Daily Tribune (Philippines)

Message from the great outdoors

Billboards have pretty much become an important part of our life and culture. No longer is it just for companies with products and services to promote but for the general public as well who get bits of relevant informatio­n on health, the weather, travel,

- By Francine M. Marquez

in a sea of informatio­n online and offline, delivering one’s product messages could get lost in all sort of platforms. But beyond traditiona­l and new media, the final bastion that may yet offer engagement and impact would be the out-of-home advertisin­g, more populalry known as billboards.

With an estimated 700,000 mix of motorists, commuters and pedestrian­s on edsa every day, companies are going out again after the two years of focusing on an audience in quarantine.

alvin carranza, ceO of Digital Out of Home inc. (DOOH) and the country’s pioneer in billboard advertisin­g emphasizes the strength of his chosen platform with a “sky’s the limit” propositio­n — literally, he says, especially with towering LeD billboards covering the entire side of

a high-rise building.

But with health and safety given great attention, he shares, “The public should also know that players like us go through the promise of securing permits and ensuring our billboards are structural­ly sound. it’s not just about advertisin­g but also about engineerin­g”

He also shared that billboards have also evolved as an important tool for public informatio­n. When the pandemic began, for instance, DOOH felt the economic impact as well when clients dwindled and enforced a waitand-see attitude.

The ever enterprisi­ng carranza, however, decided to use the down time to do his company’s share in encouragin­g the public to keep safe and healthy. “That time, we used the content to share informatio­n on health protocols, to remind the public to practice social distancing, to stay safe. We even shared some inspiratio­nal quotes to get motorists and commuters through their challengin­g days. Those were our own company efforts.”

On his “sky’s the limit” advocacy, carranza believes that with people returning to their workplaces and finally traveling to their dream destinatio­ns, billboards truly serve as message boards for public informatio­n.

He observes, “Billboards have pretty much become an important part of our life and culture. no longer is it just for companies with products and services to promote but for the general public as well who get bits of relevant informatio­n on health, the weather, travel, breaking news and so much more.”

 ?? ?? DOOH felt he economic impact when clients dwindled and enforced wait-and-see attitude.
DOOH felt he economic impact when clients dwindled and enforced wait-and-see attitude.
 ?? ?? BILLBOARDS have evolved as an important tool for public informatio­n.
BILLBOARDS have evolved as an important tool for public informatio­n.
 ?? PHOTOGRAPH­S COURTESY OF FB.COM/DOOH ??
PHOTOGRAPH­S COURTESY OF FB.COM/DOOH

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