‘Growing consumer base, buying power bolster OOH’

“Gujarat has always been a very strong OOH market. If we look at Gujarat it has a sizable population of around 60 million with a good mix of rural and urban population. It has a strong industrial base and is home to many SMEs thereby forming a strong consumer base and buying power.”

Stating this in an interview with Media4Growth on the dynamics of Gujarat OOH market, Dipankar Sanyal, CEO, Platinum Communications, says the strong economic fundamentals make the state an attractive destination for brand advertising. “The same is reflected in the quality of OOH media that it offers from airports and railways to roads and urban infrastructure. Cities have adopted DOOH in various formats.”

Engagement with Regional Brands

Dipankar opines that “Gujarat has always been a home to homegrown brands. The strong entrepreneurial background of the populace adds to a lot of regional brands. It is home to many national brands like Amul, Adani, Torrent, Nirma, etc. Basically brands across categories like FMCG, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, retail, jewellery, real estate etc have their roots in Gujarat. This gives a vibrant array of products which are reasonably large spenders in OOH. So, the local connect is very strong and does great for the Gujarat outdoor industry.”

Recommendations for Media Owners

“I personally feel that media owners should get connected with advertisers and agencies from other states and regions. Gujarat is changing fast so definitely the demography also changes. Advertisers and agencies need to be educated on the changing face which will help them to plan better and reach out to other geographies within the state. This will help in pushing greater volumes,” says Dipankar on a concluding note.