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Rina Chandran

"When you buy outdoor you are buying a static medium, but we are able to add value and bring brand salience to the front," said Mr Pratap Bose, Country Manager, Ogilvy Landscapes.

Mumbai , Aug. 11

ACCOUNTABILITY is key to driving growth in any medium - and Ogilvy & Mather Advertising (O&M) plans to drive growth in outdoor and retail solutions by bringing in systems of monitoring and measuring effectiveness, right from planning and buying to implementation and post-buy.

For Landscapes, its outdoor unit, O&M has appointed NFO to provide site-specific data for 30 cities on a weekly basis.

These are locations where maximum outdoor spends take place, and the data will report the client's share of space vis-à-vis competition and the industry, as well as mundane but important details such as whether the sign is up and in the right place, if the lighting is good, and whether the vinyl is stretched right.

The data will enable the agency to determine if the advertising is breaking clutter and if it is reaching the right target audience.

"Accounting in this medium has been very unprofessional - so agencies have not been able to demonstrate that spends were right, that we are reaching the right audience, or what the cost per thousand is as compared to another medium," said Mr J.C. Giri, Country Head, Ogilvy Landscapes, which had a turnover of about Rs 150 crore last year.

"So clients are always asking, `am I spending the right money, is the money well-spent, is this the most efficient use of my money'." A part of its `conquering the great outdoors' initiative, clients have welcomed the move, as it brings credibility and accountability to the medium, he added.

"When you buy outdoor you are buying a static medium, but we are able to add value and bring brand salience to the front," said Mr Pratap Bose, Country Manager, Ogilvy Landscapes. "This is a small move forward, but this is where the future lies."

The process is being extended to Signscapes, a division of Landscapes, which provides retail, merchandise and signage solutions. At the retail end, there is no accountability in terms of visibility, and shelf space or display, but with the rapid growth of organised retail and clients looking to innovate constantly, there is a need for a mechanism of measurement. The audit will be followed up with recommendations for optimum display, keeping in mind the branding values and image that the client is looking to convey, Mr Giri said.

O&M is currently looking to develop a business model and is talking to partners on retail audits. O&M believes there are opportunities in banking, financial services, telecom, petroleum companies, even franchises for Kodak and other multinationals.

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