Call of the great outdoors fades for advertisers during muted commuting

 https://on.ft.com/2XDdSYN

At first glance this article seems to be focused on a non-digital form of advertising as it references the large decrease in profits for companies like JCDecaux, whose main focus is on outdoor advertising through billboards and relies heavily on commuters taking public transportation. 

Interestingly, as it did for many industries, the pandemic has accelerated change within the outdoor marketing space; the article comments: Digital out-of-home advertising holds particular promise, allowing the same space to be sold to multiple advertisers with a premium charged for video messages. 

No more commuters looking at that big billboard sign? No problem. Agencies are using the effects of commuter worries about germs and sanitizing to their advantage, using digital as a means to communicate a brand message from Dettol to those commuters who are now highly concerned with hygiene. 

The force of digital is that it remains relevant: 

Messages were tailored to localised restrictions in particular areas and could be updated within hours of the rules changing.

Now we're all reaching for that dettol bottle!