amp; December are key months within the clothing and footwear category as people start to head out on their Christmas nights out and purchase items over the festive period, with December seeing a MoM increase of 7% vs November. This uptick is likely driven both by purchasing gifts and personal buying, and it’s important to note those who possibly don’t spend much on this category throughout the year spend more in Q4 when buying gifts.
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Looking at the peak spending period across Q4, we witness two key periods within December where spending rises; the first week of December and the week following Christmas. The latter increase is likely fuelled by stores starting their Boxing Day sales early, with people wanting to build their wardrobe for the festive season. Brands should consider these two key moments when planning campaigns, targeting both early gifters and last-minute shoppers to influence purchasing decisions effectively.

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Indexed Clothing Spend vs. Week

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Indexed Clothing Spend vs. Month

Focusing on the demographics that spend the most in this category during Christmas, individuals within the 35-44 age band are the top spenders, likely purchasing clothing for both themselves, their children, and potentially even their parents. Additionally, those earning between £20-40k are spending the most in the category during this time
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The table below highlights Open Media sites that perfectly target the audience of those who spend the most on Clothing &amp; Footwear during Christmas. Targeting select sites during key times within the festive period aids in the successful execution of OOH campaigns at this important time of year. Those sites include: Coventry Central, Newcastle Metrocentre, Trafford Landscape &amp; Portrait, Swansea Central and our Trafford D48.

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Insight_Stats2

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Boss Kidswears Liverpool The One

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Calvin Klein Wandsworth

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H&M Trafford Portrait

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PLY Drake Circus

Despite economic challenges over the past few years, Electronics &amp; Technology (E&amp;T) remain a popular gifting category over the festive season. Driven by Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we see an uplift in spending within this category each year as Christmas lists continue to be populated with the latest tech items.
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When analysing the data from the E&amp;T category, we discovered 3 key findings:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">The highest spending month was in November.</li>
<li class="li1">Brands should align their E&amp;T campaigns with the two key Q4 periods of sales: Black Friday &amp; Boxing Day.</li>
<li class="li1">The age group spending the most in this category are those in the 25-34 age bracket, with an income of £100k and over.</li>
</ul>
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Contrary to the previous categories we have analysed, E&amp;T spending during the festive season peaks in November rather than December. This is due to Black Friday &amp; Cyber Monday sales going live with people aiming to get the best deals on their E&amp;T purchases. Brands should keep this trend front-of-mind when planning their E&amp;T campaigns, as consumers tend to make purchasing decisions earlier in the year. This presents a golden opportunity for E&amp;T brands to launch their Christmas campaigns in or before November, and capture consumer attention when it matters most.
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The graphs below clearly illustrates the impact of Black Friday, with a significant spending spike during November. The following weeks, however, fall short of this peak. Interestingly, there is a smaller uptick in spending after Christmas, likely driven by consumers spending their Christmas money and taking advantage of the Boxing Day sales. Brands should therefore not only prioritise the timing of their campaigns, but also ensure they create impactful and memorable campaigns that resonate with consumers even after the festive season comes to an end.

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Indexed E&T Spend vs. Week

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Indexed E&T Spend vs. Month

All age brackets are shown to spend more money on E&amp;T in November vs October and December. However the data shows younger audiences, more specifically those aged 25-34, are more likely to spend within this category as they engage with new technology products compared to older age groups. Also, it is important to note another key audience within higher income bands of 100k+ spend the most within this category, and are likely to capitalise on the discounts available during Black Friday and the subsequent weeks in November.

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Polariod

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O2 Speke

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EE CS Int

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Amazon

The table below highlights Open Media’s sites that engage the best with the target audience of the higher spenders on E&amp;T at Christmas. These sites are a handful of our LFD network: BOXPARK Wembley, Coventry, Hammersmith, BOXPARK Liverpool.

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Elec&TechInsight_Stats3

It is evident from our research with Starcount that shopping in these categories remain a key part of the festive season, with consumers splashing out both on their loved ones and themselves. Key dates in the calendar such as Black Friday means the E&amp;T category sees the most spending in November, and the earlier advent of the Boxing Day sales mean consumers are spending more pre-Christmas than ever before. It is therefore important for brands to take note of key consumer shopping periods and consider how they impact spending when planning campaigns.
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Mindsets are also seen to play a key role in Christmas spending, with consumers likely to spend more and become more generous at this time of year. OOH campaigns can play a key part in consumer mindsets, with strategically placed festive campaigns impacting on Christmas shoppers in retail locations.
It is important for advertisers to take note of these key category-dependent time scales to ensure their campaign hits consumers at the perfect moment for purchasing intent. Alongside reaching consumers at the right time, brands should ensure they are advertising in OOH locations to the right audience, and for each category we have hand-selected the Open Media sites that allow advertisers to perfectly tap into these high spenders across the Christmas period.
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Alcohol:  35-44 age, 100k+ income, activating during the week leading up to Christmas: Trafford Centre sites (Landscapes, Portraits &amp; D48), Wandsworth High Street, Hammersmith High Street &amp; BOXPARK Liverpool
Clothing &amp; Footwear: 25-34, £20-30k income, activating during two key moments in December: Coventry Central, Newcastle Metrocentre, Trafford Landscape &amp; Portrait, Swansea Central and our Trafford D48.
Electronics &amp; Technology: 35-44, 100k+ income, activating during Black Friday &amp; the following weeks in November: BOXPARK Wembley, Coventry, Hammersmith, BOXPARK Liverpool.
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Get in front of the right consumers, in the right place, at the right time this Christmas using OOH. To find out more how Open Media can support you in the run up to the Golden Quarter, get in touch here.

Open Media’s latest installation at BOXPARK Liverpool marks a significant milestone for the business on two fronts. 
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As Open Media’s first BOXPARK-affiliated site outside of London, the addition of <a href="https://openmedia.uk.com/insights/campaigns-boxpark-liverpool-launch">BOXPARK Liverpool</a> builds on the business’ longstanding partnership with BOXPARK, in a move that brings the vibrant energy of London’s Brick Lane to Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, adding to Open’s existing presence in the Liverpool City region. 
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Furthermore, this expansion represents a strengthened partnership between Open Media and international signage company, Daktronics, to deliver a market-first in England which sees the international signage company&#8217;s EcoSmart technology brought to Open Media&#8217;s prime DOOH estate for the very first time.
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The new LED display at BOXPARK Liverpool becomes the first site to feature Daktronics’ EcoSmart technology in the country, offering up to -50% energy savings, aligning with Open Media’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. The EcoSmart technology incorporates eco-friendly features into Daktronics displays, such as hardware upgrades, blue light reduction, high-contrast louvres, intelligent content detection, and sleep mode. These features result in focused light, reduced eye strain, improved contrast, automatic brightness adjustment and minimal power consumption. For brands activating on the site, this means even higher quality campaigns that deliver a lower environmental impact. 
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Located in a bustling area of Liverpool, this new display replaces a static banner with dynamic digital signage, offering an extensive range of benefits to clients, by ensuring excellent image clarity and contrast across campaigns live on the site.

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DSC00538

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DSC00518

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Daktronics-Logo.wine

For more information about the BOXPARK Liverpool site, please visit our location page: <a href="https://openmedia.uk.com/locations/boxpark-liverpool-2">Here.</a>
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For more information about Daktronics, please visit their website: <a href="https://www.daktronics.com/en-gb">https://www.daktronics.com/en-gb</a>
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Daktronics provide digital technology solutions that allow for flexible scheduling, quick content changes, and additional services that add value and generate revenue for customers in the out-of-home advertising industry.

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