JCDecaux is going to expand the digital six-sheet format, D6, which is currently available in London termini stations, to its national rail estate and boost its digital presence in malls by the end of next year.
Announcing the plans at The Screen conference, '2010 – A Digital Perspective', this morning Jeremy Male, chief executive of UK and Northern Europe at JCDecaux, said 2010 was a "watershed year" for digital creative.
However, Male called for the industry to shift digital outdoor from being a "London-centric" offer, citing the figure that 80% of digital outdoor revenues are derived from London, to a national medium.
Most of the investment in digital outdoor has been in London, though some smaller media owners such as Alan Sugar's Amscreen and Limited Space do offer a wider digital footprint.
A spokesman for JCDecaux said 100% of its rail digital six-sheets and 25% of its mall six-sheets are currently in London but by the end of next year around 40% of all JCDecaux’s digital six sheets will be outside of London.
Male also said outdoor media owners should spend as much money marketing its products as they do investing in them and that digital outdoor should be marketed more "aggressively".
JCDecaux bought the assets of Titan Outdoor, which included its mall and rail portfolio, in January this year and has appointed former Titan Outdoor commercial director Steve Arnold as its first head of digital to manage the expanded estate.
Male said: "JCDecaux’s investment means digital outdoor will reach more people on a daily basis than the quality and mid-market national press put together and more than radio over a two-week campaign.
"A tipping point has been reached with digital revenues forecast to reach £115m in 2011, and as a national proposition, digital Outdoor will attract new brands to the medium. JCDecaux has spearheaded the transformation of traditional Outdoor and we are now looking to do the same for digital."
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