Direct response advertising is coming to the outdoor industry with the
launch of Postercall, a new joint initiative between BT and the poster
contractor, Maiden Outdoor.
Postercall is the first direct response mechanism for the poster medium
and is designed to capitalise on the growing popularity of response-led
advertising.
The system will offer advertisers a one-stop package which involves the
use of a pre-designated freefone number linked to BT’s Connections In
Business call-handling operation.
According to Francis Goodwin, managing director of the Maiden Outdoor
division, Maiden Roadside, the project should encourage the use of
outdoor as an effective direct response medium and assist new users in
maximising response levels.
‘We want to quantify the role of outdoor as a consumer-orientated direct
response medium and understand the perception of direct response on
outdoor,’ he added.
The initiative will be tried for a three-month period in the new year
and advertisers are currently being recruited to take part in the pilot.
Clients that sign up will be guaranteed exclusivity in their market and
Maiden is hoping to have six different product categories represented in
the trial.
The pilot scheme will involve extensive attitudinal and behavioural
analysis of respondents to specific poster campaigns. Information will
also be compiled on when and where the poster was seen, whether it was
part of a bigger campaign and what impact that campaign had on the
respondents’ perceptions of the advertiser.
Direct response advertising is an increasingly important revenue
generator for other media - particularly TV. Maiden is keen to prove
that posters also have a role to play in this form of advertising.
