Goa OOH - At the threshold of a makeover

Even as the industry has had to tackle the menace of unauthorised business, multiplicity of OOH norms and jurisdictions, there are visible signs of positive change with forward looking administrators wanting to usher in digital OOH media and regulate the business expeditiously

Goa, recognised for its holiday destinations, sea-side resorts and New Year eve celebrations, is also an important OOH market. The cities of Goa see significant OOH advertising by various national brands during this time of the year, but several developments through the year 2019 have had a major bearing on the local OOH business.

To assess the changes one would have to go a little back in time. The Goa civic body has always favoured the tourism industry over any other, as it brings in maximum revenues for the body. The excessive focus on seasonal tourism at the expense of many other industries has meant that the OOH industry had a rather limited local clientele to reach out to.

Relying solely on the peak season and regional brands during the rest of the year, media owners operating in the state were known to seldom make profits. Gradually, from month-long campaigns, advertising brands began to settle for shorter-duration one and two week campaigns.

Goa’s numerous’ industries largely depend on the numerous events-Sunburn, India Bike Week, Serendipity, Carnival, also known as Mardi Gras, and so many more, spanning from the first week of December, all the way to February. Many of these events Sunburn for instance, returned to Goa after two years, bringing with it the opportunities — for more income to the OOH players. Keith Fernandes, Founder of Slipdisc Advertising and Events which holds the rights for Sunburn’s outdoor branding, said, “Events are a major crowd-puller. Sunburn and its sponsors spend around Rs 1.5 crore on outdoor advertising and they bring with them, immense economic benefits. | will be advertising for Kingfisher, Magic Moments, who are two of their biggest sponsors, and Sunburn event itself.”