UAE: KT unveils digital billboard

Suhail Galadari, Co-Chairman, Galadari Brothers; Mohamed Yahya Kazi Meeran, Director and Group CEO, Galadari Brothers; and Rajeev Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, Khaleej Times, launch the outdoor advertising platform on Monday. — Photos by Shihab

Dubai - The billboard is located right outside the KT headquarters in Al Quoz on the Latifa Bint Hamdan Street

Published: Tue 6 Apr 2021, 10:22 PM

Updated: Mon 12 Apr 2021, 12:29 AM

By
Suneeti Ahuja Kohli

The new LED billboard is strategically located right outside the Khaleej Times head office on the Latifa Bint Hamdan Street, where hundreds of vehicles pass by every day.

Khaleej Times has added outdoor advertising — a highly effective medium for product promotion and brand awareness — to its bouquet of offerings.

The digital billboard was inaugurated on Monday by Suhail Galadari, Co-Chairman, Galadari Brothers; Mohammed Galadari, Co-Chairman, Galadari Brothers; Mohamed Yahya Kazi Meeran, Director and Group CEO of Galadari Brothers; and Rajeev Khanna, Chief Operating Officer, Khaleej Times. The event was attended by Vinay Kamat, Editor-in-Chief of Khaleej Times, and other senior editors.

The billboard is located right outside the KT headquarters in Al Quoz on the Latifa Bint Hamdan Street, one of the main arteries in the area connecting Al Khail Road, the Sheikh Zayed Road, and Jumeirah.

Hundreds of cars and commercial vehicles pass by the billboard on a daily basis, making it a strategic location to promote a brand or spread a message.

Suhail Galadari said: “Khaleej Times has been at the forefront of embracing digital innovation in the newspaper industry. With this initiative, the region’s first English national daily is geared to give its advertising clients more value for money and allow them 360-degree exposure that integrates the benefits of the traditional platform, the print, and the new-age ones that include social media and other digital forms.

“The billboard is digitised to be able to show videos, which advertisers can capitalise on.”

Mohammed Galadari said: “The pandemic has pushed companies to rethink ways of brand-building and re-evaluate the return on investment related to advertising. The evolution of digital formats has meant companies now have more options to choose from. With the addition of a digital billboard, Khaleej Times’ clients now have the power to choose the medium that suits them the most. Digital advertisement and promotion campaigns through this medium will certainly allow more traction for clients.”

Before the Covid-19 pandemic forced lockdowns across the globe, outdoor advertising was growing at a fast pace. Now, with outdoor activities having resumed in Dubai since July last year, the out-of-home (OOH) service is again becoming hugely relevant.

People are returning to work, visiting malls, and the usual commutes are gradually returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Mohamed Yahya Kazi Meeran said: “Outdoor advertisement will complement our print and digital platforms. The digital nature of the billboard and its strategic location will work well for our advertisers and give them multiple options to choose from. We are excited about this new platform and believe it will be an effective one for companies to send their message to customers in a more powerful form.”

Rajeev Khanna added: “Right through the very challenging past year, outdoor advertising has managed to stay relevant, and our view is that it shall continue to remain in demand, which prompted us to start the development months in advance. Despite the impact of Covid-19, the city traffic is almost reaching its peak, which has a direct bearing on the efficacy of outdoor advertising with eyeballs increasing on the streets.

“For Khaleej Times, outdoor advertising is a natural extension of our current legacy platforms as there is a large overlap of advertisers. In fact, our clients will be happy to know that we are now offering them a 360-degree solution of print, digital, and outdoor ads. We are quite excited about adding outdoor media to our profile.”

Irrespective of a company’s size, digital billboards are an effective way to develop brands, create lasting impression, and achieve maximum exposure of products.

“Khaleej Times, the leading media house in the region, ventures into OOH with the launch of its first digital billboard, ensuring greater impact and wider reach. We are proud to present a new vertical to our advertisers. This medium can offer great mileage to our clients and help build lasting brand recall value,” said Harjyot Oberoi Bohra, Head of Marketing, Khaleej Times.

The new advertising platform comes at a time when the digital signage industry is growing rapidly in the region, said Shazil Merchant, Digital Innovator at Champion Digital. “Khaleej Times has been very strategic in adopting the latest technologies in the advertising domain. The outdoor LED screen at their iconic Al Quoz head office offers a fantastic platform to increase their visibility and customer engagement. With traffic flowing in both directions from the Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, their double-sided digital display offers an engaging view with incredible mileage. We at Champion Group are extremely proud to partner with Khaleej Times for this project and we look forward to seeing more of such digital displays across the city.”

suneeti@khaleejtimes.com